D Is for Dahl: A Gloriumptious A-Z Guide to the World of Roald Dahl Book

I am currently trying to read as many Roald Dahl books as I can before the end of the year. This book is a biography about Roald Dahl but told in the form of the alphabet.

"D is for Dahl is an A to Z collection of facts, trivia, and zany details that bring Roald Dahl and his memorable characters to life filled with Quentin Blake's illustrations plus black and white photos."

Here are some of the entertaining passages from the book:

"Althild- Alf was Roald Dahl's big sister. She was a genuine eccentric. Here are some of the unusual things she did: she smoked cigars, drank champagne out of her shoe, and danced on tabletops! Roald and Alf were very close- they shared a passion for gardening & gossiped endlessly on the phone."

"Roald Dahl liked old, precious things and enjoyed poking and rummaging around in antique shops. He opened his own antique shop in Great Missenden for his daughter Tessa, called the Witchball. Later, he owned an antique business called Dahl & Son, which he owned with his son."

"Freezer- Roald Dahl invented an ingenious method of stretching shoes, so that they were more comfortable. If your shoes are too tight, fill plastic bags with water; put the bags in the shoes and the shoes in the freezer. The bags get bigger as ice forms and the shoes s-t-r-e-t-c-h!"

"Gums- When Roald Dahl's brother-in-law Leslie Hansen had to have all his teeth out, he absolutely refused to have false ones. From then on, he ate everything- even big, juicy steaks- using his gums."

"Inventions- If Roald Dahl wanted something that didn't exist, he didn't let this stop him- he simply invented it. He created gardening gadgets, made his own hot-air balloons and kites, developed medical cures and devised brain-bending games. His ambition was to invent a silent cigarette lighter- so that he could smoke at night without waking his wife.... When Theo was hurt in an accident, Roald researched ways to help his son and jointly invented a special valve to drain water from the brain. He and his neighbor also pioneered a type of therapy that helped his first wife to make a full recovery from her strokes. It's still used today by the National Stroke Association."

"Toilet-seat Warmer Extraordinaire- At Repton School, the younger pupils acted as servants for the older boys. This often meant tidying their study or running errands. But Roald Dahl was given a really odd job to do. He sat on the toilet in a chilly outhouse, making sure that the seat was warm and toasty enough for the house prefect's bottom!"

I enjoyed this easy, fast read and suggest it to anyone that wants to learn more about Roald Dahl!