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{|class-"wikitable" cellpadding="15" <!-- INSERT NEW REVIEWS BELOW HERE-->{{Frontpage<!-- Lloyd -->|isbn=1780724047|-title=A Dictionary of Interesting and Important Dogs| styleauthor="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|Peter J Conradi[[image:Lloyd_1423.jpg|left|linkrating=https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0571339107?ie=UTF8&tag=thebookbag-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=0571339107]] 4| stylegenre="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"Pets|summary===[[1I struggle to resist a book about dogs,423 QI Facts to Bowl You Over by John Lloyd, James Harkin and Anne Miller]]=== [[imagebut I did wonder why this one was so ''thin'':5stargiven that I've never encountered a dog who wasn't interesting or important - and probably both, I was expecting a massive tome.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Trivia|Trivia]] You may think me lazy, but there But ''A Dictionary of Interesting and Important Dogs'' is an inherent satisfaction for book reviewers in hitting upon a book such as this – you know you will have very little bearing on its sales, actually ''a rich compendium of the world's most significant and beloved dogs'' and whatit's more you hardly even need describe it – just dip in here and there for a few quotescertainly a rich treasure trove. We begin with Peter J Conradi's four collies: Cloudy, Sky. Bradley and sit back and relax knowing your job is doneMax. They're consecutive rather than simultaneous dogs, but what comes over is Conradi'Only 1% s love for each and every one of people who buy marmalade are under the age of 28them. Treadmills were once the harshest form of punishment after the death penaltyI knew that I was in safe hands.}}{{Frontpage|author=Don Behrend|title=Copernicus! What Have You Done?: . Naked mole-rats can survive for 18 minutes without oxygen by turning themselves into plants.'' And the whole of page 52. There, job done – and the creators of Other Interesting Questions|rating=4.5|genre=Trivia|summary= Hello! Would this book certainly have done their job to perfectionreview be okay if I simply said ''I LOVED THIS GLORIOUS LITTLE BOOK AND SO WILL YOU. FIN''?! Because I did. [[1,423 QI And you will. |isbn=1789016770}}{{Frontpage|isbn=Lloyd_1423|title=1,423 QI Facts to Bowl You Over by |author=John Lloyd, James Harkin and Anne Miller|Full Review]]rating=5 <!-- Snow-->|-| style|genre="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|Trivia[[image:Brightside_101.jpg|left|linksummary=https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1780723296?ie=UTF8&tag=thebookbag-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=1780723296]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[101 Things to Take the Stress Out of Christmas by Robin Snow]]=== [[image:4star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Trivia|Trivia]] For many years one You may think me lazy, but there is an inherent satisfaction for book reviewers in hitting upon a book such as this – you know you will have very little bearing on its sales, and what's more you hardly even need describe it – just dip in here and there for a few quotes, and sit back and relax knowing your job is done. ''Only 1% of my guiding principles has been that people who buy marmalade are under the C word should not be mentioned until the beginning age of December but unfortunately C seems to be coming earlier each year and there are even shops where it never ceases to be imminent, which ramps up 28. Treadmills were once the stress levels considerably. So, a book which promises 101 things to take harshest form of punishment after the stress out of C seemed liked a good ideadeath penalty. What’s it about? Tips like putting Naked mole-rats can survive for 18 minutes without oxygen by turning themselves into plants.'' And the sprouts on to boil in November or joining a religion which avoids whole of page 52. There, job done – and the celebration altogether? Well, not quitecreators of this book certainly have done their job to perfection. [[101 Things to Take the Stress Out of Christmas by Robin Snow|Full Review]]}}{{Frontpage<!-- Brightside -->|isbn=Brightside_101|-title=101 Things to Take the Stress Out of Christmas| styleauthor="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"Robin Snow|rating=4[[image:Brightside_Worry.jpg|left|linkgenre=https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1780723180?ie=UTF8&tag=thebookbag-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=1780723180]] Trivia| stylesummary="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[101 Things to do instead For many years one of worrying about my guiding principles has been that the world by Felicity Brightside]]=== [[image:4star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Trivia|Trivia]]I don't think that I've ever been quite so worried about C word should not be mentioned until the beginning of December but, unfortunately, C seems to be coming earlier each year and there are even shops where it never ceases to be imminent, which ramps up the stress levels considerably. So, a book which promises 101 things to take the state stress out of the world as I have been of late - and I speak as someone who lived through the Cuban Missile Crisis and various other apocalyptic momentsC seemed like a good idea. It almost certainly comes down What’s it about? Tips like putting the sprouts on to boil in November or joining a lack of confidence in religion which avoids the people who are supposedly in chargecelebration altogether? Well, whether it be from a political point of view or of our stewardship of this planet we call homenot quite. But what can be done }}{{Frontpage|isbn=Brightside_Worry|title=101 Things to do instead of worrying about it? We've tried voting, arguing and demonstrating. Now we're down to pulling up the drawbridge and doing our best to think about something else. [[101 Things to do instead of worrying about the world by Felicity Brightsideworld|author=Felicity Brightside|Full Review]]rating=4|genre=Trivia<!-- Lloyd -->|-| style|summary="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:Lloyd 1342.jpg|left|link=https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0571332463?ie=UTF8&tag=thebookbagI don't think that I've ever been quite so worried about the state of the world as I have been of late -21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=0571332463]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[1and I speak as someone who lived through the Cuban Missile Crisis and various other apocalyptic moments. It almost certainly comes down to a lack of confidence in the people who are supposedly in charge,342 QI Facts To Leave You Flabbergasted by John Lloydwhether it be from a political point of view or of our stewardship of this planet we call home. But what can be done about it? We've tried voting, John Mitchinson, James Harkin arguing and Anne Miller]]===demonstrating. Now we're down to pulling up the drawbridge and doing our best to think about something else.}}{{Frontpage[[image:5star.jpg|linkisbn=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:TriviaLloyd 1342|Trivia]]title=1,342 QI Facts To Leave You FlabbergastedI love the |author=John Lloyd, John Mitchinson, James Harkin and Anne Miller|rating=5|genre=Trivia|summary=I love the way the QI elves play games with us with [[:Category:John Lloyd, John Mitchinson and James Harkin|these books]]. That's not to say it's a game of pulling the wool over our eyes, for every entrant in this series has had the equivalent online version for the sources, so every page is replicated with the due links you need to search for proof of their statements. No, the game is Six Degrees of Separation. And they're so good at it, they can do most things in three. So in just three standalone, but thematically linked, phrases, you can get from how to make the sound of an Orc army for ''Lord of the Rings'' films to record-breaking nipple hair. From illicit wartime barbers in Italy to American founding father bedroom arrangements, is only three steps – and the path carries on to reach that erstwhile novice stand-up, Ronald Reagan, in two more. It's only two jumps between Donald Trump and Charles Darwin, disconcertingly. [[1,342 }}{{Frontpage|isbn=Lloyd_1411|title=1,411 QI Facts To Leave Knock You Flabbergasted by Sideways|author=John Lloyd, John Mitchinson, and James Harkin and Anne Miller|Full Review]]rating=4.5 <!-- LLOYD -->|-| style|genre="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|Trivia[[image:Lloyd_1411.jpg|linksummary=http://wwwHandsome is as handsome does.amazon.co.uk/dp/0571329845/ref=nosimAnd you know what else benefits from being curt and succinct, alongside old housewives' saws like that one?tag=thebookbag-21]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[1,411 Trivia. I always thought the QI Facts To Knock You Sideways by John Lloydbooks such as this one to be handsome things – perfectly presenting trivia, John Mitchinson and James Harkin]]=== [[image:4four (on rare occasion, three) statements to the page, in a very nice little cubical hardback.5starNow they're being represented in paperback, but you know what? They're still handsome things.jpg}}{{Frontpage|linkisbn=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:TriviaLloyd_1339|Trivia]]title=1,339 QI Facts To Make Your Jaw Drop|author=John Lloyd, John Mitchinson and James HarkinHandsome |rating=4.5|genre=Trivia|summary=A spermologer ''is as handsome doesa collector of trivia''. And Just that sentence tells you know what else benefits from being a lot – we're once more in the realm of the curt and , succinct, alongside old housewivesapproach to the world' saws like that one? Trivias information and oddities. I always thought It says more, however – beyond the weirdness of the word is the obvious necessity for the QI books such as this one word to be handsome things exist – perfectly presenting without people that could be called collectors of trivia, four (on rare occasion, three) statements to you would not need the pageterm. And rest assured, in a very nice little cubical hardbackthere are currently few people that stand as better spermologers than the chief QI elves. Now they're being represented in paperback, but you know what? They're still handsome things}}{{Frontpage|isbn=Metcalf_Skedaddle|title=From Skedaddle to Selfie: Words of the Generation|author=Allan Metcalf|rating=3. [[1,411 QI Facts To Knock You Sideways by John Lloyd, John Mitchinson and James Harkin|Full Review]] <!-- Lloyd -->5|-genre=Trivia| stylesummary="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:Lloyd_1339I have to go a roundabout way to introduce this book, so bear with me.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co It stems partly from dictionaries and the etymology of the language we use, but more so if anything from a different couple of books, and their ideas of generations.uk/dp/0571308953/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[1 The authors of those posited the idea that all those archetypical generations – the Baby Boomers,339 QI Facts To Make Your Jaw Drop by John Lloydthe Millennials, and those before, John Mitchinson in between and James Harkin]]=== [[image:4since – have their own cyclical pattern, and the history of humanity has been and will be formed by the interplay of just four different kinds, running (with only one exception) in regular order.5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Trivia|Trivia]] A spermologer I don't really hold much store by that, and I certainly didn'is a collector of trivia''. Just that sentence tells you a lot – t know we're once more in d started one since the realm of Millennials – who the curtheck decides such things, succinct approach to the worldfor one? ''Somebody must have put out an order''s information and oddities. It says more, however – beyond the weirdness as someone here says of something else. But in the word is the obvious necessity for the word to exist same way as generations get defined by collective persons unknown, so do words – without people that could be called collectors and those words are certainly a clue to what was important, predominant and of trivia you would not need the term. And rest assured, there are currently few people that stand as better spermologers than the chief QI elvescourse spoken in each decade. [[1,339 QI Facts To Make Your Jaw Drop by John Lloyd, John Mitchinson and James Harkin}}{{Frontpage|Full Review]] <!-- Metcalf -->|-isbn=Halliday_Cathedrals| styletitle="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"Cathedrals and Abbeys (Amazing and Extraordinary Facts)|author=Stephen Halliday[[image:Metcalf_Skedaddle.jpg|linkrating=http://www4.amazon.co.uk/dp/019992712X/ref5|genre=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]] Trivia| stylesummary="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[From Skedaddle to Selfie: Words What makes a cathedral? It's not automatically the principal church of the Generation by Allan Metcalf]]=== [[image:3.5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Trivia|Trivia]] I have to go anywhere that is made a city – St Davids is a village of 2,000 people and wasn't always a roundabout way to introducing this bookcity, so bear with mebut always had a cathedral, as did Chelmsford. It stems partly from dictionaries and 's not the etymology seat of a bishop – Glasgow has the language we use, building but more so if anything from not the person, and hasn't had a bishop since 1690. It's not a minster – that's something completely different couple of books, and their ideas of generations. The authors of those posited if you can understand the idea that all those archetypical generations – sign in the Baby Boomers, delightful Beverley Minster describing the Millennialsdifference, and those beforethat I saw only the other month, in between and since – have their own cyclical patternyou're a better man I, Gunga Din. Luckily this book doesn't touch on minsters much, and we can understand abbeys, so it's only the history of humanity has been and will be formed by the interplay vast majority of just four different kinds, running (this book that is saddled with only one exception) in regular orderthe definition problem. I donIt't really hold much store by thats clearly not a real problem, and I certainly didn't know we'd started one since the Millennials – who the heck decides such thingsthose it does have are by-passable, for one? ''Somebody must have put out an order''this successfully defines a cathedral as somewhere of major importance, as someone here says fine trivia and greatly worthy of something elseour attention. But in the same way as generations get defined by collective persons unknown, so do words – and those words are certainly a clue to what was important}}{{Frontpage|isbn=Bramley_Shakespeare|title=The Shakespeare Trail|author=Zoe Bramley|rating=4|genre=Trivia|summary=It has been 400 years since William Shakespeare, predominant and of course spoken the man heralded as the greatest writer in each decadethe English language, and England's national poet, died. [[From Skedaddle to Selfie: Words of the Generation by Allan Metcalf|Full Review]] <!-- Halliday -->|-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:Halliday_CathedralsShakespeare has made a profound mark on our culture and heritage, yet many aspects of his life remain in the shadows, and many places throughout England have forgotten their association with him.jpg|link=http://www.amazonHere, Zoe Bramley takes the reader on a journey through hundreds of places associated with Shakespeare – many whose connections will come as a surprise to most. Filled with intriguing tidbits of information about Shakespeare, Elizabethan England, and the places that she talks about, this is no mere travel guide.co.uk/dp/1910821047/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]}}{{Frontpage| styleisbn="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"Halliday_London|title===[[Cathedrals and Abbeys (London (Amazing and Extraordinary Facts) by |author=Stephen Halliday]]=|rating=4.5|genre=Trivia [[image:4.5star.jpg|linksummary=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:History|History]], [[:Category:Trivia|Trivia]] What What makes a cathedralcity? It's not automatically Is it the materials, such as the principal church very London Stone itself, of anywhere mythological repute, that is made has moved around several times, and now forms part of a city – St Davids is a village WH Smith's branch? (This has nothing, of 2course,000 peopleon Temple Bar, and wasn't always a city, but always had a cathedral, as did Chelmsfordwhich has also been known to walk. It's not ) Is it the seat of a bishop people – Glasgow has the building but not butchers [[Jack the personRipper: CSI: Whitechapel by John Bennett and Paul Begg|(Jack the Ripper)]], the bakers (or whoever set fire to the entire city from Pudding Lane) and hasn't had the candlestick makers? Is it the infrastructure, from the Underground, whose one-time boss got a bishop since 1690. It's not a minster – medal from Stalin for his success, to the London Bridge itself, thatin its own wanderlust means it's something completely different, and if you can understand highly unlikely the sign in the delightful Beverley Minster describing the difference, that I saw only the other month, Thames will freeze again? However you're define a better man Icity, Gunga Din. Luckily this book doesn't touch on minsters muchLondon certainly has a lot going for it as regards weird and wonderful, and we can understand abbeysthe trivial yet fascinating. And, luckily for us, so it's only the vast majority of this has this book that is saddled with the definition problem. It's clearly not a real problem, and those it does have are by-passable, for this successfully defines a cathedral as somewhere of major importance, fine trivia }}{{Frontpage|isbn=Holland_Railways|title=Railways (Amazing and greatly worthy of our attention. [[Cathedrals and Abbeys (Amazing and Extraordinary Facts) by Stephen Halliday|Full Review]] <!-- Bramley -->Extraordinary Facts)|-author=Julian Holland| stylerating="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|3[[image:Bramley_Shakespeare.jpg|linkgenre=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1445646846/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]] Trivia| stylesummary="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[The Shakespeare Trail by Zoe Bramley]]=== [[image:4starHow and when did Laurel and Hardy replace the Duke of York (George VI)? They reopened the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway when peacetime resumed, at whose launch the latter had officiated before the War.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Trivia|Trivia]] It has been 400 years since William ShakespeareWhat's the worst that can happen when you travel internationally and arrive on a London goods train with no further destination documents? Well, the man heralded if you're an unidentifiable Peruvian mummy you can get buried as an unknown corpse before the greatest writer invoice turns up to prove you were wanted in the English languageBelgium. After so many miles and so much drama, it's no surprise odd facts and Englandfun trivia derive from our country's national poet, diedtrains. Shakespeare has made a profound mark on our culture This book is designed to be an ideal source of quick articles and heritage, yet many aspects of his life remain fun mini-essays for use in the shadows, and many places throughout England have forgotten their association with himsmallest room. Here, Zoe Bramley takes the reader on a journey through hundreds }}{{Frontpage|isbn=Donald_Words|title=Words of places associated with Shakespeare – many whose connections will come as a surprise to most. Filled with intriguing titbits of information about Shakespeare, Elizabethan England, and the places that she talks about, this is no mere travel guide. <!-- Halliday -->|-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:Halliday_London.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1910821020/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[London (Amazing and Extraordinary Facts) by Stephen Halliday]]=== [[image:4.5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Trivia|Trivia]] What makes a city? Is it the materials, such as the very London Stone itself, of mythological repute, that has moved around several times, and now forms part of a WH Smith's branch? (This has nothing, of course, on Temple Bar, which has also been known to walk.) Is it the people – the butchers [[Jack the Ripper: CSI: Whitechapel by John Bennett and Paul Begg|(Jack the Ripper)]], the bakers (or whoever set fire to the entire city from Pudding Lane) and the candlestick makers? Is it the infrastructure, from the Underground, whose one-time boss got a medal from Stalin for his success, to the London Bridge itself, that in its own wanderlust means it's highly unlikely the Thames will freeze again? However you define a city, London certainly has a lot going for it as regards weird and wonderful, and the trivial yet fascinating. And, luckily for us, so has this book. [[London (Amazing and Extraordinary Facts) by Stephen Halliday|Full Review]] <!-- Holland -->|-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:Holland_Railways.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1910821004/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[Railways (Amazing and Extraordinary Facts) by Julian Holland]]=== [[image:3star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Trivia|Trivia]] How and when did Laurel and Hardy replace the Duke of York (George VI)? They reopened the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway when peacetime resumed, at whose launch the latter had officiated before the War. What's the worst that can happen when you travel internationally and arrive on a London goods train with no further destination documents? Well, if you're an unidentifiable Peruvian mummy you can get buried as an unknown corpse before the invoice turns up to prove you were wanted in Belgium. After so many miles and so much drama, it's no surprise odd facts and fun trivia derive from our country's trains. This book is designed to be an ideal source of quick articles and fun mini-essays for use in the smallest room. [[Railways (Amazing and Extraordinary Facts) by Julian Holland|Full Review]] <!-- Halliday -->|-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:Halliday_London.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1910821039/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[London Underground (Amazing and Extraordinary Facts) by Stephen Halliday]]=== [[image:4star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Trivia|Trivia]] From initial worries about smutty, enclosed air with a pungent smell to decades of human hair and engine grease causing escalator fires; from just a few lines connecting London termini to major jaunts out into Metro-land for the suburbia-bound commuters; and from a few religious-minded if financially dodgy pioneer investment managers to Crossrail; the history of the world's most extensive underground system (even when a majority is actually above ground) is fascinating to many. This book is a repository of much that is entirely trivial, but is also pretty much thoroughly interesting. [[London Underground (Amazing and Extraordinary Facts) by Stephen Halliday|Full Review]]  <!-- DO NOT REMOVE ANYTHING BELOW THIS LINE -->|}  {{newreviewFeather

|genre=ReferenceTrivia|summary= Words of a Feather. The title alone suggests an engaging read about language, and the book certainly delivers. It pairs seemingly unrelated words, digs up their etymological roots and reveals their common ancestry. The English language, of course, provides rich pickings indeed for a book of this type and it is fascinating to see the hidden meaning behind common and not-so-common words. Some connections are fairly obvious once you read them. For example, the link between ''grotto'' and ''grotesque'' is easy to grasp: the word ''grotesque'' derives from unpleasant figures depicted in murals in Ancient Roman ''grottoes''. Other connections are just extraordinary, like the so-crazy-you-couldn't-make-it-up connection link between ''furnace'' and ''fornicate''. These two words date back to Ancient Rome when prostitutes took over the city's abandoned baking domes. And some connections are more than a little tenuous, seemingly just a collection of words banded together, as is the case with the ''insult'' and ''salmon'' pairing. One of my personal favourites: the Italian word ''schiavo'' for ''slave'' was used to summon or dismiss a slave; this word became corrupted to ''ciao'', a word the more well-heeled among us use instead of ''goodbye''.|amazonuk=<amazonuk>178418814X</amazonuk>

{{newreviewFrontpage|isbn=Binney_English|title=The English Countryside (Amazing and Extraordinary Facts)

|genre=Animals and WildlifeTrivia

{{newreviewFrontpage|isbn=Lloyd_1234|title=1,234 QI Facts to Leave You Speechless

|summary=''No US President has ever died in May.'' ''There are fewer women on corporate boards in America than there are men named John.'' ''Dogs investigate bad smells with their right nostril and good smells with their left.'' ''Apollo 11's fuel consumption was seven inches to the gallon.'' ''The first occupational disease ever recorded in medical literature was 'chimney sweep's scrotum'.'' ''The song 'Yes, We Have No Bananas' was written by Leon Trotsky's nephew.'' ''In the 18th Century, King George I declared all pigeon droppings to be the property of the Crown''. I hardly think I need to say any more. Review over.|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0571326684</amazonuk>

{{newreviewFrontpage|authorisbn= Fred BenensonBerenson_How|title= How to Speak Emoji|author=Fred Benenson|rating= 4|genre= Trivia|summary= Emojis are fun, and there's so much more to them than the smileys of days gone by ? ;) They can be a language unto themselves, though, and I've found that some members of the, ahem, older generation can find themselves a little troubled by them. This book, then, sounds perfect for anyone who needs a little help with this 'language'.|amazonuk=<amazonuk>178503202X</amazonuk>

{{newreviewFrontpage|isbn=Lloyd_3rd|title=QI: The Third Book of General Ignorance

|summary=Well done, Hartlepool. You didn't put on trial and kill a shipwrecked monkey thinking it a Napoleonic spy – any more than the several other places thusly accused ever did. Well done, Italy, for making the ciabatta such a global phenomenon it seems like a traditional foodstuff, even if it was invented in 1982. And well done to that famous ice hockey player, Charles Darwin – who was probably playing it, seeing as it was a British invention, long before the Canadians ever realised they might be good at it. Yes, for a book that spends a lot of its time saying 'this didn’t happen,' 'hoojamaflip didn't do this,' and 'that was never thus', it's one that's incredibly easy to be most positive about.|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0571308988</amazonuk>

{{newreviewFrontpage|isbn=Taggart_New|title=New Words for Old: Recycling Our Language for the Modern World

|summary=I never declare myself off to have a 'kip', as I recall reading that it originally meant the same amount of sleeping – and activity – as happens in a whorehouse. The word 'cleave' can mean either to split apart, or to connect together, and I'm sure there's another word that has completely changed its meaning from one end of things to another although I can't remember which. Certainly, ''literally'' has tried its best to make a full switch through rampant misuse. Such is the nature of our language – fluid both in spelling until moderately recently, and definitely in meaning. This attempt at capturing a corner of the trivia/words/novelty market is interested in such tales from the etymological world – the way we have adapted old words for our own, modern and perhaps very different usages. Certainly, having browsed it over a week, I can declare it a pretty strong attempt.|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1782434720</amazonuk>}}{{newreview|author=Steve Tribe|title=The All New University Challenge Quiz Book: Questions, Answers, Facts, Figures and everything in between|rating=3.5|genre=Entertainment|summary=[Cue theme music. Lights up on presenter, who waffles on about establishments providing contestants – De Montfort University, local pub, family unit. Contestants don't, for once, introduce themselves as it's probably a given that they know each other. Contestants imbibe nervous sips of 'water', and settle back.] ''You all know the rules, so let's not waste time – here's your first starter for ten.''  Yes, this book throws no punches and attempts to put you in the spotlight of one of the nation's most superlative televisual institutions – but does it manage it?|amazonuk=<amazonuk>184949701X</amazonuk>}}{{newreview|author=Gabrielle Balkan and Sol Linero|title=The 50 States: Explore the U.S.A. with 50 fact-filled maps!|rating=2.5|genre=Children's Non-Fiction|summary= I've often shouted at people on UK quiz programmes for their ignorance of geography about their nation. People just don't seem to have learnt about or been to other areas of the place they call home. But while they get little sympathy from me when they lose the programme's cash prize, I can imagine that it would be much harder for them if they actually lived in a large country, such as the USA. 50 whole states of different size, all with a rich history of their own, their own famous places and their own noted people – the facts involved in absorbing all that's relevant would take a lot of research – or, paradoxically, this handy child-friendly book.|amazonuk=<amazonuk>1847807119</amazonuk>