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The Book of the Year 2018
‘My favourite geeks. Hilarious. Sideways. Brilliant.’ Tim Minchin
In a year dominated by Russian collusion and Brexit confusion, The Book of the Year returns with another dose of barely believable yet wholly unimpeachable facts and stories from the past twelve months.
Every week for the past four years, Dan, James, Anna and Andy – the creators of the award-winning, chart-topping comedy podcast No Such Thing As A Fish – have wowed each other and millions of their listeners with the most astonishing trivia they have learned over the previous seven days. Now, once again, they have put down the microphones, picked up their pencils, and transformed a year’s worth of weird and wonderful happenings into one uplifting book that you won’t be able to put down.
Discover how Peruvian mummies affected the World Cup, and why Love Island contestants are experts in game theory – as well as hundreds of stories that may have passed you by entirely, including the news that:
· NASA sent a man with a fear of heights to the International Space Station.
· An ice hotel in Canada caught fire.
· Mark Zuckerberg’s private data was compromised while he was talking to Congress about compromised data.
From Kim Jong Un’s personal potty to Jeremy Corbyn’s valuable vegetables, The Book of the Year 2018 is an eye-opening tour of yet another incredible year you didn’t know you’d lived through.
In a year dominated by Russian collusion and Brexit confusion, The Book of the Year returns with another dose of barely believable yet wholly unimpeachable facts and stories from the past twelve months.
Every week for the past four years, Dan, James, Anna and Andy – the creators of the award-winning, chart-topping comedy podcast No Such Thing As A Fish – have wowed each other and millions of their listeners with the most astonishing trivia they have learned over the previous seven days. Now, once again, they have put down the microphones, picked up their pencils, and transformed a year’s worth of weird and wonderful happenings into one uplifting book that you won’t be able to put down.
Discover how Peruvian mummies affected the World Cup, and why Love Island contestants are experts in game theory – as well as hundreds of stories that may have passed you by entirely, including the news that:
· NASA sent a man with a fear of heights to the International Space Station.
· An ice hotel in Canada caught fire.
· Mark Zuckerberg’s private data was compromised while he was talking to Congress about compromised data.
From Kim Jong Un’s personal potty to Jeremy Corbyn’s valuable vegetables, The Book of the Year 2018 is an eye-opening tour of yet another incredible year you didn’t know you’d lived through.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published October 18, 2018
77 people are currently reading
228 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
December 17, 2018
A nine hour long No Such Thing As A Fish Podcast? Yes please. Audiobook was definitely the way to go with this one.
August 26, 2024
As historical documents go, this one's pretty funny.
From the team that brought you 'The Book of the Year 2017' comes 'The Book of the Year 2018'. Full of fascinating facts about the year, organised alphabetically and with added Donald Trump.
From the team that brought you 'The Book of the Year 2017' comes 'The Book of the Year 2018'. Full of fascinating facts about the year, organised alphabetically and with added Donald Trump.
January 31, 2019
I mean I listened to the audiobook so it was basically a 10 hour version of the podcast, so can't complain at all.
September 5, 2020
Exactly what it says on the tin. An another edition of No Such Thing as a Fish in audiobook-form.
3 stars.
3 stars.
August 16, 2020
(This review concerns Book of the Year 2018, by James Harkin, Anna Ptaszynski, Andrew Hunter Murray, Dan Schreiber, in case Goodreads does this stupid thing where it collapses multiple entries into some type of anthology edition)
General impressions
NB: This book is part of a series. I may or may not have focused my efforts in reviewing the last part of the series.
Rating (Intuitive*): 4
Rating (Weighted**): 3.29
RMSE***(Intuitive,Weighted): 0.51
Mean error***(Intuitive,Weighted): -0.01
Format: Audiobook
Language: English
The audiobook versions of No Such Thing as a Fish's Book of the Year ("Audiobook of the Year" are basically bonus podcast episodes. So much so that some entries are recorded at live podcast events during their various tours. I guess this gives me the opportunity to review a podcast on here.
Anecdotes and data
Numeracy and epistemic hygiene: 1/5 [w:3]
Interestingness: 5/5 [w:2]
Since this book is 100% just a collection of amusing trivia, I guess you really shouldn't expect much apart from entertainment value (which it delivers), but it irks me to no end that they try to present this air of credibility or intellectual-ness but whew do get reminded of Gell-Mann amnesia whenever they approach a subject with which you are familiar. This may or may not be especially egregious in this specific volume, but is evident throughout their podcast back catalog. What is (maybe) worse, is that the anecdotes are specifically editorialised to be as surprising as possible. Granted, they sometimes explain why an anecdote that seems very unusual on its face isn't all that unexpected.
Presentation
Clarity & disposition: 4/5 [w:2.5]
Prose: 4/5 [w:1.5]
Design, layout and gimmicks: 4/5 [w:1.5]
The structure is that of an encyclopaedia, with each chapter being a letter, and then listing amusing or unusual events during the year in question in (roughly) alphabetical order. Much more than in the case of most other audiobooks, there's a lot of stuff going on "off script" as it were. In a lot of audiobooks, you have the reader doing voices, you may have some sound effects or a short music score or something. But since Audiobook of the Year is read by a regular podcast ensemble, there's also a lot of banter going on, as well as some entries being recorded at live podcasting shows.
Additional modifiers
Page turner factor: 4/5 [w:3.5]
Mind blown factor: 3/5 [w:2.5]
Author credibility: 1/5 [w:1]
Recommended related reading*****:The No Such Thing as a Fish podcast.
*The rating I felt this deserved before thinking about it too much.
**Weights displayed next to each applicable scoring criterion. (Weights version 3.1)
***Root mean squared error and mean error calculated for all reviews using this format for books read from 2020-07-12 up until this book (24 reviews).
*****With a bias in favour of stuff I've read more recently, so stuff might be missing.
January 9, 2019
Quick note first: In case you have not enjoyed the wonderful tones of No Such Thing As A Fish, the podcast is brought to you by the QI Elves (from the BBC Two Panel show) and each week they bring their fact of the week.
For the second year the No Such Thing As A Fish podcast crew are back with their book of the year, and yet again it did not disappoint. The guys (and girls) took us on an A - Z trip of 2018, guiding us through some of the news stories that might have passed you by! Some funny but all very interesting. Once again the book as easy to dip in and out of, you certainly don't have to sit and read the book all at once, but you might want to! The lighthearted writing makes it easy.
The only downside was the sections that say 'for blah, see blah blah', it takes up room in the book and is never interesting or funny. I'd like to see it taken out for next years edition!
While I haven't heard the full audio version I've listened to the first chapter and it was delightful with extra bits and pieces! My Brother-In-Law and Aunty both received a copy of the book from my mother as they both kept asking to borrow it! We all enjoyed it and would recommend it.
For the second year the No Such Thing As A Fish podcast crew are back with their book of the year, and yet again it did not disappoint. The guys (and girls) took us on an A - Z trip of 2018, guiding us through some of the news stories that might have passed you by! Some funny but all very interesting. Once again the book as easy to dip in and out of, you certainly don't have to sit and read the book all at once, but you might want to! The lighthearted writing makes it easy.
The only downside was the sections that say 'for blah, see blah blah', it takes up room in the book and is never interesting or funny. I'd like to see it taken out for next years edition!
While I haven't heard the full audio version I've listened to the first chapter and it was delightful with extra bits and pieces! My Brother-In-Law and Aunty both received a copy of the book from my mother as they both kept asking to borrow it! We all enjoyed it and would recommend it.
December 7, 2018
Trivial, but absorbing and entertaining
No Such Thing as a Fish is a weekly British podcast series produced and presented by the researchers behind the BBC Two panel game QI. In it each of the researchers, collectively known as "The QI Elves", present their favourite fact that they have come across that week.
The regular QI elves who present No Such Thing as a Fish are Andrew Hunter Murray, Dan Schreiber, Anna Ptaszynski and James Harkin.
This book is effectively a massive episode of the podcast. The Elves present a compendium of topical facts in 365 categories. Each presenter takes it in turn to present their favourite facts. Then they discuss the information surrounding that fact, and the other presenters add in extra facts and information connecting to it. This bumper book is fun, and packed with offbeat, silly facts. The tone is just right: dry, sharp and deadpan. Recommended for everyone who loves nuggets of trivial news.
No Such Thing as a Fish is a weekly British podcast series produced and presented by the researchers behind the BBC Two panel game QI. In it each of the researchers, collectively known as "The QI Elves", present their favourite fact that they have come across that week.
The regular QI elves who present No Such Thing as a Fish are Andrew Hunter Murray, Dan Schreiber, Anna Ptaszynski and James Harkin.
This book is effectively a massive episode of the podcast. The Elves present a compendium of topical facts in 365 categories. Each presenter takes it in turn to present their favourite facts. Then they discuss the information surrounding that fact, and the other presenters add in extra facts and information connecting to it. This bumper book is fun, and packed with offbeat, silly facts. The tone is just right: dry, sharp and deadpan. Recommended for everyone who loves nuggets of trivial news.
January 9, 2019
Another humours and interesting look at the year that was, with a complete A to Z of the year's most unimportant news, but definitely the silliest, funniest, and most interesting. I 'read' the audiobook version, which in addition to the text from the print or ebook versions read by the four authors, also has them intersecting each other with their wit, much like the popular podcast No Such Thing As A Fish, which this is a spin off of. Alway good for a read/listen for the next to you want to strike up a conversation, by saying, 'Hey, did you know...?'
January 8, 2019
2018 clearly wasn't as intriguing as 2017; the prequel far out classed this book. That is not to say it wasn't funny and charming at times but I feel it didn't have the same pull as the first one.
I love No Such Thing As A Fish and it saddens me to say that it was rather average when I feel i should be ranting and raving about it's brilliance. Yet, I use this platform to be honest and it lacked somewhat.
I love No Such Thing As A Fish and it saddens me to say that it was rather average when I feel i should be ranting and raving about it's brilliance. Yet, I use this platform to be honest and it lacked somewhat.
November 26, 2024
Hilarious and Full of Amazing Facts.
If you enjoy the QI, the No Such thing as a Fish Podcast or even just general knowledge events like pub quizzes then this is the book for you. Packed full of some slightly unbelievable, some hilarious and some slightly disgusting facts it makes for a very easy ready you can dip in and out of.
It can also be great for building your own quizzes for events or parties.
If you enjoy the QI, the No Such thing as a Fish Podcast or even just general knowledge events like pub quizzes then this is the book for you. Packed full of some slightly unbelievable, some hilarious and some slightly disgusting facts it makes for a very easy ready you can dip in and out of.
It can also be great for building your own quizzes for events or parties.
December 7, 2018
I actually got this book for free after attending a live podcast recording. After last year's book I didn't have much appetite to buy a similar book again. If like me, you keep abreast of the news then much of the stories in this book, will be revision. Though very occasionally, there is a gem of a story that is unknown to you and is genuinely hilarious. One fact that stands out is: "Scientists invented a contact lens that lets you shoot lasers from your eyes". It was entertaining enough to stave off boredom. Like I said last time, the audiobook is probably a lot more entertaining.
This time, I skipped the "For x, see y" sections entirely because it very rarely had any jokes in it previously. There was one factual inaccuracy, in that they say cannabis is a viable cure for glaucoma. No physician in the world would prescribe smoking weed as a glaucoma treatment. I think I saw some statistics about this once, that said several tonnes of weed would have to be smoked for any tangible effect. There was a nice section on mocking Trump, as in yesteryear.
Again they do not cite sources for their content and it may be difficult to fact check the assertions or simply read about a topic further.
This time, I skipped the "For x, see y" sections entirely because it very rarely had any jokes in it previously. There was one factual inaccuracy, in that they say cannabis is a viable cure for glaucoma. No physician in the world would prescribe smoking weed as a glaucoma treatment. I think I saw some statistics about this once, that said several tonnes of weed would have to be smoked for any tangible effect. There was a nice section on mocking Trump, as in yesteryear.
Again they do not cite sources for their content and it may be difficult to fact check the assertions or simply read about a topic further.
February 10, 2019
This is one of my favourite podcasts, and their audiobook is, as advertised, basically an extended podcast. Well worth getting in audio for the banter between the hosts. There were a couple of clangers that make me wonder if more research wasn't needed at times (e.g. referring to the Disney film "Zootopia" as "Zootropolis"), but overall it's a light-hearted look at the quirkier news of the year.
November 1, 2018
A verdade é que ouvi o audiobook. Umas cinco vezes. Em duas semanas. Vale a pena para todo mundo que gosta do podcast. Alguns dos fatos são repetidos, mas, em geral, está cheio de coisas interessantes e engraçadas.
December 24, 2018
I can't fathom reading the print version of the book, at least not cover to cover. However, as a fan of the podcast, I find the audiobook to be like an extra 9 bonus hours of the gang sharing and joking about interesting facts.
December 26, 2018
A cheerful romp through obscure news stories from the past year. Funny, interesting and informative, but I suspect the audiobook version of this would be better - more like a long episode of the podcast.
December 31, 2018
The audiobook is the only way to go, as it is only a casual reading of the book with lots of asides, similar to a podcast.
The Google audiobook had several weird issues, though, with the quality of the sound being echo-y and fairly regular repeats of phrases.
The Google audiobook had several weird issues, though, with the quality of the sound being echo-y and fairly regular repeats of phrases.
January 23, 2019
My 1st finished book of the year! And what a great way to start - with a recap of the most interesting news of 2018
I love No Such Thing As A Fish & eagerly anticipated this book after the 2017 offering - this did not disappoint :)
I love No Such Thing As A Fish & eagerly anticipated this book after the 2017 offering - this did not disappoint :)
April 29, 2019
I love this podcast, and I loved this book almost as much. These four people are very clever, very witty, and smart. The format was a little weird (alphabetical) to start with but the cross-references are solid. And funny. THIS is why I love trivia!
February 9, 2021
More of No Such Thing As a Fish? Yes, please! Honestly, it's also fun to read about a time when there was more going in on the world than a pandemic.
It's the kind of book that you pick up, read a couple of facts and put back down again.
It's the kind of book that you pick up, read a couple of facts and put back down again.
March 26, 2021
I feel like audio books shouldn't count as books 'read'. But it has been read. With my ears. Same as the others. Basically like a 9 hour podcast from the Fish gang and therefore excellent in every way possible.
June 9, 2018
Very entertaining but ultimately just a tad too drawn out. Less is more sometimes.
October 28, 2018
Yearly Staple
Love the podcast and brought last years book and will carry on the tradition next year.
A witty book of facts
Love the podcast and brought last years book and will carry on the tradition next year.
A witty book of facts
November 29, 2018
Absolutely brilliant. At work I've started a 'fact of the day' board in the kitchen, and 99% of what I write there is taken from this book.
December 10, 2018
No Such Thing As Too Much Fish
for anyone who knows what it is, it's just what you want it to be
for anyone who knows what it is, it's just what you want it to be
December 25, 2018
The Book of the Year 2018
Another great book from No Such Thing As A Fish! Cannot wait for next year's edition. Such a lovely roundup of the year's events.😀
Another great book from No Such Thing As A Fish! Cannot wait for next year's edition. Such a lovely roundup of the year's events.😀
December 28, 2018
It's essentially a nine-hour version of the No Such Thing as a Fish podcast, discussing facts from the year. What's not to like?
January 9, 2019
Excellent fun, highly recommend audio book, lots of extra stuff
January 11, 2019
Really good fun to pick up and laugh at an odd or funny fact. Well worth listening to the Fish podcast to get an idea on the voices and how the book should be read.
January 16, 2019
The audiobook for this is, as always, the best.
January 17, 2019
Great Book, great format - everything you'd want from the podcast team!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews