Tess of the D'Urbervilles

Title: Tess of the D'Urbervilles

Author: Thomas Hardy

Pages: 14 discs?

Genre: Classic, Fiction

Grade: B

Synopsis: This is the tragic story of Tess Durbeyfield, a young girl who was the virtuous victim of the rigid Victorian moral code from the time.  Once Tess' family finds out that they are of a noble lineage, Tess Durbeyfield is sent to make a plea for help to a wealthy family in the area with the ancestral name of D'Urberville. 

My Review:  It took me a bit of time to get into this book and understand what was going on.  I found myself checking SparkNotes to read a synopsis of the early chapters.  Oddly enough, once I understood what was happening, I found that I enjoyed this book more than I had expected to.  I found that the book helped me to examine my personal relationships and how I judge people. 

The Rainmaker

Title: The Rainmaker

Author: John Grisham

Pages: 14 discs

Genre: Legal Thriller

Grade: B+

Synopsis: Rudy Baylor is finishing up law school at Memphis State.  He has a job lined up with a decent firm downtown, but three weeks before he is supposed to graduate and start work, his firm is swallowed up by the most prestigious firm in town.  Rudy finds himself jobless and without any prospects, but with a potentially lucrative case against an insurance company that refuses to pay out a claim for a lifesaving bone marrow transplant.

My Review: I'm a sucker for John Grisham's books.  I thought that I had read this one before, but I probably hadn't.  This book, while a bit lengthy never seemed to overwhelm with legalities, and the main case selected was one that was very easy to understand.

Ceremony

Title: Ceremony

Author: Leslie Marmon Silko

Pages: 8 discs?

Genre: Fiction

Grade: B-

Synopsis: Tayo is a half-white, half-Laguna Native American who fought in World War II and survived the Bataan death march.  He struggles to assimilate back into traditional Native American society and struggles with mental instability.  He turns to traditional Native American spirituality and ceremony as he tries to overcome his issues.

My Review: It was tough to get through the first portion of the book, before I finally understood what was going on.  I even found myself having to reference Spark Notes to make sure that I was getting the gist of what was happening.  By the second half of the book, the story became much more enjoyable.

Automatic Wealth for Grads

Title: Automatic Wealth for Grads

Author: Michael Masterson

Pages: 6 discs?

Genre: Self-help, Personal Finance

Grade: F

Synopsis: Michael Masterson is a self-made millionaire who shares his secrets in this book on how new graduates can also become self-made millionaires by the time they are thirty.  The secret is to have your income increase exponentially, start your own business and sell it for millions and buy and sell real estate until you are rich.

My Review:  I like to think that I would have been a skeptical reader of this book in 2007/2008, but in today's economy and marketplace, the instructions and estimates in this book are laughable.  As an example (These aren't direct quotes, but my interpretation): "we'll be conservative and assume that you will only profit 12% per year in the stock market, but really you should be able to make around 25%."  Or another, "Real estate investing will allow you to profit between 25 and 50%, while the best option of all is to start your own business (not a restaurant) where you can profit 50%!"  I found Masterson's tone annoying, his list after list of what you should be doing ridiculous and most of all, I felt that the entire book was based upon unsustainable tenets.  All you millionaires by thirty out there will disagree with my review, but I haven't come across too many lately (ps. even if your starting salary is only $20,000 you should be making $150-$250,000 in a few years if you are diligent!).

The Looking Glass Wars

Title: The Looking Glass Wars

Author: Frank Beddor

Pages: 9 discs?

Genre: Fantasy

Grade: B+

Synopsis: Alyss Hart is a princess in wonderland.  After her aunt Redd attacks the queen and Alyss in the castle, Alyss finds herself in the world that we live in where she relays her tales to Lewis Carroll who publishes them in a book, "Alice in Wonderland."  The Mad Hatter (who is actually an innovative bodyguard) is searching high and low for Princess Alyss in our world, to help her return and fight for Wonderland.

My Review:  I struggled with the first couple discs of this book, because I had no idea what was going on.  Once I got my mind wrapped around the story, I started to really enjoy it.  The story is very clever and a believable twist on the original Alice in Wonderland tales. Apparently this book is the first in a trilogy that has since been completed.

This Side of Paradise

Title: This Side of Paradise

Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald

Pages: 6 discs

Genre: Classic

Grade: B-

Synopsis: F. Scott Fitzgerald's first novel was also his most popular during his life.  The book was published just a few years after the conclusion of World War I and quickly became a symbol of the excesses and restlessness of the young people during the Roaring Twenties.  The novel follows the rich, young Princeton student, Amory Blaine.  Amory is a self-absorbed egotist obsessed with his image and creating a name for himself.

My Review:  I found this book to be quite boring and simply uninteresting.  Not much happens and there didn't seem to be anything in the story that is meant to grab you and keep your interest.