Books One and Two The Obsidian Chamber and The Money Drunk

I'm off to good start reading in 2020.

First up: The Obsidian Chamber by Preston and Child

The prologue in this book was the same as the epilogue in Crimson Shore. Pendergast is gone, presumed dead. Grief-stricken, Constance decides to retreat to her chambers beneath the family mansion. Then Proctor, Pendergast's bodyguard and chauffeur, is attacked and drugged. Proctor recovers in time to see Diogenes Pendergast kidnapping Constance. The chase is on.

As I mentioned in my Crimson Shore post, the reappearance of Diogenes was a bit much for me. I was predisposed to be critical of this book. It's still good: the story is complex and kept me turning the pages to see what would happen next.


Book Two: The Money Drunk 90 Days to Financial Freedom by Mark Bryan and Julia Cameron (1992)
Now called Money Drunk/Money Sober 90 Days to Financial Freedom (1999)

I bought this book about 20 years ago when I took a week-long Artist's Way program with the authors at Omega Institute. I'm not sure why.

Obviously I wasn't burning to read it; it sat on my bookshelf for those 20 years. On Monday, I was reading an online thread about New Year's resolutions. Many involved saving or budgeting money, so I finally read the book.

The first part of the book defines the money drunk problem as another addiction. The second delineates the various types of money drunks, and the third describes a 12-step 90 day solution.

While I have some issues with money, I'm glad to report that I'm not a money drunk and don't need the program. It was interesting how many of the steps for the various types were similar to those in Cameron's The Artist's Way.