Obsessive Consumption

Whether you're relaxing on the beach or just trying to escape the company picnic, our pick for a stimulating summer read is Obsessive Consumption: What Did You Buy Today? (Princeton Architectural Press), an illustrated chronicle of Kate Bingaman-Burt's purchases over three years. With her doodly ink drawings divided into groupings such as "From a Shelter Dog to a Black Cardigan," the Portland-based designer makes everything from $8 shoes ("Target rejects, size 10") to a pack of dust masks ($5, "makes sanding totally tolerable") look appealing, while inciting you to wonder why you've never thought to acquire a set of fake mustaches (99 cents) or plastic fangs ("just for wearing around the house"). "I love documenting the mundane," writes Bingaman-Burt in the book's introduction, "and, in turn, putting a personal face on something that is mass-produced."