I just finished reading Bill Bryson's excellent account of walking the Appalachian Trail: "A Walk in the Woods." I'd heard about this book and always wanted to read it, especially given that I live very close to the AT, and have visited the Great Smoky Mountains many time. So when I saw this book on the shelf of my local thrift shop, I snatched it up and clutched it to my chest like a child clutches a bag of Halloween candy. "It's mine!" I wanted to say, although I would've just received some weird glances.
Anyway, funny story about reading this book: I started reading it at the beginning of June and just finished it last week. That means it took me approximately 14 weeks to read one book! Normally, I can finish a book in a week or two. Now, don't get me wrong - this isn't a difficult book to read by any means, it's just that my personal life was in upheaval and I didn't have much extra time for luxuries like reading for pleasure.
That said, I actually really like the fact that it took me so long to read it. Bryson has a lot to say, not just about the adventure of walking the AT itself, but about the history of our national parks and an earnest plea for conservation of those parks, and really, for nature in general. I am a Tree Hugger, and very proud of it. "A Walk in the Woods" told me things I didn't know and was thoroughly fascinating. I often found myself commenting on passages that I just couldn't keep to myself.
Reading it in small pieces over several weeks allowed me to really digest the book and think about it. The book is interesting, thoughtful, and often, laugh-out-loud funny. I highly recommend it. Indeed, this book has given me the itch to read some of Bryson's other books, namely, "The Mother Tongue: English and How it Got That Way," "Made in America: An Informal History of the English Language in the United States," and "Neither Here Nor There," about travels in Europe.
It's hard to be really funny and poignant and interesting and relevant, but "A Walk in the Woods" is all of those things.
