Well, For Some People

Math is not my friend. I never studied finance. Barely got through statistics. So when we signed up with a financial advisor and I sat through our meetings listening to him speak in his unintelligible language, I thought it was time to take the bull by the horns, knuckle down, and educate myself. Hence my purchase of this fine book. Did I understand everything Paco was saying? No! Did the book have humor and whimsical illustrations? Yes! So to me it was a winner. Paco is amusing, and whip-smart, but not judgey. My kind of finance teacher. So while I'm still not qualified to hang out with our financial guy talking investment-speak, I'd read anything else by this author, truly.

A Study in Angst

This tome dives deep into the inner workings of the mom in a newly growing family, her push/pull feelings of profound devotion to her son while navigating brittle post partum (?) depression. The protagonist, Julia, meets someone who begins to fill the voids in her soul, and she spends more and more time alongside this older, seemingly wiser woman who appears to have it all together. When her connection to the family brings her opportunities she ends up regretting, there are consequences. This book felt very, very real, as if the author herself has grappled with some difficult topics. While the book kept me reading, it wasn't any kind of "feel-good" experience. Plenty of angst and good-old family-style miscommunication to really muddy the waters. Also, I take issue with the blurb on the back cover, as the "friend who almost ended her marriage" most decidedly did not do that. It was a choice that Julia made herself. I kept thinking of that line throughout the book, and have to say it rankled with me. The author is a really good writer, if this is your kind of story.

Not For Me

I love a courtroom drama, legal show, surprise testimony. Having seen that the series All Rise, which I liked a lot, was based on this book, it was an easy decision to nab the book. The book's always better than the movie/series, show, right? Um, maybe not this time. Although it felt deeply researched, I felt it was a slog, it was depressing, and felt heartless and hopeless. Maybe it was just me? Part of it was the writing style--I found the threads hard to follow. Sorry, Steve. I'm astounded (and impressed) that someone read this book and made an entertaining show out of it.