Peat Smoke and Spirit: A Tasty Dram for Lovers of Islay Malts, History, Nature, and Terroir
Notes on second read: Read this a second time during severalPeat Smoke and Spirit: A Tasty Dram for Lovers of Islay Malts, History, Nature, and Terroir
Notes on second read: Read this a second time during several Whisky tours of Speyside, Highlands, Skye, Islay, Edinburgh, and Glasgow. Could really appreciate the details so much more after visiting Islay and touring the distilleries.
If you already in love with the peaty, smoky, and pungent malt whiskies of Islay, and you also have an appreciation for history, illicit distilleries, shipwrecks, isolated, cold, dark and wind-wracked island life, and a ton of details on the histories, important people, and distilling techniques of 7 of the now 8 distilleries on Islay (Kilchoman having not yet launched at the time of writing), then you will certainly enjoy and savor this book just like a fine dram; it's charms open up over time, with a complex mix of flavors and themes, in sometimes ornate language, but with an intense sense of terroir (location) and romanticism about that precious golden liquid known as "uisge beatha" (Gaelic for "water of life") or aqua vitae (Latin for same).
While the book is now around 15 years out of date, it gives very distinctive descriptions of the Kildalton distilleries (Laphroaig, Lagavulin, Ardbeg) along with Bowmore, Bruichladdich, Bunnahabin, and Caol Ila. If like me you've discovered the joys of Islay whiskies and are keen to visit the island itself and take in the rugged nature, salty air, remote distilleries, and the people of Islay while touring the distilleries, this is a good book to whet your appetite. I've heard that if you are willing to brave the crowds and high prices, the Feis Islay music and whisky festival is the ultimate experience for Islay malt lovers, but the rest of the year is equally fair game to experience Islay for yourself, preferably having read the book or taking it with you, as you sample all they place and people have to offer. ...more
The Odd Couple Walk the Appalachian Trail Bill Bryson is a funny guy, with a satirical eye for exposing the underlying absurdity of daily life in whateThe Odd Couple Walk the Appalachian Trail Bill Bryson is a funny guy, with a satirical eye for exposing the underlying absurdity of daily life in whatever country he resides in or is visiting, or in the case of America, is revisiting after two decades abroad. And he is the classic chubby, middle-aged, well-read and frequently complaining type, but usually in a self-deprecating manner that takes a little of the edge off some of his harsher barbs directly at American life. In this case he reunites with his long-separated friend Stephen Katz, whom we last saw having a acrimonious split with Bill after their trip across Europe in the 1990s. Katz has since spiraled into a dissolute life of casual work, alcoholism, and general decline, and surprisingly approaches Bryson to ask if he can join him on his ambitious plan to hike at last part of the 1,700-mile Appalachian Trail.
What ensures is one of the funniest and sometimes poignant travelogues of the tribulations of two middle-aged guys of different temperaments, social standing, professional achievement, and general life outlook. Katz is constantly struggling with his urges to drink alcohol and binge on junk food, chucks vital equipment on the train because its too heavy, frequently wants to stop and rest, and is generally arguing with Bryson when they are not in a strained silence. And yet somehow they persevere, through many adventures, and find moments of camaraderie and hilarity in their encounters with annoying fellow hikers, backwards locals, bears & other forest creatures, and most of the the woods themselves that they are surrounded by.
It's a very entertaining story, and like all his books has a comfortable, unpretentious tone of sardonic humor, interspersed with his diatribes again the Forest Service and America's odd relationship with and treatment of its incredibly rich and (dwindling) abundance. There are plenty of things he doesn't like about what our civilization is doing to nature, and this book is a tribute to the value of that heritage, but doesn't sugar-coat how little funding there is, and how fundamentally unsuited to living in nature we are with all our modern conveniences. Lots of laughs but just as many insights and plenty of food for thought. The interaction of Bryson and Katz is comic gold, and holds the story together throughout....more
An enjoyable follow-up in 2015 to mark the 20th anniversary of his classic travel observations as an American living in England (which covered his firAn enjoyable follow-up in 2015 to mark the 20th anniversary of his classic travel observations as an American living in England (which covered his first time in the UK in the 1970s, working there in the 1980s, and then a last trip in 1995 before moving back to America). It has the same curmudgeon-humour, but from an older perspective, and tries to cover new territory and with revisits to some old haunts and how things have changed in the ensuing two decades.
Plenty of amusing anecdotes and observations, but not quite as substantive as the previous book. I listened to them back to back on audiobook and enjoyed both, but the first book is certainly better. Both still well worth a listen, especially for those who are fascinated and enamored of quirky British culture from an outsider's perspective....more
Bryson at his crankiest and most ill-tempered: Clearly has an axe to grind I've been enjoying my Bryson binge-fest of audiobooks, as most are good-natuBryson at his crankiest and most ill-tempered: Clearly has an axe to grind I've been enjoying my Bryson binge-fest of audiobooks, as most are good-naturedly ironic or mildly sarcastic, but this ones steps directly over that line into contempt territory right from the outset. He really does have an intense dislike of small-time America and its residents. Justified or not, it's pretty unrelenting, to the point you feel sorry for the people he encountered. He's not just pointing out their foibles - he's ridiculing them outright. Not one of his better ones, really needs to dial it down....more
A wonderfully whimsical and humorous story of an American's tongue-in-cheek travelogue of the charms and oddities of the English countryside, its peopA wonderfully whimsical and humorous story of an American's tongue-in-cheek travelogue of the charms and oddities of the English countryside, its people, scenery, and town and villages. As a fellow American now living in the UK, its perfectly suited to me, and I like his snarky humor that isn't afraid to poke fun at all kinds of things, including himself and his own culture, along with his adopted home in the UK. Entertainingly narrated by William Roberts, who is also ideally suited to the job: born and raised in America, but a longtime voice actor and resident of the UK, so he can do all the accents effortlessly. Couldn't imagine anyone not enjoying this amiable wander through that small island with a big heart known as the UK (he spends most of the time in England but makes forays to Wales and Scotland as well)....more
An enjoyable travelogue of Europe in 1990s by a humorous curmudgeon Nobody does irritable, ironic, and curmudgeonly travel writing in a humorous and seAn enjoyable travelogue of Europe in 1990s by a humorous curmudgeon Nobody does irritable, ironic, and curmudgeonly travel writing in a humorous and self-deprecating way like Bill Bryson. He travels through a Europe that is already in the past for us, especially Eastern Europe as it emerges from behind the Iron Curtain as the Soviet Union collapses. There are loads of humorous, sometimes bitingly-sarcastic observations of the up-tight Germans, indolent French, and dysfunctional Italians, exploring stereotypes to see what truths lurk beneath them. He certainly seems determined to eat and drink his way through each country, thereby learning the cultures at their most fundamentally accessible level. It's a very human and ground-level approach, and usually produces some amusing episodes and the occasional astute observation. Good fun, though certainly dated in many ways....more
Bryson Revisits the Foreign Land of America After 20 years living in the UK, Bill Bryson and family move back to the East Coast, in Hanover, MassachuseBryson Revisits the Foreign Land of America After 20 years living in the UK, Bill Bryson and family move back to the East Coast, in Hanover, Massachusetts, to reacquaint himself with his former homeland, and learn the lessen that you can never go back to the same place, because it has changed indelibly and so have you.
This book is a series of articles and vignettes on the strange, maddening, endearing, and befuddling nature of life in America, coming from the "King of Curmudgeons" as another reviewer put it, applying his sardonic wit to his native land from the perspective of someone whose been away in the UK for two whole decades.
As a fellow American who has been away now for over half my life, I too can take a long step back and question all the unquestioned myopia of America consumerism, junk food, baseball, Thanksgiving, and everything else in between. This is not a cohesive story like A Walk in the Woods or Notes from A Small Island, but it features the same winning combination of humor, insight, and absurdity....more
Bill Bryson Does Australia Listening to Bill Bryson's travel audiobooks, especially narrated by William Roberts, are such an enjoyable combination, thaBill Bryson Does Australia Listening to Bill Bryson's travel audiobooks, especially narrated by William Roberts, are such an enjoyable combination, that it's really a no-brainer to go from one to the next, whether it's about England, America, Europe, or Australia. He has that same self-deprecating humor, slightly snarky and curmudgeonly, often critical of the absurdity of people's behavior, but sympathetic at the same time. He knows how to accentuate the innate hilarity of different locales and cultural practices that outsiders find perplexing and locals take for granted. This was was no different, a very enjoyable though slightly repetitive travelogue as he traveled Australia, both the coasts and the outback, for several months, braving extreme heat, deadly creatures, and a lot of encounters with Aussies. Good fun, and insightful too....more
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