Oh, c'mon — surely you have a few bucks for a book

Dropping $30 a week on coffee drinks, buying every new toy that comes out or charging a $20,000 wedding on credit cards: These are just a few things young adults should think harder about if they want a healthy financial future.

But the truth is that the under-35 set is already in a financial mess. College costs more than ever. There's a shortage of good-paying jobs. Americans are paying more for loans to finance their spending, and nobody's got enough savings. Young people have such a problem, in fact, that new books on the topic are piling up every day.

The good news: There's still time to get yourself together, and a variety of recently released reads can help. Learn to fix your credit, better understand your spending habits and find out why young adults are in trouble in this roundup of books written specifically for the age group.

"Generation Debt: Why Now Is Such a Terrible Time to Be Young," by Anya Kamenetz (Riverhead, $23.95).

Written by the 24-year-old journalist, this book explains some reasons people age 18 to 34 are doing so poorly with money, including high college debt, low-paying or temporary jobs and limited access to health benefits. Through interviews with experts in economics, labor markets, the health-care industry and education as well as young adults, the author (who will be in Seattle for a reading on Thursday; see box) reveals why it's harder for people to stay afloat and amass personal wealth than it was 30 years ago.

And because it's penned by and for someone in the age demographic, each chapter begins with applicable pop-culture quotes from musicians (Kanye West), TV shows ("Sex and the City") and comic strips ("Dilbert"), which help set the tone for each chunk of the book.

"The Guerrilla Guide to Credit Repair," by Todd Bierman and Nathaniel Wice; updated by Andrea Coombes (St. Martin's Griffin, $12.95).

If you're looking to be entertained with stories of how bad money decisions have screwed up people's lives, this probably isn't the book for you. But if you need help, this no-nonsense book explains how to get free copies of your credit reports, decipher the information therein and clear up any discrepancies. It also explains your legal rights as a consumer.

If you're young and/or don't understand how credit affects your chances of securing a home loan or even renting a car, this well-written and organized guide explains it all in easy-to-understand terms. It's a great starter kit toward a wealthier future.

"Strapped: Why America's 20- and 30-Somethings Can't Get Ahead," by Tamara Draut (Doubleday, $22.95).

The author compares her reason for writing this book to being a nervous airplane traveler: "If something is going to go disastrously wrong," she writes, "it's likely to happen during those initial minutes. Becoming an established adult is the same way; it is during the first ten to fifteen years after school that the outcome of the rest of adulthood is determined."

Addressing everything from record-high credit-card debt, to buying a house, to having kids, to paying closer attention to politics, the book covers what has gone wrong for the under-35 crowd. It also offers ideas on how to create reform, including examining our values, reassessing our views about government and working together to make change.

"Money, A Memoir," by Liz Perle (Henry Holt, $23).

When a woman buys a $300 pair of shoes, it's not often about the heels. How women spend is directly affected by their emotions. "We continue to consume because we have come to believe that a life of love, comfort and safety for ourselves and for our children can be obtained item by item," Perle writes.

Weaving her own "average woman" tales throughout the book, Perle also includes interviews with 200 other women, psychologists and researchers to offer an enlightening glimpse into women's relationships with money and what they can do to improve it.

The tales are spun with good humor, but the book's staggering statistics (the number of women filing for bankruptcy since 1981 has increased 662 percent; women compose 87 percent of the impoverished elderly) will make you think twice before you charge those wedge-heel boots you're coveting.

"The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous and Broke," by Suze Orman (Riverhead, $24.95).

Let's face it — many books on finance aren't always that easy (or interesting) to digest. But this one, set up much like a textbook for adults, is an exception. "YF&B" is published in blue and green ink, separated into small blocks of text with simple graphics and tables, so it's less daunting to absorb. The information is presented in an easy, conversational and noncondescending tone.

The chapters — which include info on credit scores, college debt, saving for emergencies and retirement, investing and balancing love and money — are broken down into short sections to address problems and solutions. (Problem: I am finally making a decent sum of money, but I still have nothing left at the end of the month after paying all my bills. Solution: You have plenty of options if you are ready to make some tradeoffs today in order to reach tomorrow's goals.)

Bullet points at the end of each chapter sum up the most important lessons, and a glossary flushes out any potentially confusing information. (And is it just me, or does the cover shot of Suze Orman bear an uncanny resemblance to a "Physical"-era Olivia Newton John? That alone makes it worth buying.)

Maisy Fernandez is an occasional contributor to The Seattle Times: maisyf@yahoo.com