Note From A Big Country (book review)

Yet another Bill Bryson book.
Far from ho-hum, though.
This one is a series of short articles originally written for the British Mail on Sunday's Night and Day magazine.
Bryson returned to the U.S.A. with his British family in the late 90s, and the articles are 90% comparative studies of life in the U.S.A. and the U.K.
They are, of course, largely hilarious observations, in the quizzical style we have come to know and love.

Which makes his article, "On Losing a Son" especially poignant - it begins by describing an idyllic twilight ball game with his young son, then takes us to the time where the Bryson family farewell the older son as he begins life at university.
Bryson writes:
"For the past week I have found myself spending a lot of time wandering aimlessly through the house looking at the oddest things - a basketball, his running trophies, an old holiday snapshot - and thinking about all the carelessly discarded yesterdays they represent. The hard and unexpected part is the realisation not just that my son is not here, but that the boy he was is gone for ever."

You needn't worry...the humour quickly bounces back.
I particularly enjoyed the article about getting a haircut...
As usual, immaculately written and packing a punch on every page.
Each article is only 4 or 5 pages maximum, so you can easily pick up and put down this book (a great bedtime read)...except that once you've picked it up, you won't want to put it down!
You have been warned (now bring on the Thunderbolt Kid)!