Book Review #4 AND an Explanation of Ratings
Yes, I am indeed aware that I have many posts to make up in order to catch up. :P
Title: A Walk in the Woods
Author: Bill Bryson
Genre: Travel Writting
Overall Rating: 3
Now, some of you ( all two of you that read these entries) may be looking at that 3 and be thinking, "Wow, she must really dislike this book," But that is not in fact the case. A 3 is my baseline, a book that I read, liked enough that if someone sounded like they were looking for a book in that genre I would recommend it to them. It's just that the books that I have reviewed so far went above and beyond into what I think of as "Staff Picks Land". 4's and 5's are ones that if anyone looks like they are remotely browsing in the general vicinity, I will say something like, "Do you like awesome books? Then you should read THIS one."
It is rather hard to get a 2 or, gods forbid, a 1 from me because I just, in general, like books. Even Twilight (Yep, I'm GOING THERE) still would probably get a 2 or a 2.5. (But that's another story) 1's are reserved for books that I couldn't even get through, and had no redeeming qualities.
ANYWAYS, enough about my rating system, and on to the book!
A Walk in the Woods follows the shenanigans of the author, Bill Bryson, as he hikes the Appalachian Trail, one of the longest hiking trails in the world. The AT (as it will HENCEFORTH be referred to) stretches from Georgia to Maine, over 2,000 miles. That doesn't seem like a long distance since we could fly that distance in a few hours, but if you think about the fact that a decent pace on the AT is about 10-15 miles a day, that's over six months on that trail. Never mind if you don't go so far because you're , you know, CLIMBING A MOUNTAIN or fording a RIVER or whatever. Surprisingly, lots of people, every year, hike all of that in one go from Spring to Autumn. They are called "thru-hikers", and have nothing but respect (and a slight desire to question their sanity) for these hardy people. Most people hike sections over the course of many years, or even just a big junk of it.
What makes this a good book on traveling is that it's a) funny as hell. I'm a sucker for humor, and Bryson's got it in spades. He is under no illusions about the craziness of what he is going to attempt, but is nevertheless determined to at least give it a try. He also brings along his friend Katz, who is perhaps the worst sort of person to be making this attempt. He's out of shape, and doesn't seem to like hiking much at all. I can sympathize, because I am both of those things, but I also know better than to try to hike the AT. BUT he does it anyways, and stands as a shining example of how much you can accomplish with bull dog stubbornness. Plus giving the reader many an amusing anecdote to enjoy.
It also has b) a lot of useful detail on the trail itself, and the sorts of things that you would generally find useful for making the trip. If you plan on hiking the AT, read this book if you read no other on the subject. Bryson shares many tips that seem to be invaluable (get good maps, rain tarps and garbage bags do about the same job, but the garbage bags are about 99% cheaper, those sorts of things). When I went to England, I read a few travel books, most notably Rick Steve's London. In it I learned that nothing is quite so awesome as taking plastic Ziploc bags, which turned out to be true. Leftovers from your lunch go in, to be eaten as a snack. When your socks get wet and you want to put dry, clean ones on, but don't want to get your bag dirty, they go in the ziploc. I could go on, but that's exactly the kind of thing that you want to know when you aren't traveling in the usual "get a hotel and then jet around with your purse" way. Bryson's book is FULL of those kinds of useful tidbits, so that if you have never backpacked before, you'd learn much that you'd want to know. You would also know the nice towns to stop at, the good hostels, and when to leave the lure of a warm bed and just keep trudging on. All while being entertained by his silly stories of bear scares, and appreciating his lovely descriptions.
Lastly, c) he has a good sense of the history of the trail and the areas he hikes through, so he can update you on the local history as you follow him along. He also points out, as you might expect, just what it is that humans are doing to the local habitat and wildlife. He has many choice words about the federal institutions that are in charge of those areas, and you get a definite sense that if you want to see the beauty and splendor, you should go while there is still any to see. While that info is less entertaining it is still interesting, and definitely educating.
My only quibble with the book is that it has, perhaps, a little too much science in there for me. Perhaps if you enjoy things like that, or are actually planning on hiking the trail, you would be more forgiving. It's a small quibble, and it's fairly easy to skim along the parts that I didn't find as useful as others. For the most part I found his book lovely and engaging, if not the normal thing that I wish to read in my spare time. The unfortunate thing about travel writing, is that it is somewhat lost upon people that are not going there. I find myself wishing to hike more now though, and have taken a couple walks around my neighborhood as a result.
If you have any books that you think I should read, or you want to read but want to know how it is first, by all means let me know. Already i'm having a hard time trying to decide which books to read next, so any suggestions would be lovely.
Title: A Walk in the Woods
Author: Bill Bryson
Genre: Travel Writting
Overall Rating: 3
Now, some of you ( all two of you that read these entries) may be looking at that 3 and be thinking, "Wow, she must really dislike this book," But that is not in fact the case. A 3 is my baseline, a book that I read, liked enough that if someone sounded like they were looking for a book in that genre I would recommend it to them. It's just that the books that I have reviewed so far went above and beyond into what I think of as "Staff Picks Land". 4's and 5's are ones that if anyone looks like they are remotely browsing in the general vicinity, I will say something like, "Do you like awesome books? Then you should read THIS one."
It is rather hard to get a 2 or, gods forbid, a 1 from me because I just, in general, like books. Even Twilight (Yep, I'm GOING THERE) still would probably get a 2 or a 2.5. (But that's another story) 1's are reserved for books that I couldn't even get through, and had no redeeming qualities.
ANYWAYS, enough about my rating system, and on to the book!
A Walk in the Woods follows the shenanigans of the author, Bill Bryson, as he hikes the Appalachian Trail, one of the longest hiking trails in the world. The AT (as it will HENCEFORTH be referred to) stretches from Georgia to Maine, over 2,000 miles. That doesn't seem like a long distance since we could fly that distance in a few hours, but if you think about the fact that a decent pace on the AT is about 10-15 miles a day, that's over six months on that trail. Never mind if you don't go so far because you're , you know, CLIMBING A MOUNTAIN or fording a RIVER or whatever. Surprisingly, lots of people, every year, hike all of that in one go from Spring to Autumn. They are called "thru-hikers", and have nothing but respect (and a slight desire to question their sanity) for these hardy people. Most people hike sections over the course of many years, or even just a big junk of it.
What makes this a good book on traveling is that it's a) funny as hell. I'm a sucker for humor, and Bryson's got it in spades. He is under no illusions about the craziness of what he is going to attempt, but is nevertheless determined to at least give it a try. He also brings along his friend Katz, who is perhaps the worst sort of person to be making this attempt. He's out of shape, and doesn't seem to like hiking much at all. I can sympathize, because I am both of those things, but I also know better than to try to hike the AT. BUT he does it anyways, and stands as a shining example of how much you can accomplish with bull dog stubbornness. Plus giving the reader many an amusing anecdote to enjoy.
It also has b) a lot of useful detail on the trail itself, and the sorts of things that you would generally find useful for making the trip. If you plan on hiking the AT, read this book if you read no other on the subject. Bryson shares many tips that seem to be invaluable (get good maps, rain tarps and garbage bags do about the same job, but the garbage bags are about 99% cheaper, those sorts of things). When I went to England, I read a few travel books, most notably Rick Steve's London. In it I learned that nothing is quite so awesome as taking plastic Ziploc bags, which turned out to be true. Leftovers from your lunch go in, to be eaten as a snack. When your socks get wet and you want to put dry, clean ones on, but don't want to get your bag dirty, they go in the ziploc. I could go on, but that's exactly the kind of thing that you want to know when you aren't traveling in the usual "get a hotel and then jet around with your purse" way. Bryson's book is FULL of those kinds of useful tidbits, so that if you have never backpacked before, you'd learn much that you'd want to know. You would also know the nice towns to stop at, the good hostels, and when to leave the lure of a warm bed and just keep trudging on. All while being entertained by his silly stories of bear scares, and appreciating his lovely descriptions.
Lastly, c) he has a good sense of the history of the trail and the areas he hikes through, so he can update you on the local history as you follow him along. He also points out, as you might expect, just what it is that humans are doing to the local habitat and wildlife. He has many choice words about the federal institutions that are in charge of those areas, and you get a definite sense that if you want to see the beauty and splendor, you should go while there is still any to see. While that info is less entertaining it is still interesting, and definitely educating.
My only quibble with the book is that it has, perhaps, a little too much science in there for me. Perhaps if you enjoy things like that, or are actually planning on hiking the trail, you would be more forgiving. It's a small quibble, and it's fairly easy to skim along the parts that I didn't find as useful as others. For the most part I found his book lovely and engaging, if not the normal thing that I wish to read in my spare time. The unfortunate thing about travel writing, is that it is somewhat lost upon people that are not going there. I find myself wishing to hike more now though, and have taken a couple walks around my neighborhood as a result.
If you have any books that you think I should read, or you want to read but want to know how it is first, by all means let me know. Already i'm having a hard time trying to decide which books to read next, so any suggestions would be lovely.