Just read Bill Bryson's African Diary. Bryson recently something stupid about Lewis Carroll, and I'm writing a biography about Carroll and thought Bryson had got him all wrong, nyah nyah nyah.
But that's no reason not to read the man's travel books, and galloping through this little volume I remembered again what a good writer he is.
He writes just as if he's talking directly to you. His descriptions of places are never overwritten, but he brings them wittily to life. He puts himself very much in the centre of things, but he is never the pub bore.
He also made me want to contribute to the charity CARE, for whose benefit this book is written. That's because I felt guilty reading the stuff about how enormously my kind purchase of the book was going to help CARE. I only paid 10p for it in a jumble sale, you see.
CARE's website is http://www.care.org.uk They do good work but they are a Christian charity, did Bryson mention this?
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