Aesthetically Pleasing – DaneCobain.com

John Lloyd, James Harkin and Anne Miller – 1,423 Qi Facts to Bowl You Over | Review

Title: 1,423 Qi Facts to Bowl You Over

Author: John Lloyd, James Harkin and Anne Miller

Type: Non-Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 390

Rating: 4*/5

John Lloyd, James Harkin and Anne Miller – 1,423 Qi Facts to Bowl You Over

Disclaimer: While I aim to be unbiased, I received a copy of this book for free for review purposes.

I’ve read and reviewed a few of these books so far, and so we’re now at the point where Faber & Faber just automatically pop a copy of every new one as and when they’re released. There’s not too much that I can say here that I haven’t said for the previous ones. It’s aesthetically pleasing, interesting and easy to either dip in and out of or to read from cover to cover.

What I will say is that this particular collection feels somehow more “up to date” than previous releases have, possibly because it includes a bunch of facts about technology, the internet and social media. But honestly, while slightly over 1,400 facts might seem intimidating, I binged my way through the entire book in an afternoon. What can I say? I love trivia.

I’m not sure what else I can tell you here to sell you on the book, and so I figure I’m just going to share a few facts until I hit my word count. So here we go. A clock’s second hand is really it’s third hand. People who buy “bags for life” are safer drivers. In 2017, Doris Day discovered she was two years older than she thought she was. If you stood on top of a mountain on the moon and fired a gun at the horizon, you could shoot yourself in the back. In 2010, Fiji lost its original Declaration of Independence and had to ask Britain for a photocopy.

Still not convinced? Here are some more. The award ceremony for obituary writers is called “The Grimmies“. Richard Nixon once ordered a nuclear strike on North Korea while drunk. In 2004, a pine tree planted in memory of George Harrison died after an infestation of beetles. And of course, people who read books live longer than those who don’t. I like that last fact. It bodes well for me, and presumably for you too. If these facts haven’t swayed you then I guess this book isn’t for you. If they have, go ahead and get it.

John Lloyd and John Mitchinson

Click here to buy 1,423 Qi Facts to Bowl You Over.

Diana Wynne Jones – Howl’s Moving Castle | Review

Title: Howl’s Moving Castle

Author: Diana Wynne Jones

Type: Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 304

Rating: 4*/5

Dianne Wynne Jones – Howl’s Moving Castle

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this book, because although I watched the movie several years ago, I couldn’t remember it too much. Because of that, I can’t really tell you how close the book and the movie are, but I can hopefully give a decent insight into the book by itself.

Howl’s Moving Castle was a delightful little read that could appeal to both kids and adults, a fantastic little sojourn into a fantasy world that still has traces of our own world scattered throughout it. It reminded me of an Enid Blyton book, or maybe even of The Eye of the Dragon by Stephen King. It has the vibe of a classic fairy tale with a young adult fantasy edge.

Loosely speaking, the story follows what happens to a young girl called Sophie Hatter after she’s placed under a cruel enchantment. Cursed by the Witch of the Waste and with nowhere else to go, she finds herself settling in to live with a wizard called Howl. He’s a complicated chap from a mysterious, faraway country called Wales, and at first it starts to seem as though he’ll never change. But then they start to have adventures and the character development kicks in – but I can’t tell you about that without spoiling the story line.

Overall then, this is a great addition to anyone’s collection, and a fun one to read to your kids, if you have them. I don’t, but I didn’t let that stop me, and I found it to be a lot of fun. It whizzed by too, and I also loved the illustrations at the start of each chapter. It was an aesthetically pleasing read.