I Want That!

What I'm reading now:

I want that! How we all became shoppers by Thomas Hine

From the front cover:

Shopping has a lot in common with sex. Just about everybody does it. Some people brag about how well they do it. Some keep it a secret. Most people worry, at least a little, about whether they do it right. And both provide ample opportunities to make foolish choices
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You don't need Barbie. You do need water, but you don't need bottled water. Nobody needs a ceramic sculpture of mother and daughter hippopotamuses, but at under eight dollars, few would label it a luxury.
-Page 16

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One study revealed tha tif you put mena nd women on treadmills the man will walk faster. But if you put the same couple in a mall, the woman will walk faster. Women feel that they are accomplishing something when they shop. Men don't.
-Page 27

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Books I returned to the library yesterday.

*The ultimate brownie book : thousands of ways to make America's
favorite treat, including blondies, frostings, and doctored brownie mixes Weinstein, Bruce, 1960-

I made cormeal brownies--surprisingly good--
and I made S'mores brownies-- slightly disappointing


*Salt : a world history Kurlansky, Mark.

Very interesting, but i read all 400+ pages and there wasn't really a wrap up. I learned a bunch of things, but no point was made

*Driven : how human nature shapes our choices Lawrence, Paul R.

good-recomended by Alton Brown. Not quite a beach read though.

*Retro desserts : totally hip, updated classic desserts from the '40s, '50s, '60s, and '70s Brachman, Wayne Harley.

Very disappointing. not enough pictures, and the recipes were much more complicated than they needed to be

*My 1,000 Americans : a year-long odyssey through the personals Morton, Rochelle.

quick, fun, easy read. A british lady living in America goes on 1,000 dates with people who answer her personal ad. She used the rule of calling every third message in her voicemail box, no matter how crappy they sounded. And she went on a date with them as long as they didn't sound dangerous, or were pleasuring themselves on the phone with her.

*Food festivals of Southern California : traveler's guide and cookbook

apparently southern calif. goes all the way up to monterey. I love food festivals and want to visit them all. the book could be better though.