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January 4, 2016
In his previous book, Vanderbilt (Traffic) wrote about why people drive the way they do. In this expansive follow-up, he takes a deep look at why people like what they like. Vanderbilt covers the topic exhaustively, examining varied social and psychological factors. He interviews, among other people, the vice president of product innovation for Netflix, the principal engineer at “music intelligence” company Echo Nest, and a Dutch psychologist who also happens to be a judge at a Paris cat show. In each chapter, he explores a different area of taste, including food, social networks, music playlists, and art. As he concludes (in a pithy “field guide to liking”), “Trying to explain, or understand, any one person’s particular tastes—including one’s own—is always going to be a maddeningly elusive and idiosyncratic enterprise.” Reading this book will cause readers to think twice before clicking “like” on Facebook, rating a film on Netflix, or ordering what the server says is the menu’s most popular item. Agent: Zoe Pagnamenta, Zoe Pagnamenta Agency.

March 15, 2016
The science behind the choices we make. After insightfully scrutinizing vehicular driving habits, Vanderbilt (Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do, 2008, etc.), a contributing editor for Wired UK, Outside, and Artforum, now explores what compels our selection process in everything from movies and music to munchies and the "chromatic sweet spot" of a favorite color. "We are faced with an ever-increasing amount of things to figure out whether we like or dislike," writes the author, "and yet at the same time there are fewer overarching rules and standards to go by in helping one decide." Throughout the book's entertaining chapters on the partiality of items like foods, Netflix movies, songs, and online social interactivity, Vanderbilt examines the methodology and psychological nature of the "taxonomy of taste." He notes that while websites like Yelp and YouTube enable users to quick-grade products, services, and media-driven experiences and partake in their popularity and likability, these sites also incorporate algorithms that ingeniously weed out fake reviews, which can skew results and overall impressions. Supporting theories on taste development and personal bias, the author interviewed anthropologists on dog breeding and a host of psychologists and psychology professors, who fascinatingly discuss the sensory influences of dessert and a hypothesis attesting that repeated exposure reinforces likability. In his exploration of the predictability, instability, and malleability of our partialities, Vanderbilt also spent quality time with opinionated competition judges and at a beer festival, where, in matters of flavor and variety, the pairings and possibilities were endless. In a conclusive closing section, the author seeks to clarify the multilayered dynamics of predilection, and though he has produced an extremely convincing effort, he admits that examining this subject remains a "maddeningly elusive and idiosyncratic enterprise." Like it or not, there's much to behold in this exhaustively researched, intellectual assessment of human preference.

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Starred review from February 1, 2016

Vanderbilt (Survival City; Traffic) pens a fascinating exploration of how human preferences emerge, why we like the things we do, and why tastes change over time. In a narrative that takes readers into the offices of companies such as Netflix, Pandora, and Spotify, whose business models hinge on the ability to predict accurately consumer media preferences, the author also investigates the competitive worlds of cat shows and beer contests to identify what makes an expert judge different from the average person. He considers the impermanence and evolution of human taste, citing examples from the art world, athletic competitions, food science labs, and scholarly research. The result is a fascinating account that encourages readers to reflect upon their own preferences while making a compelling argument that those preferences can, and do, change with little conscious effort. VERDICT Essential for readers who are interested in getting a glimpse of the decision-making process at influential online media companies, as well as those who are interested in the processes that govern individual preferences and taste making.--Rebecca Brody, Westfield State Univ., MA

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2016
Have you ever wondered what mixture of genes and upbringing prompts someone to choose black coffee over one with cream and sugar? Or to eschew coffee altogether and sip on tea or plain water? According to Vanderbilt (Traffic, 2008), in this meticulously researched and fascinating report on the erratic nature of taste, the answers to those questions lie not just in nature and nurture but also in a wide spectrum of influences, from momentary whims to clever advertising. For a chapter on edible preferences, Vanderbilt interviewed leading food scientists and taste researchers who confirmed that sweetness is a predilection we're born with, whereas a yen for bitter flavors, among others, can be cultivated. A chapter covering online social media explores the communal pressures involved in liking Facebook posts and rating Netflix movies, while one on art appreciation shows how often fads can sway opinion. Vanderbilt's work will appeal to anyone who's ever been astonished by extreme taste differences between friends, and to anyone working in an industry where pleasing people is a top priority.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)