Tag: Bill Bryson

2020 Lockdown Itinerary!

More than halfway through 2020. I ended up reading about a dozen books, Losing track of time. It hardly made me realise it’s been five months, I haven’t travelled anywhere at all. Not even Mumbai which is the closest Metro city from my hometown Nashik.

This also made me question am I liking it to be in one place, without moving at all.

Well, To be honest. It’s a first for me and while I couldn’t travel physically anywhere. Not even to a restaurant or cafe.

I have been having the best of food cuisines right from Thai, Chinese, and Italian pizzas to freshly baked desserts and cakes at home. This doesn’t mean I don’t miss going out.

I Sure do because, when we go out, We go for the experience of going somewhere, Trying something new, different or sometimes just for the ambience and service of being served, rather than helping ourselves. You also go for the occasional noise that’s part of the environment. People chit-chatting having conversations, to you finding the solution and clearing your doubts from not knowing what to order, to going with the suggestion by the waiter serving you to missing out a menu option, that the order table guest has just ordered.

As far as travelling goes as a tourist- The Books have been helping me by taking me to America by going on a history tour by having a well-researched guide (Bill Bryson) To telling me about Indian history by making me meet Historians such as William Dalrymple. Reading makes me feel sometimes “Lost in Japan” by either overhearing a mysterious case “Under The Midnight Sun” or giving it a realism-magical sense of the place by letting me know about “Kafka on The Shores” To making me Revisit Turkey But this time also making me experiencing the “Snow” by a local Orhan Pamuk and taking me to a lesser-known city in the country Kars.

Reading made me understand a doctor’s life by sharing the concept of “Being Mortal” to making me meet some interesting personalities, Michelle Obama & Robert Iger.

All these experiences while sipping coffee and hopping around the different corners of my home, enjoying the weather and trying to do my best while sitting at home.

But, Yes Travelling physically cannot be replaced by reading books. But, reading can comfort you in planning out your next travel journey.

Made In America by Bill Bryson-Book Review

 

Made In America by Bill Bryson.

Bill Bryson is an author, I discovered accidentally while reading “Neither here Nor there “a book on his travel journeys around Europe a couple of years ago. Then read “Down Under “- A book on Australia. Though he is better known for his book “A Walk in the woods” The author’s book that I haven’t read is about A Journey the authors goes through wanting to find peace and rediscover himself. By going on a trekking trail with his friend Stephan Katz.

And after nearly two years I read another book written by Bill Bryson

“Made In America” A book that fascinated me as soon as I had undertaken the journey of neither being here nor there. But, being a very heavy book with a lot to grasp it needed a lot of time. And what perfect time than now to have read this book.

“Made In America “who should read this book & why?

Made in America is about this whole new world discovered and how did it come to be called America. It’s for someone who likes to know about history, The past of America and the future of where it is going.

You need to read the book to know how English as a language was altered to have suited the American.

You need to read to understand again and again America is a land built with immigrates who have migrated from centuries ago and is the land of just a small population of natives.

How the modern-day luxuries- The Escalators, The Automobiles, The Restaurants, Ice cream, Chocolates, Whisky’s and Air conditioner’s had come to existence in this world.

Yes, It’s perfect to call them luxuries today with the pandemic making us aware of what privileged life we live as a human. And how well the Americans have marketed, Branded and Advertised things that were invented in The United States of America and Things that weren’t but made the people believe they were the ones who had thought about it.

The Made in America book takes you on a journey about Americans with a perceptive from an American’s Eye and questions you America you thought it was or it is.