Yesterday marks the end of an era… the era of Bill Bryson’s A Short History of Nearly Everything.
Why is it the end of an era? I started reading this book as soon as I got it back in late June of last year. That’s 15 months ago. And it’s taken me that long to finish the book. The thing is, it’s a great book. It really is. I learned a lot and enjoyed every minute of it, thanks to Bryson’s conversational tone and delicate way of covering a potentially boring subject just deeply enough so that it seems fascinating. But I’d never read more than a few pages at a time. In the “reading room,” before bed, or on vacation. It’s been like that good friend that’s followed me around and been there when I needed him. Now, I’m done with him. The memories of breaking tradition and reading several chapters at once while sitting on a porch swing in West Virginia during last year’s anniversary trip while Huyen napped off a painful migraine… just memories. It’s kind of sad, really. No book’s ever stuck with me that long. Sure, it’s taken me a while to work through other books before, but most of them I’ve abandoned like women I picked up hitchhiking only to find out they were serial killer prostitutes. Bryson’s book and I had become buddies.
But, alas, all good things come to an end, and I finished up page 478 last night thinking, “Hm… that ending felt a bit rushed.” Yet, I was satisfied. Ready to finally remove the book from that All Consuming list on the right side of my blog and ready to find another friend that could stay with me that long. One thing’s for sure: it can’t be a library book, so I’ll have to search my shelves or my wish list for a new best friend.
And yes, Dad, now that I’m done, you can borrow the book. Take good care of him.
