Of all the Ray Bradbury works I have read my fave is "Something Wicked This Way Comes". Written in a simple, direct style, I found it engaging and endearing.Although Mr. Bradbury did not spend many lines in character development, I felt as though I knew the people even as I read about them. I highly recommend his work. Personally, I consider him one of the greatest 20th century american authors in any genre.
I remember, long ago, in the lost daze of my youth, hearing a friend describe to me the phenomenom of piezoelectricity. Curious about this purported energy transformation, I looked into the matter at a local library. After consulting several texts, I found reference to this electrical discharge. Having since made considerable informal study of crystalography and other relevent fields, and having the ability to explain the details of the energy transformation, it still amazes me that one can strike a quartz crystal and cause a blue spark to be emitted from it's opposite end!
As an adolescent, I read many of Mark Twain's works, beginning with Tom and then Huck. After that I read other of his novels, as well as some essays. I've been reflecting on how many things I learned from Samuel. He gave me a different perspective on the culutural milieu of my youth, as well as a very personal look at his own.