At Home: A Short History of Private Life

In this book Bryson explores the history and culture of Victorian England (and the U.S.) by talking about each room of his Norfolk home, built in that era. There are many tangents into architecture, the Industrial Revolution, agriculture, and historical figures, all stories told with Bryson's flair for honing in on the most fascinating human details. My only criticism is that, in an effort to tell the most compelling story, he perhaps omits details and in some cases contradicts himself. The fact that it took me 18 months to finish this book is because, if anything, it's too interesting, and I wanted to take my time savouring the details.