The Books You Never Knew You Needed

Even if you're not a Jeopardy geek like I am, you're likely to find the random yet completely useful information in Ben Schott's book series (Original Miscellany; Food and Drink Miscellany; Sporting, Games and Idling Miscellany; Almanac 2007) as addictive as crack. Some of my favorite selections include: some 'Q' words with no 'u'; lists of notable Canadians and Belgians; how to say "cheers!" in 30 languages, from Afrikaans to Welsh; the Scoville Scale for measuring chili heat.