I’m a sucker for top ten lists. You? And the Internet is overrun with them, partly because the format of online writing (short text, links, horizontal reading habits) lends itself towards listing. But this is not about a website, but a book (remember those?) that writer Daniel Harmon has put together with his own lists about Pop Culture.
It’s great.
Super Pop! (Pop Culture Top Ten Lists To Help You Win at Trivia, Survive in the Wild, and Make It Through the Holidays) is a treasure trove of fascinating insights, laugh-out loud humor and such a wide range of topics that this book would be perfect for the beach or any other place where you store books for quick reads (I keep a few in my van for when I am waiting around for my sons’ sporting events to get started). Harmon does a great job of engaging the reader, and his view of the world of Pop Culture is vast and wide-ranging, sharing out movies, books, websites, video games, music, and a whole lot more. He seems to have his finger on the pulse of the pop world, and while the format is a listing, Harmon’s writing is what carries the day for each item on the list, drawing connections that go beyond the grouping.
From topics such as “Lose Yourself in a Good Story” to “Models of Soulful, Hard-hitting Dialogue” to “Songs Guaranteed to Melt Your Frozen Heart” to “Touchstones for Quirky, Like-Minded People,” this book will have you thinking, remembering and maybe searching for that movie, music or book reference that Harmon has brought to the surface in an interesting way.
Super Pop! is a super read.
Peace (in the lists),
Kevin