Please "check in" here if you plan to participate!

[Chris OConnor]

Please "check in" here if you plan to participate!

Everybody benefits by knowing who else is planning to read and discuss the book so please make a brief post here checking in and letting us know of your intention to join this book discussion.

[Cattleman]

I have downloaded the PDF version of the book, both to my desk top, and tablet computers; I have read the Introductin and will definitely by participating.

[DWill]

I borrowed a copy and started reading. Bryson admits in the intro that up until fairly recently he "didn't know the first thing about the only planet I was ever going to live on." So he took three years to get himself up to speed and then wrote this book. That still makes him a quick study, judging by how well he synthesizes the cosmological stuff in Chapter One.

[LevV]

I've dusted off my copy of the book from a few years ago and intend to participate. This time I hope to get past Part 3

[LynLlew]

I've just returned from the library with the book and I'm looking forward to digging in!
Unfortunately, I also spotted a David Sedaris book and a Roddy Doyle book I haven't read yet....and brought them home as well.

Two weeks is not long enough, people!! And, by "people", I mean the Flagler County Public Library..not anyone else, necessarily.

(And then she remembered about renewing...and wondered if this library is sophisticated enough to do renewals online...)

Okay...less forum-ing and more reading! See you later!

[LanDroid]

Newcomers joining the discussion! Yay!

I just DL'd the book on Kindle. One recommendation I'd make for those who enjoy audible books is to give that a try on this book. As I recall from listening to this book many years ago during long commutes, the speaker (perhaps the author?) has a delightful British accent which adds quite a bit to the information.

[Chris OConnor]

Great suggestion, LanDroid. I'm going to order it as an audiobook right now. I'm currently listening on audiobook to an old fantasy novel called The Sleeping Dragon and thoroughly enjoying it. I forgot how enjoyable listening to a book can be.

So thanks for this suggestion!

[DWill]

I think it was Bryson reading on the audio book. He's an American who lived a long time in England. He picked up the accent and still has it. After all these years of being around the Appalachian Trail, I finally read his A Walk in the Woods. Very funny, but also good on the long-distance hiking experience. Another extremely funny one by him is Lost Continent, about his childhood in Indiana.

I'm listening to The Revenant now, which is the first audio book I've tried and stuck with. I thought the movie was great, and so is the book, although the plot is much more involved, and Hugh Glass doesn't have the Indian wife and son in the book.

[Serendipity]

I'm a little behind on the reading but intend on catching up. It seems the book is a bit on the popular side because I went to two Barnes & Nobles before obtaining my copy. After each page I'm more and more excited about deciding to read it.

[SusanRO]

Hi. I'm brand new to this site. This is a book that's been on my "to read" list for several years, having read and loved several other Bill Bryson books. I'm loading it onto my e-reader today and will try to catch up quickly.