Mental Floss Review

Bottom Line -- Mental Floss is an interesting magazine filled with fascinating trivia and great articles. And while the topics can range from intellectual to historical, the writers find a way to stay factual without being boring. The articles are written very tongue-in-cheek, so they're simultaneously thought-provoking and fun to read.

Every issue starts out with a section of article bites called Scatterbrained. It's a collection of facts and anecdotes cleverly divided into categories within a uniting theme. For example, a recent issue had a section called "Food for Thought." Within it were articles on the use of pigs in science ("Pigging Out"), odd inventions ("Best Things Since Sliced Bread") and confusing biblical rules ("Is That Kosher?").

Then it's on to the featured articles with topics that touch on practically every facet of human interest: history, art, sports, pop culture, literature, science... you name it. And even if a subject isn't exactly up your alley, the articles are so amusing and interesting that there's always something to enjoy.

Add a quirky quiz and the irreverent "Dead Guy Interview" (in which the magazine "interviews" a deceased celebrity such as Walt Disney or Mark Twain), and you have a magazine that's sure to have something for everybody.

While people who are fanatics about a certain topic may find the articles too surface-level to be of true value (e.g., a previous article about Gary Larson seemed to be 90% recycled from one of Larson's collections, A Pre-History of the Far Side), you have to admire a magazine that can cover such a broad range of topics and still maintain its remarkable accessibility.