In A Sunburned Country

I've been saving Bill Bryson's book on Australia In A Sunburned Country (#110) as a special treat before leaving for Australia myself.  It was recommended both by the tour company Grand Circle Tours/Overseas Adventure Travel, and in a recent posting on NPR Book Notes as an ideal read  for "stay"cationers.  I'm happy to say that for me, this book lives up to the hype.

In fact, when I started reading about his first trip to Australia and the tour he got from one of his reporter friends and family around Sydney, my husband asked me if I could please go and read it someplace else.  I was making the bed shake I was laughing so hard.  That's what I love about Bill Bryson: he's so funny, yet full of really fascinating information you just won't find anyplace else while veering both off and on the beaten trail to make his observations.  This book is a result of several trips to tour different parts of Australia -  Western Australia, the Outback, the rainforest and Great Barrier Reef of Queensland , the cities of Adelaide, Melbourne, and Sydney among others.  And Bill Bryson loves Australia.  That comes through loud and clear.  That's encouraging for someone like me who has spent her whole life dreaming about going there.  After reading this book, how could I possibly be disappointed?

That is, if I make it back alive...  I first discovered Bill Bryson when wandering around a decent bookstore in the Atlanta airport in search of what was new, different and interesting in between flights.  The bear on the cover of A Walk In the Woods was staring at me at eye level.  I bought it and I was hooked.  I certainly did gain a new appreciation for bears after reading the book.  Imagine what Mr. Bryson can do with a whole continent of deadly and scary creatures - mammals, insects, fish, invertebrates, snakes, and even innocent-appearing sea shells!  He does talk about sitting in a cafe one evening casually reading a field guide called something like Australian Animals That Can Kill You (Volume 19).  I'll be fine as long as I don't go in the water (either fresh or salt!), brush against anything, walk under any trees or take my shoes off - EVER! 

Gotta love a book that gets you so psyched up to go and visit Australia despite all that!  Even if you never plan on traveling to Australia, you're bound to thoroughly enjoy the experience of reading about it.