January, part two. It was a good month for reading – which is to say, very cold, and I didn’t want to do much other than sit on my couch curled up with a book.
#4. I will teach you to be rich by Ramit Sethi
Paperback, 266 pages
Published March 23rd 2009 by Workman
Borrowed from library
This past year, I’ve been working to tighten up my personal finances in a more meaningful way. A month ago I became a “real adult” and got myself a credit card that gives me 6% cash back on groceries. I got over my “I don’t want give money to the man”, and chose a card that would work for me, given my main spending category every month, and the fact that I’ll pay in full at the end of each billing period – specifically to continue building credit.
About the time I got my card, I picked up Sethi’s book. While the tone of the book may not be for everyone, and it’s geared towards the 20-35 crowd, the financial information covered hits all the basics. Except for the dated piece about savings accounts – sorry, you won’t see 4% returns anywhere these days – this book covers paying down debt, credit cards, saving strategies, retirement investments, automating cash flow, budgeting, etc. This book isn’t about getting rich quickly, but about learning the basics of financial literacy.
#5. The Enchanted April by Elizabeth Von Arnim
234 pages
First published 1923 by Doubleday, Page & Co.
Read on Kindle (link is to the *free* Kindle book)
I’ve been reading The Enchanted April for nearly a year now. Every week or so I’d pick it up and read just a few pages, hoping to savor it as much as possible – it was just the charming escapism that I needed. Four women, strangers to each other, escaping their daily lives to converge together in a villa in Italy – this is the original Eat Pray Love/Under the Tuscan Sun/etc. except I didn’t feel like screaming at any of the characters. A lovely, enchanting (sorry) read. Highly recommended!
#6. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
259 pages
Published June 18th 2013 by William Morrow
Listened to audiobook, read by author HarperAudio
Sometimes I seek out books that I know will be better read to me by the author, and this was one of them. Neil Gaiman, aside from being a wonderful writer, is a phenomenal storyteller. This wasn’t my favorite of his books, but listening to him read it made it special. Perfect walk commute book! (Plus, he’s married to Amanda Palmer, so that’s a thing I find interesting.)
