If you love to read books about travel and nature, Bill Bryson is a must-have on your reading list. Born William McGuire Bryson, he is an American-British writer known for his humorous travel and science writing, as well as some books on the intricacies of the English language.
One of Bryson’s major accomplishments is pioneering narrative nonfiction with his witty, observational style. His experiences of living in America and the UK, along with his travels to different countries, have added to his wider worldview and made his books a breath of fresh air.
12 Best Bill Bryson Books
If you haven’t read any of Bill Bryson’s books, here are some of the best ones to start off with:
1. The Body: A Guide for Occupants
In this book, Bill Bryson takes us on the ultimate tour, this time of the human body! Learn about how the body functions, including its uncanny way of healing itself, and, sadly, even the ways it fails. This book will help you gain a greater understanding of the miracle of life.
2. A Short History of Nearly Everything
One of his most ambitious works ever, this book gives an overview of some of the most important facts about the universe throughout history, starting all the away from the Big Bang. Taking us on a tour of ancient civilizations, he explores how we got to where we are now.
3. A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail
When Bill Bryson moved back to America after spending twenty years in Britain, he walked the 2,100-mile Appalachian Trail as a way to get “reacquainted” with his native land. This is a hilarious account doubles as an attempt to persuade America to preserve this last great wilderness.
4. The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: A Memoir
Born among the largest generation in the history of America, the baby boomers, Bill Bryson writes this humorous but poignant account of growing up during the 1950s in America. Drawing from his childhood adventures as a superhero, he paints a picture of his family’s life in all its normalcy.
5. In a Sunburned Country
This time, Bill Bryson takes us along on his journey to Australia, giving us a look at its friendliest—as well as deadliest!—creatures, amid the hottest weather in the world. But it’s more than a touristy account, as Bryson shares his own love for the continent through the stories of people he meets.
6. The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way
In this book, Bryson takes a fascinating look at the way the English language developed from a second-rate peasant tongue into one of the largest languages spoken around the world. He starts with his interesting take on the way our larynx works and how we speak!
7. Made in America: An Informal History of the English Language in the United States
This hilarious look at the English language in the United States is Bill Bryson’s way of celebrating the beauty of the language. Did you ever wonder why Hollywood was given that name, despite not having any holly nor woods anywhere around?
8. Notes From a Small Island
This jaunt poking fun at Great Britain is best described as delightfully irreverent: after all, what other nation gave us unique place names like Titsey and Farleigh Wallop, or offered us zebra crossings and the works of Shakespeare?
9. Shakespeare: The World as Stage
This attempt at a biography of William Shakespeare will take you on an enchanting tour of England during the Elizabethan era. It also explores the eccentricities of Shakespeare’s work, digging through the wild thicket of suppositions surrounding Shakespeare’s personal life.
10. I’m a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America After 20 Years Away
For twenty years, Bill Bryson lived in Britain. Upon returning to America with an English wife and four kids in tow, he finds his native land significantly changed. Amid microwave pancakes and 24-hour hotlines for just about any product under the sun, Bryson recounts some of his disconcerting experiences getting reacquainted with his homeland.
11. Neither Here Nor There: Travels in Europe
During the early 1970s, Bill Bryson backpacked through Europe with his companion, Stephen Katz, as a single man in search of the good life. After twenty years, he sets off to retrace his steps during that first adventure, which we read about in this hilarious account.
12. Bill Bryson’s African Diary
The bestselling travel writer now takes us to a whole new continent: Africa. Invited by CARE International, Bryson traveled to Kenya with preconceived ideas of Africa gleaned mostly from low-budget TV movies. But he experienced the contrast of the vibrant reality as he set foot in Kenya, which he details in this engaging book.
Reading Books by Bill Bryson
Reading books from this acclaimed travel writer is a great way to get your travel fix right from the comforts of your own bedroom!
If you also want to learn—and laugh over—the eccentricity of the English language, Bryson is one author to look for in the bookstores.
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Yen Cabag is the Blog Writer of TCK Publishing. She is also a homeschooling mom, family coach, and speaker for the Charlotte Mason method, an educational philosophy that places great emphasis on classic literature and the masterpieces in art and music. She has also written several books, both fiction and nonfiction. Her passion is to see the next generation of children become lovers of reading and learning in the midst of short attention spans.
