One book down, twenty-three to go

So, it looks like my eyes are bigger than my brain, or something like that. I bought all these books, but at this point I rather doubt I will get to read them all before law school. In the last three months I have started five books and finished one. Of course the move and unpacking put a temporary halt to all reading, but now that we are pretty well settled I have been getting a little reading done in the evenings.

The one book I finished is Getting To Maybe. Although I won't truly be able to attest to the utility of this book until after my first exams in the fall, I think this was a good book to read before law school. The book demystifies law school exams, making them less intimidating. I think that alone is reason enough to read it before school starts. Another reason I think it was good to read it now is that, by understanding how law school exams work, I can know what to pay attention to in class and can study more effectively throughout the semester. Also, the book not only explains in great detail the kinds of questions you will see on law school exams and how to deal with them, it has good tips for taking notes, outlining and studying. I will definitely need to look at this book again as exams approach, because there was a lot of useful information in there.

I am currently reading The Lost Children of Wilder: the epic struggle to change foster care. The story of the little girl is heartbreaking, but the author's style is getting on my nerves. She starts in the middle, then jumps back in time to give background on the people involved, which I guess in itself isn't bad, but the way she does it just seems so formulaic, like somebody made a rule that you're not allowed to tell stories from beginning to end, instead you have to start with the characters in a car on their way to some important event, so that you create a drama and suspense immediately, then you go back and tell the whole story of how they got there. Anyway, the reason I am reading this book is that I was thinking it might get me excited about the end result of law school -- becoming a lawyer -- which is something I haven't been spending much time thinking about lately. But I might abandon this book and go back to something more practical. I'll keep you posted.