To Amy in July - Bill Bryson

 

The first fruit stamp was to Irene and it was mostly OK. It had too many bananas. I think this one is a little better. In a perfect world I would have put about a half hour into a very nice rendering of the compote. Is that what you call a dish on a pedestal? It could have been darling. I am very happy with using it for a Y. Now I have to decide which people get the last two fruit bowl stamps. They have to be people with a Y in their name - Patty, Mary. Myrick, Troy, Lynne, Cathy and Carolyn. And Kelly, if she signs up again. 

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I could not remember if I had ever recommended any Bill Bryson books - and the search feature on the blog could not find any.

Once in a while I am asked by pen pals if I have ever read any Bill Bryson books because they've read his book about growing up in Des Moines. Yes, I have read and enjoyed several of his books. My husband knew him in high school - not a friend - but knew who he was. Back in the day everyone knew everyone in our neighborhood - and Bill still shows up from time to time for local literary events. While I have really enjoyed several of his books, A Walk in the Woods is probably my favorite. It was made into a movie - but I enjoyed the book so much I am not interested in seeing a visual interpretation. 

My second favorite book is In a Sunburned Country. His writing is laced with humor and if you ever want to get a feel for what a trip to Australia would be like, I think he does an excellent job of describing how varied it is and how interesting the people are. His books are a good distraction if current events are becoming a drag.

If you have read and enjoyed A Walk in the Woods (or the movie) here is the obit of the person who was with Bill on his Walk in the Woods. I thought it was interesting that being that character made it into his obit and I only include the obit because it is what brought Bill Bryson's books to mind.

A Walk in the Woods is number 3 on this list that ranks his books.

https://www.bookscrolling.com/ranking-author-bill-brysons-best-books-a-bibliography-countdown/

It's interesting that Matt was a gifted storyteller, too. 

Matthew "Matt" Angerer, 71, died June 22nd, 2023 in Centerville, Iowa. Matt was born in Des Moines, Iowa in 1952. He graduated from Roosevelt High in Des Moines and earned an AA degree as a legal assistant from DMACC.

Matt's talents were many and varied. He worked as a legal assistant, a radio announcer, in construction, and as a processing tech at Mercy Hospital. Matt was known for his massive record collection and his encyclopedic knowledge of reggae, funk, soul, and all things James Brown. Matt was a brilliant story-teller and was always the funniest person in the room. He was perhaps best known as the comedic (and sometimes sagely) foil, Stephen Katz, in three books written by Bill Bryson and was portrayed by Nick Nolte in the movie adaptation of "A Walk In The Woods".