A   few thing have happened since last we spoke.  There was an election.  The weather was warm and the outside was inviting.  But back to the books.  Did you like the TV show Connections that PBS ran?  If you did you will surely enjoy Bill Bryson's latest book, AT HOME A SHORT HISTORY OF PRIVATE LIFE, Doubleday 978-0-7679-1938-8. The Victorian parsonage in in England where Bryson and his family reside is the basis for this delight book of arcane and mundane facts about a house, the origin of specific rooms and their names and why they are there.  He takes the ordinary parts of the house and has delightful historical stories to explain their why and wherefore.  The evolution of houses is as fascinating as any well crafted whodunit.  And other factual tidbits he uses as throw aways are wonderful.  Did you know that Henry Cole probably invented the Christmas card to get people using the new penny post of the time? 
Anyway, the telling us about the house involves a discussion of the English clergy and the fact that at one time it was a well paid sinecure for the lesser ranked sons of fine families.  This provided clergy who were less than interested in the parish  than in tinkering with inventions and writing.  Hence England  produced clergy who wrote Trstram Shandy, the Malthusian theory, as well  botanist Adam Buddle who was the inspiration for the butterfly bush, the buddleia.  Some were composers.    We learn that earlier English houses had few windows because of a glass tax.  It was not until a cheaper way to make glass in England evolved that windows with glass became common.    If we think taxes are bad now, we should take note of the time when there seemed to be a tax on everything that could be taxed to pay off the debts of the king and/or country.  The way rooms came by their names and use turns into a study of architecture which leads us to the fact that early builders were not necessarily builders or architects by training.  If there was such a thing.
House layouts wear awkward  and often haphazard.  Houses evolved as transportation evolved.  Trains allowed people to move from crowded cities to the country. As houses grew people needed help.  As modern appliances evolved the help went away and the homeowner became the help. Progress? From the entrance way to the solar, from the kitchen to the living room, from the pantry to the closet, each room has a history and a fascinating evolution through time.  This is a delightful book to read and I guarantee that you will want to read more about some of the events and places and people mentioned.  It is a witty and an intriguing read.