I Used to Know That by Caroline Taggart

I Used to Know That (I Used to Know That ...)

by Caroline Taggart

If you've forgotten the capital city of Chile; the basics of osmosis; how to solve a quadratic equation; the names of the Bennet sisters in Pride and Prejudice; who wrote the famous poem about daffodils; the use of a conjunction or the number of continents in the world, I Used to Know That will provide all the answers. A light-hearted and informative reminder of all the things that we learnt in school but have since become relegated to the backs of our minds, I Used to Know That features hundreds of important snippets of wisdom, facts, theories, equations, phrases, rules and sayings. A practical guide to turn to when an answer is eluding you, when helping a child with homework or preparing them for the new school year, or maybe just to brush up on trivia for the pub quiz. I Used to Know That covers English Language and Literature, Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, History, Geography and General Studies, so never again will you find yourself stumped!

Reviewed by Terri M. LeBlanc on

3 of 5 stars

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Thanks to #COYER Blackout, I dug through my back Nook catalogue and found this gem which was a free Friday download at some point. I’m almost certain I got this book with the full intention of loaning it to my husband because I was less than thrilled with it by the time I was finished.

The concept for this non-fiction fact filled book is simple—“You know all the stuff you learn in high school and forgot? Well, here it is in just over 100 pages.” I was hoping to learn some fun new facts and actually gain some knowledge. I was left sorely disappointed.

Divided up by classroom subjects—English, Math, Science and History with a short chapter on Geography—Taggert zooms through the highpoints of each of these areas. Math and Science, which were my WORST subjects in school, are still confusing as hell. And the information in the English and History chapters was stuff I already knew or easily remember with a few triggers because those still are my favorite areas of study (not surprising since the bulk of what I read is historical fiction).

In short, I Used to Know That: Stuff You Forgot from School is a short, quick high level overview of your entire high school curriculum in just over 100 pages and probably not worth your time if you are looking to learn something new as it sticks close to pop culture facts and general knowledge.
This review was originally posted on Second Run Reviews

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 25 February, 2017: Finished reading
  • 25 February, 2017: Reviewed