The Little Read Book

The Little Read Book is a new book from Mike Arblaster that takes a playful and energetic look at facts and words.

Mike takes us through an enterprising and entertaining romp through the world of words and also through the word of worlds.

He takes what we know and shines a strong light on it and helps us to see that perhaps what we thought we thought we knew is not actually always the case.

He casts his sardonic and humorous gaze upon matters medical, fashion, science, food and drink, medicine, business, the military, music, people, nature, the law, entertainment and the media, geography, literature and much more, besides.

The tone of the section on medical matters "Delirious Diagnoses" is set by the deliciously apposite aphorism: "Most men have a body shaped like a Homeric hero -too bad that it's from the Simpsons and not the Iliad."

Mike doesn't just take a sideways look at a subject. He takes the subject, breaks it down into its component parts and then says, gleefully: "See? See what this thing is really all about?"

And you look at it and you say: "Yes! Yes! I see it all, now! Why are consultants so expensive? And why is there no rhyming slang for rhyming slang? What was AA Milne thinking when he called the bear Winnie? And why was he a pooh bear? Why is English a universal language? And why is dyslexia spelt like it is?"

And is it true that the love of evil is the root of all money?

This book has the ability to turn a common, well known fact on its head and make you actually think about what you think you already know.

At £9.99 this book, published by Matador in paperback, it is the ideal Christmas gift for anyone who loves words and language.

It is, of course, available through the That's Books and Entertainment bookshop (you will find this to the right hand side of this book review) but we suggest that you use the faster delivery options if you want to make sure that it arrives before Christmas.