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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|linkgenre=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,423 QI Facts to Bowl You Over by John Lloyd, James Harkin 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 Anne Miller]]=== [[image:5starprobably both, I was expecting a massive tome.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category But ''A Dictionary of Interesting and Important Dogs'' is actually ''a rich compendium of the world's most significant and beloved dogs'' and it's certainly a rich treasure trove. We begin with Peter J Conradi's four collies: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 whatOther Interesting Questions|rating=4.5|genre=Trivia|summary= Hello! Would this review be okay if I simply said ''s more I LOVED THIS GLORIOUS LITTLE BOOK AND SO WILL YOU. FIN''?! Because I did. And you hardly even need describe it – just dip in here and there for a few quoteswill. |isbn=1789016770}}{{Frontpage|isbn=Lloyd_1423|title=1,423 QI Facts to Bowl You Over|author=John Lloyd, James Harkin and sit back and relax knowing your job Anne Miller|rating=5|genre=Trivia|summary=You may think me lazy, but there is done. ''Only 1% of people who buy marmalade are under the age of 28. Treadmills were once the harshest form of punishment after the death penaltyan 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. Naked mole''Only 1% of people who buy marmalade are under the age of 28. Treadmills were once the 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 whole of page 52. There, job done – and the creators of this book certainly have done their job to perfection. [[1,423 QI Facts to Bowl You Over by John Lloyd, James Harkin and Anne Miller|Full Review]] <!-- Snow-->}}{{Frontpage|-isbn=Brightside_101| styletitle="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"101 Things to Take the Stress Out of Christmas|author=Robin Snow[[image:Brightside_101.jpg|leftrating=4|linkgenre=https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1780723296?ieTrivia|summary=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 For many years one of Christmas by Robin Snow]]=== [[image:4star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Trivia|Trivia]] For many years one of my guiding principles has been that my guiding principles has been that the 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 C word should not be mentioned until the beginning stress out of December but unfortunately C seems to be coming earlier each year and there are even shops where seemed like a good idea. What’s it never ceases about? Tips like putting the sprouts on to be imminent, boil in November or joining a religion which ramps up avoids the stress levels considerablycelebration altogether? Well, not quite. So, a book which promises }}{{Frontpage|isbn=Brightside_Worry|title=101 things Things to take do instead of worrying about the stress out of C seemed liked a good idea. What’s it world|author=Felicity Brightside|rating=4|genre=Trivia|summary=I don't think that I've ever been quite so worried about? Tips like putting the sprouts on to boil in November or joining a religion which avoids state of the celebration altogether? Well, not quite. [[101 Things to Take the Stress Out world as I have been of Christmas by Robin Snow|Full Review]] <!-- Brightside -->|-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:Brightside_Worry.jpg|left|link=https://wwwlate - 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 charge, whether it be from a political point of view or of our stewardship of this planet we call home.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1780723180But what can be done about it?ie=UTF8&tag=thebookbag-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=1780723180]]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.}}{{Frontpage| styleisbn="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"Lloyd 1342|title===[[101 Things to do instead of worrying about the world by Felicity Brightside]]===1,342 QI Facts To Leave You Flabbergasted[[image:4star.jpg|linkauthor=Category:{{{John Lloyd, John Mitchinson, James Harkin and Anne Miller|rating}}} Star Reviews]] =5|genre=Trivia|summary=I love the way the QI elves play games with us with [[:Category:TriviaJohn Lloyd, John Mitchinson and James Harkin|Triviathese books]]I don. That't think that Is not to say it've ever been quite so worried about the state s a game of pulling the world as I have been of late - and I speak as someone who lived through wool over our eyes, for every entrant in this series has had the equivalent online version for the Cuban Missile Crisis and various other apocalyptic moments. It almost certainly comes down sources, so every page is replicated with the due links you need to a lack search for proof of confidence in their statements. No, 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 homegame is Six Degrees of Separation. But what can be done about And they're so good at it? We've tried voting, arguing and demonstratingthey can do most things in three. Now we're down So in just three standalone, but thematically linked, phrases, you can get from how to pulling up make the drawbridge and doing our best sound of an Orc army for ''Lord of the Rings'' films to think about something elserecord-breaking nipple hair. [[101 Things From illicit wartime barbers in Italy to do instead of worrying about American founding father bedroom arrangements, is only three steps – and the world by Felicity Brightside|Full Review]] <!path carries on to reach that erstwhile novice stand-- Lloyd -->up, Ronald Reagan, in two more. It's only two jumps between Donald Trump and Charles Darwin, disconcertingly.}}{{Frontpage|-isbn=Lloyd_1411| styletitle="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"1,411 QI Facts To Knock You Sideways|author=John Lloyd, John Mitchinson and James Harkin[[image:Lloyd 1342.jpg|left|linkrating=https://www4.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0571332463?ie5|genre=UTF8&tagTrivia|summary=thebookbag-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=0571332463]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[1Handsome is as handsome does. And you know what else benefits from being curt and succinct,342 alongside old housewives' saws like that one? Trivia. I always thought the QI Facts To Leave You Flabbergasted by John Lloydbooks such as this one to be handsome things – perfectly presenting trivia, John Mitchinsonfour (on rare occasion, James Harkin and Anne Miller]]=== [[image:5starthree) statements to the page, in a very nice little cubical hardback.jpg|link=Category:{{{ratingNow they're being represented in paperback, but you know what? They're still handsome things.}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Trivia|Trivia]]{{FrontpageI love the way the |isbn=Lloyd_1339|title=1,339 QI elves play games with us with [[:Category:Facts To Make Your Jaw Drop|author=John Lloyd, John Mitchinson and James Harkin|these books]]rating=4. That5|genre=Trivia|summary=A spermologer ''is a collector of trivia's not to say it's . Just that sentence tells you a game lot – we're once more in the realm of pulling the wool over our eyescurt, succinct approach to the world's information and oddities. It says more, for every entrant in this series has had however – beyond the equivalent online version for weirdness of the sources, so every page word is replicated with the due links obvious necessity for the word to exist – without people that could be called collectors of trivia you would not need to search for proof of their statementsthe term. NoAnd rest assured, the game is Six Degrees of Separationthere are currently few people that stand as better spermologers than the chief QI elves. 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 }}{{Frontpage|isbn=Metcalf_Skedaddle|title=From Skedaddle to make Selfie: Words of the sound of an Orc army for ''Lord of the Rings'' films to record-breaking nipple hairGeneration|author=Allan Metcalf|rating=3. From illicit wartime barbers in Italy 5|genre=Trivia|summary=I have to American founding father bedroom arrangements, is only three steps – and the path carries on go a roundabout way to reach that erstwhile novice stand-upintroduce this book, Ronald Reagan, in two moreso bear with me. It's only two jumps between Donald Trump stems partly from dictionaries and Charles Darwinthe etymology of the language we use, disconcertingly. [[1but more so if anything from a different couple of books,342 QI Facts To Leave You Flabbergasted by John Lloydand their ideas of generations. The authors of those posited the idea that all those archetypical generations – the Baby Boomers, John Mitchinsonthe Millennials, James Harkin and Anne Miller|Full Review]] <!-- LLOYD -->|-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:Lloyd_1411those before, in between and since – 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.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0571329845/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[1 I don't really hold much store by that,411 QI Facts To Knock You Sideways by John Lloydand I certainly didn't know we'd started one since the Millennials – who the heck decides such things, John Mitchinson and James Harkin]]=== [[image:4for one? ''Somebody must have put out an order'', as someone here says of something else.5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating 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.}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Trivia{{Frontpage|isbn=Halliday_Cathedrals|Trivia]]title=Cathedrals and Abbeys (Amazing and Extraordinary Facts)|author=Stephen HallidayHandsome is as handsome does|rating=4. And you know what else benefits from being curt and succinct, alongside old housewives5|genre=Trivia|summary=What makes a cathedral? It' saws like s not automatically the principal church of anywhere that one? Trivia. I always thought the QI books such as this one to be handsome things is made a city – perfectly presenting triviaSt Davids is a village of 2, four (on rare occasion000 people and wasn't always a city, three) statements to the pagebut always had a cathedral, in a very nice little cubical hardbackas did Chelmsford. Now theyIt're being represented in paperback, s not the seat of a bishop – Glasgow has the building but you know what? Theynot the person, and hasn're still handsome thingst had a bishop since 1690. [[1It's not a minster – that's something completely different,411 QI Facts To Knock You Sideways by John Lloydand if you can understand the sign in the delightful Beverley Minster describing the difference, that I saw only the other month, John Mitchinson and James Harkin|Full Review]] <!-- Lloyd -->|-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:Lloyd_1339you're a better man I, Gunga Din.jpg|link=http://wwwLuckily this book doesn't touch on minsters much, and we can understand abbeys, so it's only the vast majority of this book that is saddled with the definition problem.amazon.co.uk/dp/0571308953/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbagIt's clearly not a real problem, and those it does have are by-21]]passable, for this successfully defines a cathedral as somewhere of major importance, fine trivia and greatly worthy of our attention. }}{{Frontpage| styleisbn="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"Bramley_Shakespeare|title=The Shakespeare Trail|author=Zoe Bramley|rating=4|genre=Trivia|summary=[[1It has been 400 years since William Shakespeare,339 QI Facts To Make Your Jaw Drop by John Lloydthe man heralded as the greatest writer in the English language, John Mitchinson and James Harkin]]=== [[image:4England's national poet, died. Shakespeare 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.5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Trivia|Trivia]] A spermologer ''is Here, Zoe Bramley takes the reader on a collector journey through hundreds of trivia''places associated with Shakespeare – many whose connections will come as a surprise to most. Just that sentence tells you a lot – we're once more in the realm Filled with intriguing tidbits of the curtinformation about Shakespeare, succinct approach to Elizabethan England, and the world's information and oddities. It says moreplaces that she talks about, however – beyond the weirdness of the word this is the obvious necessity for the word to exist – without people that could be called collectors of trivia you would not need the termno mere travel guide. And rest assured, there are currently few people that stand as better spermologers than the chief QI elves. [[1,339 QI }}{{Frontpage|isbn=Halliday_London|title=London (Amazing and Extraordinary Facts To Make Your Jaw Drop by John Lloyd, John Mitchinson and James Harkin)|Full Review]] <!-- Metcalf -->author=Stephen Halliday|-rating=4.5| stylegenre="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|Trivia[[image:Metcalf_Skedaddle.jpg|linksummary=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/019992712X/ref=nosimWhat makes a city?tag=thebookbag-21]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[From Skedaddle to Selfie: Words of Is it the Generation by Allan Metcalf]]=== [[image:3.5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Trivia|Trivia]] I have to go materials, such as the very London Stone itself, of mythological repute, that has moved around several times, and now forms part of a roundabout way to introducing this book, so bear with meWH Smith's branch? (This has nothing, of course, on Temple Bar, which has also been known to walk. ) It stems partly from dictionaries and Is it the etymology of people – the language we usebutchers [[Jack the Ripper: CSI: Whitechapel by John Bennett and Paul Begg|(Jack the Ripper)]], but more so if anything the bakers (or whoever set fire to the entire city from a different couple of books, Pudding Lane) and their ideas of generations. the candlestick makers? The authors of those posited Is it the idea that all those archetypical generations – the Baby Boomersinfrastructure, from the MillennialsUnderground, and those beforewhose one-time boss got a medal from Stalin for his success, to the London Bridge itself, that in between and since – have their its own cyclical pattern, and wanderlust means it's highly unlikely the history of humanity Thames will freeze again? However you define a city, London certainly has been a lot going for it as regards weird and wonderful, and will be formed by the interplay of just four different kindstrivial yet fascinating. And, running luckily for us, so has this book.}}{{Frontpage|isbn=Holland_Railways|title=Railways (with only one exceptionAmazing and Extraordinary Facts) in regular order. I don't really hold much store by that, |author=Julian Holland|rating=3|genre=Trivia|summary=How and when did Laurel and I certainly didn't know we'd started one since Hardy replace the Duke of York (George VI)? They reopened the Millennials – who Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway when peacetime resumed, at whose launch the heck decides such things, for one? ''Somebody must have put out an orderlatter had officiated before the War. What'', as someone here says of something else. But in s the same way as generations 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 defined by collective persons buried as an unknown, so do words – and those words are certainly a clue corpse before the invoice turns up to what was important, predominant and of course spoken prove you were wanted in each decadeBelgium. [[From Skedaddle to Selfie: Words 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 Generation by Allan Metcalf|Full Review]]smallest room.}}<!-- Halliday -->{{Frontpage|-isbn=Donald_Words| styletitle="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"Words of a Feather|author=Graeme Donald[[image:Halliday_Cathedrals.jpg|link|rating=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1910821047/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]] 4| stylegenre="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"Trivia|summary===[[Cathedrals Words of a Feather. The title alone suggests an engaging read about language, and Abbeys (Amazing the book certainly delivers. It pairs seemingly unrelated words, digs up their etymological roots and Extraordinary Facts) by Stephen Halliday]]=== [[image:4reveals their common ancestry.5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:History|History]]The English language, of course, [[:Category:Trivia|Trivia]] What makes provides rich pickings indeed for a cathedral? It's not automatically the principal church book of anywhere that this type and it is made a city – St Davids is a village of 2,000 people, fascinating to see the hidden meaning behind common and wasn't always a city, but always had a cathedral, as did Chelmsfordnot-so-common words. ItSome connections are fairly obvious once you read them. For example, the link between ''grotto''s not the seat of a bishop – Glasgow has the building but not the person, and hasn't had a bishop since 1690. It's not a minster – thatgrotesque''s something completely different, and if you can understand is easy to grasp: the sign word ''grotesque'' derives from unpleasant figures depicted in murals in the delightful Beverley Minster describing the differenceAncient Roman ''grottoes''. Other connections are just extraordinary, that I saw only like the other month, so-crazy-you-couldn't-make-it-up link between ''furnace'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 vast majority of this book that is saddled with 'fornicate''. These two words date back to Ancient Rome when prostitutes took over the definition problem. Itcity's clearly not abandoned baking domes. And some connections are more than a real problemlittle tenuous, and those it does have are by-passable, for this successfully defines seemingly just a cathedral as somewhere collection of major importancewords banded together, fine trivia as is the case with the ''insult'' and greatly worthy of our attention''salmon'' pairing. [[Cathedrals and Abbeys (Amazing and Extraordinary Facts) by Stephen Halliday|Full Review]] <!-- Bramley -->|-| style="width: 10%One of my personal favourites: the Italian word ''schiavo'' for ''slave'' was used to summon or dismiss a slave; verticalthis word became corrupted to ''ciao'', a word the more well-align: top; text-align: center;"heeled among us use instead of ''goodbye''.}}{{Frontpage|isbn=Binney_English[[image:Bramley_Shakespeare.jpg|linktitle=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1445646846/refThe English Countryside (Amazing and Extraordinary Facts)|author=nosim?tagRuth Binney|rating=thebookbag-21]] 4| stylegenre="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"Trivia|summary===[[I live in the countryside and spend as much time as the weather will allow exploring it, so the chance to read Ruth Binney's ''The Shakespeare Trail by Zoe Bramley]]=== [[image:4starEnglish Countryside'' was too good to be missed.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] We've met Ruth [[:Category:TriviaThe Allotment Experience by Ruth Binney|Triviabefore]] It has been 400 years since William Shakespeare, the man heralded as the greatest writer in the English language, at Bookbag and we know that she writes well and England's national poetinterestingly, died. Shakespeare has made but just one thing was worrying me about this book. It's a profound mark on our culture hardback and heritage, yet many aspects beautifully presented but its the size of his life remain in the shadows, and many places throughout England have forgotten their association with himbook that you slip into a pocket or handbag. Here, Zoe Bramley takes the reader on a journey through hundreds of places associated with Shakespeare – many whose connections will come as a surprise Would it be rather superficial?}}{{Frontpage|isbn=Lloyd_1234|title=1,234 QI Facts to most. Filled with intriguing titbits of information about Shakespeare, Elizabethan EnglandLeave You Speechless|author=John Lloyd, John Mitchinson and the places that she talks about, this is no mere travel guide. <!-- Halliday -->James Harkin|-rating=5| stylegenre="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|Trivia[[image:Halliday_London.jpg|linksummary=http://www''No US President has ever died in May.amazon.co.uk/dp/1910821020/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[London (Amazing '' ''There are fewer women on corporate boards in America than there are men named John.'' ''Dogs investigate bad smells with their right nostril and Extraordinary Facts) by Stephen Halliday]]=== [[image:4good smells with their left.5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Trivia|Trivia]] What makes a city? Is it '' ''Apollo 11's fuel consumption was seven inches to 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 Smithgallon.''s branch? (This has nothing, of course, on Temple Bar, which has also been known to walk''The first occupational disease ever recorded in medical literature was 'chimney sweep's scrotum'.) '' Is it the people – ''The song 'Yes, We Have No Bananas' was written by Leon Trotsky's nephew.'' ''In the butchers [[Jack 18th Century, King George I declared all pigeon droppings to be the Ripper: CSI: Whitechapel by John Bennett and Paul Begg|(Jack property of the Ripper)]], the bakers (or whoever set fire Crown''. I hardly think I need to the entire city from Pudding Lane) and the candlestick makers? say any more. Is it the infrastructure, from the Underground, whose one-time boss got a medal from Stalin for his success, Review over.}}{{Frontpage|isbn=Berenson_How|title=How to the London Bridge itselfSpeak Emoji|author=Fred Benenson|rating=4|genre=Trivia|summary=Emojis are fun, that in its own wanderlust means itand there's highly unlikely so much more to them than the Thames will freeze again? However you define smileys of days gone by ;) They can be a city, London certainly has a lot going for it as regards weird and wonderfullanguage unto themselves, though, and I've found that some members of the trivial yet fascinating. And, luckily for usahem, so has this bookolder generation can find themselves a little troubled by them. This book, then, sounds perfect for anyone who needs a little help with this 'language'. [[London (Amazing and Extraordinary Facts) by Stephen Halliday|Full Review]]}}<!-- Holland -->{{Frontpage|-| styleisbn="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|Lloyd_3rd[[image:Holland_Railways.jpg|linktitle=httpQI://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]] <!-- Binney -->|-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:Binney_English.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1910821012/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[The English Countryside (Amazing and Extraordinary Facts) by Ruth Binney]]=== [[image:4star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Trivia|Trivia]], [[:Category:Animals and Wildlife|Animals and Wildlife]] I live in the countryside and spend as much time as the weather will allow exploring it, so the chance to read Ruth Binney's ''The English Countryside'' was too good to be missed. We've met Ruth [[The Allotment Experience by Ruth Binney|before]] at Bookbag and we know that she writes well and interestingly, but just one thing was worrying me about this book. It's a hardback and beautifully presented but its the size of book that you slip into a pocket or handbag. Would it be rather superficial? [[The English Countryside (Amazing and Extraordinary Facts) by Ruth Binney|Full Review]] <!-- Lloyd -->|-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:Lloyd_1234.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0571326684/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[1,234 QI Facts to Leave You Speechless by John Lloyd, John Mitchinson and James Harkin]]=== [[image:5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Trivia|Trivia]] ''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 property of the Crown''. I hardly think I need say any more. Review over. [[1,234 QI Facts to Leave You Speechless by John Lloyd, John Mitchinson and James Harkin|Full Review]] <!-- Benenson -->|-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:Berenson_How.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/178503202X/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[How to Speak Emoji by Fred Benenso]]=== [[image:4star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Trivia|Trivia]] 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'. [[How to Speak Emoji by Fred Benenso|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 -->|} {{newreviewThe 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>