A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson>4 stars

[DianeMP]

Not being a fan of the comedy tag, choosing a book that would hold my interest was easier said than done. Reading A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson is a perfect fit for the task.

Even though not a laugh out loud book, I enjoyed many chuckles sprinkled throughout the book. The entire plot and setting of the book is set up on a humorous premise-two out of shape middle aged men develop a plan to walk some 2,100 miles the entire length of the Appalachian Trail. Along the way they meet an array of off- beat, humorous characters who weave in and out of the story as they hike along. As an extra bonus Bryson paints an exquisite portrait of the breathtaking landscape they pass through.

I would have given the book five stars were it not for the times Bryson drifted from the storyline and obsessively details a particular aspect of hiking. For example, he writes in detail about the geology of rock formation and writes extensively about the Earth's geographic history millions and millions of years ago. He lingers page after page until you forget about the hiking itself. But in time he returns to the hiking misadventures he encounters along the way. I give the book a solid four stars.

[Theresa]

Now you need to watch the movie with Robert Redford and Nick Nolte - bet you can guess who played which character. It took all the best parts of the book, aged them about 10 years from where they were in the book, and made a perfectly enjoyable movie. Definitely a case of the movie being better than the book.

[Jason]

I liked the book although I did seem to wonder why he ever started this adventure. He seemed to hate every aspect of it. What started off as funny became annoying by the end but this book was still enjoyable.

I enjoyed the movie also.