Book Review: Neither Here Nor There

Generally, I really like Bill Bryson's books. I remember laughing out loud while reading A Walk in the Woods. That was a travel book. Neither Here Nor There promised to be a travel book about his experience travelling through Europe. I thought I would really enjoy it (enough so that I recommended it to someone when I was just a few pages in). I thought I would get a good chuckle here or there. I didn't.

Perhaps it was that it frequently descended into vulgarity and coarseness. Perhaps it was that I quickly tired of hearing about drinking sprees and lousy food. He seemed to rip on every country he visited for a variety of reasons. Attempts at humor left me feeling like he tried too hard. All of that sounds rather harsh for an author often lauded as an outstanding humorist.

I'm not ready to give up on his books. This just wasn't a hit with me. I wish I could take back the handful of hours it took for me to digest this book. I sincerely wish his humor had been cleaner and more appealing. I was really hoping for a good laugh or two. Instead, it left me shaking my head in dismay.