on the road again, 3. Juli 2008

or to be more correct, on the trail again. In this book Bill Bryson tries to follow a great idea - the Appalachian trail. In his typical manner he approaches the whole task quite naively, which he notices himself. With this touching irony concerning his own shortcomings he follows the ideal - with all the strings attached in real life. And he thoroughly enjoys the experience - as soon as he concedes that he's not up to measure (just like the trail itself sometimes).This book is not a quick witted firework of humor as "Notes on a big Country", but it has a special appeal on its own that makes the reading as worthwile.

      All quiet on the Appalachian Trail, 10. November 2007

This book was written in the style of John McPhee and even quoting him once in a while. It includes facts and people like "The Perfect Storm." Then Bill Bryson adds first hand personal experiences. You can identify with his comments that do not have to be funny to be familiar.This book recounts Bill Bryson's experiences on the Appalachian Trail. The dry facts can be picked up through other material. However the personal experiences are just that, personal. If you have never been hiking then you still get a feel for what you have missed. However if you have hiked then you can really appreciate the people he met, and circumstances that he went through. There are hikers and then there are hikers. In the Boy Scouts you are usually in a well-organized group, in the military you have to be more cautious of objects and terrain, Sierra Club and Outward Bound have their unique points of view. So if his experience is different, it still makes for fun reading.I even liked the sections on selecting and using the equipment. I am afraid if I had met Bill Bryson on the trail; I would have been one of those "equipment comparing" people.Anyway do not expect an epic and you will enjoy the time you spend reading this book. Oh, and it does make me want to go hiking.

      Nur für Insider lustig.., 6. September 2007

Nach der Lektüre von Bryson's "Notes from a Big Country", (das wohl mit Abstand witzigste Buch, das ich kenne),habe ich nun schon vergeblich mehrere seiner Bücher nach einem ähnlichen Feuerwerk des Humors durchsucht. "A Walk in the Woods" mag sicher für Leute interessant sein, die mehr über den Appalachian Trail und seine Geschichte erfahren möchten,und wie rabiat die Amerikaner mit ihrer Umwelt umspringen. Auch Leser, die schon selber solche Marathon-Trekking-Wanderungen unternommen haben, können dem Buch sicher einiges abgewinnen und auch den Humor darin erkennen. Sicher, ab und zu blitzt Bryson's Wortwitz auf, und lässt einen schmunzeln, doch dann wird die Erzählung wieder von seitenweise trockenen Hintergrundinformationen unterbrochen. Das ist anstrengend zu lesen!