Notes from a Big County [Kindle Edition]

The title may suggest that Martin Hickes makes a nod towards one of his heroes, Bill Bryson, in this eclectic mix of articles written with a God's Own County connection.

Not that Hickes' talent is overshadowed by another person's style, though, as the quality of research and the concise accuracy that one would expect from one of Yorkshire's top journalists is clear for all to see.

But "Notes from a Big County" is more than just another list of facts as, like Bryson, Hickes excels at entertaining the reader, sometimes by holding up a mirror to ourselves and allowing us to observe the reflection.

Indeed, this is much more that a manual for the Yorkshire ex-pat because there are a number of surprising amuse bouches in every chapter that would interest anyone who has ever heard the clipped northern vowels or who seeks relief from the caracatures of Yorkshire folk gleaned from TV programmes like "Emmerdale" and "Heartbeat".

For instance, in which other publication would the Large Hadron Collider, Kate Middleton, Shakespeare and the Battle of Towton - the bloodiest battle ever fought on English soil - get equal ranking alongside Douglas Adams' "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", macro-economics, Billy Wilder's "Some Like it Hot" and Google Street View?

Inquisitive?

Then cast aside that traditional Yorkshire thrift, trawl those deep pockets and find a few bob to buy this book!