The other day, I made a small, unnecessary purchase at R&D (Interisland Terminal) in Kaka’ako. I browsed many interesting books and for some reason, I kept coming back to this illustrated book Sky High by Germano Zullo and Albertine. “Stop being a kid,” I told myself. Why would I want that? It’s a picture book. Probably for kids. So I walked away and looked over the thick version of 100 Moments that changed photography.

After a few minutes of flipping through the pages of awesome National Geographic photos and making small talk with the shopkeeper Sean, I decided I might as well buy the damn book. The cover and pages seemed so interesting and detailed. Why not buy a book for the art? Is that so bad? The illustrations told a story about a neighborly competition between two men who vertically extend their mansions and fill them with lavish furniture and art. It’s a cute take on “keeping up with the Joneses.” The book was originally written in French and published in France and Switzerland. Now they have the English edition, which I bought for $29.99.

Notice the little chick post-its? I decided to throw those in too…just because they were adorable and fit Thursday’s yellow theme.