To-Do List: From Buying Milk to Finding a Soul Mate, What Our Lists Reveal about Us

By Sasha Cagen

Book Overview

What Do Your Lists Say About You?

More and more, we are a nation of list-makers, from grocery lists, New Year's resolutions, and things to do before we die to DVDs to rent and people we've kissed. In To-Do List (based on the popular blog of the same name, todolistblog.com) Sasha Cagen celebrates the humble to-do list, exploring the ways these scribbled agendas reflect our personalities and passions.

To-Do List is both a celebration of lists and a peek at the lists that others create. Broken down by subjects like "Daily Lists" to "Sex Lists," it's a fascinating collection of lists from everyday people to the well-known:
Novelist Nick Hornby's list of desert island discs A therapist's secret fears ("I HATE having to think about clients in relation to my hair or clothes") A shopping list from chef Alice Waters of Chez Panisse A woman's accomplishments before her thirtieth birthday ("Hot air ballooned over the Serengeti," "Danced on a table in Vegas") Qualities one man is looking for in a future wife, including "Chews with her mouth shut" and "Will let me give my first son the middle name of 'Jacob'"
With each list, Cagen offers the story behind it and a prompt for readers to compare notes and take their own stab at a similar list.

Voyeuristic and interactive, To-Do List will show you just how much -- and what -- your lists say about you.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1416534695
• ISBN13: 9781416534693
• Release Date: November 2007
• Publisher: Gallery Books
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.96 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Add This One to the To-Read List

A List of 10 Reasons To Read This Book: 1. A voyeuristic slice into the scribbled lives of "the listmakers of America (and the world)" and the items on their minds 2. An entertaining collection of hand-written (on whatever paper was handy at the time) to-do lists from 100 real-live listmakers 3. Revealing, insightful, or just plain interesting commentary on each list (by the original listmaker) 4. The challenge of deciphering the listmaker's (unedited!) scribbles, which in some cases are decorated with fun doodles and unintended(?)/unidentifiable spills 5. Insight into the power of list-making--from helping us feel a bit of control in an otherwise-unlistable, chaotic world to giving words to the (often nagging) mumbo-jumbo circulating our minds 6. Endless DIY list ideas for creating your own lists, including "Places Where I Would Like To Get Frisky" "Foods I Want to Try" "My Qualities That Someone Else Will Appreciate" "A Sexual To-Do List for My Partner" "Thoughts to Remove from My Head" and "Ten Reasons to Be Happy Today" 7. "Garret Love" (a new standard of love line-by-line'd on p. 118) 8. Sasha's clever one-line comments following each list 9. Validation that you are not alone in your list-making obsession, uh, I mean tendency 10. Being able to cross off one item in your "Books to Read" list upon completion of this book

what a great read! fun and interesting

as a devoted list maker myself, i was interested in seeing what kind of lists were in this book. they range from bizarre to fanciful to nuts-and-bolts with a twist, but the best part is the commentary which gives the background of the list...i had a hard time putting it down! it's kinda like reading random diary entries from really interesting people. highly recommended, especially for any other list makers out there.

A wonderful book

Most of the books about lists are pretty boring, but this one was funny and very inspirational.

To-do: 1) Buy this book 2) Read it 3) Think/Laugh/Be Amazed

If you've ever written a list or peeked at someone else's list, you'll dig this fascinating and funny book. Every list is like a bizarre peep hole into a person's head, heart, and hopes for life. Maybe it was just my undiagnosed voyeur-listic tendencies, but I couldn't stop reading this book and then wondering what my own lists say about me. Author Sasha Cagan (the visionary who defined the Quirky Alone movement) includes just enough back story and snarky commentary to bring each list to life and inspire readers to start listing toward happiness. This book is perfect for anyone who has ever written anything on a piece of paper, hoping to cross it off.