Random Obsessions: Trivia You Can't Live Without [Paperback]

Nick Belardes (Author), Brad Listi (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 4, 2009

Did you know Thomas Jefferson’s grandson was an ax murderer? Don’t you delight knowing some dinosaurs were teeny tiny as hens? Before buying that plane ticket, don’t you NEED to know which exotic islands still have cannibals? Wonder what it’s like to live in Hell Town at the End of the World? How about an ailment so surreal it’s named after Alice in Wonderland? In Random Obsessions: Trivia You Can’t Live Without, historian Nick Belardes has dug into the raw source material found in historical archives, scientific studies, and libraries the world over. You’ll also read first-person interviews with people who can explain the unexplained, from the permanently puzzling Mothman conspiracy to secret Star Wars Jedi religious cults, and the charmingly eccentric reason why British aerospace engineers sent teddy bears floating out into space.

Truly trivia you can’t live without, Random Obsessions is filled with facts, lists, definitions, and astonishing information guaranteed to provide you with the best cocktail conversation for many years to come! Your guide, Nick Belardes, has devoted his life to poking around the peculiar and perplexing. Explore the unknown stories behind why the nation’s capitol didn’t stay in Philadelphia, why some fossils are smiling, and how, if Preparation H existed in the early 1800s, Napoleon would have won Waterloo. These real-world facts are outlandish enough to sharpen your brain and occupy your mind for hours of reading. This book is so fascinating and fun, you’ll become obsessed, too!

Editorial Reviews

Review

"You've got to love a book that reveals why thousands of men think their private parts are disappearing inside their bodies. Whether you're already a fan or just getting acquainted with the quirky genius of Nick Belardes, this book will cause you to ignore your friends, family and Facebook until you’ve read every last fact.”

Bonnie Hearn Hill, author The Astro Girl series from Running Press/Perseus Books (2010)

“‘Random Obsessions’ is the perfect desk reference for ordinary insane people. Nick Belardes is a force of nature.”

Brad Listi, author of Attention. Deficit. Disorder

”Nick Belardes is an imaginative writer with a truly new and unique voice--he will both startle and thrill you with his stories that pop out from the dark like the teasing dangers in Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.”

Jessica Anya Blau, author of The Summer of Naked Swim Parties
Voted ‘Best Book of 2008’ by The San Francisco Chronicle

“Nick Belardes is definitely from the dark side of the zodiac--lucky for us who love to read about real-life freaks, weird rituals, and ew-w-w-w eliciting strangeness. Random Obsessions is packed with, "what the hell?" moments, hair-raising tales, and just plain spooky fun.”

Hazel Dixon-Cooper, Author of the Rotten Day Astrology Books
Cosmopolitan Magazine's Bedside Astrologer

“For the reader who needs to know why the characters in Dilbert don't have mouths, your oracle has arrived. Random Obsessions is every bit as silly as it is informative. Belardes has ransacked the useless information files and uncovered some gems.”

Jonathan Evison, author of All About Lulu

“Nick Belardes told me he'd throw himself into a chicken coop filled with baby chickies if I didn't blurb this book. Of course he needn't have gone so far because Random Obsessions stands unique - and wonderful! - in its explication of the bizarre and the divine. Warning: read it as I am doing with a lovely Pinot Noir or, at least, a Diet Pepsi Lime. Seriously, read it, for fun and adventure, because you will not be disappointed.”

Lauren Baratz-Logsted, author of a ridiculous amount of books, most particularly Vertigo and The Sisters Eight series.

“[Obsessions] is space age journalistic cut-up, as Burroughs might have hallucinated, that is, if he were stoned on [California] central valley methane sky, with a cheap tequila hangover, and big plow cojones that makes Belardes's writing so damn outlandish, and yet, so Bakersfield!”

Tim Z. Hernandez, author of Skin Tax
2006 American Book Award Winner

"And I thought my friends were weird. Reading "Random Obsessions" is like wandering around the Epcot Center on hallucinogens – colorful, crazy, occasionally terrifying, and always exciting. If you're a trivia buff with a penchant for the madcap, do yourself a favor, and buy this book."

Matt Shaer, Christian Science Monitor


"In Random Obsessions, Nick writes about the wacky, the wild and the random. Everything you ever wanted to know about fried spiders as delicacy, jobs as odor tester, and what exactly is in Anasazi poo, and much much more, you’ll find in this handy dandy reference to all things weird. It’s like a self-help guide for folks without imaginations. Or literature for those of us that like to know things that others don’t."
--Amy Wallen, author of MoonPies and Movie Stars and DimeStories Reading Series host

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Viva Editions; Original edition (August 4, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1573443603
• ISBN-13: 978-1573443609
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,283,885 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

NICK BELARDES turned TV/online journalist after blogging his way to success. His articles and essays have since appeared on the homepage of CNN.com and other news sites across America. His book "Random Obsessions: Trivia You Need To Know" is due to hit stores in August 2009. His Twitter novel, @smallplaces is the first original literary novel on Twitter and has been featured in the Christian Science Monitor, Mashable.com, Metroactive.com, Bohemian.com, NPR and more. He has also written "Lords" about the Bakersfield urban myth Lords of Bakersfield. His new homepage at nickbelardes.com offers weird true stories and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read for Trivia Addicts..., January 19, 2012

By 

Anaya J. Padilla (Bakersfield, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Random Obsessions: Trivia You Can't Live Without (Paperback)

Nick Belardes definitely nails it when he states "I'm just a reflection of society's love for such oddities". There's no need for him to toot his own horn about this amazing book, because anyone that reads it can and will toot it for him. Being a lover of weird, obscure, and otherwise "random" trivia, I loved reading this book. I have had it in my possession for a long time, and there are still times that I pop off a clever and interesting fact that I found inside it.
Having a grandfather who created a few patents himself, I thoroughly enjoyed reading about "25 Rather Useless Patents". From weird jobs to cult movies, witch stories to the beloved Mothman, this book is packed full of freakishly cool and goofy info that you'll be dying to share with people. Well written, Belardes' witty humor pops up in every section of his fact-packed trivia book. Who wouldn't want to go out and get a bunch of copies of this and share it with everyone they know???

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars an excellent gift, January 19, 2012

By 

Irene - See all my reviews

This review is from: Random Obsessions: Trivia You Can't Live Without (Paperback)

This book was a gift and turned out to be one of the best gifts I ever recieved due to the fact that I have held on to it for a long time going back and rereading it for the entertainment.Talk about bizarre, some of the facts in this book were truly wierd, in a good way, and so amusing to read and tell others about.Once I began to read it I couldnt put it down. I highly reccomend this book to be gifted to the person that is hard to buy for and can appreciate bizarre facts, that are hard to believe, but true!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Regarding Random Obsessions, January 19, 2012

By 

Patricia J. Wonderly "wolfqueen" (Bakersfield, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Random Obsessions: Trivia You Can't Live Without (Paperback)

Nick Belardes' book is aptly named. While 'Random' has become a favorite word bandied about by today's youth, the facts contained in this book follow a path through the author's head that reflects his quirky personality.My favorite facts described in Chapter One, "Amassed from the Past' concern the architectural mysteries of Washington D.C. I picture actor Nicholas Cage running through the area on his way to finding a new treasure and coming across it at the bottom of the obelisk of the Washington monument. Strange games, useless patents, and odd inventions described with a wry sense of humor entertain and tickle your funny bone. The fact I've shared most often from this book has to do with missing parts of the anatomy in chapter 3. I won't give it away, you'll have to buy the book. I guarantee you'll belly laugh at least once, and you might learn a thing or two.