Awesome book! I really loved learning all the different things that were in the book. I will say that it is more like short 2 page stories more than anything. I really enjoyed the different topics that were covered too. Definitely recommend 

This book compiles fascinating historical tales from the author’s podcast, exploring bizarre events, remarkable people, and unexpected connections—from the origins of the croissant to a dog’s wartime exploits. Always fascinating and often funny, the book is a pleasure to read. I enjoyed the audiobook narration.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review. 

Cabinet of Curiosities by Aaron Mahnke

I've had a lot of doctor appointments lately and this book is great for those times when I'm waiting but don't want to dive into a novel. Each chapter is short, to the point, and interesting to me. Some touch on history or historical figures and fill in gaps that I didn't know about events and people. Other stories introduce me to happenings that I knew nothing about. A lot of them had me searching the internet for more of the story because much of what I learned here had me wanting to know even more. It's a great book for trivia nerds like me, my poor husband will never hear the end of all the "fun facts" I have at my disposal now...ha ha

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC

A collection of interesting little stories and facts from world history, some featuring famous people doing little-known things, others highlighting spooky, funny, or intriguing moments. I can see this as an interesting book to leave on a coffee table or in a bathroom for guests to peruse when they have a spare moment, the stories were all a little too short for my preference - I often wanted to know more than the little snippet of facts we got. There were also too many tongue in check jokes and puns coming at the end of each story - not everything needs to have a “gotcha!” moment.

My favorite stories were those about famous writers like Agatha Christie, Mark Twain, and Edgar Allen Poe, and the ones about famous people in ancient cultures, like St Valentine’s murder in Rome, and Locusta the poisoner, history’s first documented hitman. The various war stories were a little boring to me - other than the trip of bunnies who attacked Napoleon’s hunting party, lol.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book.

For anyone who enjoys Ripley's, this collection is for you. A mixed bag of stories featuring people, animals, locations and objects with odd stories attached, there's something for everyone between the covers. Although some can be explained away or are simple coincidences, some are definitely harder to brush aside - like James Dean's cursed car, or the ring that tore a swathe through the musicians of the era! 

There's definitely something in this collection that will stay with you for quite some time, and I can't wait to compare with other readers and see which one stayed with them!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

I normally like weird fact books, but I think I'm just not a fan of Mahnke's writing style. Each one is written as a brief story, and he tends to leave out one piece of info until the very end as a surprise twist. Especially when it refers to famous people, he'll call them by a middle name or legal name until the reveal. It got annoying really quick, especially when I'm already familiar with a lot of these stories. These stories are fascinating on their own, it doesn't need a little 'gotcha!' moment to spice it up.

I am struggling with the format of mini-essays. I find it impossible to focus on reading for any length of time, and it's frustrating. I know this will be brilliant in audiobook, so as long as it is narrated by Aaron Mahnke, I will buy the audiobook upon release and finish the book in that format.