Informal it is - and written in Bryson’s usual funny and witty style. Apart from that, it is absolutely informative, highly knowledgeable and eye opening. Bryson’s strategy to take allegedly well-known concepts (the Pilgrims, famous sayings by presidents, etc) and to look at them from a slightly different point of view works out well, you begin to see those things with new eyes: the stories themselves, but also the etymology and shifts of meanings in words, phrases, idioms.

As always, here’s a sample to listen to: Bookblog #4: Bill Bryson - Made in America

The music for this episode once again comes frome podsafeaudio.com. I thought some bluegrass piece would go well with Made in America - it is Tall Fiddler by Deyo.

Eddie is a boy in Victorian England, living together with his ever sick Mom and his - well - somewhat strange father. But that’s nothing compared to his Mad Uncle Jack and Even Madder Aunt Maud. You get it - the book is full of eccentric characters, unlikely events etc. It’s thoroughly enjoyable, the somewhat characteristic illustrations enhance the reader’s pleasure even more. In this book, Eddie is made to travel to America. But - things of course won’t turn out as originally intended…
What makes it especially interesting for ESL reading is Ardagh’s approach: the narrator is always present, commenting and explaining, but he does it in an ever so twisted, humorous, ironical way. He especially indulges in explanations of words and puns - I’ve never enjoyed word explanations that much! The books would be suitable for younger intermediate readers, but older or advanced students will certainly savour it as well.
You may ask why I start with vol. 3. The reason is simple: I came across the trilogy some time ago when I looked for nice books for my daughter (who is a real bookworm) and bought the first two volumes in the German translation. Volume three wasn’t translated, so after father and daughter had got hooked to the books I got myself vol. 3 in English. But I’ll certainly talk about some other of Ardagh’s books here soon, I hope.

Ardagh himself seems to be an eccentric as well - just visit his website and have a look yourself! He’s even got his own blog
As always - here’s a sample reading an d a few remarks about the book. Enjoy!

Bookblog #3 - Philip Ardagh: Terrible Times

This episode’s background music - as always - comes from podsafeaudio.com. It is a piece called Touching Mountains by Deyo.

Bill Bryson is one of my absolute favourites when it comes to EFL related reading, and “Notes from a small island” was the very first book by Bryson that I ever got hold of. Bill Bryson was born in Iowa (of all places) in 1951 but lived in England (North Yorkshire) for many years. Shortly before returning home to the US, he took a farewell trip around Britain. His impressions of that trip found their way into this booklet in which he tries to explain to his fellow Americans what living in the small island of Britain is all about.

Now, of course a book like that should be great because of the “intercultural approach” alone, but that wouldn’t necessarily lure us into the book. What makes this book simply irrestistible is Bryson’s hilarious sense of humour combined with a gift for ironical, yet very fond observation of the oddities and pecularities of his fellow Brits.

Great stuff, that! This book made me grab any book that gives Bryson as its author - and I haven’t ever regretted reading each of them. Which means that I’ll introduce more of his books here, of course.

Languagewise, his writing is witty and colourful, and should be sppropriate for intermediate to advanced EFL learners. Teachers too will find his books a great source not just of personal reading pleasures but of grand classroom material as well.

Here we go:Bookblog #3 Bill Bryson: Notes from a small sland

This episode’s music once again comes from podsafeaudio.com. It is Flopsy “Cocaine Binge”. Weird name…

The girls think of a way to cure Kutikula from that depression: a trip to New York. Their means of travel? A globe!

Enjoy.

Kutikula 3

In this first book of the Barry Trotter series the film studio Wagner Bros is set to release “Barry Trotter and the inevitable Attempt to Cash-In” . This would spell disaster for Hogwash: crazed Muddle fans would put Hogwash into pieces and sell it on eBuy. This must be stopped! Because: It would also mean the end of Barry’s oh-so-comfortable life style…

“Barry Trotter” certainly is a shameless parody, so I wouldn’t use it for students who are the right age to be Potter fans. But more advanced students might savour the parody- after all, it also makes fun of all the marketing around H.P.

It is fun to read, sometimes slightly explicit. For the EFL learner, the puns and allusions are a great stimulus.

Here we go: Bookblog #2 - Barry Trotter

BTW - the music once again comes from podsafeaudio.com: Devin Anderson “Paranormal Impromptu”. I thought the title alone should be appropriate for this book

Robert Nye, who is a renowned Shakespeare expert, ventures into such a narration. Pickleherring, one of his actors, remembers his aquaintance with W.S. - several years after Shakespeare’s death, 70 years after they first met. Pickleherring sits in his little rented room in a London brothel (yes, the book gets “deliciously obscene” at times, as the San Francisco Chronicle puts it) and remembers W.S.’s and his own life. The narration is absolutely vivid, Nye’s imagination sometimes is running wild, although nothing he writes is utterly improbable. Witty: Nye takes some of the many myths and mysteries about Shakespeare (Who’s the notorious Black Lady? What about the curse on his grave?) and gives different, alternative versions of his story.

Plus - Nye makes Pickleherring a word lover who quite often reflects on words, phrases, word origins a lot. This never becomes a lecture, it always stays within the logic of his protagonist.

Very good reading indeed!

Here’s a little appetizer

Bookblog #1 Robert Nye The late Mr Shakespeare

Please be forgiving about the quality of the reading - I’m not a native speaker…

BTW, the music is from podsafeaudio.com. Mark Heimonen: “Innovation”.