Bleed Cubbie Blue

"Notes from a Small Island" by Bill Bryson, was recently voted "the book that best sums up England's identity and the state of the nation in the 21st century."

I heartily recommend all of Bryson's books; he's written many other travelogues, including books about traveling in the USA ("A Walk in the Woods"), Australia ("In a Sunburned Country"), and a recently-released book about his travels to Kenya last summer ("Bill Bryson's African Diary").