Welcome to Litsy!

The moments of wit or interest aren't nearly enough to make up for the curmudgeonly feel of the book overall, to say nothing of the casual racism, homophobia and transphobia. I originally DNF'd this and I wish I'd stuck with that decision, since I used to love this author.

#DoubleSpin

Y'all, if you haven't read this author you're missing out on a fun laugh out loud at times read. His storytelling is really engaging. Fun nonfiction read! #bookspin #bookspinread @thearomaofbooks

I‘m lucky I got in this short walk today; we had quite a bit of rain. I have a couple of hours left in The Body Lies and am reading The Road to Little Dribbling as my evening book. #audiowalk

Bill Bryson is a near perfect companion to a glass of wine by the campfire…

#billbryson #bookstagram #mtcrawford #rockypaddockcampground #carbook #escapefromreality

Another love letter to Britain, written by Bill Bryson 20 years after The Notes from the Small Island. I started it a while ago, hoping that I can visit again soon. I hope I don‘t have to wait too long to go.

I unreservedly love Bill Bryson‘s books, and I was so happy to pick this one up to read next, but . . . I already love it too much. I need it to last! Therefore, I think I‘ll also read my #Doublespin tonight while I “watch” some football.

#booked2020 #armchairtravel
@Cinfhen @BarbaraTheBibliophage @4thhouseontheleft Summer done.
I cd have gone further i know but 1 day i want to do what bill does + tour my country visiting pubs + any brown signs that catch my fancy. At times i laughed out loud + other times even for someone who despairs at the annoyances he describes i found his constant grumpiness wearing hence my friday night beer old peculier, + my did he drink a lot of beer. 👇

Am enjoying my travels around England with Grumpy Old Man Bryson, including a brief visit to Chatsworth, #pemberlittens.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I‘m a big fan of Bill Bryson, I love his ability to notice the quirks of the British that we view as completely normal.

With his customary wit, Bill Bryson, my favorite parsimonious travel writer, takes on the UK again 20 years after writing Notes from a Small Island. Some places he revisits, some are new. Of course his analogies and turns of phrase are often overly colorful and inappropriate, but he is in general extremely entertaining and informative. And how does he uncover these amazing stories?!
#wintergames #tbrread #TeamFozziwig

#GratefulReads - Day Five - #NonFiction

New #BookMail! I bought and read the (then) entirety of Bryson's work on a trip to the UK about fifteen years ago, and now every time I read one of his books, it's like taking the trip over again.

Finished my first book of the #24in48 Readathon! @24in48 #audiobook

You know you're in for a treat when the first paragraph already has you snickering. Love Bill Bryson!

I love Bill Bryson's books. This one was like a trip with my dad across Britain. His description is thorough and his attitude is very relatable.

Hilarious, cozy, warm

This book was ok. The author‘s attempt at humor often fell flat for me. He seems like a grump. The descriptions of England were lovely, though, and made me wish I was able to visit again.

#24B4Monday Love this book! It‘s been on the Kindle for a while .Bill kind of wanders around the U.K. going to villages and well known places.He travels like I enjoy traveling.Sometimes the best places and best people are the ones you meet on the way to your destination. #Readathon Only about 90 minutes clocked so far.

I should have learned from my first Bryson book that he is snarky and not really nice. No wonder we are considered “ugly Americans” when traveling. However, I love to read about England, so I continue on...

Entertaining and possibly useful for those wishing to walk or visit the UK. The author‘s use of labeling an exhaustive number of people idiots, interfered with my respect for him as a person and therefore an author. I understand he‘s trying to be funny but that type of humor misses with me. He‘s not on my list of writers I hope to meet.

Gees Louise! Is this author trying to be funny when he calls people idiots because they follow policy and comments that he hopes an innocent man - who asked honest questions and received snarky comments in return by the author - gets lost? I‘m sensing Bill Bryson has the need for one-upism.

Do his stories come off as mean spirited to anyone else? I noticed this in A Walk in the Woods - he said mean things about those who worked in fast food.

My old friend has just poured its last cup. Now the question is, do I go electric?☕️

For this early in the year, I'm pretty stressed out and have been spending way too much time on my phone instead of reading because The Small Rain wasn't gripping me. I want to finish it but right now Bill Bryson is giving me some much-needed laughs!

Well, I'm torn. I'm enjoying this well enough; but at 25% in, I still have 10.5 hours to go. Am I *that* interested? So, I'm going to create a new Goodreads shelf for myself: put a pin in it. Maybe someday I will run out of more compelling reads on my TBR list and come back to this? 😂

I didn‘t love this one nearly as much as his earlier books. Not sure if his voice has changed or my tastes have, but some of the humor felt mean spirited rather than insightful. Overall, a light and entertaining account of walking through (and experiencing) all corners of the UK.

I‘ve just realised that this wonderful little app can save my relationship; my OH doesn‘t have to put up with me reading bits out of this book that are making me laugh out loud: ‘A fascinating pursuit,‘ they go on, ‘is the search for missing junction numbers, such as junction 3 of the M1 motorway.‘ Indeed. How many times have we all wondered where the fuck that got to? ...And to think there are people who need alcohol or sex to have fun. 😂🤣😜

White's own copy, according to the caption beside it, was bound in the skin of his pet spaniel. I am guessing that the spaniel died at a convenient moment and wasn't sacrificed specially, but the caption didn't say.

"London is arguably the biggest city in the world. Not in terms of sprawl—though goodness knows there is plenty enough of that—or number of inhabitants, but in terms of density and complexity and depth of history. London is not just vast horizontally but vast across time. History has left it sumptuously jumbled."

#LitsyAtoZ
Hoooooo boy.
If I wanted to hear an old man rant about milenials and demean service workers, I would turn on Fox News...

#readingresolutions Day 9: Cringeworthy
Not a good look there, Bill...

This was my library book club pick for December. I went into it with low expectations, having been underwhelmed by Notes from a Small Island several years ago (I think I wanted more nostalgia & less complaining). But I really enjoyed this! It was both fascinating and wryly funny. I‘m glad I listened to the audio to experience the UK version, and seeing the differences when I switched to the US print version from time to time was SO interesting.

I‘ve been listening to this on audio, but have the print version out from the library & have been reading bits from the hard copy from time to time, often when I want to note down a quote I like. I keep finding differences between the two. It seems the audio is the British edition, since the print copy keeps cutting out Briticisms like references to “wheelie bins,” Tesco and the like. The audio version of this passage is below—I much prefer it! ⤵️

My laundry 👂 listen

“It was the only time in my life in which I have moved like someone does when a movie film is reversed. I dived into the water and then straight back out again, backward, and have never gone into an English sea again.

Since that day, I have never assumed that anything is fun just because it looks like the English are enjoying themselves doing it, and mostly I have been right.”

😂😂😂

“It really doesn‘t pay to go back and look again at the things that once delighted you, because it‘s unlikely they will delight you now.”

This is both hilarious and heartbreakingly true.

Getting a head start on my library‘s book club pick for December, while I wrap some gifts for #SecretSantaGoesPostal / #WinterSolsticeBookExchange! I‘m excited about all these goodies... I hope my match will be, too!

A light and enjoyable read which is I️ wanted. Not my favorite of Bryson‘s, but enough moments that made me smile and I️ particularly liked the parts when he explained what it is that he likes about the UK. Definitely made we want to travel the British countryside. #travelmemoir #readharder #readharder2017 #bookriot

My current read is perfect for # 🇬🇧 #british. I went through a huge Bill Bryson phase many years ago and have read all of his books except this one. I needed a fun read and this fits the bill. #emojinov

Day 6: Indie Books
I can never figure out which books are from indie presses, so I interpreted today's #autumnreads prompt as #indiebookstores
Bookmarks from some of my favorites and recent purchases from indie stores on my travels - Foyles Bookstore - London, Barter Books - Alnwick, and Women & Children First - Chicago.

A companion travelogue to Bryson's earlier book Notes from a Small Island, this work is a love letter to Bryson's adopted nation of Great Britain. He references some previous travel spots, but many are new as he traverses the country. More recent than Notes, which made it much more enjoyable and relevant to me.

I should perhaps explain that Norfolk has a long-standing reputation for inbreeding. As my son Sam used to say: "Norfolk: too many people, not enough surnames." I am not for a moment suggesting that the rumors are entirely true, but I will say that when the police do DNA checks after crimes they sometimes have to arrest as many as twelve-thousand people.

We were idiots really, but awfully happy too.

Have been having a long week with very little time for reading, so I was happy to finish this audiobook tonight. There's a lot more grumpy old man fodder than in his prior books, but most of Bryson's observations are both witty and generous; this is a great read for any Anglophile (especially American ones). 🇬🇧

"Ladies' bedsore, yellow cowpox, tickle-me-knickers, Sneezle, old man's crack". How does YOUR garden grow?

Having a ball listening to this book! I love grumpy Bill Bryson!

I couldn't resist these two books. I love a good travel story. And Amor Towles is automatic buy for me.

Bill Bryson sure has a way with words. 🤣😂.

Honestly I've been a bit bored with this book overall, but occasionally he throws out gems like this, and keeps me reading.

I went through a big Bill Bryson phase about 15 to 20 years ago but haven't read any more of his works again until now. The Road to Little Dribbling is a follow up to Notes from a Small Island. I remember now why I liked him so much in the first place, enjoying his interesting facts about the places he's visited. Now I have an urge to go on rambling walks through the English countryside. 🐄