I generally do not read much non-fiction, but I make an exception for Bill Bryson. I enjoyed this book so much that when I reached the end, I wanted to go back and start over! I've read other Bill Bryson books (A Walk in the Woods, The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid) and while both are good ((Walk is better), I think In A Sunburned Country is my favorite. It is clear on every page that Bryson finds Australia and its people both fascinating, admirable, and immensely likeable and makes this contagious to the reader. Bryson strives to give readers a coherent overall portrait of a country that is not easy to describe due to sheer size and vast distances and I think he does a great job! I felt like I was a tourist having a guided tour of Australia with a good-natured friend who has an insatiable curiosity about the people and history of each place visited along with a born storyteller's ability to make it interesting and fun. Part travelogue, with a smattering of history, anthropology, geology, botany and biology thrown in, Almost like being there, but without the heat or the beer. I highly recommend it if you enjoy learning something new while you read for pleasure.