An Advance Reading Copy and recent selection from the Amazon.com Vine program, to be read, reviewed and shared.


Registered using a 2011 Convention label. Join us to celebrate BookCrossing's 10th birthday, 15-17 April 2011 in Washington, DC. For more convention information, visit the   BC-in-DC website.

At first glance this book is another departure from the travel writing that has earned Bryson his popular following. But, in fact, this is a travel book, set within his own home, as he travels from room to room, using each as a launching pad to explore the history of a wide variety of topics related to domestic life. From the history of homes, themselves, to the various contents, including furniture, plumbing, lighting, food, etc., to the lifestyles of the people who live in them, this book provides us with a different look at history. This is history on the intimate level, the history of the things we interact with in our daily lives and how they have changed and evolved to their current forms. Bryson does a particularly good job at showing how much people's private lives have changed over the centuries, and how these changes have shaped our societies. While this book doesn't provide any insights into the larger historic issues of wars and politics, it does help shed light on how our day-to-day lives are also the result of a long history of change and development. Entertaining and informative, there is a lot to learn in the course of Bryson's little tour of his home.

Sent home with my mother.

Left on the table at the monthly BCinDC meetup for someone to take.

Delayed entry. So sorry. The box of "to do journals" got put under several other things. Now found, I wanted to let you know how much I appreciate the book. My TBR pile is high but I'll get to it eventually. Thanks.