Improve your powers of memory and recall and unlock your full potential with this brand-new title in Mensa's brain-training series. This full-colour book guides you through eight chapters, each focussed on your memory, how it works, and how you can both maintain and improve it. From tricks of visualisation and linking to mnemonics and mind palaces, as you progress your memorization skills will improve in both the short and long-term. The book will take you through the science behind memory, give instruction on how to improve yourself, and provide you with a series of puzzles and exercises to get you started on your memory-improving journey!

This is a fact-packed compendium of snippets from the past and present, including historical tales, legends and myths of the Lake District and the rest of the region from Barrow to Carlisle. The towns and villages all have their stories to tell of industries past and present, of natural and man-made disasters, of battles, of law and order, crimes and punishments. In The Little Book of Cumbria you will read of the people, their traditions, their heritage, language and folklore. The topics range from amusing trivia to great events that changed things forever. You can read the book from cover to cover or dip in at your leisure.

For decades, experts have been puzzled by what causes many previously happy, carefree young men to become perpetual moaners as soon as they hit middle age. And now they have found it, uncovered the truth behind the Holy Grail of modern medicine: the grumpy gene. To discover whether you (or your loved ones) possess the grumpy gene, this quiz book has been devised to gauge your reaction to hundreds of different situations, from airport scanning machines that never work to parcel delivery men who choose to ignore the address clearly marked on the label and prefer to drop off your parcel at any random house in the vicinity. Points are awarded for each answer and your total score indicates where you rate on the grumpy scale. Wry, funny and wonderfully well observed, this quiz book gives you all the tools you need to test for the grumpy gene - in yourself or in the old git in your life. With questions relating to weather, work, travel, gardening, technology, relationships, family and law and order (to name but a few), no stone is left unturned to find the answer to that eternal question: Are You a Grumpy Old Git?

Did you know? The town of Wincanton is twinned with a place that does not exist. William Gibbs of Tyntesfield House made his fortune by importing bird droppings from Peru. A song by 'Scrumpy and Western' singer Adge Cutler was banned by the BBC for being too raunchy. Nine villages in Somerset are known as the 'Thankful Villages'. From seaside to countryside and villages to towns, Somerset is a county where it's difficult to separate history and mystery. This fast-paced, fact-packed compendium of places, people and trivia reveals all sorts of answers to questions you might have wondered about - and some you didn't. The facts, stats and anecdotes will surprise even those familiar with this beautiful and historic county.

*The perfect gift for the incurably curious* 'The best trivia book of the season.' THE SPECTATOR 'Mind-blowing.' DAILY MAIL 'Genuinely interesting.' POPULAR SCIENCE Which lottery numbers should I pick? Is it true that we are made entirely of stardust? Can dogs tell the time? Why do songs get stuck in my head? If Rome wasn't built in a day, how long did it take? Do plants make noises? Where is last Wednesday? These are just a few of the questions put to the QI Elves by the listeners of BBC Radio 2's The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show. This book is a collection of their cracking, unexpected and frequently hilarious answers. Chock full with extra facts and illustrations from the Elves, 222 QI Answers to Your Quite Ingenious Questions will spark wonder and joy. Includes a foreword from Zoe Ball. *** For more from the team behind QI's hit TV show check out the QI FACTS series of books, @qikipedia and listen to their weekly podcast at nosuchthingasafish.com or visit qi.com

Did You Know? Wales is the only nation in the United Kingdom not to be represented on the Union Jack. During the First World War, Cardiff was the largest coal port in the world. Guglielmo Marconi sent the first ever wireless communication over open sea – from Wales. The Little Book of Wales is an intriguing, fast-paced, fact-packed compendium of places, people and history in Wales. Here we find out about the country’s food, sports, eccentric inhabitants, famous sons and daughters and literally hundreds of wacky facts (plus some authentically bizarre bits of historic trivia). A reference book and a quirky guide, this can be dipped into time and again to reveal something new about the people, the heritage, the secrets and the enduring fascination of Wales. A remarkably engaging little book, this is essential reading for visitors and locals alike.

'Brilliantly funny' SHAPARAK KHORSANDI 'Immensely enjoyable' BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE 'Every page contains delights' LINDSEY FITZHARRIS Why is Italy called Italy? How old is curry? How fast was the medieval Chinese post system? How do we know how people sounded in the past? Who invented maths? Responding to fifty genuine questions from the public, Greg Jenner takes you on an entertaining tour through history from the Stone Age to the Swinging Sixties, revealing the best and most surprising stories, facts and historical characters from the past. From ancient joke books, African empires and the invention of meringues, to mummies, mirrors and menstrual pads - Ask A Historian is a deliciously amusing and informative smorgasbord of historical curiosities.

A fun yet informative activity book for use in reminiscence work with older people. Covering the years 1930-1969, it draws upon memories and experiences of daily life, as well recalling major events and celebrities, in more than 600 questions and answers on news topics, entertainment, daily life and people. This is not simply a general knowledge quiz, as it is designed with the individual needs of elderly people in mind. The question can be adapted for use with all levels and abilities. Conversation is encouraged by providing questions which focus on everyday- life as experienced by people at the time. Many answers are supported by a wealth of entertaining, background information which stimulates further reminiscence.

The perfect boredom-busting book for long winter evenings with the family, Richard Herring's Would You Rather? is packed with hundreds of the biggest questions to face us all, including: Would you rather have a conversation with a dolphin or an elephant? Would you rather fall in love or fall into a swimming pool full of your favourite biscuits? Would you rather live in a giant shoe or a giant peach? Would you rather own a car with Jimmy Carr, a lorry with Laurie Anderson or a van with Van Morrison? The questions will have the whole family, whether 6 or 106, debating on car journeys and train journeys, or stuck in on wet days during the school holidays, and will keep you entertained around the table at Christmas lunch (or when you're falling asleep after Christmas lunch...). Fun, family-friendly and often completely bonkers, this book is a perfect gift as well as a game.

Loaded with meaty trivia and tasty, bite-sized facts! mental_floss is proud to offer a delicious, hearty helping of brain-food that's sure to fire up your neurons and tantalize your synapses. Condensed Knowledge is a mouthwatering mix of intriguing facts, lucid explanations, and mind-blowing theories that will satisfy even the hungriest mind! Ingredients include: 5 tiny nations that get no respect * 4 civilizations nobody remembers * 5 classics written under the influence * 4 things your boss has in common with slime mold * 3 schools of thought that will impress the opposite sex * 4 things Einstein got wrong * 5 classical tunes you know from the movies * 3 famous studies that would be illegal today * 2 religious mysteries solved by chemistry * 5 scandals that rocked art, and much more ...

'What guts. What attitude! These are the immortals I wish I'd learned about at school.' OLIVIA COLMAN Channel the feminist power of mythical goddesses in this witty, inspirational gift book. 'Wonderful.' CERYS MATTHEWS Whether it's the Norse warrior goddess Freya breaking all the rules, the Yoruba goddess Oshun being unafraid to ask for what she's owed, or the Japanese goddess Uzume finding humour and playfulness in even the most embarrassing of situations: this fierce and fantastic tour of 25 ancient deities reclaims these feminist icons for a new generation. Why settle for mere mortal excellence when you could be living like a goddess? Divinely illustrated by Georgia Perry, You Goddess! will help you conquer today's world.