In a Sunburned Country (2000)

Bryson brings the reader on a tour of Australia, peppered with his usual interesting facts about the vastness of Australia, the venomousness of its creatures, the hostility of environment, etc. A little out of date now, but very entertaining. Bryson narrates the audiobook version himself, which gives a flavor of authenticity but makes you really notice how often he says things like “Here’s the thing.” ( )

Bill Bryson is Fabulous. ( )

In Down Under Bill Bryson takes on Australia as well as all those many and varied creatures that might just have it in for him and cause either a fast or slow, but either way painful death. Over the course of two separate trips to Australia Bryson falls in love with this vast and harsh country and the people which inhabit it.

I enjoyed Down Under more than Neither Here, Nor There, perhaps because Down Under only deals with one country. The more homogenous culture allowed Bryson to write in more depth and offer more insight. Bryson’s fantastic ability to discover through his research the most curious and oddball facts is always on show, and adds a lot of interest while educating his readers with obscure facts. He also has a great perspective that emphasises inane habits or the complete wrongness of a particular situation or event.

Travelling by train, plane, car, and 4WD, and down highways, back roads and outback tracks, Bryson manages to convey a sense of just how vast a continent this is.

Bryson also touches on the both the historical and modern plight of the Aboriginal people, and their seeming invisibility in their own land. The chapter which dealt with The Stolen Generation was quite emotional, and although not detailed, we do get a good insight into what is a seriously complex issue.

Before reading the first page I had a look at the maps at the front of the book. Almost immediately I was fascinated by a place called The Bungle Bungles. What an awesome name for a place, and what on earth is the story behind it?! This was my one disappointment with Down Under - The Bungle Bungles wasn’t mentioned until page 419 of 422, and only then in passing, with no explanation of the name or history given.

This is a fun, fast read with lots of Bryson’s trademark wit. ( )

I love Bill Byron's books even more so when he reads to me! Given some of the facts I now know about Australia I am not sure it will remain on my list of places to visit. ( )

I love Bill Bryson. He manages to effortlessly shift from entertaining and funny to serious and informative all without boring or meandering off into unnecessary tangents. He always makes me want to see what he's describing or research more about the people and events he's recounting. Lovely. He's also a great narrator. I want to get all his audiobooks where he does the narrating. Wonderful. ( )