Today's find from the book-swap shelf at Main Library Metso, Tampere. TBR on a hot summer day.

I haven't been much of a Bryson fan and nothing so far has convinced me otherwise, but I know many bookcrossers who are. So if not for anything else, I'm reserving this for bc purposes :-)

I used to have a great penpal in NSW, Australia. She and I exchanged letters throughout out teenage years, and ever since I've had a budding interest for Down Under. And of course, there's Australian English... I can't watch Australian TV shows without some of the accent sticking for weeks :-) Still I've never visited, though! I guess it's the images of the outback and all the dangerous species of animals that keep putting me off...

Yes, again I wasn't tremendously impressed, but felt like this was readable all right. Like in much of Bryson, the subject matter came off as more repulsive than alluring... things 'uniquely Australian' were all dated, faded, too hot or bizarrely uncomfortable, too complicated or far too dangerous. I was convinced of my prejudices throughout, and I certainly wouldn't book a trip to Australia based on this book :-/