| Bill Bryson is best known for his humorous travel | | | | country has thousands of animals that are not even |
| writing. Previously, I had read two of Bryon's other | | | | discovered yet and do not exist anywhere else in |
| books. One was titled, I'm a Stranger Here Myself. | | | | the world. People constantly trek into the jungle or |
| This book was about Bryson's return to living in the | | | | Outback to look for undiscovered animals, and the |
| United States after living in Great Britain for twenty | | | | result is that once in a while an animal that was |
| years or so. His writing portrayed how differently | | | | thought to be extinct thousands of years ago is |
| Americans are from the rest of the world, from the | | | | found. Not only are there rare animals, but there are |
| cars we drive to our love of fast food restaurants. | | | | trees that rival the size of any trees in the world and |
| The second book of his I read was titled, A Walk in | | | | some of the oldest organisms in the world, that |
| the Woods. This book was about Bryson's attempt | | | | simply look like a gray mush. |
| to hike the Appalachian Trail, from start to finish | | | | One of the constant themes in this book is that the |
| (Georgia to Maine). He accurately portrayed the | | | | country is much larger than anyone realizes. Cities are |
| difficulties in hiking pretty much the entire east coast | | | | spread out here and there, and the large ones are on |
| and all of the interesting animals and people one | | | | the coast, but there are small cities of hundreds of |
| might encounter while on the mighty trek. | | | | thousands of people that are thousands of miles |
| Keeping in line with his first two books, the third | | | | away from any other city. Getting from one city to |
| book I read was called In a Sunburned Country. This | | | | another may take a day or two, and everywhere in |
| book deals with Bryson's multi-week trip through the | | | | between the two cities is desert with an occasional |
| massive land mass that is Australia. The author | | | | gas station and bar. The larger cities on the coast |
| traveled to all of the major tourist destinations, from | | | | have main-stream hotels, restaurants from every |
| viewing the Sydney Opera House to the Great | | | | culture, and many bars that Bryson utilizes. |
| Barrier Reef, and everywhere in between. He seems | | | | The best part of the book in my opinion is when the |
| to have traveled at a leisurely pace and a very | | | | author visits the Great Barrier Reef with a good |
| generous budget. | | | | friend. He travels to the Reef on a large boat with |
| While reading In a Sunburned Country, you notice | | | | approximately 400 people and takes part in various |
| how much character Australia has as a whole, and | | | | water-related activities. There is also talk of a couple |
| also how quirky it is. Bryson notes several times that | | | | who were killed near the Reef several years in the |
| Australia has dozens of prized, larger-than-life | | | | past, and rumors of Jellyfish and sharks that like to |
| monuments of random objects. For example, he | | | | nibble on humans, so Bryson is careful the entire time |
| travels to a giant earth worm museum located in a, | | | | he is near the water. |
| you guessed it, enormous earth-worm shaped | | | | Overall, In a Sunburned Country is very entertaining |
| building. Some might consider this type of monument | | | | and will definitely make you laugh once or twice |
| weird, but it is one of the many unique things that | | | | every chapter. Bill Bryson has a straight-forward, |
| Australia has and takes pride in. If Australia has the | | | | easy-to-understand way of writing and will always |
| largest, most disgusting worm in the world, why not | | | | leave you wanting to read more. Although the book |
| show it off? | | | | is a bit long, it is still very entertaining. I would rate |
| Bill Bryson also discusses many times how the | | | | this book a 4 out of 5. |