July Book Of The Month: A Walk In The Woods

Title: A Walk In The Woods
Author: Bill Bryson
Publisher: Broadway
Release Date: May 4, 1998

Goodreads Synopsis:

God only knows what possessed Bill Bryson, a reluctant adventurer if ever there was one, to undertake a grueling hike along the world's longest continuous footpath—The Appalachian Trail.

The 2,000-plus-mile trail winds through 14 states, stretching along the east coast of the United States, from Georgia to Maine. It snakes through some of the wildest and most spectacular landscapes in North America, as well as through some of its most poverty-stricken and primitive backwoods areas.

With his offbeat sensibility, his eye for the absurd, and his laugh-out-loud sense of humour, Bryson recounts his confrontations with nature at its most uncompromising over his five-month journey.

An instant classic, riotously funny, A Walk in the Woods will add a whole new audience to the legions of Bill Bryson fans.

My Review: 

        Woods. More woods. Mountains. More mountains. Deer. Ponds. Steaming ghost towns. Gnarly camp grounds. I-know-best hiker. Religious hikers. Partier hikers. Lost hiker. Boy scouts. Snickers. More snickers. Noodles. More noodles. Rats. Disease. Murderers. Bears. Hypothermia. Camping gear. Stupid maps. Good maps. And two guys who just wanted to take a walk in the woods: Bill. Katz.
      If you mixed all of the words above together, you would have A Walk In The Woods. When I started to read this book, I thought the memoir was going to solely focus on Bill Bryson's journey on the Appalachian Trail. I've read one other Bill Bryson book, The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid (click here for the review), so I expected the book to be a funny, light-hearted retelling of his adventure. Instead of feeling light-hearted for the whole read, I felt quite a large range of emotions. Bryson talked about the extinction of gorgeous trees, and how the people who are supposed to conserve wildlife are viciously chopping it down to accomodate the human race. This book was incredibly funny, but equally eye-opening. 
       A Walk In The Woods made me want to jump of the sofa, grab a backpack (A couple bottles of pepper spray) and venture out into the great unknown; The Appalachian Trail. I was on a trip with a friend while I read this memoir. I was constantly reading passages to her out loud. After sharing a couple passages with her we both pulled out a notebook, titled it "Bucket List" and wrote down: Hike the Appalachian Trail. 
    Bryson's novel is inspiring, eye-opening, and mind blowing. As you sit on your couch (or wherever you are) reading this post, just know that there is a 2,000 + mile trail sitting, and waiting for you to take a walk in the woods. 

I hope you enjoyed the July book of the month!