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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]] [[ 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: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 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 ''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|left|linkrating=https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1780723296?ie=UTF8&tag=thebookbag-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=1780723296]] 4| stylegenre="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"Trivia|summary===[[101 Things to Take For many years one of my guiding principles has been that the C word should not be mentioned until the Stress Out beginning 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 the C word should not December but, unfortunately, C seems to be coming earlier each year and there are even shops where it never ceases to 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 imminent, which ramps up the stress levels considerably. So, a book which promises 101 things to take the stress out of C seemed liked 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. [[101 Things to Take the Stress Out of Christmas by Robin Snow}}{{Frontpage|Full Review]]isbn=Brightside_Worry|title=101 Things to do instead of worrying about the world<!-- |author=Felicity Brightside -->|-| stylerating="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|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 I don't think that I've ever been quite so worried about the state of worrying about the world by Felicity Brightside]]=== [[image:4staras I have been of late - and I speak as someone who lived through the Cuban Missile Crisis and various other apocalyptic moments.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Trivia|Trivia]]I don't think that I've ever been quite so worried about the state It almost certainly comes down to a lack 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 moments. It almost certainly comes down to a lack of confidence 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 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 Brightside|Full Review]]}}{{Frontpage<!-- |isbn=Lloyd -->1342|-| styletitle="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"1,342 QI Facts To Leave You Flabbergasted|author=John Lloyd, John Mitchinson, James Harkin and Anne Miller[[image:Lloyd 1342.jpg|leftrating=5|linkgenre=https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0571332463?ieTrivia|summary=UTF8&tag=thebookbag-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=0571332463]]  | style="vertical-alignI love the way the QI elves play games with us with [[: top; text-alignCategory: left;"|===[[1,342 QI Facts To Leave You Flabbergasted by John Lloyd, John Mitchinson, John Lloyd, John Mitchinson and James Harkin and Anne Miller|these books]]=== [[image:5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Trivia|Trivia]] I love That's not to say it's a game of pulling the way wool over our eyes, for every entrant in this series has had the QI elves play games equivalent online version for the sources, so every page is replicated with us with [[:Category:John Lloyd, John Mitchinson and James Harkin|these books]]the due links you need to search for proof of their statements. That's not to say it's a No, the game is Six Degrees of pulling the wool over our eyesSeparation. And they're so good at it, for every entrant they can do most things in three. So in this series has had the equivalent online version for the sourcesjust three standalone, but thematically linked, phrases, so every page is replicated with the due links you need can get from how to search make the sound of an Orc army for proof ''Lord of their statementsthe Rings'' films to record-breaking nipple hair. NoFrom illicit wartime barbers in Italy to American founding father bedroom arrangements, the game is Six Degrees of Separation. And they're so good at it, they can do most things in only three. So in just three standalonesteps – and the path carries on to reach that erstwhile novice stand-up, but thematically linkedRonald Reagan, phrasesin two more. It's only two jumps between Donald Trump and Charles Darwin, you can get from how to make the sound of an Orc army for ''Lord of the Rings'' films to record-breaking nipple hairdisconcertingly. From illicit wartime barbers in Italy to American founding father bedroom arrangements}}{{Frontpage|isbn=Lloyd_1411|title=1,411 QI Facts To Knock You Sideways|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. It's only two jumps between Donald Trump 5|genre=Trivia|summary=Handsome is as handsome does. And you know what else benefits from being curt and Charles Darwinsuccinct, disconcertinglyalongside old housewives' saws like that one? Trivia. [[1,342 I always thought the QI Facts To Leave You Flabbergasted by John Lloydbooks such as this one to be handsome things – perfectly presenting trivia, four (on rare occasion, John Mitchinsonthree) statements to the page, James Harkin and Anne Miller|Full Review]]in a very nice little cubical hardback. Now they're being represented in paperback, but you know what? They're still handsome things.}}<!-- LLOYD -->{{Frontpage|-isbn=Lloyd_1339| styletitle="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"1,339 QI Facts To Make Your Jaw Drop|author=John Lloyd, John Mitchinson and James Harkin[[image:Lloyd_1411.jpg|linkrating=http://www4.amazon.co.uk/dp/0571329845/ref5|genre=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]] Trivia| stylesummary="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[1A spermologer ''is a collector of trivia''. Just that sentence tells you a lot – we're once more in the realm of the curt,411 QI Facts To Knock You Sideways by John Lloyd, John Mitchinson succinct approach to the world's information and James Harkin]]=== [[image:4.5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{ratingoddities. It says more, however – 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.}}} Star Reviews]] [[{{Frontpage|isbn=Metcalf_Skedaddle|title=From Skedaddle to Selfie:Category:TriviaWords of the Generation|Trivia]]author=Allan Metcalf|rating=3.5Handsome is as handsome does|genre=Trivia|summary=I have to go a roundabout way to introduce this book, so bear with me. 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 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 – perfectly presenting trivia, four (on rare occasionand their ideas of generations. The authors of those posited the idea that all those archetypical generations – the Baby Boomers, three) statements to the pageMillennials, and 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, John Mitchinson and James Harkin|Full Review]] <!-- Lloyd -->|-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:Lloyd_1339.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0571308953/ref=nosimrunning (with only one exception) in regular order. I don't really hold much store by that, and I certainly didn't know we'd started one since the Millennials – who the heck decides such things, for one?tag=thebookbag-21]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[1 ''Somebody must have put out an order'',339 QI Facts To Make Your Jaw Drop as someone here says of something else. But in the same way as generations get defined by John Lloydcollective persons unknown, John Mitchinson so do words – and James Harkin]]==those words are certainly a clue to what was important, predominant and of course spoken in each decade.}}{{Frontpage|isbn=Halliday_Cathedrals|title=Cathedrals and Abbeys (Amazing and Extraordinary Facts)[[image:4.5star.jpg|linkauthor=Category:{{{Stephen Halliday|rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Trivia=4.5|genre=Trivia]] A spermologer |summary=What makes a cathedral? It''is a collector s not automatically the principal church of trivia''. Just 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 termperson, and hasn't had a bishop since 1690. And rest assuredIt's not a minster – that's something completely different, and if you can understand the sign in the delightful Beverley Minster describing the difference, there are currently few people that stand as better spermologers than I saw only the chief QI elvesother month, you're a better man I, Gunga Din. [[1,339 QI Facts To Make Your Jaw Drop by John LloydLuckily this book doesn't touch on minsters much, John Mitchinson and James Harkin|Full Review]] <!-- Metcalf -->|-| style="width: 10%; verticalwe 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-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:Metcalf_Skedaddle.jpg|link=http://www.amazonpassable, for this successfully defines a cathedral as somewhere of major importance, fine trivia and greatly worthy of our attention.co.uk/dp/019992712X/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]}}{{Frontpage| styleisbn="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"Bramley_Shakespeare|title=The Shakespeare Trail|author=Zoe Bramley|rating==[[From Skedaddle to Selfie: Words of the Generation by Allan Metcalf]]===4 [[image:3.5star.jpg|linkgenre=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:TriviaTrivia|Trivia]] I have to go a roundabout way to introducing this book, so bear with me. summary=It stems partly from dictionaries and has been 400 years since William Shakespeare, the man heralded as the etymology of greatest writer in the English language we use, but more so if anything from a different couple of books, and their ideas of generationsEngland's national poet, died. The authors Shakespeare has made a profound mark on our culture and heritage, yet many aspects of those posited his life remain in the idea that all those archetypical generations – the Baby Boomers, the Millennials, and those before, in between and since – shadows, and many places throughout England have forgotten their own cyclical patternassociation with him. Here, and Zoe Bramley takes the history reader on a journey through hundreds of humanity has been and places associated with Shakespeare – 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 order. I don't really hold much store by and the places thatshe talks about, and I 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 elsethis is no mere travel guide.}}{{Frontpage|isbn=Halliday_London|title=London (Amazing and Extraordinary Facts)|author=Stephen Halliday|rating=4. 5|genre=Trivia|summary=What makes a city? But in Is it the same way materials, such as generations get defined by collective persons unknownthe very London Stone itself, of mythological 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. ) Is it the people – the butchers [[From Skedaddle to SelfieJack the Ripper: CSI: Words of the Generation Whitechapel by Allan MetcalfJohn Bennett and Paul Begg|Full Review(Jack the Ripper)]] <!-- Halliday , 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-->|-| 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;" 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.}}{{Frontpage|isbn=Holland_Railways|title===[[Cathedrals and Abbeys 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 2,000 peopleYork (George VI)? They reopened the Romney, Hythe and wasn't always a cityDymchurch Railway when peacetime resumed, but always had a cathedral, as did Chelmsfordat whose launch the latter had officiated 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. It's not a minster – that's something completely different, and if re an unidentifiable Peruvian mummy you can understand get buried as an unknown corpse before the sign invoice turns up to prove you were wanted in the delightful Beverley Minster describing the differenceBelgium. After so many miles and so much drama, that I saw only the other month, youit's no surprise odd facts and fun trivia derive from our country're a better man I, Gunga Dins trains. Luckily this This book doesn't touch on minsters much, is designed to be an ideal source of quick articles and we can understand abbeys, so it's only fun mini-essays for use in the vast majority of this book that is saddled with the definition problemsmallest room. It's clearly not }}{{Frontpage|isbn=Donald_Words|title=Words of a real problem, and those it does have are by-passable, for this successfully defines Feather|author=Graeme Donald|rating=4|genre=Trivia|summary=Words of a cathedral as somewhere of major importanceFeather. The title alone suggests an engaging read about language, fine trivia and greatly worthy of our attentionthe book certainly delivers. [[Cathedrals It pairs seemingly unrelated words, digs up their etymological roots and Abbeys (Amazing reveals their common ancestry. The English language, of course, provides rich pickings indeed for a book of this type and Extraordinary Facts) by Stephen Halliday|Full Review]] <!it is fascinating to see the hidden meaning behind common and 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:4starthe word ''grotesque'' derives from unpleasant figures depicted in murals in Ancient Roman ''grottoes''.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Trivia|Trivia]] It has been 400 years since William Shakespeare, the man heralded as the greatest writer in the English language, Other connections are just extraordinary, like the so-crazy-you-couldn't-make-it-up link between ''furnace'' and England's national poet, died'fornicate''. Shakespeare has made a profound mark on our culture and heritageThese 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, 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 case with him. Here, 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''insult'' and ''salmon'' pairing. Filled with intriguing titbits One of information about Shakespeare, Elizabethan England, and my personal favourites: the places that she talks aboutItalian word ''schiavo'' for ''slave'' was used to summon or dismiss a slave; this word became corrupted to ''ciao'', this is no mere travel guide. <!a word the more well-- Halliday -->heeled among us use instead of ''goodbye''.}}{{Frontpage|-isbn=Binney_English| styletitle="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"The English Countryside (Amazing and Extraordinary Facts)|author=Ruth Binney[[image:Halliday_London.jpg|linkrating=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1910821020/ref4|genre=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]] Trivia| stylesummary="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[London (Amazing I live in the countryside and Extraordinary Facts) by Stephen Halliday]]=== 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 [[image:4.5star.jpgThe Allotment Experience by Ruth Binney|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviewsbefore]] [[:Category:Trivia|Trivia]] What makes a city? at Bookbag and we know that she writes well and interestingly, but just one thing was worrying me about this book. Is it It's a hardback and beautifully presented but its the materials, such as the very London Stone itself, size of mythological repute, book that has moved around several times, and now forms part of you slip into a WH Smith's branch? (This has nothing, of course, on Temple Bar, which has also been known to walkpocket or handbag.) Is Would it the people – the butchers [[Jack the Ripper: CSI: Whitechapel by John Bennett and Paul Beggbe rather superficial?}}{{Frontpage|isbn=Lloyd_1234|(Jack the Ripper)]]title=1, the bakers (or whoever set fire 234 QI Facts to the entire city from Pudding Lane) Leave You Speechless|author=John Lloyd, John Mitchinson 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 itJames Harkin|rating=5|genre=Trivia|summary=''No US President has ever died in May.''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''There are fewer women on corporate boards in America than there are men named John. '' And, luckily for us, so has this book''Dogs investigate bad smells with their right nostril and good smells with their left. [[London (Amazing and Extraordinary Facts) by Stephen Halliday|Full Review]] <!-- Holland -->|-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:Holland_Railways'' ''Apollo 11's fuel consumption was seven inches to the gallon.jpg|link=http://www'' ''The first occupational disease ever recorded in medical literature was 'chimney sweep's scrotum'.amazon.co.uk/dp/1910821004/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[Railways (Amazing and Extraordinary Facts) '' ''The song 'Yes, We Have No Bananas' was written by Julian Holland]]=== [[image:3starLeon Trotsky's nephew.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Trivia|Trivia]] How and when did Laurel and Hardy replace '' ''In the 18th Century, King George I declared all pigeon droppings to be the Duke property of York (George VI)? They reopened the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway when peacetime resumed, at whose launch the latter had officiated before the WarCrown''. I hardly think I need to say any more. Review over. What's the worst that can happen when you travel internationally }}{{Frontpage|isbn=Berenson_How|title=How to Speak Emoji|author=Fred Benenson|rating=4|genre=Trivia|summary=Emojis are fun, and arrive on there's so much more to them than the smileys of days gone by ;) They can be a London goods train with no further destination documents? Welllanguage unto themselves, though, if youand I're an unidentifiable Peruvian mummy you can get buried as an unknown corpse before ve found that some members of 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 trainsahem, older generation can find themselves a little troubled by them. This book is designed to be an ideal source of quick articles and fun mini-essays for use in the smallest room, then, sounds perfect for anyone who needs a little help with this 'language'. [[Railways (Amazing and Extraordinary Facts) by Julian Holland|Full Review]]}}<!-- Donald -->{{Frontpage|-| styleisbn="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|Lloyd_3rd[[image:Donald_Words.jpg|linktitle=httpQI://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/178418814X/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[Words The Third Book 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 Benenson]]=== [[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 Benenson|Full Review]] <!-- Lloyd -->|-| style="width: 10%; vertical-align: top; text-align: center;"|[[image:Lloyd_3rd.jpg|link=http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0571308988/ref=nosim?tag=thebookbag-21]]  | style="vertical-align: top; text-align: left;"|===[[QI: The Third Book of General Ignorance by John Lloyd, John Mitchinson, James Harkin and Andrew Hunter Murray]]=== [[image:4.5star.jpg|link=Category:{{{rating}}} Star Reviews]] [[:Category:Trivia|Trivia]] 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. [[QI: The Third Book of General Ignorance by John Lloyd, John Mitchinson, James Harkin and Andrew Hunter Murray|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 -->|} {{newreviewGeneral 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>