Turning Pages: Reading A Book A Week: #1

I started 2011 with the goal of reading one book a week, or 52 books during the course of the year.  I will be reporting in my blog what I have read so far this year.

 

At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson  (finished January 8, 2011, 5 stars, nonfiction)  I adored this book from the first page through the 452nd page. I gave it one of my extremely rare 5 stars.  I was really fascinated by the subject matter, the writing style and everything about this book.  I have a lot of Bill Bryson books on my TBR (To Be Read) list and I look forward to reading more by him.  This, as I understand it is one of his more serious endeavors.  I thoroughly loved this book.

When I asked my friend Hope, who read the book before I did, what she thought of it, she replied, “This is the book I wish I had written.”  After I read the book, I knew exactly what she meant by that.  I, too, wish I had written it.  Bryson explores western culture through a simple tour of his home in England, taking each room and exploring the functions and how they manifest in various times and locations.  And, as Bryson is wont to do, he takes off on many wild and fascinating tangents, but as he is also wont to do he always finds his way back to the original story.