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Title : Mrs. Ted Bliss
Author : Stanley Elkin
Rating : 1 Stars out of 5.
Summary : Skip this one
This is the first book we read for our book club and only three people made it all the way through. Most people gave up after the first chapter. I read the story and found it to be extremely boring and found the synopsis on the back of the cover to be very deceiving. I expected Dorothy to become an exciting person who would be involved in exciting adventures, instead the story dragged on until the climax - the tornado at which point I had given up all hope of redemption for the book.

Title : Mrs. Ted Bliss
Author : Stanley Elkin
Rating : 3 Stars out of 5.
Summary : Beautiful language, ugly plot
Mr. Elkin has a wonderful style, with phrases that you reread and say out loud to yourself, that you remember when you put the book down. But that's about all you remember, because the plot and the characters leave much to be desired. I think Elkin put a little too much into forming the most perfect, most beautiful sentences, and not enough into the actual story. I never cared about what happened to Dorothy, or anyone else in her mundane existance. Literature is not literature if it doesn't move you, and Mrs. Ted Bliss most definetly failed in that regard.
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Title : Mrs. Ted Bliss
Author : Stanley Elkin
Rating : 3 Stars out of 5.
Summary : Beautiful language, ugly plot
Mr. Elkin has a wonderful style, with phrases that you reread and say out loud to yourself, that you remember when you put the book down. But that's about all you remember, because the plot and the characters leave much to be desired. I think Elkin put a little too much into forming the most perfect, most beautiful sentences, and not enough into the actual story. I never cared about what happened to Dorothy, or anyone else in her mundane existance. Literature is not literature if it doesn't move you, and Mrs. Ted Bliss most definetly failed in that regard.

Title : You've Earned It, Don't Lose It: Mistakes You Can't Afford to Make When You Retire
Author : Suze Orman
Rating : 5 Stars out of 5.
Summary : Every woman's book on pitfalls in planning: Read this FIRST!
I grabbed this book on impulse, knowing that I have a bad track record with money management subjects. I thought it would be laying around gathering dust for awhile...
Was I surprised when I started reading the first page and then plowed right through it in 1-1/2 nights! So easy to read and understand. (The Wall St. Journal series, with all their glitzy colored pictures couldn't do what Suze did with her real-life stories as examples.) Maybe it's the woman's touch, but she got through to me. The whole picture of retirement issues and planning became clear.
I highly recommend this as a first book for financial planning -- it's NOT JUST ABOUT RETIREMENT, it's more about protecting women by arming them with vital information... every woman should READ THIS BOOK BEFORE MAKING ANOTHER DECISION involving money (or before someone makes one for her).

Title : Life Begins at 50: A Handbook for Creative Retirement Planning
Author : Leonard J. Hansen
Rating : 5 Stars out of 5.
Summary : A valuable, user-friendly tool for constructing one's life.
As my own writing sometimes includes advice columns, an editor recommended I read "Life Begins at Fifty" as a primer on how to make a wide range of sometimes complex topics easily accessible for the lay reader. It proved an excellent direction. Mr. Hansen has obviously covered the waterfront for a long time, and the breadth of his knowledge and the manner in which he integrates and conveys his subjects provides a stark contrast to most of the platitudes and off the shelf advice readers are subjected to. My spry 82 year old mother found the book a fascination and said that if she'd had access to it decades ago it would have significantly influenced and changed a number of her decisions. I know the book will prove an interesting tool for me, as it prods me toward topics I know I should be thinking about but keep putting off. One of the most evident virtues of the book is that Mr. Hansen never seems to be fighting a rearguard action as Father Time starts piling on, but instead clearly views the last half of life as when things really get interesting, a viewpoint readers of his book are likely to embrace.

Title : The 401(k) Millionaire: How I Started with Nothing and Made a Million and You Can, Too
Author : Knute Iwaszko
Rating : 4 Stars out of 5.
Summary : A great inspiration to get started now with your 401(k).
Like a good diet or fitness book, The 401(k) Millionaire is a terrific inspiration to get started now, not just saving for retirement but working your money smart. Iwaszko makes it really hard to resist finally getting serious about your 401(k)--I guess because he's got a million good reasons why you should! In fact, excuse me, I need to go max out right now. The 401(k) "makeovers" in the book may be the best part about it. Totally worthwhile read.