365 Amazing True Things to Read in Bed - Edward Brooke-Hitching - ★★★★.¼

AUTHOR: Edward Brooke-Hitching

ILLUSTRATOR: Oksana Drachkovska

GENRE: Children's Nonfiction

PUBLICATION DATE: October 9, 2025

RATING: 4.25 stars.

In a Nutshell: A collection of 365 trivia from assorted subject areas. As mindboggling and amazing as the title suggests. Some of the inclusions sounds too wild to be true, but they are. Much recommended!

The title clearly indicates what this book is, but it also constrains the actual scope of the book.

365 – that’s the official count of entries in the book. But there’s a surprise at the end.

Amazing – Well, the content is amazing, but it is too prosaic a word for such a fabulous collection.

True Things – accurate enough. Every entry is true, even if it seems wildly wild!

To read in bed – Again, valid. But such a limiter! The book can be read anywhere and anytime!

Of course, the introductory note by the author does mention that while you can read the book anywhere, the best place to open it would be your bed. He justifies this thought with some solid reasoning. I leave it to you whether to listen to him or me. 😁

There are no chapter divisions, but some of the trivia have been grouped by topic (unlabelled). And when I say ‘topic’, I mean just that, not subject or field. The topics could be as broad as “space” or as specific as “funny pet names.”

The number ‘365’ might make you feel like this could work as one of those “Read One a Day” kind of collections. The blurb also suggests that the book “includes a true fact, anecdote, story, or question for every day of the year.” However, many of the entries are short, with a few being just some words long. Plus, there are multiple entries – about four or five – on each page, and almost all the entries are astounding, which might make it difficult to keep the book aside after reading just one item. So let’s not set limits – I give you permission to read as many true things as you want at a go. 😉

No matter what the topic, almost all of the 365 things in the book are fascinating. They reveal not just the highest limits of human and animal abilities, but also the weird and/or whimsical nature of some people. I had a lot of fun reading these reveals, many of which caused my jaw to drop. I especially loved that every entry in the book was true and not exaggerated for comic effect.

That said, some of the entries *might* need more context. For instance, one entry saysd: “The USA uses more electricity just for air-conditioning each year than the continent of Africa uses for everything.” Shocking enough, and definitely factual. But this makes it seem like the US is the biggest user of air-conditioning in the world at present, which isn't true. It has been overtaken a few years ago by China, though the US is still a close second and most other countries (except for Japan) are far behind in the AC race.

Often in such collections, boredom tends to seep in if you read the pages back to back and the content starts feeling repetitive. Not this time though. I read the whole book in two sittings without ever losing my interest. A majority of the entries are mindboggling. I have read quite a few trivia books by now, but I still found myself learning plenty of new things from this book. (Not that I’ll remember everything but it created an awesome feeling while reading! 😅)

There’s a helpful glossary at the end, followed by the bios of the author and illustrator. I loved the advice included in the author’s bio – much needed in today’s fake-news times.

Much recommended. This would be an excellent option for anyone aged 8+. As a treasure trove of trivia, it would also be a wonderful gifting option.

My thanks to ‘words & pictures’ and Quarto Publishing Group for providing the DRC of “365 Amazing True Things to Read in Bed” via Edelweiss+. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.