I was having a bit of a time figuring out what book to talk about. I just finished a couple of graphic novels and am in the middle of two books right now. One of those books, I have discussed at some length before (H2G2), but I can always talk about how much I love Douglas Adams. But, rather than me going on about my love for Hitchhiker's Guide, I'll go ahead and gush about my other book.
To preface this, I really don't much like all that many nonfiction books (at least that I've seen/read). However, there is something I really like about Bill Bryson's writing style that really sucks me in and keeps me interested in things, even if I don't really understand. The first Bryson book I read is titled A Walk in the Woods and is one of the big inspirations for a book that a friend and I are currently working on (which in turn is one of the main reasons I've been updating this blog). Anyway, I've been currently reading Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything, and while it hasn't yet inspired a book idea, it's still a fine read.
The book (so far) is about hte history of scientific discoveries and achievements in the world, from paleontology to the splitting of the atom. Perhaps I really like Bryson so much because he likes to go off on tangents easily, and I know how that is (I do it all the time, in case you haven't noticed). Also, the book makes me feel smarter (at least while I'm reading, I forget everything about 20 minutes after putting the book down). He does a great job of taking some really complex scientific theories and notions and dumbing them down just enough for me to understand. I'm sure someone who really understands physics and such might argue that he may be butchering things, but since I don't know the difference, I don't really care all that much.
All in all, I must say (if you couldn't tell) that I am highly enjoying Bryson's work and will be looking up more of his library to read as soon as I get the chance. Stay tuned tomorrow for some ape talk in World News (yeah, I cheated a little and found a story today).
P.S. In case you didn't know, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is amazing (I couldn't resist).
2 comments:
Hmm, you like graphic novels. Did you ever read the Dark Tower comic? I was wondering if it's any good.
I may have to look up this fella. The last non-fiction book (other than Hunter Thompson) that I read was the Stephen Hawking classic, Illustrated Brief History of Time.
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