I know something you don't know (it's a fact) (Steve Wright's Further Factoids - Steve Wright)

Member Name: Caewan

Product:	Steve Wright's Further Factoids - Steve Wright
Date:	25/07/09 (76 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: fun read, interesting (but useless) facts to impress anyone

Disadvantages: doesn't flow well, no contents

"Steve Wright's Further Factoids" is the sequel (more like continuation) of "Steve Wright's Factoids", which in itself is based off a popular part of Steve Wright In the Afternoon on weekdays on BBC Radio 2. Steve Wright's radio program is apparently listened to by a third of Britain (there's a fact for you!).

The book, as on the radio, focuses on short, fun facts you wouldn't believe under normal circumstances - for example, on a random flip through the book, I came across this factoid: "Puppies replaced children on the Andrex adverts on advice of advertising regulators".

The book is 157 pages long, with a RRP of £6.99. It is published by HarperCollins in a collaboration with the FSC, which makes sure trees are planted to make up for the natural materials used in this book - something that's always nice to know but seems irrelevant when the book is bound in Italy.

The ISBN for this book is 987-0-00-725518-4.

The pages include purple and grey ink, which is a nice touch, and also relevant photographs. Underneath the factoid is a joke or a piece of commentary, which really makes it feel like a radio transcript, but others may find irritating after a while. The jokes are not terribly funny - think Dad humour or Christmas cracker jokes - but they do get a smile.

Flipping through the book, sections such as "The Beatles", "Celebrity Section #", "Unusual Afflictions & Strange Cures" and "Heroes & Villains" are apparent throughout the book, though unfortunately there is no contents.

Some excerpts I know you've all been waiting for!

"The Arshleder (arse-leather) backside-sliding world championships are held annually in Germany. Contenders slide down a hill on bottoms protected only by leather breeches...Don't even think any comic remarks are needed. Just close your eyes and picture them."

"Paul McCartney wrote "When I'm 64" for his dad Jim's birthday."

"Only 36% of the world's newspapers are tabloid."

"Six endings were filmed for the tv show "Cold Feet", killing off each of the six main characters, so no one would know who died until the episode went out. It was Rachel."

Overall, this book is very enjoyable. As a book, it does not have a very good "flow" as it is a series of disjointed, random facts, but these means you can turn to any page and begin reading right away. Its written in a light-hearted, friendly rapour, almost as if the author is talking to you. There is no bad language (apart from "arse" and the like), and no nudity, so its suitable for children, but very fun for adults too. The trivia is interesting and, at times, hilarious - good for pub quizzes or anyone enjoys pointless facts. The price means its not too steep to buy for a train journey, and not too cheap to feel guilty to give as a birthday present, for a listener of the show or not!

Summary: good for the curious, kids, dads and reluctant readers