Bradbury

There have been a lot of articles out there about Ray Bradbury turning 86. Guess that's a milestone for anyone, especially A-list scifi authors who just seem to keep on writing and writing and writing and writing. Coincidentally, I just yesterday finished listening to the audio book of The Illustrated Man, which for the most part I enjoyed. Bradbury has always seemed to have a particularly wide sentimental streak that is sometimes cloying, but the high-points are worth it. Have you read most of his books? Whaddya think? I know we've never chosen one of his books as our monthly selection, probably because we figure everyone's already read all his stories.

I heard a funny story from a fellow bookseller about a signing event with Ray at one of the S. California bookstores, where he asked the bookseller at the beginning of the event to go out and retrieve the bottle of Chivas Regal out of his car, which she did, and he got so inebriated through the course of the signing that he could barely sign his name by the time it was over. (They had poured the whisky into a mug from the cafe for him.) At the end, after all the customers had cleared out, she had to tell him, "Mr. Bradbury, I don't think you should drive yourself home."
To which he replied, "Are you telling me you don't think I'm in any condition to drive??"
"Well, yes. That's right," she said.
After a pause, he said, "Oh. Okay."
They called a taxi to get him home.
Probably the reason we've heard he doesn't drive...

Any Bradbury books you've particularly liked? Or disliked? How about the movie adaptations? I'd like to see Truffaut's Fahrenheit 451 again... and read there's a new movie in the works of The Martian Chronicles.