A superbly written stroll through what in most anyone else's hands would be dry, boring science, in Bill Bryson's embrace becomes a funny, interesting, delightful experience that just happens leave you understanding a lot more about space, the universe, the earth, rocks, atoms, people, and, well, nearly everything. It's a thoroughly enjoyable read. 30 seconds after finishing it, I turned back to page one and started again.

I'm not sure which is better, the content or how well this book is written. The science is a bit too heavy a times, at least for me, but the book is otherwise so interesting that those few pages are worth it.

It's hard to believe that a subject that sounds as boring as this (the corporate takeover of RJR Nabisco) can make such a compelling, interesting read. Riveting.

It's hard to believe that a subject that sounds as boring as this (Wall Street's junk bond scandal of the 1980s) can make such a compelling, interesting read. Riveting.

It's hard to believe that a subject that sounds as boring as this (regular expressions) can make such a compelling, interesting read. Riveting. :-)

I found this book to be an absolute Godsend. Most of it just “clicked” with me (that is, I instinctively agreed with much of what he presented), and it made a lot of things about handling a toddler much more clear. If nothing else, it reminds you that your toddler is normal when he's doing all the things that drive you crazy -- it's you who can influence whether those “things that drive you crazy” actually do drive you crazy (and lead the kid into being a brat), or are faced with a calm that can only come from really understanding the situation. A must-have for anyone with a kid between 18 months and, say, three years. I would not recommend reading before 18 months, though, as none of the book applies before about then, and you've got enough on your plate w/o having to read stuff that is, at the moment, irrelevant.