Rating: 
Summary: Laughed The Length and Breadth of Australia
Review: This is an amzing book. I bought it before the Olympics, stopped when the Games started... and didn't pick it up again (a few thousand other books and activities got in the way.) Look, if you want to get all the details on Australia or any other subject that Bryson has covered, then buy the typical guidebook. If, on the other hand, you want to share the experiences and interests of a brilliant, humorous, and above all else, curious, human being (who can write with the brief clarity of Kurt Vonnegut), then buy this book! As a younger man, before the metal in my back, etc etc, I would have wanted to run or bicycle across countries. Now, walking is fine by me. In fact, reading this kind of book is enough exploration for my life now.
Rating: 
Summary: A bookshop tour
Review: Billy Bryson is a talented writer. He just needs to get out of his car more. I just finished this book, and although the writer's patter could make acupuncture interesting, the lack of effort in this one is staggering. Billy prefers to write about huge walks in safe city suburbs, visiting bookshops and coffee shops, oh and museums. Maybe all those things are impossible in the US.. Maybe it is all those dangerous critters that kept him on the narrow path.. I really don't think he needs to travel to write at this level. It seems he could do this without treading outside of his study. Most of this book is paraphrased from other books ( a large bibliography is tell tale), and the personal content is stuff not worthy of print. In A Sunburnt Country he barely steps out of his car, except for when he doesn't have a car and is walking the streets. I do not recommend this to anyone. It is a lazy effort.
Rating: 
Summary: Fun
Review: This was yet another fun outing with Mr. Bryson, although I must say, not quite as much fun as A Walk in the Woods. Definitely enjoyable (and interesting), though, especially if you're a Bryson fan like me.
Rating:
Summary: An entertaining read but not for travellers
Review: Since I was planning to backpack around Australia I thought I'd read this book to discover some interesting spots that weren't in the guidebooks. Unfortunately this book did not fill those needs. Mr Bryson appears to enjoy reading about countries more than actually travelling around them. There are many wonderful anecdotes from various literary sources (although some are far from original, despite claims to the contrary) but very little in the way of interesting experiences. For example, he spends six months in Australia and then whoops with joy upon encountering his first bit of wild life in Perth; sorry but you can't miss the kangaroos, dingos and wallabies here - he must have had his eyes shut. Much of the book is dedicated to the country's cities (which aren't particularly unique) with only the final third actually about the more interesting countryside and outback. This book is well written and entertaining (apart from endless comments about how people 50 years ago were so happy compared to now, and frankly stupid statements such as "It's delightful to find a city [Perth] here in the first place") and if you're interested in the history of Australia then it has some great tales that you're unlikely to have heard of before. If though, like me, you'd hoped to hear about some of the more outlandish places and characters from Down Under then you'll be sorely disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Pack the bags and head for Australia...
Review: That's how you'll feel once you read this book. Despite the fact thatAustralia is one of the most dangerous continents on earth (if not the most dangerous), you will still feel the pull to visit and, possibly, become a resident. The book recounts Bryson's assignment to essentially circumnavigate and criss-cross Australia, reporting on its people, its sights, and its culture. At each city or site he visits, he humorously recounts why its well known, who died there and why (for some odd reason, people keep setting out to cross the Outback and are never heard from or seen again), and what he found interesting about it. Bryson points out the many dangers of Australia. Among them, of the ten deadliest snakes in the world, all ten happen to reside in Australia. For whatever reason, Bryson's writing style grabs you and pulls you. Almost like a thriller where you can't wait to get to the end, you'll fight falling asleep as you read late into the night while trying to find out what oddity he is going to encounter next in his travels. Highly entertaining, informative, and recommended.
Rating:
Summary: my fave Bryson book so far
Review: This is the fourth book I've read by Bryson and it's my favorite so far. The titular country is Australia and Bryson clearly loves the country even though he repeatedly reminds you that it can be very dangerous. Of the ten most dangerous snakes in the world, all ten are Australian. And then there's the lethal Red Back spider, the deadly blue-ringed octopus, and box jellyfish, perhaps the most feared animal of all. One expert had his wrist accidentally brush up a small bit of tentacle and described it has being akin to having a lit cigarette held to your skin for at least 30 seconds. Bill Bryson is often amusing and I found myself chuckling aloud in several places. And the book, like the country, is fascinating. As Bryson says, it's an interesting place. The Outback is one of the largest, hottest, deadliest places to find yourself but had countless explorers taking trips into it. Temperatures within can reach 140 degrees Fahrenheit. You can get literally cooked in there. I usually gravitate towards fiction but this is one of the more gripping non-fiction books I've come across. Whether he's relating a curious anecdote, or kvetching about the tedious aspects of travel, Bryson is always entertaining.
Rating: 
Summary: Heigh ho, heigh ho, it's in a car I go.....
Review: Mr. Bryson, despite his having spent 2 decades in England, strikes me as the consumate American traveler. His approach is comfortable to the 'typical' American sensibility. As unoffensive as it is somewhat pedantic. But that seems, mean, and I don't mean to be - mean, I mean. He worried me when he stated the name of that giant rock in the middle of the country as "Ayers" just after he explained that it's now called "Uluru" - but then I *got* it when during his visit there he went back and forth between the names equally. Maybe that's the problem I have with this book - too diplomatic. But he loves the place and it's apparent-ness, and that's cool. I think I wanted him to solve the Aoboriginal mess while he was there. Is that unreasonable? See also "The Happy Isles of Oceana" by Paul Thoreux. It's a bit more scathing. Ok, I'm mean.
Rating:
Summary: Good one, mate!
Review: I've been reading a lot of Bill Bryson, and let me tell you, plain and simple: this is his best.
Rating:
Summary: Tongue in cheek, shoes on feet
Review: The only reason I gave this 4 stars in because he didn't bring his hilarious cohort, Katz, so eloquently introduced to us in _A Walk in the Woods_. But, even alone, Bill carries on without compromise to bring forth hilarious encounters, touching significance and the palpable joy of newly explored travel destined to loosen the grip of the most tenacious buttocks from the oldest lounge chairs, chaises and couches. It is a valuable book to those traveling to the regions Bill visited. He capably reviews and explores the more outstanding places of interest. Having this book accompany you on your journey would be a lighthearted and helpful guide. As Bill travels from city to town and outback, he effortlessly captures the essence of the individuality of towns and regions. It is a loosely gathered tangle of stories which is derived from the unusual experiences of the solo traveler. It is certainly the openness of Mr. Bryson that lends to intelligent, humorous and whimsical interpretations of his experiences in Australia that enhances a traveler's exploration down-under.
Rating:
Summary: learn and laugh...and laugh...and laugh...and laugh...
Review: Bryson is my favorite travel writer, and this is my favorite of his books. It is hilarious, gives quantities of interesting information about Australia, and is much cleaner than his early books (the profanity and sexual jokes are kept to a minimum, though they're not completely absent). Bryson's wit is as razor sharp as ever, identifying countless charming (and not so charming) idiosyncrasies in the Australian national personality and displaying them for our inspection. His research for this book was copious. He culls from it the most interesting details of Australian history and culture for his text. You will both learn and laugh. The description of his sleeping through a personal tour because of jet jag made me laugh until I cried. My dad read the book aloud, and we nearly laughed ourselves sick. This is a keeper.
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