Spring Reads: 100 Best BIONS (Believe It Or Not Stories)

$24.95; 224 pages; AMAZON

Believe it or not, 2019 marks the 100th year for Ripley's Believe It nor Not!, which was originally created by the late Robert Ripley. To celebrate this grand mark in history Ripley Publishing (a Jim Patterson Company) has recently published 100 Best BIONS (Believe It Or Not Stories), featuring the greatest Ripley's Believe It Or Not! stories from the last 100 years.

100 Best BIONS is split into five chapters: Classics, People, Animals, World, and Exhibits. The stories presented here have either appeared or been featured in other Ripley's Believe It Or Not! books, television series, cartoons, or odditoriums over the years. Each story's article is accompanied by photos (black & white and color) and/or illustrations.

Within the pages of 100 Best BIONS you'll learn about the half-man John Eck, Thomas Wedders - the man with the 7 1/2 inches long nose, the 7 longhaired musician sisters from New York, Mike the headless chicken, and many other strange facts that are almost too unbelievable to be true.

Final Thoughts

I've always been fascinated with the strange and fun stories that are featured in the Ripley's Believe It Or Not! books. 100 Best BIONS (Believe It Or Not Stories) is another great addition to the Ripley's book series. The oversized paperback is loaded with vivid photographs that help paint a perfect picture of each story. As for the actual stories, they're all well written (some shorter than others) with excellent facts about each oddity.

While there are many intriguing stories in this book, my favorites (or the most interesting to me) are The Winchester Mystery House, The Mighty Atom, Horned People, Subterranean Soldiers, Vampire Killing Kits, and the Petrified Man.

Overall, I enjoyed reading the amazing stories in 100 Best BIONS. It would make a great gift for both teenagers and adults.

*Note - I received a review copy from the publisher.
All opinions are my own.