pickI am relieved to say that I felt a lot better about this book by the end then I did at the start. Bryson's journey begins with flashing back to areas he previously visited and lived and worked in, in the 70s, and there seems to be more of a cantankerous, cynical, judgemental attitude on display. There may be some cranky old guy 'when I was your age' deploring the changes time has wrought,and the bad choices by civic planning, at play. 1/?
Hallelujah! 🙌🏻
(Of course, the important addendum is that such a realization should happen when you're in reach of public transit. 😩)
No idea whether these stats hold up nearly 30 years later, nonetheless I am envious of the walking potential, and horrified from a historical preservation perspective.
She was NOT. Dude, really?! 🫢 Must be a very old family name.Wouldn't see anyone choosing that today...
I went overboard at the charity shop's book sale but there was a lot more choice than usual on the English book shelves. I think someone (probably American) must have moved away.
I left all the autobiographies of US politicians and business people and all the romances for others....
pickIn 1982, despite an absence of boating experience, Jonathan Raban decided to sail around England. Here he presents his travels on sea and stops on land in a snapshot from a different era. He also does a little random noodling. I enjoyed it.
pickMedieval legends of the history of Britain re-told and in some cases re-created from allusions elsewhere by Amy Jeffs, who after each story explains sources and connections with other tales and also her experience of some of the places the stories happened.
Some of the stories were completely new to me, some were vaguely familiar, and some were immediately recognisable. Sure to be enjoyed by anyone interested in folklore, myth, and legend.
I'm not up on a lot of modern pop, but I enjoy Hailee Steinfeld's music, almost as much as her acting. This is a smooth summer tune featuring the always delightful anderson .paak
#tuesdaytunes
https://youtu.be/DwfPlzQ1x_g?si=aFWnRLyEcZBxZ8Om
I am curious what this trip would have yielded if he had not traveled during the 'off season', evidently more things would be open, but he would probably also have been complaining volubly about the crush of crowds. Likewise, as 30 years have transpired since publication, I wonder both whether this book had an effect on tourism, increasing visits to less well known spots, and whether the passage of time 3w
I think I will pick up his other books. Having started with A Walk in the Woods, I was not entirely sold, and maybe the difference here was knowing and loving a good portion of the area involved beforehand, 3w