I received the cutest calendar for Christmas that tells me something I can celebrate everyday of the year. Yesterday was Women Rock and so I attended a showing of Georgia O’Keefe’s paintings, photography, and fashion. Today is National Trivia Day! My Dad got me hooked on trivia as a kid and I love it. I didn’t realize how many trivia books I owned until I went looking to celebrate toady. Here are a few of my favorites.
5087 Trivia Questions and Answers by Marsha Kranes, Fred Worth and Steve Tamerius is where my trivia collection began. My Dad gave me his copy and I brought it on a long road trip with my best friend as a way to keep ourselves entertained. We took turns asking each other questions and laughing at how much we didn’t know. It is a big wide world of information out there people! I have owned this book from long before you could just say, “Hey Siri / Alexa / Cortana…” and I still flip through it for fun.
The Order of Things is not a pure trivia book but it is one of my favorites to spark an interest in new subject matters. It lists, in order, all of the things in the world and until you look through it you won’t believe how deeply our world is interconnected.
Daily Dose of Knowledge and The Handy History Answer Book are both trivia books around my pet subject. I love anything historical and have used both of these books sporatically to foster a lifetime of learning about history.
I love mental floss so when I saw this irreverent guide I had to have it. The Condensed Knowledge reads like mental floss, full of information and ripe with humor. The perfect combination!
Thirty Days Has September, Cool Ways to Remember Stuff by Chris Stevens is the absolute best book for taking all that trivia and putting it together in ways that help you memorize it and seamlessly regurgitate it. If you ever have to cram for a pub trivia night this is the book for you.
Common Phrases and Where They Come From by John Mordock and Myron Korach is the trivia book for etymology enthusiasts. If you have ever wondered why we say things like “on the fence” this book is for you. A warning: this is the kind of trivia that helps you find friends for life or enemies in the office. Use sparingly.
And, this one is not really trivia, but The 2,548 Best Things Anybody Ever Said is more like trivia-eque quoting at its best. I have always wanted to be savvy enough with quotes to use another person’s words to capture my own ideas. Since this quote book is divided up into subject matter it is perfect for me. Now, when I need something to say about marriage or taxes I have a selection to choose from!
Good Job, Brain! is from a popular pub quiz podcast (unbeknownst to me until I saw this book!) and I grabbed it during my quick trip to the library yesterday. I already love the Q and A style of the book and I plan to find a willing victim to play trivia with me sometime this weekend.
Happy National Trivia Day!!
Tell me, please.
Do you enjoy trivia?
