A Book That's Just Dandy

Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury

This is what my vintage copy of Bradbury's book looks like, it's cover price is only 50 cents.

I confess that I was put off by this book initially. I like to read a science fiction novel every cusp-of-summertime. This genre serves me well as the thrill of rising temperatures, switching out winter clothes, and blockbuster movies make it difficult for me to focus on reading. But when I began Dandelion Wine I had to check the author's name again on the cover to make sure I was reading the same writer I'd supposed. This collection of summery coming-of-age short stories reads more like Mark Twain and less like the grandad of sci-fi.
I consulted an expert concerning the issue, and he assured me that I wouldn't be disappointed. He convinced me by relating this, "you can clearly see that he's trying to evoke memories of summer and childhood...you'll fall in love with Greentown, and lime-vanilla ice cream."
I haven't gotten to that part of the book yet, but click this link to a recipe I found on Epicurious.com for lime-vanilla ice cream (I love this site it for its recipes and it's creative name). I'm determined to try the recipe out as soon as it gets hot enough.
While lime-vanilla ice cream waits for me in later pages, so far I've enjoyed these quotes and exerpts from the story already:

"...the water was silk in the cup..."

"...it was only important that the darkness filled the town like black water being poured over the houses..."

"Gardening is the handiest excuse for being a philosopher. Nobody guesses, nobody accuses, nobody knows, but there you are, Plato in the peonies, Socrates force-growing his own hemlock. A man toting a sack of blood manure across his lawn is kin to Atlas letting the world spin easy on his shoulder."

"I'm Alice, she's Jane, and that's Tom Spaulding."
"How nice. And I'm Mrs. Bentley. They called me Helen."
They stared at her.
"Don't you believe they called me Helen?" said the old lady.
"I didn't know old ladies had first names," said Tom, blinking.

I'm sure there are many more quotable lines to come and many that have passed without my notice, but all in all, this is the perfect book to kick off your summer.