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Jaroslavas Melnikas – The Last Day | Review

Title: The Last Day

Author: Jaroslavas Melnikas

Type: Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 186

Rating 4/5

I don’t really know how to explain this one. I guess if I had to pigeonhole it, I’d call it literary fiction, but it’s also kind of like a set of short stories mixed together into one psychedelic whole. We start with a book that accurately predicts the day of people’s deaths, move on to disappearing rooms inside a family house and then eventually end up at a strange cinema that seems to have no staff.

It’s tough going and definitely not an easy read, but it’s also one of those books that compels you to keep on reading because you can’t wait to find out what happens next. And yet despite that, it’s not a plot heavy book. I don’t normally like this kind of stuff, but Melnikas nailed it. And of course, by reading this book, you’re also supporting Lithuanian literature and picking up a BBC Book of the Year award-winner, if you care about such things. Go and read it.

Click here to buy The Last Day.

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.