At Home by Bill Bryson

Yay! It’s time for another giveaway! Actually for TWO giveaways! Such riches. What a wonderful way to begin the month.

At Home: A Short History of Private Life

Author: Bill Bryson

Hardcover: 512 pages(also available as large print, paperback, Audio, Kindle)

Publisher: Doubleday (October 5, 201o)

Synposis:

At Home is a wandering history of society: its traditions, words, objects, and experiences using the common family home as the magnifying glass. Each chapter of the book focuses on a different room in the common family home—actually Bryson’s home, a former parsonage in England. As the book travels from room to room in Bryson’s home, he looks around the room and picks out a few things that interest him. He then tells us how they came to be, how they affected society or who is the man(or woman)behind them. The book winds together the histories of the United States and England as well as introducing many other countries into the story.

Review:

Are you familiar with the game “If you could invite five people—living or dead– to a dinner party, who would you invite?” I’m adding Bill Bryson to my list! The twists and turns of this book make me eager to meet the man behind it. The workings of his mind fascinate me. Who looks around their house and says, “Why is all this stuff here, used in this way, and whose idea was it?” Apparently, Bill Bryson!

At Home is the sort of book that has you stopping every five minutes to call out to the other people in the room, “Let me read this to you!” At Home will supply you with enough weird conversation starters to see you well through the holiday party season and into the new year. What characteristic is found only in humans and guinea pigs? Why was wallpaper so dangerous? And why was the richest class the last one to get indoor plumbing? As a big fan of trivia I knew about 40% of the tidbits Bryson shared. However the other 60% were either completely new information or added an unexpected spin to the facts. Anyone who enjoys non-fiction should crack open At Home. It is part biography, part trivia, part ancient history with bits of fashion, travel, and medicine thrown in to flavor the mix.

At 500+ pages this is a long book but happily, you can take your time reading this book. Because it’s divided into short sections, each focusing on a different subject, you can read a few pages and pick it up days later to continue without losing your place in the story. Also, three cheers to Bryson for leaving readers a map. For instance, if in Chapter 8 he refers to someone mentioned earlier he helps you out with a cheerful, “Does this name sound familiar? He was the nephew of so-and-so, the fellow who did such-and-such in Chapter 2.” And back you page to Chapter 2 to refresh your memory on the old uncle. The book is also punctuated with photographs and drawings that make the book more enjoyable. After reading a few pages of this book it becomes addictive. You wonder what he’ll have to say about fallen trees, lice, Moby Dick and fork tines. Tell the truth, you’re wondering right now, aren’t you?

I was given a review copy of At Home by the publisher as well as TWO copies to give away. Please post a comment by midnight, Nov. 23 to enter to win a copy.