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ABagginsOfTheShire
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Post Bill Bryson Books
on: May 14, 2005 10:20
Has anyone read books by the author Bill Bryson? I haven't read many, but I'm in the process of reading "A Short History of Nearly Everything," which is really quite long , and Down Under was a great book.

So, has anyone else read any of them? What did you think?
Valderra
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Post RE: Bill Bryson Books
on: May 15, 2005 03:41
Wow... this is the first time I see someone on a message board reading Bill Bryson books.

I LOVE his books and have them all. They are great fun.
The Down Under book was really fantastic. I almost died laughing the way he described things.

The great thing about BB is that even though you have never been to the country he talks about, when you have finished reading about it, you not only feel like you have been there before and learn a great deal about the country but also get a really witty and funny account of what he is going through while there. LOL

I am not into reading travel books but his books are fun, entertaining and give you the kind of insight into other countries that is lacking in the average travel companion.
Unebriwen_Lómónduil
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Post RE: Bill Bryson Books
on: May 15, 2005 08:38
I know what you mean. I have virtually all of them (though I've never quite yet got around to 'A Walk in the Woods'). The first one I read was (predictably) 'Notes from a Small Island' - and I loved it. It seemed to capture the very odd nature of the British Isles - our utterly un-integrated public transport system, strange place names and slightly bizarre customs and ways of behaving.

I've moved on from there to 'The Lost Continent', 'Neither Here nor There' and thence to 'Down Under' and 'Notes from a Big Country'.

I have to say that 'A Short History of Nearly Everything' is my favourite. Being manifestly un-intellectual, most of what's covered in the book is way, way, waaaaaaaaaay beyond my capabilities, but Bill renders it down into straightforward language that means even I get it. Mostly.
LotrLuva
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Post RE: Bill Bryson Books
on: May 15, 2005 11:09
I read ASHONE the other day and really enjoyed it. It was fascinating. From the start to the finish it had me absorbed. Bill Bryson is one of my favourite authors.
Valderra
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Post RE: Bill Bryson Books
on: May 16, 2005 05:17
Ashone? I have never heard of that book. Are you sure it's by Bill Bryson, LotrLuva? Or is this a non-English title?

And Unebriwen, did you also get Bill Bryson's "African Diary"? You couldn't get it in the shops at the time it came out - not sure if you can buy it now in shops. It's a very small book but fun to read. Also, you have to be careful not to get the same book twice - for some reason, the titles are sometimes different, depending on which country you get it from. So, if you buy a book over the internet, you never know...

And I laughed myself sick when I read "Notes from a Big Country". The Introduction alone is hilarious. And the way he describes his move back to the USA, and the trouble his wife had with the immigration. Here is a passage of it. It's from "Drowning In Red Tape":

"I'm not even going to begin to tell you about the frustration of trying to get a foreign-born spouse or other loved one registered as a legal resident in the United States because I haven't space and anyway it is much too boring.
Also, I can't talk about it without weeping copiously. Also, you would think I was making most of it up.

You would scoff, I am quite sure, if I told you that an acquaintance of ours - an academic of high standing - sat open-mouthed while his daughter was asked such questions as
'Have you ever engaged in any unlawful commercial vice, including, but not limited to, illegal gambling?'
and 'Have you ever been a member of, or in any way affiliated with, the Communist Party or any other totalitarian party?'
and - my particular favourite - 'Do you plan to practise polygamy in the US?'

His daughter, I should point out, was five years old.
You see, I am weeping already."

LOL This passage is soooo funny, and sadly, probably very true as well.

And another thing I remember and could associate with since I have also lived in different countries,l was when he went to the shops to buy tools and such and couldn't remember what they were called in US English. "My wife's people call it a wrench". LOL
ABagginsOfTheShire
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Post RE: Bill Bryson Books
on: May 16, 2005 02:38
I haven't heard of Ashone either. :dizzy:

"A Short History of Nearly Everything" is good, but i liked Down Under better. It's laugh out loud hilarious. I read it before going to sleep, and i would keep evryone else in the house awake cause I'd be laughing so hard! He has a way of making even the smallest things funny. I've been to some of the places he mentioned, and it's funny to think of all the things he said about those places.

I'm going to read, "Made In America" next.
LinweSingollo
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Post RE: Bill Bryson Books
on: May 16, 2005 07:24
I love Bill Bryson --- one of the few authors that makes me laugh out loud. I've read a few of his books:

Down Under
A Walk In The Woods -- hilarious!
Notes From a Big Country
The Lost Continent
Made In America

At least, those are the ones I remember. Besides being funny, he packs a lot of information in his books. I want to read "A Short History" next.
"To the Hobbits. May they outlast the Sarumans and see spring again in the trees." J.R.R. Tolkien
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Post RE: Bill Bryson Books
on: May 16, 2005 10:48
I have read quite a few of Bill Brysons books, they are highly enjoyable.

Notes from a small island is the best one for me... because i am English. But the others were also great... i havent read Down under or A short History yet... mostly because i have so many other books i want to read. I suspect i will read the Australian one after i have been there this summer.... as someone said earlier, they are better when you have visited the country hes talking about
LotrLuva
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Post RE: Bill Bryson Books
on: May 16, 2005 11:39
Ashone? I have never heard of that book. Are you sure it's by Bill Bryson, LotrLuva? Or is this a non-English title?



Oh, it's A Short History of Nearly Everything, abbreviated. Sorry for the confusion, I guess I should have explained.
Valderra
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Post RE: Bill Bryson Books
on: May 17, 2005 02:13
Ashone? I have never heard of that book. Are you sure it's by Bill Bryson, LotrLuva? Or is this a non-English title?



Oh, it's A Short History of Nearly Everything, abbreviated. Sorry for the confusion, I guess I should have explained.


LOL I will have to remember that. Never seen it abbreviated before.
ABagginsOfTheShire
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Post RE: Bill Bryson Books
on: May 17, 2005 02:56
Ashone. Ah, get it.

I'm still getting through A Short History. it's packed of facts.
LandofShadows829
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Post RE: Bill Bryson Books
on: May 18, 2005 02:35
I have only read one Bill Bryson so far. I read the Down Under one, In a Sunburned Country, and I absolutely loved it! It was so funny! I'm planning on reading some of his other books. Any suggestions?
Valderra
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Post RE: Bill Bryson Books
on: May 18, 2005 08:33
I have only read one Bill Bryson so far. I read the Down Under one, In a Sunburned Country, and I absolutely loved it! It was so funny! I'm planning on reading some of his other books. Any suggestions?


"Down Under" is a good start. Great book.
I would suggest you also read "Notes from a Big Country". It's hilarious.

And, another one I love too, is "A Walk in the Woods". This is also a fantastic story to read.

All his books are great but those are definitely worth starting with.
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