A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail pressed all my favorite buttons: Humor. Adventure. Danger. Storytelling. Nature. Local/personal interest. Et cetera.I even liked that the author Bill Bryson is a American-Brit ex-pat/transplant and thus an outsider giving his opinion as a stranger in a strange land. Bryson's humorous, well-researched, yet relaxed writing is what I always hope for when embarking upon a book like this.A trek upon the Appalachian Trail is supposed to be relaxing, if strenuous, and if a bit of history and humor get mixed in then all the better. For those like myself who grew up in New England, the lure and legend of the trail was spoon-fed us from an early age, right along with Johnny Appleseed and the ride of Paul Revere. Those of us too lazy to make the actual hike can sit back and read Bryson's book while thinking about how swell a jaunt would be.                While I enjoyed hearing about the local spots I'm familiar with like Mt. Washington in New Hampshire (a hiker from Pepperell, MA the tiny town my mom is from is even mentioned, woohoo!), it's Bryson's relationship with his friend Katz, a larger-than-life character who joined him periodically on the trail, that really ties this whole book together. The hijinks are raised when Katz enters the scene, making a normal hike in the woods into an adventure, perhaps more than it needed to be, but I'm grateful either way!Bryson's writing and the personality that comes through made more palatable his occasional soapbox tangents. The guy loves nature preservation and he's not happy when man fucks with it, so every once in a while the reader must wade through a lecture on why the trail is essentially lucky to be alive. For all that, I loved this book just about in its entirety and look forward to reading more by Bill Bryson, a writer who I've taken an immediate shine to, a reader-writer bond strengthened by my own private pleasure at discovering we share December 8th as a birthday.

This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life.I am terribly disappointed by the fact that I did not fall in love with this book. When I was choosing a book to read, I took one look at the ratings for this book on Goodreads and knew that I had to read this book right away. Seriously, every single one of my friends on Goodreads gave this book either a 4 or 5 star rating. And they said it was funny. I love funny. I knew that I would just love this book.I didn't love it. I was actually bored for most of this book. I do admit that this isn't the kind of book that I usually read but a humorous non-fiction story about hiking the Appalachian Trail sounded fabulous. I really did enjoy the parts of the book that focused on Bill and Stephen's adventures on the trail. I just wish that the focus of the book would have stayed with Bill and Stephen.The problem was that there was just too much other stuff crammed into this book. I sometimes felt like I was reading a textbook....a well-written textbook...but a textbook nonetheless. In this short little book, I learned about the history of the Appalachian Trail, some geology, information about bears, trees, the National Park Service, birds, and various other things. A lot of the time the book just felt dry and information packed. I was glad that some of this information was shared in a fun way that actually put a smile on my face. All too often, I felt like skipping entire sections of the book so that I could get back to the actual hike.I had hoped that this was going to be one of those side splitting funny kind of books. It had its moments of humor but nothing that made me do anything more than crack a smile. There was no laughing out loud and the parts that were funny seemed to be rather sparse. Don't get me wrong, I can tell that Bill Bryson is a very funny guy but I need a lot more of those kind of moments to offset the parts of the book that were dry. I did notice that there is a movie based on this book that is soon to be released. I actually am looking forward to that movie because I suspect that it will focus on the parts of the book that I really enjoyed....the actual hike. I don't think that there will be too many geology or history lessons found in the film. I am thinking that I actually want to go an see the movie when it comes out and I never go see movies.I am not going to be recommending this book but I am seriously in the minority with this one. I would tell readers to pick it up if it sounds interesting to you. You may be one of the many who really love it. I still really wish that I was one of the many readers who love it. I received an advance reader edition of this book from Blogging for Books for the purpose of providing an honest review.

This is a book I had always thought to read, but never had. I am very pleased that I finally got round to it. If youre wanting something funny and absorbing for the flight home, to sit on the patio with a cup of coffee, or youre your favorite chair staring out the window you have found it in A Walk in the Woods. Im intrigued by stories of people who take to challenging adventures I'll never be one of them. Bill Bryson and Katz kept me laughing and entertained for hours. I latterly was laugh crying at points and my wife walked in and asked what the heck I was reading. I know people say this from time to time as in an internal chuckle. No this was literal. Laughing so hard tears came forward and I could not go on reading as the pages were blurred by my tears. Mary Ellen was one of my favorite parts I wont spoil it. Bryson and Katz spend several weeks on the trail, hiking 500 miles in their first section. Then the two take a break and return home for a few weeks, and Bryson resumes with some shorter hikes in New England. Katz and Bryson reunite in Maine to hike a particularly daunting section of the trail called the Hundred Mile Wilderness. The first 500 Miles hold the best part of the book. The back half was good, but without Katz it was feeling a bit light and he returns for the hundred Mile Wilderness. Sewn within the narratives are many stories and back stories of towns histories, trail history and environmental issues of both. I never felt I was being preached at. I loved those parts of it as well. You laugh, you learn, you walk away in a better frame of mind. If youre looking to escape a little, I recommend this highly.

When I chose this book I failed to understand the authors intention. Look at the subtitle! I hadn't noted the words "Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail". This book is not for people who love hiking; it is not intended to increase love of the sport. It scarcely shows the pleasure one can derive from hiking. It is instead a commentary on America with some details about the Appalachian Trail. I have to admit my own fault in not carefully reading the complete title. I still must rate according to my own appreciation of the book. For me it was just OK.This book is full of griping and whining. From its start to almost the very end. At the end there is a line or two that shows appreciation for hiking. For the purpose of delivering an exciting tale the author begins by listing all the terrible things that can happen and have happened on the trail. Bryson warns of getting lost, being bitten by snakes, eaten by bears, mauled by mountain lions and even being murdered. The complaining doesn't stop there. He tells of unpleasant people on the trail, the weight of the pack, hunger and tiredness, the expense and idiocy of trekking gear, even abstinence from sex and family and TV and soda pop and Little Debbie cakes and beer. He goes on to bemoan pollution, park authorities, deficient maps, modern American urbanization and expansion of roads to the point where one is unable to w-a-l-k by foot anywhere. Sure, some of the gripes certainly are legitimate, but a whole book of griping is hard to take, and the focus is scarcely on the delight of hiking. I love hiking. Beware, by no means does the author and his buddy Stephen Katz travel the whole trail. Do not expect a complete trail guide. They trek 500 miles, starting at the southern end, and then stop for a break, totally worn out by their experiences. They each go home, but Bryson then decides to cover portions of the trail by making day trips using his car. At this point the topics covered shift from trail experiences to information about historical events that have occurred at various places near the trail. The book sidetracks to cover events of the Civil War (Stonewall Jackson and Harper's Ferry), oil and anthracite mining, the smoking, inextinguishable underground mine fires of Centralia, Pennsylvania, as well as the ecological devastation at abandoned zinc mines at Palmerton in the same state. I name but a few examples. After Brysons solitary day excursions by car the two buddies meet up again to trek in Maine, finishing off with the 100 Mile Wilderness. Well, I will not tell you what happens there, but you can pretty much guess. Anyone who knows anything about longer hiking tours knows that planning and careful preparation are essential. This includes critically assessing ones own capabilities. Who says one has to trek the whole trail anyway? They finally realize that! Pseudonyms are used to protect the identity of those spoken of. Stephen Katz is a pseudonym too. When you read the book you will not be surprised at the need to cover up true identities. Many extremely uncomplimentary things are said. There are some humorous lines. There are some interesting historical details about the trail. There are some relevant insights about trekking which can be drawn from the book if you ponder what happens:-the first and second day are always the hardest.-it is easy to get lost.-dont walk alone and inform others of your itinerary. -plan carefully water availability.-have proper clothing; weather can radically change.-take only what you really need. Every ounce feels like a ton when it is on your back. After a trek you will feel as though you are flying. After a trek you will appreciate the wonder of a warm shower and cleanliness. After a trek you will appreciate what before you have taken for granted the ease of walking without gear, cooked food, being clean, and the beauty of nature. I wish this book had much more emphasis on what trekking can give a person. The audiobook is narrated by Rob McQuay. He does a fine job. Easy to follow and at a good clip. He expresses through his intonation both the lines of humor and the authors criticism of modern American trends. The disdain is heard. **************************After 9 chapters:I am not exactly enjoying this, even if there are a few amusing lines. So much complaining. Such poor planning. And tell me why is there so little about the beauty of nature? The point with hiking is not to partake in a race or a competition to determine who does it fastest, in one swipe or in parts. Why would anyone have to do the-whole-thing? That is not the point. I prefer the empty Swedish mountain ranges.But I haven't given up on the book.

I wanted to like Bill Brysons A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail. Not sure what I was expecting from thisperhaps more about hiking on the actual AT and the reasons Bryson made this trekbut I was mostly disappointed. It read like a series of travel brochures: heres the history of the region on this section of the trail, and now anotherThere was much more attention devoted to towns along the route than hiking the actual trail. It was also disappointing that Bryson noted the historical stereotypes of Appalachian people and casually confirmed their stupidity without any real interaction (not once but many times). The smugness of his remarks was irritating. I still would like to hike the AT, but Bryson did little to illuminate what its really like to hike the trail except to offer that its not what most people expect.