Koncocoo

Best Trivia

Now I Know: The Revealing Stories Behind the World's Most Interesting Facts
From uncovering what happens to lost luggage to New York City's plan to crack down on crime by banning pinball, this book will challenge your knowledge of the fascinating stories behind the world's greatest facts. "Every story in the book is interesting, and Lewis includes a 'bonus fact' at the end of each story which is a mini mind bender on its own."
Reviews
"The story on the Bats considered for use in spreading fires in Japan during World War II hooked me, line and sinker. I’ve included a small excerpts below, so readers can peruse the style of presentation utilized by the author. EXCERPT. BAT BOMB. USING BATS IN UNCONVENTIONAL WARFARE. During the final days of World War II, the United States, apparently believing that Japan was unlikely to surrender otherwise, dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The death toll from these two bombs numbered as high as 250,000 when one factors in those people who died up to four months later due to burns and radiation sickness. If the United States Army could figure out a way to start fires in a large number of buildings spread out over a wide area, the Japanese infrastructure and economy would suffer but the direct loss of life would be relatively small. But a few months before the Manhattan Project got underway, a dental surgeon named Lytle Adams came up with the idea to use bats— those nocturnal flying mammals— as part of the strategy. As he would later tell Air Force Magazine, after seeing millions of bats flying around caves in Carlsbad Canyon in New Mexico, he immediately thought that they could be used as a way to spread firebombs throughout Japan. He collected a few of them himself, did a little research, and found that even tiny bats weighing well under a pound could carry three times their weight in explosives. The timer ticks down and shortly after, without obvious explanations, hundreds of thousands of Japanese buildings start to burn to the ground. By March 1943, the U.S. military had identified a suitable population of bats, having located a series of caves in Texas that were home to millions of the flying critters. But the final report on the bat bombs issued in mid-1944, though positive, noted that they would not be ready for combat for another year. A fish lodge owner named Richard Perky built the Sugarloaf tower in 1928 with much fanfare— and one big problem. According to Atlas Obscura, when Perky put the bats into the tower, they flew off to find some bugs to eat— and never came back."
"As the owner of an extremely popular "interesting fact" website (TodayIFoundOut) and someone who runs a similar newsletter to Now I Know, I've read or at least skimmed pretty much every major interesting fact/story website and book out there, so I can tell you from vast experience that Dan Lewis is one of the best in this genre."
"For example and this is not in the book; Do you really think the American Civil War was fought because the North felt that no person should own another person? Romantically this is what is implied with every American history lesson but the full truth is that the North could not compete in an economy where the South had free labor."
"to his site/newsletter, so I was happy to get the book, which meant I could actually know more than one thing a day."
"A fun read to dip into a few minutes at a time as time allows."
"I've been subscribed to Dan Lewis's daily emails of fascinating facts for about a year, so I was very excited to see he was releasing a book."
"Wife is a trivia and useless facts nut."
"Quick reads, no plots to remember, and some amazing information."
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Life Hacks
You'll also learn how to make the most out of any situation with fun, problem-solving tricks like creating an impromptu iPod speaker from toilet paper rolls or snagging a free doughnut at your local Krispy Kreme shop. Keith Bradford is the sole owner and webmaster of Bradford Media, which publishes 1000LifeHacks.com, YupThatExists.com, and many other blogs/sites.
Reviews
"Several of the technology tips in the very beginning of the book work, however try them first to ensure that you're using hardware and software recommendations properly."
"Loved the hacks for DIY bug killers, Febreeze, and cures for bug bites."
"Loved this book."
"Great information and great quality and condition."
"I got this for my husband who loved it and bought more to share with his family on Xmas."
"Great book!"
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Bad Days in History: A Gleefully Grim Chronicle of Misfortune, Mayhem, and Misery for Every Day ofthe Year
National Geographic and author Michael Farquhar uncover an instance of bad luck, epic misfortune, and unadulterated mayhem tied to every day of the year. An upbeat catalog of defeats, faux pas and falls from grace that contributed to some very crummy moments.
Reviews
"I have enjoyed reading about these bad days in history."
"Hope he comes out with a 2nd version of bad days and I wish he would write more often so I don't have to wait so long for his next book!"
"Love it."
"Once a colleague was having a bad day and I checked the book to show him he is not the only one who had a bad day on that day."
"There was little humor in his prose."
"Only read 3/4 of it, got bored."
"This is a perfect read for those nights when you want to read for a half hour before going to sleep."
"Great book, some funny others not."
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Best Trivia & Fun Facts

Now I Know: The Revealing Stories Behind the World's Most Interesting Facts
From uncovering what happens to lost luggage to New York City's plan to crack down on crime by banning pinball, this book will challenge your knowledge of the fascinating stories behind the world's greatest facts. "Every story in the book is interesting, and Lewis includes a 'bonus fact' at the end of each story which is a mini mind bender on its own."
Reviews
"The story on the Bats considered for use in spreading fires in Japan during World War II hooked me, line and sinker. I’ve included a small excerpts below, so readers can peruse the style of presentation utilized by the author. EXCERPT. BAT BOMB. USING BATS IN UNCONVENTIONAL WARFARE. During the final days of World War II, the United States, apparently believing that Japan was unlikely to surrender otherwise, dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The death toll from these two bombs numbered as high as 250,000 when one factors in those people who died up to four months later due to burns and radiation sickness. If the United States Army could figure out a way to start fires in a large number of buildings spread out over a wide area, the Japanese infrastructure and economy would suffer but the direct loss of life would be relatively small. But a few months before the Manhattan Project got underway, a dental surgeon named Lytle Adams came up with the idea to use bats— those nocturnal flying mammals— as part of the strategy. As he would later tell Air Force Magazine, after seeing millions of bats flying around caves in Carlsbad Canyon in New Mexico, he immediately thought that they could be used as a way to spread firebombs throughout Japan. He collected a few of them himself, did a little research, and found that even tiny bats weighing well under a pound could carry three times their weight in explosives. The timer ticks down and shortly after, without obvious explanations, hundreds of thousands of Japanese buildings start to burn to the ground. By March 1943, the U.S. military had identified a suitable population of bats, having located a series of caves in Texas that were home to millions of the flying critters. But the final report on the bat bombs issued in mid-1944, though positive, noted that they would not be ready for combat for another year. A fish lodge owner named Richard Perky built the Sugarloaf tower in 1928 with much fanfare— and one big problem. According to Atlas Obscura, when Perky put the bats into the tower, they flew off to find some bugs to eat— and never came back."
"As the owner of an extremely popular "interesting fact" website (TodayIFoundOut) and someone who runs a similar newsletter to Now I Know, I've read or at least skimmed pretty much every major interesting fact/story website and book out there, so I can tell you from vast experience that Dan Lewis is one of the best in this genre."
"For example and this is not in the book; Do you really think the American Civil War was fought because the North felt that no person should own another person? Romantically this is what is implied with every American history lesson but the full truth is that the North could not compete in an economy where the South had free labor."
"to his site/newsletter, so I was happy to get the book, which meant I could actually know more than one thing a day."
"A fun read to dip into a few minutes at a time as time allows."
"I've been subscribed to Dan Lewis's daily emails of fascinating facts for about a year, so I was very excited to see he was releasing a book."
"Wife is a trivia and useless facts nut."
"Quick reads, no plots to remember, and some amazing information."
Find Best Price at Amazon

Best Trivia Games

Guinness World Records 2017
And as ever, our team of world-class photographers have traveled the globe to capture amazing images of the year’s most impressive record holders. Bonus content for the US edition Find exclusive pages just for the USA featuring amazing records from the X Games and a special look at the 125th anniversary of basketball. Gr 3 Up—The 2017 edition opens with a particular emphasis: a foreword by Buzz Aldrin, an interview with astronaut Chris Hadfield, and the first section focusing on space. VERDICT An engaging addition to most collections.—Beth McGuire, Hempfield Area School District, Greensburg, PA “As a middle school English teacher, I always keep a copy of the most current Guinness World Records book in my classroom.
Reviews
"My kids love this book!"
"She has consistently been picking this book to read at bedtime and I enjoy reading it together."
"got this for our daughters 9th birthday!"
"I Loved this Book and so did my 11 yr. old Grandson and he started reading this right away."
"My X generation son loved it and said his daughter will enjoy just a much."
"Grandsons get this every year!"
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Best Texas Travel Guides

Yonderings: Trails and Memories of the Big Bend
It was a time before Terlingua Ranch and chili cook-offs, and you could drive a hundred miles without seeing another vehicle or another person. He also writes about the lower Big Bend as it is found now, and what one can still rediscover just over the next rise. An eighth-generation Texan, BEN H. ENGLISH was raised mostly in the Lajitas-Terlingua area.
Reviews
"Yonderings.. had me remembering great times, places, views, and feelings, many times throughout each chapter."
"Reading this book has made me homesick for Sanderson and that entire region of West Texas that I like to call No-Man's Land! With a book that is filled with adventure and with stories from Ben's history, this book is for anyone who is looking for that read that has Texas History mixed in with personal stories of a famous landmark in a part of Texas that isn't talked about much."
"As a child of the Llano Estacado, whose family drove through the Caprock to go just about anywhere else in the state, I've long been fascinated with the mysteries all the mesas, gullies, red dirt and mesquite brush it held. Then, as each chapter unfolds, the reader feels more and more connected with the area and all of its hidden treasures and threats, as well as with the author and his family and friends. I highly recommend this book for anyone with an adventurous nature, and for those who just dream of learning more about this beautiful, wild, surprising State we live in."
"“The untold numbers of forgotten souls who had lived and died within our purview had left no more visible mark upon the land than melted snow at the close of a warm spring day.”. First let me say, finally, there is a nonfiction book that has photos that go with the chapters they represent. He shares the history of the area from Terlingua to the mining operations for uranium, magnesium, cinnabar ore to candelilla wax. After reading English’s book I now want to visit the park again and especially to hike what is considered the most beautiful spot in Texas – the Chisos Basin South Rim trail. I can relate to why English concentrated so much on using topographical maps while hiking that region, as well as overstating in a gentle reminding way that you don’t go off a known path unless you know the area. I was laughing while reading that passage and imagining I was sitting on the hill with the author and that pastor witnessing the stupidity of that particular driver. If you love hiking and being outdoors then this book will take you a journey to parts of the Big Bend region less traveled."
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Best Reference eBooks

The Glass Castle: A Memoir
Now a major motion picture from Lionsgate starring Brie Larson, Woody Harrelson, and Naomi Watts. MORE THAN SEVEN YEARS ON THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER LIST The perennially bestselling, extraordinary, one-of-a-kind, “nothing short of spectacular” ( Entertainment Weekly ) memoir from one of the world’s most gifted storytellers. In the beginning, they lived like nomads, moving among Southwest desert towns, camping in the mountains. Rex was a charismatic, brilliant man who, when sober, captured his children's imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and above all, how to embrace life fearlessly. Rose Mary, who painted and wrote and couldn't stand the responsibility of providing for her family, called herself an "excitement addict." As the dysfunction of the family escalated, Jeannette and her brother and sisters had to fend for themselves, supporting one another as they weathered their parents' betrayals and, finally, found the resources and will to leave home. What is so astonishing about Jeannette Walls is not just that she had the guts and tenacity and intelligence to get out, but that she describes her parents with such deep affection and generosity. Hers is a story of triumph against all odds, but also a tender, moving tale of unconditional love in a family that despite its profound flaws gave her the fiery determination to carve out a successful life on her own terms. A regular contributor to MSNBC.com, she lives in New York and Long Island and is married to the writer John Taylor. But I have a very vivid memory of this tough, leathery woman; she sang, she danced, she shot guns, she’d play honky tonk piano. Half Broke Horses is a compilation of family stories, stitched together with gaps filled in. A: Several years ago, the abandoned building on New York’s Lower East Side where Mom had been squatting for more than a decade caught fire and she was back on the streets again at age 72. She doesn’t live in the house with us-- I have not reached that level of understanding and compassion-- but in an outbuilding about a hundred yards away. Mom is great with the animals, loves to sing and dance and ride horses, and is still painting like a fiend. She opens her memoir by describing looking out the window of her taxi, wondering if she's "overdressed for the evening" and spotting her mother on the sidewalk, "rooting through a Dumpster." Walls's parents—just two of the unforgettable characters in this excellent, unusual book—were a matched pair of eccentrics, and raising four children didn't conventionalize either of them. Her father was a self-taught man, a would-be inventor who could stay longer at a poker table than at most jobs and had "a little bit of a drinking situation," as her mother put it. With a fantastic storytelling knack, Walls describes her artist mom's great gift for rationalizing. While Walls's father's version of Christmas presents—walking each child into the Arizona desert at night and letting each one claim a star—was delightful, he wasn't so dear when he stole the kids' hard-earned savings to go on a bender. The Walls children learned to support themselves, eating out of trashcans at school or painting their skin so the holes in their pants didn't show.
Reviews
"I felt that I could relate to this book because I grew up in poverty and had to adjust to society when I left home."
"Read it!"
"Amazing story."
"Well written, but I wanted to strangle her parents."
"Great book."
"Beautifully written but hard to imagine."
"Very dysfunctional story."
"I give thus book as a gift to my friends who have never read it."
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Best Curiosities & Wonders

Atlas Obscura: An Explorer's Guide to the World's Hidden Wonders
Talk about a bucket list: here are natural wonders—the dazzling glowworm caves in New Zealand, or a baobob tree in South Africa that's so large it has a pub inside where 15 people can drink comfortably. Not to mention the Great Stalacpipe Organ in Virginia, Turkmenistan's 40-year hole of fire called the Gates of Hell, a graveyard for decommissioned ships on the coast of Bangladesh, eccentric bone museums in Italy, or a weather-forecasting invention that was powered by leeches, still on display in Devon, England. “Fair warning: It's addictive.” — NPR, “Cosmos & Culture” “In this gorgeous collection, the celebrated Atlas Obscura website is condensed into 480 pages of awe-inspiring destinations. “Odds are you won’t get past three pages without being amazed at something truly strange that you didn’t know existed.” — San Francisco Chronicle. “Richly illustrated, delightfully strange, this compendium of off-beat destinations should spark many adventures, both terrestrial and imaginary.” — Boston Globe. “Whether describing a Canadian museum that showcases world history through shoes, a pet-casket company that will also sell you a unit for your severed limb, a Greek snake festival, or a place in the Canary Islands where inhabitants communicate through whistling, the authors have compiled an enthralling range of oddities. Featuring full-color illustrations, this hefty and gorgeously produced tome will be eagerly pored over by readers of many ages and fans of the original website.”— Booklist (Starred Review). a wonderful browse [for] armchair travelers who enjoyed Brandon Stanton’s Humans of New York and Frank Warren’s PostSecret .” — Library Journal. It's the kind of book that makes you want to pack in your workaday life and head out to places you'd never have dreamed of going, to see things you could not even have imagined. “ Atlas Obscura is a joyful antidote to the creeping suspicion that travel these days is little more than a homogenized corporate shopping opportunity. Here are hundreds of surprising, perplexing, mind-blowing, inspiring reasons to travel a day longer and farther off the path. Never start a trip without knowing where a haunted hotel or a mouth of hell is!”. —GUILLERMO DEL TORO, filmmaker, Pan’s Labyrinth “ What a strange and wonderful book! Each page reveals some hidden realm—a realm that is frightening, or funny, or magical, or simply mad, but that always leaves the reader in wonder.”. —DAVID GRANN, author of The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon. Be grateful when visiting the Karni Mata Rat Temple if one of the 20,000 venerated rodents runs across your bare foot—it is considered good luck.
Reviews
"Revel in the places that you've seen!"
"I read a short description of the book in the travel section of the SF Chronicle a few weeks ago, and made the purchase based on that. That said, there are items about things I have no interest in seeing, e.g., “Lake Monsters of the USA,” but there don’t seem to be many of that sort of thing included. As with "Lake Monsters," even if you (or a recipient) aren't likely to visit many of the places described, I think for many curious people this would make for an interesting read even without the travel element. It's not a perfect book, and I don't think any one book can be perfect for all readers, but I do think it's very good and I can easily recommend it for anyone who might be potentially interested."
"This book exceeded my already higher-than-average expectations."
"I think she is gonna love this."
"For all who love the obscure in life, this is your book."
"Wonderful book to have on table in living room where everyone can see it."
"WOW!"
"A lot of interesting and informative info."
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Best Questions & Answers Reference

Flawless Consulting, Enhanced Edition: A Guide to Getting Your Expertise Used
This Third Edition to Peter Block's Flawless Consulting addresses business changes and new challenges since the second edition was written ten years ago. New chapters on implementation, "whole-system" strategies, and ethics are included, but in general it simply fine-tunes Block's proven advice to match the transformations that business and society have undergone since initial publication two decades ago. "The task of the consultant is increasingly to build the capacity of clients to make their own assessments and answer their own questions." He then subtly modifies his established recommendations accordingly for every step, from the initial client meeting and problem diagnosis through data collection and the execution of solutions.
Reviews
"The man speaks the truth."
"This book, along with others by Peter Block, was a significant help in getting started and having the confidence to persevere for two years independently."
"This came to my notice as a consulting class e-book; I purchased a hardcopy after reading the first chapter."
"Bought the first edition shortly after Mr. Block spoke at my local ASTD dinner meeting in the mid-80's and have been smitten by his wisdom and clear, simple guides ever since."
"It doesn't look like a text book, however it's used in that purpose."
"Was recommended by a co-worker."
"Its a good book and was our tevtbook for the class on psychoeducation consultation for our counseling program."
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