Eleanor Oliphant, a young woman who works in an office in Glasgow, is completely NOT fine, but this book is about how she starts getting better. I agree with people who say the tone reminds them of a darker version of The Rosie Project. It also reminds me a little bit of the film Lars and the Real Girl (which I love), in the sense that Eleanor is responding to an internal push to join the world and start making connections with people. As an added bonus, the audiobook narrator was great.

Cozy read about a public librarian renovating a cottage while taking on the Man in charming coastal Ireland? I’m here for that.

I’ve used YNAB for years and love it. I was curious to see if this book would provide information beyond all the free resources they already make available (training videos, manuals, blog posts, podcasts, etc.) And hey, it does! It’s a quick, conversational read without figures or charts. And I think it would be useful whether or not you are using their budgeting software. Two things about Jesse’s philosophy that I feel distinguish him from a lot of other financial advice-givers are these.

1. He isn’t going to tell you how to spend your money. That is about you figuring out your priorities.

2. He wants you to budget only the money that you already have in your account, not money that you are expecting to earn. This doesn’t seem like a big thing but it really makes a difference!