Freakonomics

I've probably already said it, but I'm a sucker for used books. I obviously love reading them, but it's more than that. I like the look of books crammed together on a shelf, and I especially like the thrill of finding, hidden among the discarded mysteries and Harlequin romances, something written by an author whose work I admire. It's like a treasure hunt, but sometimes after sifting through a stack of musty books, I need some kind of payoff and choose a book I've perhaps heard of or that looks interesting. Hence, my discovery of Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner. It is one of those intriguing books that makes you question everything you thought you knew. There seems to be no coherent reason why the authors chose to focus on the subjects they did, but they do an incredible job linking seemingly unrelated topics together. The topics range from real estate agents and baby names to crack gangs and the correlation between violent crime rates and  Roe v. Wade. I could easily summarize some of the chapters that I found especially fascinating, but I know I wouldn't do it justice. It's an easy, interesting read and quite worthwhile.