callmemadam | Listellany, John Rentoul

‘This is a book of open arguments for nerds, geeks and boffins throughout the land.’ (Publishers)
‘This is a book a lot of people will be given for Christmas.’ (Me)

This book could provoke as many arguments as Monopoly or Scrabble. Picture the scene.
Self appointed QM: ‘OK. Worst Beatles Songs.’ (Reads list.)
Cries of, ‘What?’ ‘Noooo!’ ‘ What about Hello, Goodbye? That’s terrible!’
Wait until they get to ‘Most overrated 1960s bands’ or ‘Douglas Adams quotes’. Fights could break out. Not all the lists are book or music related. Some are quite educational, e.g. ‘Best Prime Ministers we never had’. (Younger generation: ‘Who’s Denis Healey?’) Check your grammar with ‘Tautologies’ and ‘Tautologous abbreviations’. Condemn ‘Journalese’. Which are Britain’s most beautiful railway journeys?

Listellany has been compiled from John Rentoul’s columns in The Independent, with the help of his pedantic followers on Twitter. As you can tell, I found it very entertaining and recommend it as a bit of fun for someone’s Christmas stocking.

Thanks to Elliott and Thompson for sending me the book and giving me a laugh.