Tag: Clock

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

March 20, 2018
Authors F-J (By Surname)Authors K-O (By Surname)Non-Fiction

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

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

John Lloyd and John Mitchinson

 

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

Terry Pratchett – Thief of Time | Review

April 19, 2016
Authors P-T (By Surname)Fiction

Title: Thief of Time

Author: Terry Pratchett

Type: Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 322

Rating: 7/10

 

Terry Pratchett - Thief of Time

Terry Pratchett – Thief of Time

 

Thief of Time is an interesting one, because I’m well aware of the fact that I ought to like it – however, I just can’t honestly say that I did. Sure, it was well written and well edited, but the story itself just failed to resonate with me. It felt a little too much like a filler novel, something that Pratchett wrote for the sake of it, rather than because it adds serious value to the rest of the Discworld series as a whole.

Loosely speaking, the story line follows the Monks of History, who store time and “pump it from the places where it’s wasted (like underwater – how much time does a codfish need?) to places like cities, where there’s never enough time”. It’s a good idea, and the execution was alright, but I just didn’t think much of the characters.

The protagonists are Lu Tze and his apprentice, Lobsang Ludd, who are attempting to build the Disc’s first fully accurate clock. The only problem is, if they succeed then time will stop, and nobody’s got time for that. Unfortunately, like I said, the characters are unmemorable at best, and I personally found it pretty difficult to relate to them. Perhaps it’s my own fault – after all, Pratchett’s characterisation is usually so good that my expectations were high, and on this occasion, they just weren’t met.

All of this said, it’s still a decent enough read, which is why I still gave it a seven – at times, it’s laugh out loud funny, and it is at least enjoyable to experience Pratchett playing around with time. It’s hard to nail time down as a concept, and I’ve read a lot of books where the authors have done a pretty bad job of it. Pratchett’s up there with the best of them, though.

 

Terry Pratchett

Terry Pratchett

 

Click here to buy Thief of Time.