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Inventory: 16 Films Featuring Manic Pixie Dream Girls, 10 Great Songs Nearly Ruined by Saxophone, and 100 More Obsessively Specific Pop-Culture Lists
Each week, the writers of The A.V. Club issue a slightly slanted pop-culture list filled with challenging opinions (Is David Bowie's "Young Americans" nearly ruined by saxophone?) and fascinating facts. Exploring 24 great films too painful to watch twice, 14 tragic movie-masturbation scenes, 18 songs about crappy cities, and much more, Inventory combines a massive helping of new lists created especially for the book with a few favorites first seen at avclub.com and in the pages of The A.V. Club 's sister publication, The Onion .
But wait! There's John Hodgman offers a set of minutely detailed (and probably fictional) character actors. Patton Oswalt waxes ecstatic about the "quiet film revolutions" that changed cinema in small but exciting ways. Amy Sedaris lists 50 things that make her laugh. "Weird Al" Yankovic examines the noises of Mad magazine's Don Martin. Plus lists from Paul Thomas Anderson, Robert Ben Garant, Tom Lennon, Andrew W.K., Tim and Eric, Daniel Handler, and Zach Galifianakis -- and an epic foreword from essayist Chuck Klosterman.
But wait! There's John Hodgman offers a set of minutely detailed (and probably fictional) character actors. Patton Oswalt waxes ecstatic about the "quiet film revolutions" that changed cinema in small but exciting ways. Amy Sedaris lists 50 things that make her laugh. "Weird Al" Yankovic examines the noises of Mad magazine's Don Martin. Plus lists from Paul Thomas Anderson, Robert Ben Garant, Tom Lennon, Andrew W.K., Tim and Eric, Daniel Handler, and Zach Galifianakis -- and an epic foreword from essayist Chuck Klosterman.
256 pages, Paperback
First published September 21, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews
August 5, 2012
I like lists, but not the ones that go
1. Take cats to vets for vaccinations
2. Sort out problem with drains
3. find receipt for broken dishwasher
No, the kind of lists I like are "obsessively specific pop culture lists", of which this book is full. Now there are a few really silly ones in this amusing book such as -
20 not so good movies based on good books (surely these AV guys know that you can make a great movie out of a not-great book but hardly ever a great movie out of a great book, it's a rule)
100 killer short songs under 2 mins ( huh, too easy, I could do you a list of great under one minute 10 seconds songs)
8 unrocking songs about rock music – huh, ALL rock songs about rock music are crap, even The Who couldn't do a good one (oh except The Beatles' version of Chuck Berry's song called Rock & Roll Music, that one is the only good one)
Rare reads – books we wish were still in print – huh, this is a poor list which includes Ballard's High Rise which is actually in print everywhere
And there are lists which are far too American for non-American readers (13 particularly horrible fast food innovations; 24 stupid inventions for lazy Americans)
BUT that leaves a lot of good ones such as
22 movies with post-credits surprises
16 career-jeopardizing labours of love – e.g. Passion of Christ, Southland Tales,
24 great films too painful to watch twice – I could add a few to this list
15 common types you meet on dvd audio commentaries (I would like to add the type, usually the director of an indie feature, who goes on and on about the friend's apartment they filmed it in, and where they located the chairs and they coo over the junk on someone's desk like it was discovered in an Egyptian tomb but they don't mention the plot one time)
16 films featuring manic pixie dream girls (definition : "the sentient ray of sunshine sent from heaven to warm the heart and readjust the attitude of even the sulkiest, most uptight male protagonist.. who… exists solely in the fevered imaginations of sensitive writer-directors") – examples : Kirsten Dunst in Elizabethtown; Natalie Portman in garden State; Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's; Shirley Maclaine in The Apartment ; it struck me that the quintessential hippy girl was sister to the MPDG – e.g. Ruby Tuesday (Stones) and Windy (the Association), and many others)
14 cover songs that outdo the originals (they include 9 year old Sheila Behman's version of Desperado! Great!)
11 great songs sung by the non-lead singer in the band (but they shoulda not included Yellow Submarine, instead should of added the lovely Goodnight on Ye Olde White Album)
Note – these song lists are like Bob Dylan's Theme Time Radio Show – did you ever listen to that? It's cool and often very funny. I have invented more theme time hours in idle moments, such as
- songs about contemplating your own death (Funeral Tango by Scott Walker)
- songs about diseases (Whippin' that Old TB by Jimmie Rodgers)
- songs of pure embarrasment in which the singer relates autobiographical details they should of shut up about (Ballad in Plain D by Bob Dylan, Chelsea Hotel by Leonard Cohen)
I am looking forward to a quiet eveing with youtube when I explore the delights of "15 pieces of music sure to clear a room" - I have a few of those in my collection already and I really like them !
Anyway, recommended for putting off any unpleasant household task.
1. Take cats to vets for vaccinations
2. Sort out problem with drains
3. find receipt for broken dishwasher
No, the kind of lists I like are "obsessively specific pop culture lists", of which this book is full. Now there are a few really silly ones in this amusing book such as -
20 not so good movies based on good books (surely these AV guys know that you can make a great movie out of a not-great book but hardly ever a great movie out of a great book, it's a rule)
100 killer short songs under 2 mins ( huh, too easy, I could do you a list of great under one minute 10 seconds songs)
8 unrocking songs about rock music – huh, ALL rock songs about rock music are crap, even The Who couldn't do a good one (oh except The Beatles' version of Chuck Berry's song called Rock & Roll Music, that one is the only good one)
Rare reads – books we wish were still in print – huh, this is a poor list which includes Ballard's High Rise which is actually in print everywhere
And there are lists which are far too American for non-American readers (13 particularly horrible fast food innovations; 24 stupid inventions for lazy Americans)
BUT that leaves a lot of good ones such as
22 movies with post-credits surprises
16 career-jeopardizing labours of love – e.g. Passion of Christ, Southland Tales,
24 great films too painful to watch twice – I could add a few to this list
15 common types you meet on dvd audio commentaries (I would like to add the type, usually the director of an indie feature, who goes on and on about the friend's apartment they filmed it in, and where they located the chairs and they coo over the junk on someone's desk like it was discovered in an Egyptian tomb but they don't mention the plot one time)
16 films featuring manic pixie dream girls (definition : "the sentient ray of sunshine sent from heaven to warm the heart and readjust the attitude of even the sulkiest, most uptight male protagonist.. who… exists solely in the fevered imaginations of sensitive writer-directors") – examples : Kirsten Dunst in Elizabethtown; Natalie Portman in garden State; Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's; Shirley Maclaine in The Apartment ; it struck me that the quintessential hippy girl was sister to the MPDG – e.g. Ruby Tuesday (Stones) and Windy (the Association), and many others)
14 cover songs that outdo the originals (they include 9 year old Sheila Behman's version of Desperado! Great!)
11 great songs sung by the non-lead singer in the band (but they shoulda not included Yellow Submarine, instead should of added the lovely Goodnight on Ye Olde White Album)
Note – these song lists are like Bob Dylan's Theme Time Radio Show – did you ever listen to that? It's cool and often very funny. I have invented more theme time hours in idle moments, such as
- songs about contemplating your own death (Funeral Tango by Scott Walker)
- songs about diseases (Whippin' that Old TB by Jimmie Rodgers)
- songs of pure embarrasment in which the singer relates autobiographical details they should of shut up about (Ballad in Plain D by Bob Dylan, Chelsea Hotel by Leonard Cohen)
I am looking forward to a quiet eveing with youtube when I explore the delights of "15 pieces of music sure to clear a room" - I have a few of those in my collection already and I really like them !
Anyway, recommended for putting off any unpleasant household task.
November 9, 2012
I love books of lists, especially lists of stuff that I am likely to know about. While a book of lists featuring obscure 19th century European novels or popular algebra equations might not fire me up as much as one, which features movies & music, I'd still probably like it well enough.
March 3, 2013
I picked this book up on a whim, from a remainder table at Powell's City of Books. Some of my favorite reads of the last 10 years have come from there. This isn't one of them.
If you read the Onion at all, you're probably familiar with the A.V. Club, their features on media and pop culture. Those pieces, like the rest of the Onion, are usually entertaining. This book is a collection of lists, most of which include commentary on each item, explaining its inclusion. Some of the lists are interesting ("16 films featuring manic pixie dream girls") or informative ("22 great songs inspired by heinous crimes", "8 great films made by directors after they turned 70"), and others are quite funny ("6 Keanu Reeves movies somehow not ruined by Keanu Reeves", "15 Dr Seuss characters that sound like sex toys"). Naturally, any time one selects things based on subjective criteria, there's going to be a degree of personal opinion involved. But quite a few of these lists don't contain anything but ("23 songs that should never be covered again", or "1 amazing mid-90's sketch-comedy show that towers above all others and still provides endlessing quotable material more than a decade later" (hint: it's Mr. Show)), and those just aren't that interesting to read. Even worse are the generally unfunny lists without commentary ("10 things the Ramones wanna or don't wanna do") .
There are also a number of guest lists, written by celebrities of assorted flavors. Most of them are utterly skippable, despite the talent of some of the contributors (Amy Sedaris, John Hodgman). A notable exception is Patton Oswalt's thoughtful list of six quietly revolutionary films; Daniel Handler and "Weird Al" Yankovic put together a couple funny ones as well. The entire book also has a sort of running gag in the form of parallel lists at the top and bottom of each page, comprising A.V. Club Heaven and Hell; the supposed humor comes from the contrast between items, but it careens madly between obviousness, pointlessness, and annoying obscurantism.
Don't get me wrong; I didn't hate the book (I did give it three stars). I just found much of it annoying. But there are a few lists that have given me things to watch, listen to, or read, and for those I'm really grateful; for example, "5 essential books about popular music" includes Lester Bangs's amazing Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung, which makes me want to read the other four. So all in all, not exactly a waste of time, but nothing one needs to keep on the shelf or ever read again.
If you read the Onion at all, you're probably familiar with the A.V. Club, their features on media and pop culture. Those pieces, like the rest of the Onion, are usually entertaining. This book is a collection of lists, most of which include commentary on each item, explaining its inclusion. Some of the lists are interesting ("16 films featuring manic pixie dream girls") or informative ("22 great songs inspired by heinous crimes", "8 great films made by directors after they turned 70"), and others are quite funny ("6 Keanu Reeves movies somehow not ruined by Keanu Reeves", "15 Dr Seuss characters that sound like sex toys"). Naturally, any time one selects things based on subjective criteria, there's going to be a degree of personal opinion involved. But quite a few of these lists don't contain anything but ("23 songs that should never be covered again", or "1 amazing mid-90's sketch-comedy show that towers above all others and still provides endlessing quotable material more than a decade later" (hint: it's Mr. Show)), and those just aren't that interesting to read. Even worse are the generally unfunny lists without commentary ("10 things the Ramones wanna or don't wanna do") .
There are also a number of guest lists, written by celebrities of assorted flavors. Most of them are utterly skippable, despite the talent of some of the contributors (Amy Sedaris, John Hodgman). A notable exception is Patton Oswalt's thoughtful list of six quietly revolutionary films; Daniel Handler and "Weird Al" Yankovic put together a couple funny ones as well. The entire book also has a sort of running gag in the form of parallel lists at the top and bottom of each page, comprising A.V. Club Heaven and Hell; the supposed humor comes from the contrast between items, but it careens madly between obviousness, pointlessness, and annoying obscurantism.
Don't get me wrong; I didn't hate the book (I did give it three stars). I just found much of it annoying. But there are a few lists that have given me things to watch, listen to, or read, and for those I'm really grateful; for example, "5 essential books about popular music" includes Lester Bangs's amazing Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung, which makes me want to read the other four. So all in all, not exactly a waste of time, but nothing one needs to keep on the shelf or ever read again.
March 25, 2018
In honor of the format, I present my own totally random list of why I liked this book:
1.) Rather than just being a collection of lists, there is a cornucopia of worthlesss trivia you can annoy your co-workers with (Kurosawa, Eastwood, Altman and Sidney Lumet all made well-regarded films after they turned 70, Risky Business and Titanic had alternate endings, say--Judgement Night did have a good soundtrack, thanks for reminding me.)
2.) Snark has become so omnipresent its almost more clever to be sincere. However, the writers of this snark do on occasion achieve a sort of poetry. To whit, Sonic's Mac N Cheese Bites (from the list "13 Particularly Horrible Fast Food Innovations") are described as "flavoured with subtle notes of poverty and blissful ignorance." I am absolutely stealing that line someday.
3.) Totally justifies my secret crush on Patton Oswalt (Shut up.)
4.) Fun to play along: the list "13 Movies With Key Scenes Featuring Characters Watching Other Movies" is missing the scene where future victims watch Halloween together in Scream. The list "14 Must-Read Books for Aspiring Rebels" is missing The Grapes of Wrath.
5.) Fun to play along: argue with their choices. "6 Keanu Reeves Movies Somehow Not Ruined by Keanu Reeves" should list more than six movies. Am I the only person who liked Constantine? "15 Pieces of Music Sure to Clear a Room" should list Yoko Ono first, not last. Any room not cleared by Yoko is either full of hipsters or banshees.
1.) Rather than just being a collection of lists, there is a cornucopia of worthlesss trivia you can annoy your co-workers with (Kurosawa, Eastwood, Altman and Sidney Lumet all made well-regarded films after they turned 70, Risky Business and Titanic had alternate endings, say--Judgement Night did have a good soundtrack, thanks for reminding me.)
2.) Snark has become so omnipresent its almost more clever to be sincere. However, the writers of this snark do on occasion achieve a sort of poetry. To whit, Sonic's Mac N Cheese Bites (from the list "13 Particularly Horrible Fast Food Innovations") are described as "flavoured with subtle notes of poverty and blissful ignorance." I am absolutely stealing that line someday.
3.) Totally justifies my secret crush on Patton Oswalt (Shut up.)
4.) Fun to play along: the list "13 Movies With Key Scenes Featuring Characters Watching Other Movies" is missing the scene where future victims watch Halloween together in Scream. The list "14 Must-Read Books for Aspiring Rebels" is missing The Grapes of Wrath.
5.) Fun to play along: argue with their choices. "6 Keanu Reeves Movies Somehow Not Ruined by Keanu Reeves" should list more than six movies. Am I the only person who liked Constantine? "15 Pieces of Music Sure to Clear a Room" should list Yoko Ono first, not last. Any room not cleared by Yoko is either full of hipsters or banshees.
February 7, 2017
I received this book as a Christmas gift in 2016. As a fan of both the 'listicle' format and of pop culture minutiae, it was a very entertaining read - it compiles more than 100 different lists of sometimes highly-specific lists of cultural phenomena, ranging from 'Directors Who Made Great Movies After They Turned 70' to 'Songs About How Much It Sucks To Ride The Bus'. It was a good mix of interesting and entertaining, and I finished the book with a whole list of books, movies, and music to check out, which is always a good thing. I think some of the lengthier lists with relatively similar entries got a little tedious to read, but for the most part I really enjoyed this.
February 4, 2010
If you like the Onion AV Club, specifically their Inventory feature, you'll love this book. If you've never read their stuff or the feature, well, they make an inventory. Ridiculously specific inventories, like "Films that are greatly improved by reading the book they're based on" or "Products for Lazy Americans" and so on. The serious lists can be quite interesting; the comedic lists can be quite funny. The only real downside is, this is Onion AV Club groupthink at it's finest, so expect a lot of mentions about how awesome The Wire and Mr. Show are, and how horrible 2 and a 1/2 Men, is, for example. Any group of people develops some shared (or at least generally shared) opinions, and the AV Club is no exception. At times the snarky tone got to me a bit, too, such as when stating that inventions that had obvious applications for the disabled were somehow meant purely for fat lazy bastards. Still, when the book is on, it's on, very readable, and worth checking out for fans of lists of all kinds.
July 16, 2016
I love lists, even if I don't get to check things off. They just appeal to me.
July 11, 2014
This book probably would have been slightly better had I not read it cover to cover AND as an e-book. It's the kind of book you leisurely pick up and read a list while "doing your business". It's entertaining in spots, but at times seems redundant even though it's a completely new list. Because it's by the editors of The Onion's A.V. Club, it tends to lean towards some obscure things at times, most especially when they talk music.
Most disappointing are the contributions by celebrities. Complete waste. Only Patton Oswalt seem to give it some thought and wrote one of the best lists overall. Zach Galifianakis's list of his favorite fax numbers, while very brief, also got a big laugh. Weird Al Yankovic's list MIGHT have gotten a laugh had he kept it very brief like Zach's.
At the end of the book, the authors share some of their rejected ideas for lists and I must say some are better than some of the ones that made the book, but I am glad they didn't try to cram them all in here as the book seemed plenty long.
Most disappointing are the contributions by celebrities. Complete waste. Only Patton Oswalt seem to give it some thought and wrote one of the best lists overall. Zach Galifianakis's list of his favorite fax numbers, while very brief, also got a big laugh. Weird Al Yankovic's list MIGHT have gotten a laugh had he kept it very brief like Zach's.
At the end of the book, the authors share some of their rejected ideas for lists and I must say some are better than some of the ones that made the book, but I am glad they didn't try to cram them all in here as the book seemed plenty long.
January 21, 2010
Another clever offering, funny but usually right in its satire, from The Onion (or in this case, it's spinoff The A.V. Club).
So many funny lists here: I particularly liked the lists of ways you can be sure a sitcom is bad, the best rude noises in the cartoons of Mad Magazine's Don Martin, and the Dr. Seuss characters that sound like sex toys. I guess this just brought out the teenage boy in me, but my wife enjoyed it too.
Sometimes the pop culture references here are too new and uber-hip for my tastes, but this is the kind of book that one should browse anyway, skipping past the lists that aren't of interest. And if one disagrees with some of the opinions here, that's half the fun: it makes it a great book to share with others.
The Heaven and Hell choices that ran across the bottom and top of every page are a lot of fun too, like having a book within the book.
So many funny lists here: I particularly liked the lists of ways you can be sure a sitcom is bad, the best rude noises in the cartoons of Mad Magazine's Don Martin, and the Dr. Seuss characters that sound like sex toys. I guess this just brought out the teenage boy in me, but my wife enjoyed it too.
Sometimes the pop culture references here are too new and uber-hip for my tastes, but this is the kind of book that one should browse anyway, skipping past the lists that aren't of interest. And if one disagrees with some of the opinions here, that's half the fun: it makes it a great book to share with others.
The Heaven and Hell choices that ran across the bottom and top of every page are a lot of fun too, like having a book within the book.
May 5, 2011
I think the best way to read this book is in front of a computer with Google at the ready. I think that's how Inventory as a blog post works best, as they can embed clips and links. So as a book, some of the fun is lost in print. Then again, maybe I'm just not "with it" enough to know all the often obscure(ish?) music, movie, book and TV references.
However, I still had a lot of fun flipping through this book, and I can definitely say I've expanded my pop culture media knowledge. Not sure if that was ever the point, but now I can talk somewhat confidently about 15 songs guaranteed to clear out a party. I'll even throw in an extra star for introducing me to the Inventory posts themselves, now a favorite part of my RSS feed.
However, I still had a lot of fun flipping through this book, and I can definitely say I've expanded my pop culture media knowledge. Not sure if that was ever the point, but now I can talk somewhat confidently about 15 songs guaranteed to clear out a party. I'll even throw in an extra star for introducing me to the Inventory posts themselves, now a favorite part of my RSS feed.
March 2, 2011
I did not get anywhere near finishing this book, but it's not really the sort that's meant to be finished. It gets four stars simply for accomplishing what it sets out to do, which is write obsessively specific pop culture lists. Written with all the verve and snark you'd expect from the A.V. Club (and its parent, The Onion), Inventory relies on the OCD-like mindset of us pop culture junkies. Did I really need a list of "16 Film and TV Characters Who Know Exactly What They'd Like To Eat"? No, but I sure as heck enjoyed reading about it. Bonus: Each page has a header and footer for comparing two items, one from heaven and one from hell. Heaven...GOB Bluth. Hell...Criss Angel. If that's the sort of thing that makes you chuckle to yourself, then Inventory was written for you.
March 28, 2010
I am a huge fan of many features of the Onion AV Club, and Inventory is one of them. So it's no real surprise that I really enjoyed this book. Some of them I remembered from the website, but many were new. There are some guest lists - some kinda stupid, some, like Weird Al Yankovic's brilliant entry rivetingly detailed - but mostly it's a lot of the Onion's usual stuff. I check out a lot of new-to-me music from these lists, and occasionally get some other direction for pop culture consumption.
My biggest quibble was that I thought Robert Rodriguez should have made the list of must-listen DVD commentary tracks. But, you know, I can live with them being wrong occasionally. :)
My biggest quibble was that I thought Robert Rodriguez should have made the list of must-listen DVD commentary tracks. But, you know, I can live with them being wrong occasionally. :)
February 11, 2012
In this new online world, we are used to reading lists. But these go normally as "best of", "worst of" or combinations. The people of the AV Club list them as "songs about the Apocalypse", "lame horror movie foes", "literary gimmicks" and such. Each page is a discovery, and it aches you for more. I love it.
---
En esta era en línea, estamos acostumbrados a leer listas. Pero ellas normalmente son del tipo "las mejores", "las peores" o una combinación. La gente del blog AV Club tiene listas como "canciones sobre el apocalipsis", "inútiles monstruos del cine de terror", "trucos literarios" y afines. Cada página es un descubrimiento, y te deja pidiendo más y más. Me encanta.
---
En esta era en línea, estamos acostumbrados a leer listas. Pero ellas normalmente son del tipo "las mejores", "las peores" o una combinación. La gente del blog AV Club tiene listas como "canciones sobre el apocalipsis", "inútiles monstruos del cine de terror", "trucos literarios" y afines. Cada página es un descubrimiento, y te deja pidiendo más y más. Me encanta.
November 13, 2009
The Onion AV Club's pop culture lists are always entertaining. But their first book is disappointingly slim. Given the immensity of the AV club inventory archives, why such a paltry offering? It could have been a slam dunk had they taken the time to publish a longer, denser tome. Instead what you get is an unsatisfyingly quick read that doesn't come close to the fun of browsing their online archives.
Also, the book suffers a lot relative to the website due to lack of embedded mp3s/videos. Turns out those add a lot to the experience.
Also, the book suffers a lot relative to the website due to lack of embedded mp3s/videos. Turns out those add a lot to the experience.
March 5, 2010
This is a fun and quirky book of lists, which as the original Ms. Listy Borden, I can’t help but adore. These are not average lists but as the title tells us they are “obsessively specific pop-culture lists.” Some of the lists included are as follows: 8 great films made by directors after they turned 70, 22 great songs inspired by heinous crimes, 16-plus books based around odd literary conceits, etc. There are even guest lists from the likes of Amy Sedaris and Zach Galifianakis, as well as other celebrities. This was a very entertaining light read.
September 17, 2010
i don't know what it is with me and books of lists lately, but i think i'm about burnt out! this one is mostly referencing movies and rock music, but some of the list subjects were pretty funny and specific, and i made my own lists of new books to read or movies to see. there are also a few 'guest lists' from folks like amy sedaris and zach galafianakis (hope i spelled that right).
entertaining and slightly informational, but i think it's the last of the list-type books that i will be readig for a while!!
entertaining and slightly informational, but i think it's the last of the list-type books that i will be readig for a while!!
December 28, 2009
Seriously funny. This book has made everyone in my family (each with their own varying pop culture tastes) laugh out loud on multiple occasions. Plus it provides me with endless additions to my movies to watch/books to read/albums to listen to lists.
The AV Club's website is incomparable when it comes to witty and irreverant writing on pop culture, and this captures the website's sensibility and content perfectly.
The AV Club's website is incomparable when it comes to witty and irreverant writing on pop culture, and this captures the website's sensibility and content perfectly.
February 26, 2010
I don't regularly read The Onion, but saw this at the library and figured I'd give it a try. I wouldn't sit down and read anything like this straight through. It seems like it's better for flipping around in until you see something you're interested in and can skip over other stuff. Noting earth shatteringly awesome, but entertaining for the hour or two I spent flipping around it and reading it aloud to the other person in the room.
May 13, 2013
Lots of fun ... I guess I didn't completely read it, since I couldn't bring myself to finish the list of Great Movies Too Painful to Watch Twice (too painful for me to read once)... but read the other lists, all of them interesting. The book was great and exposed me to a wide range of information about pop culture. I realized (as I already knew) that I have very little depth of knowledge about music...
A great book to flip through and enjoy.
A great book to flip through and enjoy.
Read
March 6, 2020The majority of the lists in this book have rather dark overtones, likely because the writers seem to have a rather dark sense of humor. I ended up not enjoying it as much as I thought I would. But I guess I should have expected as much, since the book was put out by the same people responsible for The Onion.
Did I like it? It was ok.
Would I reread it? Probably not.
Would I recommend it? For established fans of The Onion and A.V. Club, this book is probably right up your alley.
Did I like it? It was ok.
Would I reread it? Probably not.
Would I recommend it? For established fans of The Onion and A.V. Club, this book is probably right up your alley.
November 28, 2009
It's not life-changing or anything, but it has a great mix of serious list and silly ones. And some very funny guest lists. The writing quality is a little higher than the average ones posted to the site as well, since they can't rely on video or audio clips to get their point across and have to lay out an explanation. Good stuff.
August 3, 2011
Ok. So this is a book you just have to own. Maybe the lists are online. Doesn't matter. Buy this book. It's brilliant. It deserves to be read and reread. Plus, sometimes it is late at night and you can't sleep … so you flip it open to a random page. And then you stay up all night reading it and it doesn't matter that you didn't sleep because you read this book and you are happy.
September 16, 2012
This was a cute quick read that contained lists of various pop culture ideas. Some of the lists had very odd topics such as Movies That were about People who Tried to be Funny. There were a few lists I did not enjoy because I didn't know any of the subject matter. Overall, a good read but its very hard to compare this to a full blown novel.
January 8, 2010
Great fun to browse through. Lists range from 1 to 4 pages, making for easy dip in and out when you're short on time. It's also easy to lose track of time and find yourself laughing out loud as you read it cover to cover.
August 14, 2010
I love a list so this automatically appealed to me. I have added loads of fun facts to my repetoire of usless and innane factoids that I can spew out randomly. Only real nerds seem to enjoy it sadly. I particularly enjoyed the list of "15 ridiculous lies perpetuated by John Hughes movies."
April 28, 2011
The AV Club is known for these kinds of specific lists. This isn't a book you can sit down and read through in a day. It's better for reading in bits and pieces. Perfect for trivia buffs, pop culture geeks and hipster wannabes.
August 25, 2016
Outdated and redundant paper collection of internet articles. An artifact of a website that has suffered an exodus of talent and a loss of editorial purpose. I bought it as a bathroom book for a business trip to Florida. It served its purpose. Now it collects dust.
September 27, 2012
It was a good idea for a book, but most of the lists were either dull or interesting but hardly 'obsessively specific.' The quest writers weren't used effectively either.
The Kurt Vonnegut quotes section was probably the best part of the book, but then again, hardly obsessively specific.
The Kurt Vonnegut quotes section was probably the best part of the book, but then again, hardly obsessively specific.
Read
February 8, 2013Absolutely love this book. I've an unusual love for anything in the form of lists. You must be fluent in obscure pop culture and know your classic movies (both good and bad.) but a quick read and overall entertaining book.
March 16, 2014
I mostly read these columns in the original. Some of the lists are overlong and the authors spend too much time establishing their hipster cred, but overall it's an amusing look at various cross-sections of music, film, and literature.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews