MOONRAKER (Ian Fleming) - March 25/08

I think I started this one sometime last summer and I've just now finished it, if that's any indication. Actually, the book improved substantially in its final 100 pages. But the opening 150 or so, dedicated to scenes of Bond flirting with secretaries, playing cards opposite Drax, and (especially) long descriptions of the Moonraker, are just interminable. Fortunately, there reaches a point at which the whole thing turns into a typical Bond effort - complete with an almost absurdly long scene where the villain describes his motives (this is topped by the moment in which he basically tells everyone in London they'll be killed and they applaud anway). **1/2 out of ****

BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE (Ben Mezrich) - March 21/08

This entertaining but slight account of MIT card counters moves at a quick pace, admittedly, but is ultimately far from fresh. The arc of the story feels like a second-rate Scorsese flick, and Mezrich tends to employ dialogue that sounds just a little too perfect. Still, it's quite readable and rarely dull (well, except when the author dwells on the mathematical formulas for counting cards). *** out of ****

SNOW ANGELS - Stewart O'Nan (March 13/08)

This brisk yet sporadically pretentious debut follows two separate storylines that kind of converge, and O'Nan does a nice job of establishing the various characters. There are a few really engaging passages - particularly the sequence in which everybody tries to track down the missing kid - but O'Nan tends to bog down his prose with overly flowery descriptions. **1/2 out of ****

THE MAN WHO HEARD VOICES (Michael Bamberger) - March 7/08

This interesting look at M. Night Shyamalan's efforts at making Lady in the Water generally works in spite of author Bamberger's needless flourishes (ie enough with the voices already). The book really picks up once filming begins, as the whole thing turns into a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the making of a $70 million Hollywood movie. *** out of ****