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Good Job, Brain!: Trivia, Quizzes and More Fun From the Popular Pub Quiz Podcast
Discover mind-boggling factoids and quirky commentary that give the traditional bar trivia book for adults a totally fun reboot.
Which came first, Brad Pitt or lasers? Who, what, or where is “shrapnel” named after? And can you really use cheese to tell the future? These questions and many more are answered in Good Job, Brain!, a collection of freaky facts, perplexing puzzles, and quirky quizzes based on the award-winning podcast of the same name.
So step up, silly scholars seeking stupendous stimuli, for some...
•CRAZY-BUT-TRUE STORIES
•HILARIOUS QUIZZES
•REBUS PUZZLES
•CHALLENGING CROSSWORDS
•STRATEGIES AND TIPS TO WIN AT PUB QUIZ
Which came first, Brad Pitt or lasers? Who, what, or where is “shrapnel” named after? And can you really use cheese to tell the future? These questions and many more are answered in Good Job, Brain!, a collection of freaky facts, perplexing puzzles, and quirky quizzes based on the award-winning podcast of the same name.
So step up, silly scholars seeking stupendous stimuli, for some...
•CRAZY-BUT-TRUE STORIES
•HILARIOUS QUIZZES
•REBUS PUZZLES
•CHALLENGING CROSSWORDS
•STRATEGIES AND TIPS TO WIN AT PUB QUIZ
- GenresNonfictionTriviaGames
256 pages, Paperback
First published August 22, 2016
71 people are currently reading
534 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
March 7, 2024
I started listening to this podcast a couple months ago and it has been a lot of fun. Now that i am familiar with their voices, i could hear each person reading their sections in my head. A nice easy read with some fun quizzes, interesting facts, silly commentary, and neat puzzles.
September 19, 2018
Read this as an ebook. The print copy would be much better since you can actually do the puzzles. But as a fan of the podcast I enjoyed the book.
November 19, 2016
I'm a longtime listener of these four podcasters, and the book does a great job of capturing the feel of their show, "Good Job, Brain!" I can almost hear their voices as I read each person's contribution!! Just like their podcast, the book is a combination of quizzes and stories, all interesting.
What I like about their show, and the book, is how hard they work on format. The quizzes can challenge you by making you think about things in a different context.
A couple of my favorite examples:
The William Fakespeare quizzes... you know pop music, but would you recognize a song when transformed into Elizabethan English? "From the lad of alabaster visage, do I
Summon a performance of song, eccentric."
And so on!
My other favorite quiz is the recurring "Brad Pitt or Lasers?" It pits two unrelated things against each other to ask which came first... sometimes it's surprising, sometimes the time span is a lot less than you'd think... so, which is older, Brad Pitt, or lasers? Sesame Street or the Moon landing? LSD or Spam? :D
The quiz on diner lingo is pretty satisfying too! "Burn one, and drag it through the garden!"
The story segments are lifted from the most memorable moments of the podcast. My personal favorites include the Cold War CIA's "Project Acoustic Kitty," and also the misunderstood garbage ship that may have launched the 1980s recycling movement.
Seriously, if you like general knowledge, trivia, obscure stories, and being entertained, subscribe to the podcast! They used to have a new episode every week; it's a little more sporadic now, but always with the wait! And also check out the book!
What I like about their show, and the book, is how hard they work on format. The quizzes can challenge you by making you think about things in a different context.
A couple of my favorite examples:
The William Fakespeare quizzes... you know pop music, but would you recognize a song when transformed into Elizabethan English? "From the lad of alabaster visage, do I
Summon a performance of song, eccentric."
And so on!
My other favorite quiz is the recurring "Brad Pitt or Lasers?" It pits two unrelated things against each other to ask which came first... sometimes it's surprising, sometimes the time span is a lot less than you'd think... so, which is older, Brad Pitt, or lasers? Sesame Street or the Moon landing? LSD or Spam? :D
The quiz on diner lingo is pretty satisfying too! "Burn one, and drag it through the garden!"
The story segments are lifted from the most memorable moments of the podcast. My personal favorites include the Cold War CIA's "Project Acoustic Kitty," and also the misunderstood garbage ship that may have launched the 1980s recycling movement.
Seriously, if you like general knowledge, trivia, obscure stories, and being entertained, subscribe to the podcast! They used to have a new episode every week; it's a little more sporadic now, but always with the wait! And also check out the book!
July 9, 2017
This book is an absolute pleasure to read. Like many others, I am a longtime fan of the Good Job, Brain! podcast, and got this book to see if the GJB crew could be as fun on paper as they are in audio. In short, the answer is yes. The book is a combination of some of the best-of-GJB material, with some new quizzes, fun facts and histories. In addition to being fun to read, the book manages to achieve its goals without coming off as blatant GJB promotional material, which is no small feat. I would give this as a strong recommend for lovers of trivia, anybody who needs to intellectually decompress after a heavy read, or someone who wants a coffee-table book that doesn't require prolonged periods of intense focus. That's what Tolstoy is for, right? Finally, given that this book is tied to the GJB podcast, I would give a strong recommend to the original format as well. HOURS of fun to be had listening to them as well.
January 10, 2019
I have never heard of the podcasts, but my family loves trivia. This is a fantastic little book filled with lots of challenging quizzes and questions. Impressive!
January 23, 2017
It is a very pleasing collection of trivia stories and quizzes from my favorite trivia podcast. Wonderful read and I also recommend the podcast. Funny, entertaining, and informative
November 27, 2017
Good Job, Brain! is one of my very favorite podcasts, and I miss hearing new episodes. This book is a decent substitute until they (hopefully) resume recording.
December 7, 2017
Great for getting you to thinking. Pretty entertaining too.
November 6, 2018
I won this book in the giveaway! This trivia book was so much fun to read through with my partner. We would use this on most of our date nights! I would definitely recommend.
January 10, 2018
OH MY ACHING BRAIN; THAT WAS FUN!.........Karen, Colin, Dana and Chris have given me brain pain as I enjoyable chug along while reading their new book, "GOOD JOB BRAIN! Trivia, Quizzes and More Fun from the popular pub quiz podcast," say that three times fast. I have never listen to their podcasts but after reading a portion of their book I will be tuning in. After all, who doesn't like a good brain teaser or a fun factoid. If you're one of the mant that do, you'll certainly want to pick up a copy of GOOD JOB BRAIN!.
I can imagine myself bringing this book to several future gatherings, not that I crave to be the life of the party, but it is nice to have fun now and again. Can you imagine, I thought I was quite the prodigious pundit, alas, Good Job Brain has proven me wrong. There was an interesting segment about Cocktails. I didn't know a single one (I don't drink liquor). But then I redeemed myself when I glanced at another segment pertaining to Truth in Advertising. I got 9 out of 10 right. I concluded that I'd been around for a while and still have pretty good recall when it comes to useless facts.
Not only is GOOD JOB BRAIN! a laugh and a half but it's also extremely interesting. This book would make a great gift for almost anyone. I don't recommend it for kids though because the strain on the brain might prove too overwhelming. And take a look, you can't beat the price. The book has just been released and already it's seriously discounted.
I can imagine myself bringing this book to several future gatherings, not that I crave to be the life of the party, but it is nice to have fun now and again. Can you imagine, I thought I was quite the prodigious pundit, alas, Good Job Brain has proven me wrong. There was an interesting segment about Cocktails. I didn't know a single one (I don't drink liquor). But then I redeemed myself when I glanced at another segment pertaining to Truth in Advertising. I got 9 out of 10 right. I concluded that I'd been around for a while and still have pretty good recall when it comes to useless facts.
Not only is GOOD JOB BRAIN! a laugh and a half but it's also extremely interesting. This book would make a great gift for almost anyone. I don't recommend it for kids though because the strain on the brain might prove too overwhelming. And take a look, you can't beat the price. The book has just been released and already it's seriously discounted.
November 26, 2016
This book is a lot of fun, and is perfect for those times when you just need something to occupy a group of bored people. With us, that's family time, when we're driving somewhere.
We live pretty far out in the country, so even going to the grocery store is at least a half hour drive one way. Regular shopping is an hour and a half from here. I pitched this book into the car, and used it for something to do when we were out on one of those longer drives, and had a lot of fun with it. The questions led to some fun family discussions, and challenged our brains at the same time. I liked how the information isn't too esoteric - these are things that anyone can make a reasonable stab at. Also, there are enough quizzes for many car rides, so it won't get old anytime soon. Overall I'd say this book is a clear winner. I'm glad we have this one!
** This book was given to me in a Goodreads Giveaway. That fact in no way influenced this review - the book was actually just this fun! **
We live pretty far out in the country, so even going to the grocery store is at least a half hour drive one way. Regular shopping is an hour and a half from here. I pitched this book into the car, and used it for something to do when we were out on one of those longer drives, and had a lot of fun with it. The questions led to some fun family discussions, and challenged our brains at the same time. I liked how the information isn't too esoteric - these are things that anyone can make a reasonable stab at. Also, there are enough quizzes for many car rides, so it won't get old anytime soon. Overall I'd say this book is a clear winner. I'm glad we have this one!
** This book was given to me in a Goodreads Giveaway. That fact in no way influenced this review - the book was actually just this fun! **
November 8, 2017
I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway.
So far, I have only read through the book a little and done the Lifetime Movie or Not Lifetime Movie? quiz with my husband and dad, but I am really excited to do more of the quizzes with friends and family. The topics are inventive and fun and make you want to test your knowledge or find out the answer. The quizzes are occasionally interspersed with fun trivia sections that are a couple paragraphs long, and there are also little puzzles and games included in addition to the traditional pub trivia questions.
I think this book would be great for family and friend get-togethers and for road trips. This would also make a good bathroom book (my grandparents always had a little magazine rack of books in each of their guest bathrooms and there was usually at least one trivia book).
So far, I have only read through the book a little and done the Lifetime Movie or Not Lifetime Movie? quiz with my husband and dad, but I am really excited to do more of the quizzes with friends and family. The topics are inventive and fun and make you want to test your knowledge or find out the answer. The quizzes are occasionally interspersed with fun trivia sections that are a couple paragraphs long, and there are also little puzzles and games included in addition to the traditional pub trivia questions.
I think this book would be great for family and friend get-togethers and for road trips. This would also make a good bathroom book (my grandparents always had a little magazine rack of books in each of their guest bathrooms and there was usually at least one trivia book).
February 7, 2017
The book is helping me survive the current hiatus on the podcast. I seriously love this book! I brought it out when I had friends over and it was great quizzing them on some of my favorites like Brad Pitt or Lasers.
June 8, 2017
A delightful and fun book filled with trivia. If you're familiar with the podcast, you'll be glad to see some trivia games such as Which is Older: Brad Pitt or Lasers, Belgium or not Belgium and others, but it also contains other trivia games. If you're a fan of trivia, you'll enjoy this book, and if you'd never listened to the podcast, by all means start now!
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews