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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|rating=4[[image:Lloyd_1423.jpg|left|link|genre=https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0571339107?ie=UTF8&tag=thebookbag-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=0571339107]] Pets| stylesummary="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[1I struggle to resist a book about dogs, but I did wonder why this one was so ''thin'': given that I've never encountered a dog who wasn't interesting or important - and probably both,423 QI Facts to Bowl You Over by John Lloyd, James Harkin I was expecting a massive tome. But ''A Dictionary of Interesting and Anne Miller]]=== [[image:5starImportant Dogs'' is actually ''a rich compendium of the world's most significant and beloved dogs'' and it's certainly a rich treasure trove.jpg|link=Category We begin with Peter J Conradi's four collies:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Trivia|Trivia]] You may think me lazyCloudy, Sky. Bradley and Max. They're consecutive rather than simultaneous dogs, but there what comes over is an inherent satisfaction Conradi's love for book reviewers each and every one of them. I knew that I was in hitting upon a book such as this – you know you will have very little bearing on its sales, safe hands.}}{{Frontpage|author=Don Behrend|title=Copernicus! What Have You Done?: ...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 doneOther Interesting Questions|rating=4.5|genre=Trivia|summary= Hello! Would this review be okay if I simply said ''I LOVED THIS GLORIOUS LITTLE BOOK AND SO WILL YOU. FIN''Only 1% of people who buy marmalade are under the age of 28?! Because I did. Treadmills were once the harshest form of punishment after the death penaltyAnd you will. 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 this book certainly have done their job to perfection. [[1,423 QI |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]] <!-- Snow-->|-rating=5| stylegenre="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 people who buy marmalade are under the age of my guiding principles has been that 28. Treadmills were once the C word should not be mentioned until harshest form of punishment after the death penalty. Naked mole-rats can survive for 18 minutes without oxygen by turning themselves into plants.'' And the beginning whole of December but unfortunately C seems to be coming earlier each year page 52. There, job done – and there are even shops where it never ceases to be imminent, which ramps up the stress levels considerablycreators of this book certainly have done their job to perfection. So, a book which promises }}{{Frontpage|isbn=Brightside_101|title=101 things Things to take Take the stress out Stress Out of Christmas|author=Robin Snow|rating=4|genre=Trivia|summary=For many years one of my guiding principles has been that the C seemed liked a good idea. What’s it about? Tips like putting word should not be mentioned until the sprouts on beginning of December but, unfortunately, C seems to boil in November or joining a religion which avoids the celebration altogether? Wellbe coming earlier each year and there are even shops where it never ceases to be imminent, not quitewhich ramps up the stress levels considerably. [[So, a book which promises 101 Things things to Take take the Stress Out stress out of Christmas by Robin Snow|Full Review]] <!-- Brightside -->C seemed like a good idea. What’s it about? Tips like putting the sprouts on to boil in November or joining a religion which avoids the celebration altogether? Well, not quite.}}{{Frontpage|-isbn=Brightside_Worry| styletitle="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"101 Things to do instead of worrying about the world|author=Felicity Brightside[[image:Brightside_Worry.jpg|leftrating=4|linkgenre=https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1780723180?ieTrivia|summary=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=1780723180]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[101 Things to do instead of worrying about and I speak as someone who lived through the world by Felicity Brightside]]=== [[image:4starCuban Missile Crisis and various other apocalyptic moments.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Trivia|Trivia]]I don't think that IIt almost certainly comes down to a lack of confidence in the people who are supposedly in charge, whether 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 ever been quite so worried about the state of tried voting, arguing and demonstrating. Now we're down to pulling up the world as I have been of late - drawbridge and 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 chargedoing our best to think about something else.}}{{Frontpage|isbn=Lloyd 1342|title=1, whether 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, arguing and demonstrating342 QI Facts To Leave You Flabbergasted|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]]. Now we That're down s not to pulling up say it's a game of pulling the drawbridge and doing wool over our best to think about something else. [[101 Things to do instead 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 worrying about their statements. No, the world by Felicity Brightside|Full Review]] <!-- Lloyd -->|-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:Lloyd 1342game is Six Degrees of Separation.jpg|left|link=https://www And they're so good at it, they can do most things in three.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0571332463?ie=UTF8&tag=thebookbag-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=0571332463]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[1 So in just three standalone, but thematically linked,342 QI Facts To Leave You Flabbergasted by John Lloydphrases, John Mitchinson, James Harkin and Anne Miller]]=== [[image:5staryou can get from how to make the sound of an Orc army for ''Lord of the Rings'' films to record-breaking nipple hair.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Trivia|Trivia]] I love From illicit wartime barbers in Italy to American founding father bedroom arrangements, is only three steps – and the way the QI elves play games with us with [[:Category:John Lloydpath carries on to reach that erstwhile novice stand-up, Ronald Reagan, John Mitchinson and James Harkin|these books]]in two more. ThatIt's not to say it's a game of pulling the wool over our eyesonly two jumps between Donald Trump and Charles Darwin, for every entrant in this series has had the equivalent online version for the sourcesdisconcertingly.}}{{Frontpage|isbn=Lloyd_1411|title=1,411 QI Facts To Knock You Sideways|author=John Lloyd, so every page is replicated with the due links you need to search for proof of their statementsJohn Mitchinson and James Harkin|rating=4. No, the game 5|genre=Trivia|summary=Handsome is Six Degrees of Separationas handsome does. And theyyou know what else benefits from being curt and succinct, alongside old housewives're so good at it, they can do most things in threesaws like that one? Trivia. So in just three standaloneI always thought the QI books such as this one to be handsome things – perfectly presenting trivia, but thematically linkedfour (on rare occasion, phrasesthree) statements to the page, you can get from how to make the sound of an Orc army for in a very nice little cubical hardback. Now they're being represented in paperback, but you know what? They'Lord of the Rings'' films to record-breaking nipple hairre still handsome things. From illicit wartime barbers in Italy to American founding father bedroom arrangements}}{{Frontpage|isbn=Lloyd_1339|title=1,339 QI Facts To Make Your Jaw Drop|author=John Lloyd, is only three steps – John Mitchinson and the path carries on to reach that erstwhile novice stand-up, Ronald Reagan, in two moreJames Harkin|rating=4. It5|genre=Trivia|summary=A spermologer ''is a collector of trivia''s only two jumps between Donald Trump and Charles Darwin, disconcertingly. [[1Just that sentence tells you a lot – we're once more in the realm of the curt,342 QI Facts To Leave You Flabbergasted by John Lloydsuccinct approach to the world's information and oddities. It says more, John Mitchinson, James Harkin and Anne Miller|Full Review]] <!-- LLOYD -->|-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:Lloyd_1411however – beyond the weirdness of the word is the obvious necessity for the word to exist – without people that could be called collectors 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 elves.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0571329845/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]}}{{Frontpage| styleisbn="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"Metcalf_Skedaddle|title=From Skedaddle to Selfie: Words of the Generation|author=Allan Metcalf|rating=[[1,411 QI Facts To Knock You Sideways by John Lloyd, John Mitchinson and James Harkin]]==3.5|genre=Trivia [[image:4|summary=I have to go a roundabout way to introduce this book, so bear with me.5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Trivia|Trivia]] Handsome is as handsome does. And you know what else benefits It stems partly from being curt dictionaries and succinct, alongside old housewives' saws like that one? Trivia. I always thought the QI the etymology of the language we use, but more so if anything from a different couple of books such as this one to be handsome things , and their ideas of generations. The authors of those posited the idea that all those archetypical generations – perfectly presenting triviathe Baby Boomers, four (on rare occasionthe Millennials, three) statements to the pageand those before, in a very nice little cubical hardback. Now they're being represented in paperbackbetween and since – have their own cyclical pattern, but you know what? They're still handsome things. [[1,411 QI Facts To Knock You Sideways and the history of humanity has been and will be formed by John Lloydthe interplay of just four different kinds, running (with only one exception) in regular order. I don't really hold much store by that, John Mitchinson and James Harkin|Full Review]] <!-- Lloyd -->|-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:Lloyd_1339I certainly didn't know we'd started one since the Millennials – who the heck decides such things, for one? ''Somebody must have put out an order'', as someone here says of something else.jpg|link=http://www 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, predominant and of course spoken in each decade.amazon.co.uk/dp/0571308953/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]}}{{Frontpage|isbn=Halliday_Cathedrals| styletitle="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"Cathedrals and Abbeys (Amazing and Extraordinary Facts)|author=Stephen Halliday|rating===[[1,339 QI Facts To Make Your Jaw Drop by John Lloyd, John Mitchinson and James Harkin]]=== [[image:4.5star.jpg5|linkgenre=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:TriviaTrivia|Trivia]] A spermologer ''is summary=What makes a collector of triviacathedral? It''. Just s not automatically the principal church of anywhere that sentence tells you is made a lot city – we're once more in the realm St Davids is a village of the curt2, succinct approach to the world000 people and wasn's information and odditiest always a city, but always had a cathedral, as did Chelmsford. It says more, however – beyond 's not the weirdness seat of a bishop – Glasgow has the word is the obvious necessity for the word to exist – without people that could be called collectors of trivia you would building but not need the term. And rest assuredperson, there are currently few people and hasn't had a bishop since 1690. It's not a minster – that stand as better spermologers than 's something completely different, and if you can understand the chief QI elves. [[1sign in the delightful Beverley Minster describing the difference,339 QI Facts To Make Your Jaw Drop by John Lloydthat I saw only the other month, you're a better man I, Gunga Din. Luckily this book doesn't touch on minsters much, John Mitchinson and James Harkin|Full Review]] <!we can understand abbeys, so it's only the vast majority of this book that is saddled with the definition problem. It's clearly not a real problem, and those it does have are by-- Metcalf -->passable, for this successfully defines a cathedral as somewhere of major importance, fine trivia and greatly worthy of our attention. }}{{Frontpage|-isbn=Bramley_Shakespeare| styletitle="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"The Shakespeare Trail|author=Zoe Bramley[[image:Metcalf_Skedaddle.jpg|linkrating=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/019992712X/ref4|genre=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]] Trivia| stylesummary="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[From Skedaddle to Selfie: Words of It has been 400 years since William Shakespeare, the man heralded as the Generation by Allan Metcalf]]=== [[image:3greatest writer in the English language, and England's national poet, died.5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Trivia|Trivia]] I have to go a roundabout way to introducing this bookShakespeare has made a profound mark on our culture and heritage, so bear with me. It stems partly from dictionaries and the etymology yet many aspects of his life remain in the language we use, but more so if anything from a different couple of booksshadows, and their ideas of generationsmany places throughout England have forgotten their association with him. The authors of those posited the idea that all those archetypical generations – the Baby BoomersHere, Zoe Bramley takes the Millennials, and those before, in between and since reader on a journey through hundreds of places associated with Shakespeare – have their own cyclical pattern, and the history of humanity has been and many whose connections will be formed by the interplay come as a surprise to most. Filled with intriguing tidbits of just four different kindsinformation about Shakespeare, Elizabethan England, running (with only one exception) in regular orderand the places that she talks about, this is no mere travel guide. I don't really hold much store by that, }}{{Frontpage|isbn=Halliday_London|title=London (Amazing and I certainly didn't know we'd started one since the Millennials – who the heck decides such things, for oneExtraordinary Facts)|author=Stephen Halliday|rating=4.5|genre=Trivia|summary=What makes a city? ''Somebody must have put out an order''Is it the materials, such as someone here says the very London Stone itself, of something else. But in the same way as generations get defined by collective persons unknownmythological repute, that has moved around several times, so do words – and those words are certainly now forms part of a clue to what was importantWH Smith's branch? (This has nothing, predominant and of course spoken in each decade, on Temple Bar, which has also been known to walk. [[From Skedaddle to Selfie) Is it the people – the butchers [[Jack the Ripper: CSI: Words of the Generation Whitechapel by Allan MetcalfJohn Bennett and Paul Begg|Full Review(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-- Halliday -->|-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:Halliday_Cathedrals.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1910821047/ref=nosimtime 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?tag=thebookbag-21]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[Cathedrals However you define a city, London certainly has a lot going for it as regards weird and wonderful, and Abbeys the trivial yet fascinating. And, luckily for us, so has this book.}}{{Frontpage|isbn=Holland_Railways|title=Railways (Amazing and Extraordinary Facts) by Stephen Halliday]]|author=Julian Holland|rating=3|genre=Trivia [[image:4.5star.jpg|linksummary=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:History|History]], [[:Category:Trivia|Trivia]] What makes a cathedral? It's not automatically How and when did Laurel and Hardy replace the principal church Duke of anywhere that is made a city – St Davids is a village of 2York (George VI)? They reopened the Romney,000 peopleHythe and Dymchurch Railway when peacetime resumed, and wasn't always a city, but always at whose launch the latter had a cathedral, as did Chelmsfordofficiated before the War. ItWhat's not the seat of worst that can happen when you travel internationally and arrive on a bishop – Glasgow has the building but not the personLondon goods train with no further destination documents? Well, and hasnif you't had a bishop since 1690. Itre 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 not a minster – thatno surprise odd facts and fun trivia derive from our country's something completely different, trains. This book is designed to be an ideal source of quick articles and if you can understand the sign fun mini-essays for use in the delightful Beverley Minster describing the difference, that I saw only the other month, you're a better man I, Gunga Dinsmallest room. Luckily this book doesn't touch on minsters much, and we can understand abbeys, so it's only the vast majority }}{{Frontpage|isbn=Donald_Words|title=Words of this book that is saddled with the definition problema Feather|author=Graeme Donald|rating=4|genre=Trivia|summary=Words of a Feather. It's clearly not a real problemThe title alone suggests an engaging read about language, and those it does have are by-passablethe book certainly delivers. It pairs seemingly unrelated words, digs up their etymological roots and reveals their common ancestry. The English language, for this successfully defines a cathedral as somewhere of major importancecourse, fine trivia and greatly worthy provides rich pickings indeed for a book of our attention. [[Cathedrals this type and Abbeys (Amazing it is fascinating to see the hidden meaning behind common and Extraordinary Facts) by Stephen Halliday|Full Review]] <!not-so- Bramley -->|-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:Bramley_Shakespearecommon words. Some connections are fairly obvious once you read them.jpg|For example, the link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1445646846/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]  | style="vertical-alignbetween ''grotto'' and ''grotesque'' is easy to grasp: top; text-align: left;"|===[[The Shakespeare Trail by Zoe Bramley]]=== [[image:4star.jpg|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 link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Trivia|Trivia]] It has been 400 years since William Shakespeare, between ''furnace'' and ''fornicate''. These two words date back to Ancient Rome when prostitutes took over the man heralded as the greatest writer in the English language, and Englandcity's national poet, diedabandoned baking domes. Shakespeare has made And some connections are more than a profound mark on our culture and heritagelittle tenuous, yet many aspects seemingly just a collection of his life remain in words banded together, as is the shadows, and many places throughout England have forgotten their association with himcase with the ''insult'' and ''salmon'' pairing. Here, Zoe Bramley takes One of my personal favourites: the reader on a journey through hundreds of places associated with Shakespeare – many whose connections will come as Italian word ''schiavo'' for ''slave'' was used to summon or dismiss a surprise to most. Filled with intriguing titbits of information about Shakespeareslave; this word became corrupted to ''ciao'', Elizabethan England, and a word the places that she talks about, this is no mere travel guidemore well-heeled among us use instead of ''goodbye''.}}<!-- Halliday -->{{Frontpage|-isbn=Binney_English| styletitle="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]] <!-- Donald -->|-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:Donald_Words.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/178418814X/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[Words of a Feather by Graeme Donald]]=== [[image:4star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Reference|Reference]], [[:Category:Trivia|Trivia]] 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 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''. [[Words of a Feather by Graeme Donald|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 The English Countryside (Amazing and Extraordinary Facts) by Stephen Halliday|Full Review]]  <!-- DO NOT REMOVE ANYTHING BELOW THIS LINE -->|} {{newreview

|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>