In this follow up to Notes From A Small Island, Bryson sets out on another tour of England 20 years after the first book. He deliberately doesn't try to retrace the locations of the earlier book, but instead traces an approximate and fairly arbitrary line across the UK, from one coast to the opposite. His narrative is a mix of humour, historical information, and reminiscence.

It's been a while since I read the first book, and now with a mobile phone and internet access in my pocket I can google for pictures of all the places he mentions and see exactly what he's describing in each of the charming towns he describes, which is great. I remember the first book being funnier than this one though; this seems to lean a bit more towards "in my day" grumbling and political comments, which are valid but not so entertaining to read. Still an enjoyable book and will make you want to go and visit England and tour around in the same way. As a US citizen who has chosen to move to England and acquire citizenship, he ends the book with a list of his top 5 reasons why he moved to the UK, and (having lived in England for several years myself) I agree with them heartily.