A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

One of the lovely aspects of the internet and of social sites in particular is that a reading addict (that's me) can get recommendations of interesting books from other readers. For me, this often means that I will read a book which otherwise I would never have chosen or maybe never even have heard about. That is the case with this book, which was recommended to me by Patti Watson, my sister-in-law. It is classified as a travel book, but is, I expect, much different from most travel books. However, since I don't ordinarily read travel books, I may be wrong.

A Walk in the Woods is the thoroughly charming account of hiking the Appalachian Trail, which extends about 2,150 miles from Georgia to Maine. The middle-aged author and his out-of-shape friend don't manage to hike the entire distance, even though they give it a good try. We don't have here much description of the wilderness surroundings, but rather a humorous account of the people and adventures encountered along the way. It is often laugh-out-loud funny, but not in the mean-spirited way sometimes seen in humor writers.

The background and history given about the trail and about wilderness preservation in general is interesting, but seems tacked on, information anyone could provide who took the trouble to do some perfunctory reading.

This is not classic literature, such as Steinbeck's Travels With Charlie, for instance, which happens to be the only other travel literature I have read. But it is fun to read and rather endearing.