The Bathroom Trivia Book

The Bathroom Trivia Book Jim Kreismer 106 pp

     Jim Kreismer's, The Bathroom Trivia Book is a short diversion from the realm of more serious tasks. As the title promises, it is full to bursting with small bits of trivia, much of it unexpected. Kreismer plays to the genre well, dotting every few pages with a couple pieces of scatological humor which flow mostly uninterrupted into the stream of dated celebrity gossip which makes up most of his book.
     Published in 1986, it immediately became apparent that the book has not aged well. The constant allusions to the personal goings-on of celebrities popular in the early 1980's flew right over my head. After a few dozen celebrity quips, trying to like it, I went through my first perspective shift with this book. I decided to stop worrying about not getting the references and just enjoy it as a piece of very dated pop culture.
     This, however, did not prove to be enough. Most of the trivia is phrased so that it hinges on a bit of tired, uninspired wordplay. The few occasions when the puns were successful were so sparse throughout the text that I could never expect another one to come to my aid soon. "Alright," I sighed, heaving the book before my eyes once more, "I'll just enjoy this ironically."
     From that decision on, the book was acceptable, but nothing remarkable. Kreismer's research shows up in every page, reliably bringing little facts disguised in tricky bits of phrasing. On the whole, however, this book simply felt uninspired. At no point did Kreismer's wordplay or choices of facts give me any real satisfaction. Backing that point up, on at least two occasions that I noticed, repeated bits of trivia were not cleaned up in editing.
     Perhaps the strongest element of this book was the brief interest many of the bits of trivia inspired in me. Frequently I found myself letting out a small chuckle and thinking, "I should tell Mrs. Cheddar about that." But, much like the activity which this book is meant to accompany, I refrained from talking about it with her. It occurred to me after finishing this book that James Joyce summed it up nicely for me in Ulysses, "It did not move or touch him but it was something quick and neat."

Would I recommend The Bathroom Trivia Book? No.

Score: 1.2/5

Would I keep this on my bookshelf? No.

-Mr. Cheddar