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I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America After Twenty Years Away by Bill Bryson
james2529's review against another edition
4.0
An enjoyable collection of newspaper columns and a fascinating time capsule of the late 90s.
theliterarylotte's review against another edition
3.0
I love Bill Bryson’s style of writing- this book is great to read chapter per chapter or in a couple (or one) days on holiday. Funny stories about America that will certainly cheer you up. The books consists of short essays about live in the US, and comparison between the UK and the states.
krystahh's review against another edition
4.0
Some were laugh-out-loud funny, some were poignant, a couple were boring. All-in-all, this one's a keeper.
ssofia_reads's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book as Bryson's situation was extremely relatable to me. I've spent over half of my life living away from my country of origin and whenever I go back, I experience similar feelings of confusion and wonderment as Bryson did returning to the US after 20 years in the UK.
There were a lot of laugh-out-loud moments in this collection of newspaper columns from 1996-1997 as Bryson talks through his observations about Americans and their way of life.
I thought this worked brilliantly as an audiobook and I am definitely going to come back to this and listen to it again.
There were a lot of laugh-out-loud moments in this collection of newspaper columns from 1996-1997 as Bryson talks through his observations about Americans and their way of life.
I thought this worked brilliantly as an audiobook and I am definitely going to come back to this and listen to it again.
barbarianlibarian's review against another edition
4.0
fairly funny, some of the observations are a little ridiculous and not just based on living in America, but most people will find it amusing. getting to be a little bit dated....
bgprincipessa's review against another edition
4.0
Enjoyable as always, if you like his style. The book is a collection of short columns that appeared in a British magazine/paper, so they are not necessarily coherent as one book altogether. I love his observations, like I usually do, but the book does feel a bit dated. It was written in the late 90s and there were already things that seemed silly - for example, griping about the possibility of gas going up by 50 cents/gallon; trying to push his way onto a flight without proper identification (?! I didn't realize this was such a recent thing); and his heavy tech-phobia. Other than these sorts of issues, a fun quick read.
ohgiseal's review against another edition
5.0
There are some essays where I had to remind myself that Bryson wrote these in the 90s — his reflections on drug laws, immigration, and Americans’ refusal to protect the environment are still sadly relevant and true. There are a few essays that haven’t aged too well, and some that are pure silly fun, like Bryson’s love for the kitchen disposal. Overall, a delight, but one that’s sometimes depressing to read.
jennywear's review against another edition
5.0
The best collection of essays I've read in a long time. Bryson's dry humor was perfect.
hill_'s review against another edition
3.0
This might be too hokey for me.
ETA: I mostly read this book, but I kind of skipped around. It was amusing, but I didn't love it.
ETA: I mostly read this book, but I kind of skipped around. It was amusing, but I didn't love it.