Milk Eggs Vodka: Grocery Lists Lost and Found

A simple collection of hand-written lists has never been so funny. By themselves, the lists would beget enough amusement, but Keaggy’s adroit quips truly solidify the generally under-educated notes. It makes one conscientious of their own lists, making sure to spell everything right, to eschew vagaries such as “dinner food.”

Everyone makes grocery lists. They're humble items, useful until they're no longer necessary, abandoned in shopping carts, library books, or other random places. But gather them all together in a book and the grocery list becomes an intimate revelation of someone's daily life. The author's collection of found lists lays bare agonizing and amusing misspellings, hints of festive occasions, and implications of not entirely perfect lives. The author's snarky commentary for each list is hilarious!

I am fascinated by this quirky book and by its author/editor, Bill Keaggy, who collects discarded grocery lists and apparently has thousands of them from which he culled the ones in this book. The book itself is a bit of a voyeuristic experience, like eavesdropping on other people's conversations or peeking in their windows. Grocery lists can certainly provide some insight into people's lives. Some of these are touching, some puzzling, and many humorous.

Keaggy includes brief essays on some side topics, like the history of grocery lists or tips for preparing for a shopping trip. Each page also contains a bit of trivia about a grocery item. This is a fun book, a quick read that provides food for conversation and makes me think twice about show more what I put on my own grocery lists!

As a side note, the bit about history of grocery lists and the ancient lists that have been found reminded me a bit of the book A Canticle for Liebowitz, in which the story's action is catalyzed by the discovery of a grocery list written by Liebowitz. Good book! show less

Milk Eggs Vodka - Grocery Lists Lost and Found by Bill Keaggy is just that, a book containing all kinds of shopping lists that have been found in shopping trolleys, shopping centres and car parks all over the USA.

This collection isn't for everyone, but it does give the reader a unique glimpse into the minds of shoppers. Some of the spelling mistakes made me laugh out loud (burd fude anyone?) but I also enjoyed the categories Keaggy sorted his lists into.

Some of the chapters included:
- Paar-ty!
- Sad Grocery Lists
- Badd Spellrs
- Organized Lists
- Healthy (and Hygienic) Lists

The strange combination of items together on the same list were interesting, although the novelty does wear off by the end.

This is a good book to read while watching show more TV; or in my case, during the ads while watching the Australian Open.

A book to flick through at the library but not one to buy. show less

A funny idea ruined by thinking it is too funny. The author compiles lists sent into him for his blog on random grocery lists. He uses these lists as a window into the modern American food shopper and how it reflects us as a people. At least he could have. Instead he spends the book making Perez Hilton-like snarky comments about the hand-writing, spelling, and contents of the list. There is potential in the idea but the execution is lacking.

A fun read I had on my list for my food category in the 999 challenge. Keaggy has collected used grocery lists, and assembled them, along with funny, snarky, and insightful comments on who might have made such lists. The book actually shows the lists, with the bad penmanship, the eclectic assortment of paper (or wood chips) used to write them, and the abominable spelling. It was a quick and fun read...definitely not worth buying, but if you see at the library grab it for an enjoyable hour.

This book is a collection of shopping lists found by the author left in shopping carts, etc. It's a funny idea, because you really can tell a lot about a person from their shopping list, sometimes to a disturbing degree. The author presents the idea as a window into a private, often poorly spelled, sphere of thought that we don't often see in others. And he's right, a lot of the lists do evoke some sort of story; I was reminded of Hemingway's 6-word story contest. It is both well done and funny; my only criticism is that the two don't necessarily go together well. There is continuous snarky commentary, which is usually funny but sometimes seems mean-spirited since there is this peeking into someone's mind quality to it. It is overall show more entertaining, but not one of the best things I've ever read. show less