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My mum is currently borrowing (read: stolen) this book so I doubt I'll see it anytime soon. I would just like to mention that Bill Bryson almost makes it to my part of the world:

"I went into the bus station and found two women sitting in an office beyond an open door, talking together in that quaint ‘Oi be drinkin zoider' accent of this part of the world. I asked them about buses to Minehead, about thirty miles to the east along the coast. They looked at me an if I’d asked for connections to Tierra del Fuego.
‘Oh, you won’t be gittin to Moinhead this toim of year, you won’t be,� said one.
‘No buses to Moinhead arter firrrrst of Octohaaorrrr,� chimed in the second one.
‘What about Lynton and Lynmouth?'
They snorted at my naivety. This was England, This was 1994.
‘P´Ç°ù±ô´Ç³¦°ì?â€�
Snort.
‘D³Ü²Ô²õ³Ù±ð°ù?â€�
Snort."

So, he never made it to Minehead because of the lack of transport. Transport is slightly better now, but still very frustrating. But still Minehead is considered out in the sticks - a fact Bryson would have ridiculed, I'm sure...

Now I live in Cambridge but I read Notes from a Small Island before I moved here, so if he says anything interesting about it please let me know!

Oh, also would be interested to hear about Bath. Actually, maybe I should get another copy of the book.

I'm reading the fine print Chris but haven't come across those locations quite yet. Currently on chapter seven. I am sure that at some point Minehead, Cambridge and Bath will be mentioned as he is fond of publishing long lists of street names, towns, villages and all manner of customs, foods and other miscellanea that he finds worthy of ridicule. I am sorry to hear that your mother is a book thief. Have she considered getting a library card?

Thanks for keeping an eye out Elizabeth. local library is minuscule, do probably not worth having a library card. She got a kindle for Xmas so I think she'll get most of her books from there now.

For those who haven't started this book yet I'd recommend reading it. Its really very funny. It took a couple of chapters before I figured out what his was up to in terms of his sense of humour but a few chapters into it I really started enjoying it.

Still waiting for it through interlibrary loan. Hope it comes before I leave on Saturday for my business travel!!!!

I read this one a little while back. While I enjoyed it, I don't think it's worth a reread.

I read a lot of travel literature so was pleased to see this book as our selection. Travel literature, generally, has provided me with a wonderful view of the world and has opened my eyes to many cultural experiences. In reviewing this book however, within the genre of travel literature, I feel it is of limited interest if you haven't traveled or lived in Great Britain as its full of details and perspective that likely are of interest mainly to those who live or have lived there. My skepticism going into this book was how could an American (with a British wife) possibly be as funny as a Brit - in fact he compares the humour of the two countries in one chapter as this seems to be obvious to him as well. He is pretty funny making fun of himself, places, customs and modern ways but unfortunately the narrative moves slowly and the jokes can be repetitive. So my conclusion: read this book if you want to take your worries away for a day or if you are interested in a visitor's reflections on "the small island".

I don't really rate Bill Bryson as a great travel writer, and found both of his books I'd read (Notes from a Small Island and Neither Here nor There) to be very dull and plodding. The only interesting part for me was that Notes... visited my part of the world, which is rather remote (but apparently easier to travel to than Minehead...) and that nothing particularly of interest happened, but that the people he met were friendly and hospitable.

It's not the type of insight or memorable experiences that I look for in travel books that I choose, and I certainly wouldn't look to re-read it.