Mental Floss: Cocktail Party Cheat Sheets

by Mangesh Hattikudur (Editor), Mental Floss

Friends? Romans? Countrymen?
You never know whom you'll have to impress
at your next corporate shindig or keg party.

Whatever the target audience, mental_floss knows staring facedown into the punch bowl isn't the trick. In fact, that's exactly why we're handing you Cocktail Party Cheat Sheets—a totally effective, foolproof guide to starting and sustaining conversations on every topic under the sun. Want to wax wise about barbarians, socialist theory, and jazz musicians? What about Keynesian economics, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and James Joyce's Ulysses? Well, it's all right here in front of you.

We've jam-packed this book with jaw-dropping facts and hysterical anecdotes that are sure to please. So go ahead and stock up for your next soiree. We're not guaranteeing it will make you the most knowledgeable person in the room . . . just the most interesting.

Genres: Nonfiction, Trivia, Humor, Reference, History, Biography

179 pages, Paperback

First published May 30, 2006

Reviews

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

great for studying trivia

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Remember back in the 80's when everyone had some sort of trivia/joke book in the bathroom?
No? Just my house, then?

Well, this is one of those - chock full of fun and interesting tidbits on a number of different historical people, places or things, it's arranged in such a way that you can pick it up and put it down.

A good pass the time, fill your head with useless (or useful) knowledge book.

[Christa Sigman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I should have read this in a hard copy. I bet there are lots of side bars and little notes. In the electronic version these are additional links...harder to take a quick look. I did enjoy the information and the writing has touches of humor to keep it from being dry and boring.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun!

[Brett Feinstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun facts about key people, places and things in history. A little more depth would have served it well, but these are fun bathroom reads.

[Azad Abbasi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute compendium of fun facts. I’ll retain a few in my back pocket as trivia. Aside from that, not highly enriching.

[Lisa Schmeiser · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can appreciate the niche Mental Floss has carved out for itself -- enthusiastic, informal primers to what used to be considered cultural capital -- but every time I read a Mental Floss book, I can't help thinking that AN INCOMPLETE EDUCATION (Judy Jones & William Wison) did it first and did it better.

Still, if you're looking for a factotum you can pick and put down as the spirit moves you, you could do worse than this book.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

My friend Maddy gave this book to me for Christmas 2006. I have been perusing it ever since. It's fun, funny, clever and succinct. For a about a month, I was in the habit of reading one subject per day right before bed-time. I figured it would sink in overnight. So far I'm no more clever at social gatherings than I once was...but I still feel a little bit smarter and very much entertained.

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of mental entertainment and a little new knowledge at the same time! From Joan of Arc to Catherine the Great to Buddha to the Koran...you'll learn all sorts of stuff to impress your friends and facinate them with all the useful and not so useful trivia. Fun!

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this in the $2.99 bargain bin at Borders and at that price I bought some trivial facts and information about a variety of things.

-Could I have found most of this ouut with Wikipedia? Probably.

- Useless? maybe.

- Fun to browse through and read Absolutely.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

The only reason why I didn't finish the book was I couldn't renew it again from the library. I love mental_floss, and this book was chock full of mental nuggets.

[Allanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great little reference guide.

Very fun ... especially since I'm used to John Green's voice, so I hear it in my head as I read.

[Angeld01 · Rating 5 out of 5]

The cliff notes version of everything you need to know. I cannot stop loving mental floss. If you find facts and historical details interesting...mental floss is a must have.

[William · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I learned from this book: Martini and Kama Sutra.
Funny way to know about useless stuff.

Recommended to those who like to learn with every situation.

[Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great little trivia book to keep in my purse.

[Natasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a pretty awesome book, all things told. Didn't give me a lot of facts or history, but it certainly made me very curious. Five stars, if only because I couldn't keep the grin off my face.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love mental_floss.

[Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked the random information that they gave and it was funny the ways they came up with to use it in conversation.

[Emmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always joke that I read so much so that I'll be interesting at cocktail parties. And now, after reading this wonderful little book, I am confident that I will be! Thank you, Mental_Floss!!