It’s the Trivia Lovers Guide for Free Fridays at Barnes & Noble

This week we’re taking a break from the world of fiction, and offering a fun, fact-filled compendium: The Trivia Lover’s Guide to the World by Gary Fuller.

There’s no doubt that most people, myself included, could use a geography refresher course. Not only have I forgotten most of what I learned in school, the maps have changed so much, most of it probably no longer even applies.

That’s where Gary Fuller’s accessible and engaging book can lend a hand. His (never trivial) trivia spans from U.S. geography know-how, to more worldly international facts and figures. So next time you’re watching Jeopardy, or discussing world affairs with a friend, you’ll be glad that you dipped into this helpful guide to all things geographic.

 Years ago, I was in at least three college classes where there was mention of an ongoing debate about what was the Great American Novel.  Several candidates were mentioned, but the consensus among my professors was that such a thing had yet to be written.  I strongly disagreed.  Huckleberry Finncaptured the spirit of the American frontier and the hypocrisy and contradictions of slavery.  To Kill a Mockingbird was written at about the time the debate was going on.  While it had some of the same themes as Huck, it conveyed also the incredible irony of the rigidity of Southern manners and the treatment of African-Americans.  Surprisingly, perhaps because the book is lesser known than the other two, my third nomination is The Lords of Discipline .  Conroy’s work shares some of the same themes as the earlier books, but sets it in a military school.  I like all three and re-read them periodically while I wait for the next Great American novel to come along.