We absolutely love 2016 Funny Women Awards mentor Sara Pascoe’s book Animal, for its humour, anecdotes and very interesting facts. Turns out we aren’t the only ones, BBC TV show QI has named it as one of their top 10 most interesting books of 2016. The Quite Interesting Book of the Year is a new annual event, which will honour ten authors.
This year one of the books listed is actually, uh, 1,342 QI Facts To Leave You Flabbergasted. But it’s Christmas so we’ll let them off promoting their own book.
The QI elves said Sara’s book Animal “blends her trademark wit and humour with autobiography and evolutionary history as she examines our collective pasts for clues as to how and why certain behaviours and norms have developed.
“From ancient diets to body confidence, and from consent to childbirth, Animal is packed with jokes, smart observations and comes with an extensive further reading list. A brilliant read which is as funny as it is remarkable.”
QI elf Anne Miller said: “QI we read everything from cereal packets to the Encyclopedia Britannica. These are our favourites and the ones we would hope to have if stranded on a desert island.”
Other books to make the Top 10 are:
Overcomplicated: Technology at the Limits of Comprehension by Sam Arbesman
Penguins, Pineapples and Pangolins: First Encounters with the Exotic by Claire Cock-Starkey
The Naming of the Shrew: A Curious History of Latin Names by John Wright
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life by Ed Yong
1,342 QI Facts To Leave You Flabbergasted by John Lloyd, John Mitchinson, James Harkin and Anne Miller
