Book Review: A Short History of Nearly Everything

This is the type of book that would normally tick my boxes. History - tick. Scientific facts - tick. Uncomplicated vocabulary - tick. I like it when mundane topics are made interesting and I would normally plough through books like this; 'The Adventure of English' a prime example.

Despite the general rave reviews for 'A Short History of Nearly Everything', I found it a chore to read. Not to be a smarty-pants but yes, I knew I would be familiar with the facts and explanations for many of the scientific concepts. Plate tectonics, chemical nomenclature, atomic structure, prehistoric creatures, the theory of evolution - yeah, yeah I could immerse myself in stuff like that. I thought this background knowledge would work to my advantage as having them reiterated could only increase my enjoyment.

Alas no. I have to admit defeat. For now, I'm choosing not to complete reading this book for which I have mixed feelings. Sometimes, I do find myself getting into the "reading zone" but other times, I find myself flipping through the pages to see how many more I need to read until the end of the chapter.

There are many reasons why I want to put this book in the recommended pile but I can't bring myself to do it. I don't understand why people LOVE this book and claim they've read it repeatedly. It's not as though I didn't make a fair effort to read this book - I read 237 pages out of a total 574. But if a book can't maintain my interest by page 237, well then sorry, I'm going to have to put it down.

At times I found the humourous anecdotes annoying. While I agree that the Universe is a truly amazing, incredulous place, there was a level of pretense in the author's enthusiasm, creating a false display of childlike awe. It didn't happen too often, but when it did, it grated my nerves. Admittedly I've never read any other Bill Bryson books and it may just be that I am not appreciative of his writing style.

I might pick it up again one day but only when I'm in a reading mood or I have absolutely nothing else to do.

Some people will consider the rating I've given this book sacrilegious. Oh well - tough.

Quality of Content - 2
Readability - 1-2
Would I recommended this book: No
To who: Only for the easily fascinated.