I loved each and everyone of these stories! It was really a feel good book.

Who knew Tom Hanks could write so wonderfully? He does everything else so well, it shouldn't be a surprise, but every one of these stories was good. I'll definitely read more of what he (hopefully) writes in the future.

My undergraduate fiction professor had a refrain he repeated so often it annoyed us to no end. “Only trouble is interesting,” he would say, insistent that we were never too nice to our main characters. I had a heated debate with him once over the pervasiveness of “unhappy endings” in the short stories he assigned. I didn’t understand why fiction had to always be so depressing. People were always getting killed, or divorced, or going through awful circumstances. “You can have happy endings,” he told me, “but they have to be qualified. There’s always more trouble around the corner.”
Thinking back on it now, I know that he was teaching us how to write well. And the stories that have stuck with me are the ones I first read in his class. I remember with a vivid fierceness the unsettled outlaw at the end of Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man Is Hard to Find,” the sob of the grieving father at the end of Andre Dubus’ Killings, the murdered author remembering his childhood as his life flashes before his memory in Tobias Wolff’s A Bullet in the Brain. I haven’t read these stories in years, and yet their impact resonates.
Reading the new short story collection from Tom Hanks (yes, that Tom Hanks), was a different experience. After I finished with them, most of Hank’s stories flitted from my brain like a light balloon. In seventeen stories, Hanks – whose squeaky-clean image as “America’s Dad” has itself become as American as apple pie – presents a world as neatly packaged and free from real-world troubles as the average Hollywood rom-com. In the opening story, “Three Exhausting Weeks,” an exhausted narrator relates his tribulations as his girlfriend attempts to force him into an exercise routine and social life he can’t keep up with. In “These Are the Meditations of My Heart,” a young woman buys and renovates an old typewriter. In “Steve Wong is Perfect,” a young man’s bowling streak captivates an entire town.
These people seem to float through life without any real concern beyond their own upper-middle-class troubles. Each story has so few consequences, so little stakes, that it’s difficult at first to find much to appreciate in them. But about halfway through the collection, I found myself enjoying liking them more and more. Completely unrelated, I happened to re-watch You’ve Got Mail, Hanks’ late-90’s hit with Meg Ryan. I discovered that it really is impossible not to like the guy. Even when playing a cutthroat bookstore magnate, he’s affable and charming. Hanks’ fiction occupies the same outlook. His characters are rarely unlikeable, and they all discover that with some hard work and pluck, they’ll make it through in the end.
Hanks proves to be an adequate, if raw, prose stylist. He’s at his best when exploring territory he knows well (World War II, apropos of Saving Private Ryan or Band of Brothers), or when his stories are so imaginative and out there that they border on the fantastic (“The Past Is Important to Us,” my favorite story in the collection, in which a wealthy time-travelling tourist falls in love with a young woman at the 1939 New York City World’s Fair). Each story contains the appearance of a typewriter (Hanks is an avid collector and enthusiast), which binds the stories together thematically. It feels like a gimmick, and it is. But Hanks’ affection for the machines comes through, and before too long, you hardly notice they’re there.
Whenever celebrities think they can write fiction, writers tend to roll their eyes – do we ever pretend that their job is so easy we can just “pick it up?” But Hanks doesn’t seem to be someone who’s doing this just to prove he can. On every page, his earnestness is felt. This is the short story collection of a new and burgeoning writer, as uneven and unsure as all debuts can be. But it’s also the voice of one of America’s most beloved actors, a growing literary talent, and a man who is clearly not content to explore just one aspect of the human condition.

This book was a mixed bag for me. Some of the stories really pulled me in, and I absolutely loved them. Some of the stories bored me, and because of that, the book felt rather long. I rarely like an entire collection of stories, each story being a thing of its own. That being said, I will definitely recommend this book for the stories I won't soon forget.

Honestly? The third star is probably a Tom Hanks likability star. The majority of stories in this collection just felt like a slog. There was one story I enjoyed, but overall I just didn't love this as much as I wanted to. The common thread of including a typewriter in each story was a clever idea, though in many of the stories it was just a throwaway mention. I think Tom Hanks has a lot of potential as a writer- it's clear that his creativity is not limited to his acting talent- but this collection just failed to grab me, overall. As a librarian, I have no doubt that his name alone is going to move copies of this book, but I don't expect that it will have a long-term impact.

The stories Tom Hanks interweaves with typewriters were so warm and lovely. I thoroughly enjoyed this collection and am incredibly jealous of how talented he is.

This is a well-crafted collection of short stories of varying lengths. Many feature typewriters as part of the plot,, celebrating their value even in this time of more "advanced" devices. Several of the stories concern the same cast of characters, a group of 20-something aged friends. Each story is self-contained and satisfying, yet it's easy to imagine some of them expanded to full-length works.

Tom Hanks definitely has a unique writing style. Some of the stories were good and some were rather boring.

I wanted to like this book more than I actually did. It's been clear for a long time that Tom Hanks lives in a different, more magical world than the rest of us mortals, and it shows in these stories. Even those set in the modern day or future had the feel of old, 50's-style language. The dialogue was not great, bordering on cheesy at many times. The collection wasn't bad, but also wasn't good. It felt like a slog at the end.

First line: Anna said there was only one place to find a meaningful gift for MDash—the Antique Warehouse, not so much a place for old treasures as a permanent swap meet in what used to be the Lux Theater.

Summary: A collection of short stories written by Tom Hanks. Each story has its own feel and flow to it but in each he incorporates a typewriter. The stories span from time travel to a struggling actress to a bowler with a perfect score.

Highlights: I liked each and every story. They are all unique. I was excited to read this book because I am a big fan of Tom Hanks. He is very talented and once again proved it with this collection. The depth of the stories and the variety captured me. It was nice to have something I could pick up and put down without losing track of the storyline. I think my favorite was the story of the time traveling billionaire. The ending was sad but I completely enjoyed it.

Lowlights: I wanted more! I have never been drawn to short stories but I think this will be a gateway into trying more. I was always disappointed when the story ended.

FYI: Must read for all Tom Hanks fans!

Well-written short stories, some connected by repeating characters, and all connected by the theme of typewriters, in some fashion or other. I liked best the realistic stories, especially the one set on Christmas Eve. Hanks has a strong feel for his characters, bringing them to life in an understated fashion. Of less interest, to me, were the stories that hewed to the science fiction genre, but I did not feel the stories were any less well-conceptualized or executed. We knew Hanks could act. Now we know he also can write.

This was a great collection. I loved the break of each story with the typewriter photos. The stories were well thought and I was invested in most. I liked that he changed up the way he wrote them, not strictly narrative, but having said that some of the formats I did not like and that's fine. Other people will! Tom Hanks is a great actor, and now a great writer.

Is there anything Tom Hanks can't do? Does he dance and or sing? He sure can write and I can't complain about his acting. He seems like an all round nice guy with a lot of talent(s). Many of these short stories tend to leave one hanging, but I suspect that just might be the point!

After reading, Uncommon Type, it comes as no surprise that talented actor, Tom Hanks, has decided to share his gift of prose with fans. Truly a Renaissance Man, Hanks' short stories are insightful and inspired. This reader is hopeful that more publications are fourth coming, and that hopefully, a full length novel will emerge will as much gusto as these tantalizing tidbits.

Leave it to Tom Hanks. He can do just about anything. In his first book of short stories he underscores his talent once and for all. The stories all have something in common, a typewriter. There's the girl who has wanted a typewriter all her life and she uses what little money she has to buy a child's typewriter in a second hand store. Then there is a man who loves to bowl, bowls a perfect game and his life is forever changed. Mostly its great fun to see just how Tom Hank's brain works in devising these tales.

Great short stories about characters you could know. I was delighted to discover that Hanks's charm and humor come through in his writing.

This is a fun collection of short stories that pull you into the human condition. I really liked this book

I was first drawn to this collection of short stories simply because they were written by actor Tom Hanks, and I was interested in experiencing his literary work. After I finished I looked up his background to see if he had an English degree, because I thought his writing was quite good. He doesn't by the way; studied theater in school. "Uncommon Type" is a collection of seventeen short stories with varying themes, but most of the stories have a common demoninator in which an antique typewriter pops up at some point. Because the characters and events of these stories are so varied I found myself reading the book practically in one sitting, and never tiring of it. Included are stories of relationships, war, space travel, and even time travel. "Steve Wong is Perfect" is a story of one man catching the eye of E.S.P.N from bowling continuous perfect scores. He enters a tournament to win 100,000 dollars, and I found myself totally invested in this story about bowling. Well done, Mr. Hanks!

Talent Tom Hanks writes 17 short stories.
If you are a fan of tom Hanks- this is a must have.

I savored story 2 - Christmas Eve 1953
seeing Christmas through the eyes of the Beuell Family
I could see the Christmas tree, hear the records on the phonograph.
I could feel the keys and hear the pings of typing the letter to Santa on the typewriter.

I enjoyed story 3 - Junket in the City of Light
the press schedule during the pre release of a movie.

and Who's Who describes New York City living that I could imagine being there.
Then A Special Weekend - describes flying that I could live through them.
Finally, in Steve Wong is Perfect - how in a second a video goes worldwide!!

I recommend this book