I don't love short story collections, but I decided to try this one. Mainly because of Mr. Hanks. What a wonderful collection! I truly hope he will write more!

Having always admired Tom Hanks as an actor and a human being, I am happy to say I can now give him a 5 star review as an author. When I requested Hanks' collection of short stories from Netgalley.com, I thought reading these might be like the old truism about watching a dog walk on 2 legs: it's not how well he does it but that he does it at all. Then I plunged into this delightful collection and discovered Mr. Hanks has a range as deep and wide as his dramatic performances. The title "Uncommon Type" and the themes of the stories within frequently bring you back to old manual typewriters. There are detailed miniatures of a range of these old machines after each story. In some stories there is barely a mention of a task being carried out on a typewriter, while one story is a paean to the craftsmanship of these machines. It is a unique theme to unite the tales, some of which are set back a few generations , while others are far in the future and another combines the old and new in a fascinating tale of time travel. Hanks' eye for detail makes each story rich with a sense of place. He has clearly done his research, whether it is on the subject of surfing, space travel or the theater. No doubt much of the verisimilitude comes from his own experiences as an actor, but it never feels added just to display his knowledge. The Uncommon Type of the title also focuses on the characters within each story, and this is where Hanks really shines. His appreciation for the common man and all his foibles makes the reader feel uplifted even when the ending takes an unexpected twist. I enjoyed every single story in this collection and look forward to Hanks trying his hand at a novel.