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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.

John Lloyd, John Mitchinson, James Harkin and Anne Miller – 1,342 Q.i. Facts to Leave You Flabbergasted | Review

Title: John Lloyd, John Mitchinson, James Harkin and Anne Miller

Author: 1,342 Q.i. Facts to Leave You Flabbergasted

Type: Non-Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 357

Rating: 4*/5

John Lloyd, John Mitchinson, James Harkin and Anne Miller – 1,342 Q.i. Facts to Leave You Flabbergasted

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

This book’s a lot of fun, and I don’t even need to explain the premise because it’s right there in the title. Suffice to say that it’s well-researched and easy to read – in fact, I whizzed through it in an hour or so, although you can read it however you’d like. And it’s interesting how the facts somehow seem to tell a narrative of sorts – or at the very least, they play word association with themselves – despite not being formally grouped into chapter headings or any specific order.

I could go on and on, but I’m going to let some facts do the talking, so here we go. Slugs have 27,000 teeth. In China, it is illegal to post erotic banana videos online. One in every 900 men from American Samoa play in the National Football League. Ducklings are capable of abstract thought. NASA scientists working on Mars rovers work to a Mars day, not an Earth day.

Really, that ought to be enough to tempt you into reading this book, but if it helps, I’d say this is one of my favourite Q.i. spin-off books so far. It’s just so easy to read, so much fun from start to finish, and there’s the added bonus of the 1,342 facts that you’re going to learn along the way.

John Lloyd and John Mitchinson – The Second Q.I. Book of General Ignorance

So overall, if you’re the kind of person who likes to expand their mind by learning new things, this book is for you. And for the more cynical of you – the folks like me who like to be able to check sources – there’s an accompanying website that allow you to see the sources for all of the facts on any individual page. Bonus!

By the way, did you know that the more people believe in witchcraft, the less they tend to give to charity? Need more? Then go read the book.