The Theory of Everything Else: A Voyage Into the World of the Weird
(Libby/OverDrive eAudiobook)

No Such Thing as a Fish podcaster Schreiber debuts with a humorous survey of bizarre "speculations, beliefs and claims, begging to be accepted as truths." Contending that "pretty much everyone in the world" believes their own "bit of batshit," Schreiber documents Nancy Reagan's consultations with an astrologer on Cold War negotiations, tennis star Novak Djokovic's pilgrimages to ancient Bosnian pyramids purported to emit cosmic energy, and more. Even NASA has been convinced by unlikely theories, and once funded the research of a neuroscientist who aimed to establish human-to-dolphin communication. While Schreiber's anecdotes don't offer much more than entertainment value, readers will be charmed by his colorful narration and clear enthusiasm for the hypocrisies of human beliefs, including continued popular fixations with 16th-century "seer" Nostradamus, despite his predictions' "jaw-droppingly low hit rate," and intractable Bermuda Triangle superstitions ("the number of ships and planes that go missing there is pretty much the same percentage as anywhere else in the world"). This will delight anyone looking for dinner conversation fodder who doesn't mind raising a few eyebrows. (June)

A collection of wacky beliefs, incidents, and conspiracy theories that will amuse many readers. Schreiber, co-host of the hit podcast No Such Thing as a Fish, assembles a selection of his more oddball interviews and adds a torrent of historical eccentrics and anecdotes. Skeptics will find good reason to gnash their teeth, and lovers of alternative facts will enjoy an embarrassment of riches. One fascinating story involves the work of neuroscientist John Lilly, who sought "to teach dolphins to speak the English language so perfectly that they would be given a chair at the United Nations to speak on behalf of all marine mammals." Surprisingly, the chestnut about the faked Apollo landing is absent, but the astronauts themselves were apparently an offbeat bunch, deeply religious before or converted by the experience, when not preoccupied by the paranormal. The book is overpopulated with aliens, whether they were witnessed or were historical figures (Jesus may have been one). Stories of encountering ghosts or talking to the dead are almost too common to attract readers' attention, but Schreiber collects a crowd of them. Billions of mildly interesting coincidences occur every day, and nearly every prediction of the future turns out to be wrong, but a few hit the mark. Schreiber delivers breathless accounts of many. The author portrays himself as a man of good sense partial to scientific evidence. He also knows that debunkers sell modestly, but outright zany authors and books often make the bestseller lists. He admits doubts about some particularly outlandish stories but otherwise confines his qualms to the occasional skeptical footnote or hint ("according to science"). Ghost hunters and conspiracy theorists will find plenty of red meat to chew on, whether Schreiber is discussing clairvoyance, "pyramid energy," "the theory of the hollow earth," or the idea that time travelers sank the Titanic, not an iceberg. A cheerful collection of paranormal phenomena, correct prophecies, alien encounters, and unlikely historical events. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

No Such Thing as a Fish podcaster Schreiber debuts with a humorous survey of bizarre "speculations, beliefs and claims, begging to be accepted as truths." Contending that "pretty much everyone in the world" believes their own "bit of batshit," Schreiber documents Nancy Reagan's consultations with an astrologer on Cold War negotiations, tennis star Novak Djokovic's pilgrimages to ancient Bosnian pyramids purported to emit cosmic energy, and more. Even NASA has been convinced by unlikely theories, and once funded the research of a neuroscientist who aimed to establish human-to-dolphin communication. While Schreiber's anecdotes don't offer much more than entertainment value, readers will be charmed by his colorful narration and clear enthusiasm for the hypocrisies of human beliefs, including continued popular fixations with 16th-century "seer" Nostradamus, despite his predictions' "jaw-droppingly low hit rate," and intractable Bermuda Triangle superstitions ("the number of ships and planes that go missing there is pretty much the same percentage as anywhere else in the world"). This will delight anyone looking for dinner conversation fodder who doesn't mind raising a few eyebrows. (June)