I rated this a little lower than other books by Bryson because it shows the constraints of being a collection of newspaper columns, written to a length limit and a deadline. That said, there were some real gems in the mix. The column about re-learning an adult vernacular (spackle? Polyfiller?) was good for a laugh - at the time, I was struggling with the same thing over infants' paraphernalia (diaper? nappy?) because despite having lived in the US for years, I hadn't had to use those words since I was a child... and hadn't updated accordingly.

The columns about the post office and the skunk were also good for a laugh.

However, my favorite was probably the column about his son's departure for university. Bryson walked up to the edge of maudlin but didn't cross it, leaving instead a very affecting snapshot of a man facing the first of several abrupt transitions in life.