At Home: A Short History of Private Life, by Bill Bryson

Bill Bryson is a writer who asks questions, and then looks for the answers, to the benefit of his readers.  This new book AT Home, is about the ‘stuff’ most of us have in our houses.  Things you never think about most of the time, but then one day you think, hang on, where/why/how did that end up here.  He goes through the house, room by room, and picks out things such as food preservatives, the mousetrap, and any amount of ephemeral stuff.   It’s also about the rooms we have, and how we came to create our uses for them.  With his keen eye, and engaging style,  this will absorb you, and you will learn things about things you didn’t know mattered.  One you can dip into.   Hardback, $55