Great book

[DenL42]

Ken - just wanted to say I polished off "Brainiac" last night and enjoyed it wholeheartedly. I read AJ Jacobs' book as well, when it came out, and as good as it was, I had a better time with yours. Thanks to you, I'm going to be forced to explain to my wife why we need to go to the middle of Wisconsin for... a trivia contest???

Any appearances scheduled in Ohio (preferably Columbus) any time soon? My closest experience with Jeopardy! came when I saw the live taping of the college championship at Ohio State a few years back. During the Q-and-A session, I desperately wanted to ask Alex if he ever got that money Marge Simpson owed him, but he never called on me. Rats.

-Dennis

[hutch]

I checked this book out of the library today and read it in one evening. I was surprised at what a good writer Ken is. I've always had a fascination with unusual trivia and enjoyed Ken on Jeopardy, although my husband insisted he was an Alien from another planet sent to Earth to make us feel stupid. The book was funny and an excellent read and I would reccommend it to anyone.
Cindy

[JonMoss]

I too checked out Brainiac from the library yesterday and between work and jazz concerts, I'm nearly half finished. I'll post more when I've finished it (probably later tonight) but I'm loving every page of Brainiac so far.

[abeagler]

I read Brainiac over the holiday weekend and very much enjoyed it, as did my mother-in-law. It was interesting to read the breadth of material, and for me as a former college bowl player to read about the state of the game today (ACF tournaments were hard enough when I played, now they sound ludicrous).

Anyway, good work Ken. A very entertaining read!

Colin

[kcaudrain]

I'm loving the book! It's far more interesting and readable (OK, for me anyway then [i]Humbolt's Gift [/i]the current selection for my book discussion), didn't read it in one night - however - just to about page 100 or so, I need something to read during lunch! I, too, read AJ Jacob's book, and I liked it just fine - differeent format, different person - I also enjoy Bill Bryson, lots of information, inan easy to comprehend way.
Way to go!

[Ken Jennings]

Thanks! I want to put "More readable than Humboldt's Gift!" on the cover of the paperback.

[kcaudrain]

Let me tell ya' - I bet most of the boook discussion group would get a kick out of it! I'll be watching for the next book!
I'm pretty good at Lego's if you need a babysitter! (Yep! I read the acknowledgments, my kids (14 & 12) don't play Lego's much anymore, )
ha - ha!

[braggtastic]

This might be some kind of sad record, but I finished Brainiac today, two weeks shy of the year anniversary of my buying the book/seeing Ken read/sign at Union Square in NYC Sept 14, 2006. Working full time and being in grad school at night doesn't leave a lot of time for pleasure reading. In fact, if my professor hadn't canceled class that night for a reason I no longer remember, I wouldn't have made it to the reading.

Classes start again Tuesday, and I've been doing a lot of pleasure reading this summer, everything from Harry Potter to Don DeLillo. Brainiac is right up there in terms of being an entertaining, well written book. Belated congratulations Ken, and best of luck with your second book. I hope it won't take me fifty weeks to read that one.

[TheConfessor]

Belated congratulations Ken, and best of luck with your second book. I hope it won't take me fifty weeks to read that one.

If you read Ken's Trivia Almanac at its intended pace, it will take you 52 weeks.

[IndySOG03]

This might be some kind of sad record, but I finished Brainiac today, two weeks shy of the year anniversary of my buying the book/seeing Ken read/sign at Union Square in NYC Sept 14, 2006.

I've got you beat by a week -- I just finished it over the Labor Day holiday. Allow me to what are now redundant congrats, Ken! I was quickly taken back to my own days of College Bowl and high school academic team practices (though we didn't have nearly the success listed in the book). Thanks very much for not only a great take on trivia and its history, but for taking me back to those happy times!

[ozzo2k]

As I am from the UK I dont understand most of the references to the American competitions but I can't seem to put the book down. It must be the great way in which Ken writes, not only do I find myself aghast with a lot of new information but laughing along the way. I didn't know what to expect when I first started to read the book but I didnt think I would enjoy it so much. I just hope (and please tell me there will be) the second book is just as good.

Mark Austin
Barton upon Humber
England

[RingoOSU]

I just finished Brainiac, right after reading Prisoner of Trebekistan, both great books. Anyway, when Ken mentioned fellow quiz bowl vet Matt Bruce, I was immediately taken back to when I was a student in the Union Public School system in Tulsa, and my brief attempt at Quiz teams, especially in Math Counts, the math quiz competition. Our team could never beat Matt Bruce of Carver Middle School. As far as I can tell, it's the same fellow. I'm sure he wouldn't remember me, cause I was just smart enough to be above average and to hang with the gifted, but not good enough to ever actually win anything. But I'll never forget Matt.

[melissa]

Belated congratulations Ken, and best of luck with your second book. I hope it won't take me fifty weeks to read that one.

If you read Ken's Trivia Almanac at its intended pace, it will take you 52 weeks.

Maybe this should be a thread of its own, but how did/are you reading it? Day by day, week by week, or from front to back? Did you start with January 1st, or with the date you bought it?

I'm just curious how others are doing it.

[econgator]

I read each day on its day.

[melissa]

I read each day on its day.

That's how I'm doing it, too, and I've been told that's crazy.

I learned a long time ago to never give my brother a calendar, because he'll sit and read every cartoon of the day in one sitting. Now, to me, that's just nuts!

BTW, great read, Ken! Even though I did have the sitting up in bed in the middle of the night moment, saying, "Eisenhower!"

.