Books

The Believer

David Coggins extends The Optimist by a few hundred pages. 

His writing is still good, and his devotion to fishing increased. 

But still, these are not great fishing devotionals. 

Even if you love fishing and have never surfed, read Barbarian Days instead of these.

The Secret History of Christmas 

Bill Bryson assembles a few hours of impeccably researched information and personal anecdotes about Christmas. 

As always, the writing is pitch perfect and laugh out loud funny. 

It’s only available as an audiobook read by Bryson, which is a minor demerit in itself but also because Bryson is a middling reader. 

I don’t especially like Christmas but I could read Bill Bryson on any subject. Actuarial science? Sign me up. The use of slide rules in the age of calculators? I’m there. But for those of you who get way into Christmas, don’t miss this. 

It especially shines when it’s looking at the different traditions of nations. 

Four stars by Bryson standards.