Like nearly everyone else, I'm most familiar with Bill Bryson as the author of "A Short History of Nearly Everything", which incidentally is well worth reading. It's part history, part comedy, part social insights, but mostly just awesome.
So I saw "Notes From A Small Island" in a big display at the bookstore a few days ago. I mistakenly thought it was his new book. Its not (it was originally published in 1995), but that's OK, it was still worth the purchase.
Bryson has, when this book starts, been living in England for 20 years after leaving Iowa as a twenty something. Deciding it is time to return home to the US, he starts off on one last tour around Great Britain before his departure.
This book could be filed in the "Travel" section. In fact, I think it is at my local bookstore. But really, it's not just a travel novel. It would be fairly useless if you're looking for places to stay, road maps, or what to have for dinner. Where this book shines is in it's humorous descriptions of English life. His travel disasters are related in all their glory, and he has a knack for making even the most awful events seem funny and worth the experience. Some of the critical commentary in this book had me laughing out loud, but the best part is it's never over the top or nasty. His love of the country shines though even the most sarcastic entries.
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