Hi Everyone,

Today I finished reading A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. It may come as a huge shock to you that I read a book with a bear on the cover, but I did. Two years ago I would have given up after the first chapter. Why on earth would I want to spend my time reading about the history of the WOODS in the United States? Why would I want to read a book, written by a dude who went on a horrifically long hike? Well, dear readers– I wouldn’t. It’s the furthest thing from my jam. But, like most things i’ve done that were off-brand, I did it for a dude.

I have spent the better half of the last year trying to get my boyfriend Ben to read more. It’s not that he’s against it. In fact, he’s definitely read more of the classics than me. That said, he isn’t exactly rushing to read Mindy Kaling’s memoir– much to my dismay. The reason I want Ben to step up his book game is that after 3 years of dating, it’s crucial that we find more topics of conversation. There isn’t trouble in paradise, but there are occasional gaps of silence.

There is nobody on earth I love more than my boyfriend and just want us to be our own book club. Unfortunately, this dream had to be postponed until I read a book of his choice. That book was A Walk in the Woods. Although I have a strong preference for female protagonists created by female writers, I decided to give it a go while he’s away this week.

It feels wrong for someone like me to review a book that is a.) widely popular and b.) not at all written for me. I’m wearing a pink ruffled sweater right now with matching statement earrings. But you clicked on this link, so i’ll do my best. Bill Bryson is obviously a fantastic writer. He does an amazing job describing the characters that he meets while hiking the Appalachian trail. Although Bill and I are very different people, I think in many ways we see the world the same way. I too would write at great lengths at how atrociously tacky the southern towns they run into are. He travels with his friend, Katz, who he had previously (and unsuccessfully) backpacked Europe with. Considering he had originally planned to walk the trail alone, he was so thrilled to have a friend join him that he overlooked the fact that Katz was a horrible travel companion.

By no means was this an easy read for me. On average I read a book every 5 days, but this one took me 10. I really had to push through some of the middle parts where he talks about the various form of wildlife. Look, I can appreciate nature, but my outdoor activity of choice is reading on the beach. I found the parts about the government’s role in preserving wildlife to be interesting. To the shock of nobody, their negligence has caused the death of dozens of species in the last century. If you’re someone who loves the outdoors, you’ll equally love this book. If the most appealing part of this review for you was when I described my outfit, skip it. If you too want to impress a dude, read-on. Even I was mildly inspired to trek the Appalachian afterwards.

Xo,

Mackenzie