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Bill Bryson – The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid | Review

Title: The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid

Author: Bill Bryson

Type: Non-Fiction

Page Count: 416

Rating: 4/5

Bryson’s non-fiction is always a lot of fun to read, and this book was no different. What’s interesting, though, is that instead of focussing on travel writing as he usually does, this was instead a memoir about Bryson’s childhood adventures. That was cool in one sense, but in another sense I would have preferred to have had some travel writing from him, purely because that’s what he’s best at.

There’s also the Thunderbolt Kid gimmick, which I wasn’t particularly a fan of because I’m not much into superheroes in general. I get that it was his childhood fantasy and stuff and it did a good job of tying the book together, it’s just that I have different interests I guess. Plus it wasn’t really needed, and it ended up just feeling like a gimmick that Bryson relied on when he wasn’t too sure how to finish a chapter.

But I don’t want to complain too much, and in fact as a general rule, I did still really enjoy this. Bryson’s writing is always a pleasure, and I’m sure he could write about literally any subject and I’d still enjoy it. If anything, that’s kind of the gist of this review. I have less in common with Bryson when he’s writing about his upbringing as a kid in America than I do when he’s writing about the places that he’s visited.

And that’s kind of the problem here. I don’t really have anything else to say about this one and it was just okay, although at least it didn’t have any of the sort of inadvertent snootiness that’s ruined a couple of other Bryson books for me. Overall, it was eminently readable and I’m glad I picked it up, especially because it was for free from a little book exchange outside someone’s house, but it wasn’t quite as good as I was expecting.

If you’re a Bill Bryson fan then you’ll want to pick this one up of course, but at the same time I should warn you that it’s just so-so, and definitely not up to scratch if you compare it to some of his other stuff, and Notes from a Small Island in particular. If this was written by just anyone, it would’ve been fine. But because it’s by Bill Bryson, it’s a let down.

Learn more about The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid.

Agatha Christie – Sleeping Murder | Review

Title: Sleeping Murder

Author: Agatha Christie

Type: Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 304

Rating: 3.5*/5

Agatha Christie – Sleeping Murder

I have kind of mixed feelings about this one because while I’m always going to enjoy an Agatha Christie book, I’ve definitely enjoyed some more than others. In this case, it was only a so-so story, although there were some near-supernatural elements that added a nice bit of flavour to the book, at least at the beginning.

Mostly, though, the story follows the story of a woman who’s convinced that she witnessed a murder and who won’t let the sleeping murder lie. Miss Marple is present throughout the book, but in her usual style she sort of manages it an understated way, subtly dropping hints until the case comes to its eventful conclusion. In fact, she constantly advises them to drop the investigation, but when it becomes clear that they’re going to press on with the investigation no matter what, she realises that she might as well stick her nose in.

Honestly, I didn’t like this as much as some of the other Miss Marple books, and I can’t quite put my finger on why. I think it might be my own fault as a reader, in part because I read the whole book in a day or so. I think if I’d spaced it out then it would have worked better, but I still wasn’t disappointed. An okay Agatha Christie book is better than most other authors at their best.

All in all then, I’d still recommend this book if you’re working your way through Christie’s back catalogue like I am, but it’s not worth going out of your way for if you’re new to her work. Either way, when you get to it you’ll still be able to enjoy a decent murder mystery.