Dumb History, by Joey Green

We look around the world and see people making really really dumb decision, but this is nothing new.  History is rife with examples of truly dumb moves, and sometimes reading about them makes you feel a little bit smarter.  Whether it is a leader taking anti aging elixers that proved to be poisonous or the ridiculous trade of Babe Ruth, this book is full of examples where people make choices that turned out to be completely boneheaded.  So, the next time you feel stupid, read this and know you are in good company.

I am a sucker for these types of trivia books.  I never seem to find them boring, and no matter how many of them I read, I always seem to find several stories that are new to me.  While some of the information covered in this book is old news for me, I still found it highly entertaining.  When I read books of this nature, I always have to wonder about the legitimacy of the facts.  There is a list of references in the back of this book, but who is going to cross check all those facts?  Not me.  Nope, I will take his word for it, and snicker as I read.

My only real complaint about this book was a slight lack of flow.  I like books that are comprised of short articles or vignettes, so that did not bother me.  What bothered me was that they were not organized.  I would have liked it better if the book had been divided into chapters, like Dumb Sports, and Dumb Leaders.  Other than that, I thought this was a cute book, one that is a good discussion piece.  Because it is comprised of all these short entries, you can easily put it down and pick it up at a later date.  It is the perfect book to keep on your coffee table or your bathroom bookshelf to keep people entertained.  

I received a review copy of the book courtesy of the publisher.

Why Does Batman Carry Shark Repellent? And Other Amazing Comic Book Trivia, by Brian Cronin

Ever wonder what some of the craziest items in Batman's utility belt were, or what the heck Aquaman is good for anyway?  Want a look back at some of the ridiculous ads found in the backs of comic books? What comic book artists were lazy and stole work from other artists?  This book is a treasure trove of comic book trivia that is sure to please any comic aficionado.

I will say right off the top, I am not a comic book person.  I have nothing against them, loved the Archies comics as a kid, but never really got that into comics.  However, I had several boyfriends and friends over the years who were crazy for comic books, so I did get some exposure over the years.  As an adult, I have learned that I do really like graphic novels, and the mythology behind comic book heros, so when presented with the opportunity to review this book, I jumped at the chance.  It did not disappoint.

The thing I most like about this book is that the trivia is divided into short, topically specific lists, with different contributing authors.  I found that this really made the book flow nicely, and kept the information organized in a way that even a comic newbie would be able to follow.  While I was not completely familiar with most of the story arcs, characters, and information covered in the book, I still found it intensely interesting.  My proclamation, up completion of the book was, "I want to go read all the comics".  

I do think this book will really appeal to people interested in comics on many levels.  Novices like me will learn a ton of information, and increased interested is sure to be sparked.  Those more versed in comic book ephemera may know most of what the book covers already, but may like hearing the views of many of the artists and writers contributing to the comic industry today.  And who knows, perhaps there is a nugget or two in here that even the seasoned comic veteran never know.  All in all, a great book.

I received a review copy courtesy of the publisher.

Learn Something Every Day, by Young

Who does not love learning little bits of trivia?  What if you could learn a new fact for every day of the year?  What color was Elvis' hair naturally, and was he an only child?  What did a bigwig at Crayola confess upon retirement?  All kinds of amusing, and at times outrageous, facts are contained in this illustrated book.

I thought this book was just so cool.  I am a sucker for trivia and unusual facts, so this book was right up my alley.  The pages are brightly colored, and each page is accompanied by a really cute illustration, so it was really fun to read.

Even though this book is not all that long and does not contain all that much text, I still was not able to sit down and read it all at once.  I think I started to suffer from fact overload.  I read it over the course of a few days.  For those apt to read in the bathroom, whether in the tub or otherwise indisposed, this makes great reading, because, well, like I said, it is fun.

One thing I will say, some of the facts in the book made me want to go do research, because they were so unusual or hard to believe.  Which is not necessarily a bad thing, it will get people reading more about those topics.

So all in all, a cute little novelty book that anyone would enjoy.


I received a review copy of the book courtesy of the publisher.