BootsnAll Travel Community

Hey guys! It seems that a month isn't quite enough time for most people (myself included) to buy, read, and discuss a book, so I've decided to extend each book's span to two months. In addition, for our next book I've picked out a little light reading, and something many of you may have read already - "I'm A Stranger Here Myself" by Bill Bryson. Enjoy, and I'll try to do a better job than I have been getting the discussion going.

This is possibly my favorite Bill Bryson book - especially since I've lived abroad. I'm curious to hear what both Americans and non-Americans thought.

The one thing that really sticks in my mind is the American obsession with junk food. I've never been to another country that eats as much processed and packaged food as we do - sweets, salty food, canned vegetables, rice-a-roni, and the like. In comparison with other places, I'm amazed by both how difficult and how expensive it is to eat "real food" in America.

Yay another book club!

I haven't been on bna for a while... is this the last book that you chose? It looks like no one is posting here. I am picking up the Kite Runner from the library today and it made me think of our little book club. You know I think that Tunk (my boyfriend) might have "I'm a stranger here myself". If he does I'll go ahead and read it if you want to keep the book club going. If you'd like, I can pick up the ball and we can do "The Kite Runner" next. It's not a travelling book per say but it's set in Afganistan, which is travel related to everyone but people who live there I suppose! I already found some book club questions for it.

I'd just thought I'd bump this to see how this is faring..

Haven't read the first book myself (sorry!) but I really did like Kite Runner, or at least half of the book I read anyway because I never did get to finish it (it was a book from a hostel in Siem Reap).

Very engaging narrative and a great insight into Afghanistan society and history. It's been almost a year since I half-read the book but I remember thinking how undeveloped the female characters were. But overall, it's very impressive for a debut novel. I need to pick up my own copy!

I cannot think of a better travel writer (humour) than Bryson.

Neither Here Nor There is currently making me piss myself for the TENTH time. Nice choice.

D

what the bootsnall bookclub? Where do I sign up? I am a big Bryson fan myself

quote:

Originally posted by Brittney:
This is possibly my favorite Bill Bryson book - especially since I've lived abroad. I'm curious to hear what both Americans and non-Americans thought.

The one thing that really sticks in my mind is the American obsession with junk food. I've never been to another country that eats as much processed and packaged food as we do - sweets, salty food, canned vegetables, rice-a-roni, and the like. In comparison with other places, I'm amazed by both how difficult and how expensive it is to eat "real food" in America.

Maybe it's just my reduced travel appetite, but in Spain, Morocco, and Costa Rica, the food seemed to be more filling, perhaps because of the use of "real" ingredients instead of processed stuff. However, Spanish food is very salty - my diet of bocadillos and menus del dia seemed perhaps even saltier than my usual salty-enough American diet (which includes the sodium-packed Ma Po Tofu).

I like to go to grocery stores / super / hypermarkets abroad, and it's not so much the absence of "ready meals" that I notice as of what we in Minnesota call "pop" - soft drinks. At least in Spain, but I think in Costa Rica too. I didn't visit any large vendors in Maroc, but the smaller stores had a decent selection. But in Spain...only about eight choices! And in restaurants it's sooo expensive!