false 24 30 Also released as "Down Under." Bill Bryson follows his Appalachian amble, <I>A Walk in the Woods</I>, with the story of his exploits in Australia, where A-bombs go off unnoticed, prime ministers disappear into the surf, and cheery citizens coexist with the world's deadliest creatures: toxic caterpillars, aggressive seashells, crocodiles, sharks, snakes, and the deadliest of them all, the dreaded box jellyfish. And that's just the beginning, as Bryson treks through sunbaked deserts and up endless coastlines, crisscrossing the "under-discovered" Down Under in search of all things interesting.<p> Bryson, who could make a pile of dirt compelling--and yes, Australia <I>is</I> mostly dirt--finds no shortage of curiosities. When he isn't dodging Portuguese man-of-wars or considering the virtues of the remarkable platypus, he visits southwest Gippsland, home of the world's largest earthworms (up to 12 feet in length). He discovers that Australia, which began nationhood as a prison, contains the longest straight stretch of railroad track in the world (297 miles), as well as the world's largest monolith (the majestic Uluru) and largest living thing (the Great Barrier Reef). He finds ridiculous place names: "Mullumbimby Ewylamartup, Jiggalong, and the supremely satisfying Tittybong," and manages to catch a cricket game on the radio, which is like <blockquote>listening to two men sitting in a rowboat on a large, placid lake on a day when the fish aren't biting; it's like having a nap without losing consciousness. It actually helps not to know quite what's going on. In such a rarefied world of contentment and inactivity, comprehension would become a distraction.</blockquote><p> "You see," Bryson observes, "Australia is an interesting place. It truly is. And that really is all I'm saying." Of course, Bryson--who is as much a travel writer here as a humorist, naturalist, and historian--says much more, and does so with generous amounts of wit and hilarity. Australia may be "mostly empty and a long way away," but it's a little closer now. <I>--Rob McDonald</I> 2611786 2000 In a Sunburned Country total:8025|5:2374|4:3528|3:1781|2:300|1:42| 8025 31967 10211 1117 5 7 false false Fri Sep 12 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun Mar 30 15:00:12 -0700 2008 Fri Sep 12 22:26:45 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 5 false false Thu May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon May 26 03:10:12 -0700 2008 Mon May 26 03:16:17 -0700 2008 Short History of Nearly Everything, an ambitious attempt to trace the history of life, the universe and everything in just 574 pages. While many of the scientific discoveries outlined in the book were a little beyond me, I thoroughly enjo...more...]]> 3 2 false false Thu Jul 13 00:00:00 -0700 2000 Mon Feb 11 06:24:28 -0800 2008 Mon Feb 11 06:24:28 -0800 2008
I originally encountered the writing of Bill Bryson in a small article he wrote for National Geographic on the Orkney Islands a year or so ago. By the time I had finished the article, I was (and still am, to an extent) seriously consideri...more...]]> 5 1 false false Wed Jun 11 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Jan 03 18:03:51 -0800 2009 Sat Jan 03 18:07:13 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 1 false false Thu Aug 14 20:06:07 -0700 2008 Mon Aug 18 06:43:24 -0700 2008 August 16, 2008 · No Comments

Finally finished Bill Bryson’s huge book on Australia—”In a Sunburned Country.” I started it months ago and read only a paragraph or so a day. Bryson is a happy writer and a jovial soul. I wonder that he’s not mor...more...]]> 4 1 false false Thu Jul 31 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun Jul 20 18:59:22 -0700 2008 Thu Jul 31 11:14:57 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 1 false false Sun Mar 09 12:54:31 -0700 2008 Fri Mar 14 19:17:31 -0700 2008 more...]]> 2 1 false false Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2001 Wed May 23 20:04:22 -0700 2007 Thu May 24 11:57:42 -0700 2007 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Sep 21 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Oct 09 12:52:19 -0700 2009 Fri Oct 09 12:56:25 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Feb 09 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Jul 27 19:32:47 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 27 19:32:47 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Jul 12 03:06:46 -0700 2009 Sun Jul 12 03:07:20 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false true Fri May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Jun 05 23:36:50 -0700 2009 Sat Jun 06 00:26:25 -0700 2009 1
I did appreciate his anecdotes, ...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Mar 08 11:10:06 -0700 2009 Sun Mar 08 11:18:32 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Fri May 08 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri May 08 05:34:52 -0700 2009 Sat May 09 11:00:05 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 09 11:41:03 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 09 11:47:07 -0700 2009
I did not know much about the "sunburned country" before listening to this book. I now feel...more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu Jul 09 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 02 15:37:33 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 09 17:17:10 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Dec 28 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sun Dec 21 22:17:22 -0800 2008 Fri Jan 02 23:37:53 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 1 false false Wed Aug 13 18:36:58 -0700 2008 Wed Aug 13 18:39:53 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 1 false false Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Tue Mar 24 10:38:49 -0700 2009 Tue Mar 24 10:44:30 -0700 2009
This gu...more...]]> 5 1 false false Sat Feb 14 18:04:20 -0800 2009 Wed Mar 25 16:57:59 -0700 2009