I haven’t listened to the podcast, so I approached this book with no expectations or awareness of who the writer was. 

 

I enjoyed the tidbits in general. I like small, interesting tidbits that you might share as a “did you know” quick fact or might spark further research. I liked the assortment of information and the span of topics. I liked the quick, digestible approach to information and the humor imbedded in even some more grisly stories. 

 

However, this isn’t a book I’d probably use as a “did you know” because I wasn’t sure how much I could trust the information. Wikipedia was the primary source for a lot of the book, which… is an interesting choice. Even school children know not to use Wikipedia for a main source without doing more research.  Some of the information felt more like urban legends than verified information, and I didn’t feel like having to research every page to see if the information was verifiable or not. Some items also seemed like a little bit of a stretch, almost more like butterfly effect conclusions rather than verifiable, historically agreed on reasons why something happened in history. 

 

Overall it was a fun book, but I wouldn’t quote any of the information in it or consider it trustworthy even if it was interesting. 

 Cabinet of Curiosities is set up to share short stories of really random and connected facts across history. There are absolutely fascinating tidbits of information. The audiobook is narrated by the author, Aaron Mahnke, who has a podcast with similar topics, so there is a conversational feel to listening. Unfortunately for me, this was a DNF, and very much an "it's not you, it's me" situation. The short stories are too short for me and were not able to hold my interest while listening. This is one I'd consider returning to a different time of the year when my brain is less scattered overall.

Thank you to MacMillan Audio for the ALC for review. Cabinet of Curiosities is out 11/12/24. 

A great coffee table or toilet read full of short and intriguing stories from around the world and throughout history. Whether it’s incredible coincidences or baffling mysteries, even astounding animal adventures, Mahnke gathers information in the vein of his popular podcast to keep you entertained and informed. The best way to experience it is on audio, but the physical or digital copy is great for a quick sit down. I did feel a bit old when he had to explain to Dana Schwartz who Paul Harvey was, but otherwise enjoyable. 

Thank you to NetGalley for my digital copy. These opinions are my own.

Fascinating stories from the man behind the Lore podcast

Back in my youth I loved to peruse selections in the monthly Scholastic Books catalogue at school, and a particular favorite selection was the Ripley’s Believe It or Not book. Quirky stories that made a child with a vivid imagination wonder, “How did THAT happen?!”.  If you were like me in that regard, or are just someone who is intrigued at the thought of odd happenings throughout the past and into the present, then this book will be right up your alley. Author Aaron Mahnke has compiled all manner of interesting snippets of history,  what he calls, “A Historical Tour of the Unbelievable, the Unsettling, and the Bizarre” into this book. Sorted into general categories, each tale is but a few pages long, so the reader can choose to indulge in little bits or big chunks as they prefer.  Some are just odd things about which to puzzle, others are decidedly more in the macabre vein; some may be familiar, others could be virgin territory.  I found that the storytelling drew me in; like the old potato chip ad I couldn’t stop at just one story. Listeners to Mahnke’-connected podcasts (Lore, Cabinet of Curiosities, and Grim & Mild) should gobble up this collection, as should readers of the Ridley books of my youth and viewers of shows like Unsolved Mysteries.  My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me early access to this unique and mildly addictive read.

✦ read if you like :

-podcasts, especially Aaron Mahnke’s podcasts Lore & Cabinet of Curiosities!

-obscure history

-trivia & weird facts 

-bite sized stories

-bizarre coincidences 

-dad jokes 

They say “truth is stranger than fiction.” Aaron Mahnke & his knack for storytelling proves that to be true!

Wild Coincidences, Bizarre Events, Eerie Mysteries & Baffling Origins are just a few of the fun sections full of facts you never knew you needed to know.

Each section is broken up into 3-5 min bite sized stories, making it easy to squeeze a few in while driving or doing chores.

If you have an affinity with anything historical, mysterious or unusual, both this book & his podcast of the same name need to be on your radar! I 100% recommend this one on audio, it was narrated by the author & so fun to listen too.

Thank you to @macmillan.audio #gifted audiobook!

First off, many thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this book as an audio ARC! I greatly appreciate it!
This was a fun little adventure! It reads more like a collection of flash cards than an actual book, but I had a great time just the same! 
My only complaint is that, as someone who's into this sorta thing, I'd heard the vast majority of these little tidbits already. That's a me problem, not a problem with the book, but still. 
Four stars out of five for Cabinet of Curiosities!