At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson
Non-fiction suggested by Janice
Walking through his own house, a former rectory in England, Bryson explores daily life in the 19th century. How things like electricity, ice, cookbooks, glass windows, and salt and pepper transformed the way people lived. Each room becomes a starting point for a free-ranging discussion of rarely noticed but foundational aspects of social life. So many things that we take for granted, from comfortable furniture to smoke-free air, have gone from unimaginable luxury to humdrum routine.