BootsnAll Travel Community

Has someone ever heard of the writer Bill Bryson, (The Lost Continent, Notes From a Big Country, Neither Here or There, Down Under, Made in America, a.o.) How are his books? I read something on cnn.com about a new book called 'A Short History of Nearly Everything' and it looked interesting.

cs, TJ

If you're not living, you're dying...
Drive The World

i have a love/hate relationship with Bryson (see the Bryson topic below).

he's funny alright, but I think he's other things too...

cs

I agree with menudio.

Bill Bryson is off and on. When he's on, he's hilarious; you'll be literally laughing out loud. When he's off, it's usually when he goes into his history lessons. Don't get me wrong; he tries to make it interesting, and paces it very well, but sometimes he doesn't quite pull it off.

i.e. His Australia book is divided into three parts, covering three separate trips. He hooked me in the first part which was hysterical, but bored me with the second part. (Third was okay.)

I'd recommend Bryson's "A Stranger Here Myself" and "A Walk In The Woods."

If you're into travel humor, read some Doug Lansky books. He's absolutely my favorite travel writer and a big influence on my writing style.

e.

http://www.theglobaltrip.com

I mostly love his writing and am in fits of laughter, but I must admit the book on Australia got a bit boring, very much more into the history of the country.

He does write academic books on language, found one interesting. Can't think of it's name

So I went to the bookstore to check out his new book, "A Short History of Nearly Everything."

You know how in his travel books, he'll digress into some history lesson that he tries to flavor with humor, but often gets boring?

Imagine 500 pages of that.

Then again, if you liked those interstitials, the new book is right up your alley.

e.

http://www.theglobaltrip.com

I've been reading Tony Horwitz--sometimes a bit too journalistic (but then again, he IS a journalist), but keeps it interesting and humorous enough and you learn a little something

I would recommend

Thanks, I am reading 'The Lost Continent' now and i'm not really sure about what to think of it. I'm only at page 27 though. I will look for Tony Horwitz, but a lot of titles are hard to get in english (British/American writers I rather read in english than in dutch), I would probably have to
order it.

TJ

If you're not living, you're dying...
Drive The World

I haven't read that much of Bryson. Currently reading, "Notes from a Small Island" and it's entertaining. Bryson's main strength is his humor, which can leave you in stitches at times. He has a knack for creating a book-length of material out of "minimal" experience. For example, he walked a small section of the Appalachian Train in the U.S. and turned the experience into a book ("A Walk in the Woods" - good read). In the book I'm currently reading, he's simply driving to different small towns in his car. In short, give him a shot.

Bryson is well worth your time. His outlook and sense of humor are refreshing. In the books of his that I've read, (Sunburned Country, Notes from a Small Island, Lost Continent, A Walk in the Woods* - my favorite), I've found the history brings life to his surroundings.

His book on the history of the English language is called, 'Mother Tongue.' Also a good read, but as I discoved while doing my B.A., there are a few flaws and gaps in his research.

Yes, he does go too far into history sometimes. Notes from a small island is great. I have his Short History of Nearly Everything in audio book format (18 hours worth).

See, I love all the history he puts in. How else could I possily discover so much random informtation about amusing obscure subjects and people??? I think that his books wouldn't be as interesting without all that detail.

PC

Yes, BB is perhaps not to everyone's taste all the time, but he's always worth reading (I agree with the others about his Australian stuff)

The Australian book was tainted for me because he spent much of his time in the book discussing how he was going from some book signing to another. Hey, that is his life, but a travel story where he takes a trip and breaks it off to sign books for adoring fans takes me out of the trip.

"Neither Here Or There" had me laughing out loud. Had me laughing out loud so often that people in the pub where I was reading it kept bugging me to ask them to read what I thought was "So Goddamned Funny"

Yeah. He's off and on. I probably won't buy another of his because I worry that it won't live up to the first one I read.

Theroux's South Pacific book is a cool read. He didn't go for humour and found it in some places by accident. A more cerebral story of a journey.

D

Bryson's Australia book was, in my opinion, one of his weakest.

For excellent, pee-in-your-pants Bryson, read The Lost Continent: Travels in Small-Town America.

Bill Bryson is not everyone's cup of tea, but I am a big fan and have all of his books.