Notes from a small island

OK, well this week I have read Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson. It’s a travelogue of a tour of the British mainland, mainly on public transport, which he undertook before moving back to the US with his family. It’s a descriptive, funny and informative book and makes you realise how much of Britain you miss whilst zipping up a motorway at 70mph. It seemed odd that an American should be teaching me so many intriguing facts and statistics about Britain that I didn’t know. You really get a feel for Bryson’s character from reading this book, especially his interaction with the characters he met on route. The book was originally published in 1995 and reading it now already felt like reading about a by-gone age.
He didn't visit Coventry on his tour, or perhaps more surprisingly Birmingham, though I do seem to remember a fleeting mention of Hinckley.