Curiously fun, pun intended. As it turned out, I read this one in bits
and pieces between chores, errands, and other books. That may be the
ideal way to read it. As I discovered when I pushed on reading longer,
the quickness of the chapters and variety of topics made it difficult to
switch gears at time. I was able to take in what I was reading much
better in smaller doses than large. In other words, this is one you can
pick up any time, flip to any section, read awhile, and come back to
later without missing a beat. The chapters are quite short although I
noted lengthier ones near the end. Not being familiar with the author's
podcast, I'm not sure if these were actual scripts used in the show or
slimmed down for reading. They all were easy reading and usually ended
with a pun, quip, or some sort of word play. I'll note here that there
is a list of the sources given at the end.
As for the stories
themselves, I was actually familiar with some, such as the Edwin Booth
tale, but most were unfamiliar to me. One of my favorites was early on
about the attempted assassination of Theodore Roosevelt. Quite a bit
more detail than I recalled reading in the past, so a boon to this
history major and fan of TR. Lots of familiar names will pop up but, be
aware, you may not know that name until the end, such as the tales of
Agatha Christie, Shakespeare, or, say, the weird connection of the coat
in Wizard of Oz. I didn't take time to calculate but would say that many
of the stories are actually about little known or even unknown people
like the jockey who died astride as his horse won a steeplechase or the
poor pilot sucked out of an airplane after the windshield went bye-bye.
Amazingly, he survived thanks to quick, strong friends. There are also
any number of war related tales, some about humans, some featuring
animals (yes, several doggie tales within). Eerie mysteries are always
fun and there are quite a few, as well as stories featuring strange
coincidences, and, well, many, many more topics. It's a fun, quirky
collection of tales where, if you're not taken by one, you can just move
on a page or two and be into another tale.
Bottom line, if
you're looking for an intriguing diversion that doesn't necessarily
demand huge chunks of your time all at once, this book may be for you.
It was largely an easy read. I'm thinking I may need to find his podcast
and give it a listen. Entertaining and, yes, strange, or even
bewildering. Some may have you shaking your head while muttering "No
way!" but you'll find something to grab your interest here, I'm
thinking, if you are the curious type. Thanks #StMartin'sPress for
giving me early access to this diverting read. Now I need to go check
out some composers 9th symphonies. Grin.
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