If not, check out some of these titles: A Short History of Nearly Everything, The Lost Continent: Travels in Small-Town America, A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail, Notes from a Small Island. You might be amused and entertained while learning new things in the most unobtrusive way.

William McGuire "Bill" Bryson has been renowned for his bright and humorous books on travel. Publisher’s Weekly emphasizes that “to read Bryson is to travel with a memoirist gifted with wry observation and keen insight that shed new light on things we mistake for commonplace.” His works, however, have often a broader subject: they sometimes border on science, linguistics, and anthropology. Being frequently autobiographical, or, at least, written through lots of personal involvement, Bryson’s books are inspirational reading.

See if any of your local branches offer some of his works or browse our online catalog, so you could request the titles you like from any branch of NYPL!