In A Sunburned Country... My Read!

In a little over three months, Steve and I will be traveling to the land Down Under and I'm starting my obsession with all thing Australia with my reading choices. With a total of 15 hours driving time, on our recent migration south, In A Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson was the perfect audiobook for my solo travel (Steve was in his truck). This entertaining read is Mr. Bryson's report on what he found in an entirely different place: Australia, the country that doubles as a continent, and a place with the friendliest inhabitants, the hottest, driest weather, and the most peculiar and lethal wildlife to be found on the planet. The result is a deliciously funny, fact-filled, and adventurous performance by a writer who combines humor, wonder, and unflagging curiosity. I was spellbound!

To end his wonderful tome, Mr. Bryson wrote melancholy that after he departed, "Life in Australia would go on, and I would hear nothing, because once you leave Australia, Australia ceases to be. What a strange, sad thought that is. I can understand it, of course. Australia is mostly empty and a long way away. Its population is small and its role in the world consequently peripheral. It doesn't have coups, recklessly overfish, arm disagreeable despots, grow coca in provocative quantities, or throw its weight around in a brash and unseemly manner. It is stable and peaceful and good. It doesn't need watching, and so we don't. But I will tell you this: the loss is entirely ours. You see, Australia is an interesting place. It truly is. And that really is all I'm saying."

I can't wait to find out for myself!

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