Amy Schneider! This book is a kaffeeklatsch in printed form. Amy's journey to Jeapordy stardom, becoming a woman and incidental things along the way are touched upon in a chatty, unpretentious style that makes you kinda wish you worked the cubicle one over from her. I could have done without (and did--skimmed over it) the longish chapter on tarot, which is an obvious interest. Overall a light, easy read from someone who seems to have truly found herself.
Charlie is autistic, brilliant and loyal. That's why she doesn't say anything when her boss is found murdered, and it is clear from the security footage that Charlie was witness to something that night. Her life isn't easy--raised in a hardscrabble style by a single mom until a selfish stepdad enters the picture, Charlie knows that she has only herself to rely on in many ways. So who does she trust when she has to navigate the twists and turns of a murder investigation? I didn't see the solution right up until it was revealed. Brava, Wendy Walker, who by the way, looks like she could be Blake Lively's sister, and, oh yeah, she's an attorney who used to work in child advocacy. Once I got over my inferiority complex, I decided I'd like to read everything she's ever written. Maybe I'll just skip the bio page next time.
The Long Haul remains one of my favorite books--the first chapter alone made me laugh so hard it hurt. With that in mind, I was excited to read this next project by Finn Murphy about his foray into the hemp "space" (world/agricultural endeavor/whatever) and dove in with gusto, just knowing I was in for another great ride. Instead of the easy banter of his former book, this reads more like an informational manual, slogging along and laden with data. If the first book was a white water ride, this was a plod through a plowed-up field dragging a 50 pound weight. While I'm all for learning something as I read, I also want the book to be enjoyable. This just wasn't, for me. It was clear that after his first success, the publisher thought another gold mine could be milked from Finn's latest adventure. Or perhaps Finn thought he'd try to salvage some of the wreckage of his failed farming attempts by luring loyal fans into buying this book. Could have been an amusing article, at best. Sorry, Finn.
