#1: At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson

It's time to try out my book reviewing skills again - the goal is a total of 52 by the end of the year. Reading the books is definitely easier than keeping up with the reviews.

If you are unfamiliar with the writing of Bill Bryson, he is very inquisitive, and it shows up in his work. The good side of this is that you learn a lot of interesting trivia by reading his books. He also has the tendency to go off on tangents, which is very evident in At Home: A Short History of Private Life.

In this book, Bryson uses a tour of his house to describe the development of many things we take for granted today. For example, the chapter about the bathroom describes the history of hygiene and the chapter on the kitchen describes how the way people eat has evolved over time. Bryson's thorough research answers questions such as why salt and pepper are the most prevalent spices. He also looks into the lives of numerous people who contributed to the way we live, both famous and obscure.

Much of Bryson's research focuses on England, where his house, a 19th century parsonage is located. He describes the story of his own house, as well as the development of urban life in London and the palatial country estates of the aristocracy. Other than England, he looks at the rise of America over the second half of the 19th century and how that led us to where we are today.

At Home was an enjoyable book to read, as I enjoy learning trivia. However, it did meander quite a bit - some of the chapters were connected only very loosely to their intended rooms. While it is not my favorite of his works, it is one I would recommend to others.