A Short History of Nearly Everything

This is one of the first Bill Bryson books that I ever read. And it is one of those books which I go back to from time to time as it is packed with interesting information.

A Short History of Nearly Everything reports what happened and how humans figured it out. To accomplish this daunting literary task, Bill Bryson uses hundreds of sources, from popular science books to interviews with luminaries in various fields. His aim is to help people like him, who rejected stale school textbooks and dry explanations, to appreciate how we have used science to understand the smallest particles and the unimaginably vast expanses of space. With his distinctive prose style and wit, Bryson succeeds admirably. Though A Short History clocks in at a daunting 500-plus pages and covers the same material as every science book before it, it reads something like a particularly detailed novel (albeit without a plot).

This is the kind of book you wished that you had had when you were at school and then you may have understood things a lot more! Complicated concepts are explained in an interesting and compelling way.

A Short History of Nearly Everything

A Walk in the Woods:
Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail

The Appalachian Trail trail stretches from Georgia to Maine and covers some of the most breathtaking terrain in America-majestic mountains, silent forests, sparking lakes. If you're going to take a hike, it's probably the place to go. And Bill Bryson is surely the most entertaing guide you'll find. He introduces us to the history and ecology of the trail and to some of the other hardy (or just foolhardy) folks he meets along the way-and a couple of bears. Already a classic, A Walk in the Woods will make you long for the great outdoors (or at least a comfortable chair to sit and read in).

The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid:
A Memoir

From one of the most beloved and bestselling authors in the English language, a vivid, nostalgic, and utterly hilarious memoir of growing up in the 1950s

Bill Bryson was born in the middle of the American century-1951-in the middle of the United States-Des Moines, Iowa-in the middle of the largest generation in American history-the baby boomers. As one of the best and funniest writers alive, he is perfectly positioned to mine his memories of a totally all-American childhood for 24-carat memoir gold. Like millions of his generational peers, Bill Bryson grew up with a rich fantasy life as a superhero. In his case, he ran around his house and neighborhood with an old football jersey with a thunderbolt on it and a towel about his neck that served as his cape, leaping tall buildings in a single bound and vanquishing awful evildoers (and morons)-in his head-as "The Thunderbolt Kid."

In a Sunburned Country

Bill Bryson follows his Appalachian amble, A Walk in the Woods, with the story of his exploits in Australia, where A-bombs go off unnoticed, prime ministers disappear into the surf, and cheery citizens coexist with the world's deadliest creatures: toxic caterpillars, aggressive seashells, crocodiles, sharks, snakes, and the deadliest of them all, the dreaded box jellyfish. And that's just the beginning, as Bryson treks through sunbaked deserts and up endless coastlines, crisscrossing the "under-discovered" Down Under in search of all things interesting.

Neither Here nor There:
Travels in Europe

In this journey around Europe Bill Bryson revisits sites which he first traveled to in the early 1970s with his friend Stephen Katz - a very entertaining character to say the least!

Bill Bryson's talent for describing the interesting aspects of daily life in the places that he visits comes through once again in this book. It is difficult to put it down - and once again Bill Bryson travels to all the places I want to either go for the first time or revisit.

Shakespeare:
The World as Stage
(Eminent Lives)

Did Shakespeare really write all of the work he is reputed to have done? Little is known about Shakespeare himself, and Bill Bryson delves in to his subject with his usual wit and humor. You lauch while you learn so much along the way.

I'm a Stranger Here Myself:
Notes on Returning to America After 20 Years Away

I enjoyed this book particularly as I understood what he was talking about - from the opposite view point as I am British living in the US.

Bill Bryson talks about the differences in culture between the two countries which are undoubtedly separated by a common language. He reflects with humor on the absurdities of life in the US and how it has changed in the decades that he was away.

Notes from a Small Island

Just before Bill Bryson returned to the US after over 20 years in the UK he decided to go on a tour of the 'small island'. The writing which was inspired by that trip is an entertaining commentary of the British and their qualities. He traveled only on public transport and hiked wherever possible. Bill Bryson seems to undertake the travel routes which I dream about! Another highly entertaining travel memoir.