Monday, June 15, 2015

A Walk in the Woods - First Paragraph / First Chapter and Teaser Tuesday

     When I heard that A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail was being made into a motion picture, I knew I had to read the book before seeing the movie. I'm loving this story! Bill Bryson and his friend Stephen Katz tackle the trail, meet interesting characters, encounter wildlife, and experience the beauty of Appalachia. The tale is full of humor, insight, history, and even scientific information (in small doses). 
     While reading, I imagined Robert Redford in the role of Bill Bryson and Nick Nolte as his friend Stephen Katz (even though the characters in the book were only in their forties and Redford and Nolte are much older). I can't wait to see the movie! 
FYI: The book is narrated in first person by Bill Bryson.

First Paragraph:
     Not long after I moved with my family to a small town in New Hampshire I happened upon a path that vanished into a wood on the edge of town.
     A sign announced that this was no ordinary footpath but the celebrated Appalachian Trail. Running more than 2,100 miles along America's eastern seaboard, through the serene and beckoning Appalachian Mountains, the AT is the granddaddy of long hikes. From Georgia to Maine, it wanders across fourteen states, through plump, comely hills whose very names--Blue Ridge, Smokies, Cumberlands, Green Mountains, White Mountains--seem an invitation to amble. Who could say the words "Great Smoky Mountains" or "Shenandoah Valley" and not feel an urge, as the naturalist John Muir once put it, to "throw a loaf of bread and a pound of tea in an old sack and jump over the back fence"?

In my Teaser (from 48% on my Kindle), Katz and Bryson have been awakened by a noise. Bryson looks out his tent flap, clicks on his flashlight, and sees two eyes glowing about twenty feet away. Here's a snippet of their conversation.
"Stephen," I whispered at his tent, "did you pack a knife?"
"No."
"Have you got anything sharp at all?"
He thought a moment. "Nail clippers."

Genre: Travel/Memoir/Humor
Length: 305 Pages
Amazon Link: A Walk in the Woods
Author's Website: Bill Bryson

Synopsis:
     Back in America after twenty years in Britain, Bill Bryson decided to reacquaint himself with his native country by walking the 2,100-mile Appalachian Trail, which stretches from Georgia to Maine. The AT offers an astonishing landscape of silent forests and sparkling lakesand to a writer with the comic genius of Bill Bryson, it also provides endless opportunities to witness the majestic silliness of his fellow human beings.
     For a start there's the gloriously out-of-shape Stephen Katz, a buddy from Iowa along for the walk. Despite Katz's overwhelming desire to find cozy restaurants, he and Bryson eventually settle into their stride, and while on the trail they meet a bizarre assortment of hilarious characters. But A Walk in the Woods is more than just a laugh-out-loud hike. Bryson's acute eye is a wise witness to this beautiful but fragile trail, and as he tells its fascinating history, he makes a moving plea for the conservation of America's last great wilderness. An adventure, a comedy, and a celebration, A Walk in the Woods has become a modern classic of travel literature.



Teaser Tuesday is hosted by Miz B of A Daily Rhythm. Post two sentences from somewhere in a book you're reading. No spoilers, please!
Link at ADailyRhythm.com





First Chapter/First Paragraph/Tuesday Intros is hosted by Bibliophile By The Sea. To participate, share the first paragraph (or a few) from a book you're reading or thinking about reading soon.


31 comments:

  1. Bill Bryson writes in such an appealing way that you can't really go wrong! Here is my Tuesday Post for this week https://cleopatralovesbooks.wordpress.com/2015/06/16/first-chapter-first-paragraph-june-16/

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  2. I think I have this. Must bump it up in the TBR pile.

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  3. Bill Bryson is awesome and this book is no exception. So happy to hear it is hitting the big screen. enjoy the book Sandy

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  4. I am so happy to hear that this is going to be a movie! His voice is so engaging...and it's a great story:)

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  5. One of my favorite books!!!!! Can't wait to see the movie.

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  6. I love the opening, so I'd keep reading! Thanks for including the trailer. The movie looks like a winner, too!

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  7. I'll be adding this one to my ever growing list of books to read. And I will watch for the movie to come out on DVD. We don't go out to the movies any more. Thanks for the intro.

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  8. Excellent choice, Sandy. I've wanted to read this book for the longest time--and didn't know a movie was in the works. I must read this one soon!

    My Tuesday post: http://www.bookclublibrarian.com/2015/06/first-chapter-first-paragraph-110.html

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  9. I have heard such wonderful things about this book. I hadn't heard about the upcoming movie. That might just motivate me to read this one sooner too. I really like the intro. Thank you for sharing.

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  10. Oh, it sounds so good...I love Robert Redford, and you weren't kidding about that...LOL.

    Thanks for sharing...can't wait to see the movie and read the book.

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  11. Sandy, I loved this book, of course, I have a think for the Appalachian Trail, as you know. Glad you're enjoying it too. Hope the movie is as a good as the book. Here's Mine

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  12. This is one of my absolute favorite books of all time! I also love the unabridged audio read by William Roberts--he does a great job and makes it even funnier.

    Here's my teaser, from Alex Bledsoe's LONG BLACK CURL:
    http://www.pagepilgrims.com/tuesday-teaser-june-16/

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  13. I ad no idea this was a movie! I won this in a giveaway and sadly, have not read it yet. The fact that they're making a movie out of it is I wonder if that's a raccoon outside the tent? Hopefully not a bear!

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  14. I've heard about this book over and over again. And now a movie. I think I might need to read it this summer before the movie, which looks funny.

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  15. My family and I greatly enjoyed the film, but we've yet to read the book! Great post Sandra :)

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  16. Would love to see this movie with Robert Redford in it.

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  17. I walked about two miles of the trail once. Would love to do the entire length. Guess I will have to settle for the movie. Two bad knees now.

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  18. For what do they need a knife ;)? Makes me curious. Glad you seem to enjoy this one :)
    Thanks for stopping by my blog.

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  19. Is Robert Redford really that old? Surely not! It's hard for me to believe anyone would walk/camp out on the Appalachian Trail without at least carrying a knife. Perhaps I need to read this one!

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  20. Loved the book! Been trying to get my husband to read it for years. Movie looks great. Maybe this'll finally push him over the edge!

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  21. I used to have this book! But it seems not to have made the cut on one of my moves. I hadn't really heard about the movie - two of my favorites, that's a must see too.

    Thanks for stopping by mine at http://wp.me/pZnGI-nB to comment and leave your link.

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  22. I love Bill Bryson and everything he writes. You might want to check out his latest: One Summer: America 1927.

    Thanks for the film clip. I'd forgotten there was a movie made from that book. I'm going to find it.

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  23. According to the ads I've seen for the movie, it's scheduled for release on Labor Day, 2015. I'll be watching for it!

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  24. So excited for this! I still need to read it as well. Thanks for the suspenseful teaser!

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  25. Sounds like it's a fun book and will be a fun movie.

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  26. I love the teaser! And the book sounds fantastic, I like my information with a dose of humour :D

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  27. This was the first Bill Bryson book I ever read, and it remains a favorite. I laughed out loud all the way through! You've chosen an excellent teaser. :-) I think I will have to re-read before the movie comes out.

    Thanks for visiting my TT this week! http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/2015/06/teaser-tuesdays-june-16-2015.html

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  28. This is the first book I've read by this author. I'll definitely be reading more of his works!

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  29. I've not read Bill Bryson. Based on the comments here, I should probably give this a try.

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  30. Hi - I read this book a few months back. Can't wait to see the movie, too! :)
    @dino0726 from 
    FictionZeal - Impartial, Straighforward Fiction Book Reviews

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  31. Hi - I read this book a few months back. Can't wait to see the movie, too! :)
    @dino0726 from 
    FictionZeal - Impartial, Straighforward Fiction Book Reviews

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