WATCHMEN (Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons) - August 28/08

Though almost oppressively dense and filled with incredibly superfluous elements (that whole Pirate thing... seriously, wtf?), Watchmen is basically an entertaining story about several has-been superheroes and a plot to destroy the world. Moore has populated the book with a number of indelible characters - my favorite being Rorschach - and it's hard not to be impressed by the work that he's clearly put into this thing. Still, there's just too much going on here and it's ultimately impossible not to think that the whole thing would've worked better if cut in half. **1/2 out of ****

THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES (Sue Monk Kidd) - August 21/08

This amiable yet rambling novel tells the sweet story of a teenager who goes to live with a black family of beekeepers after running away from her abusive father. The mystery at the center of the book - what happened to Lily's mother - certainly proves to be its most effective aspect, as Kidd spends far too much time dwelling on the minutia of the beekeepers' day-to-day lives (with a particular and egregious emphasis on their various Mary-related rituals). **1/2 out of ****

SKELETONS AT THE FEAST (Chris Bohjalian) - August 15/08

Another expectedly impressive effort from Bohjalian, Skeletons at the Feast follows several characters as they attempt to survive during the waning months of WWII. Though the novel is occasionally a little more verbose than one might've liked, there's certainly no denying the vividness with which Bohjalian has infused characters like Anna, Uri, Mutti, and Theo (poor Theo!) *** out of ****

SNUFF (Chuck Palahniuk) - August 5/08

Yet another impossibly sordid book from Chuck, Snuff follows three men as they await their turn at a 600-man gangbang. Infused with grisly details and nausea-inducing descriptions, Snuff is initially oppressive in its plotlessness. There reaches a point, however, where things start to get more interesting thanks to Palahniuk's inclusion of unexpected plot twists, ie the female wrangler turns out to be Cassie's long-lost child, Cassie and the bronze guy are fused together in a sexually explicit position, etc. But really, doesn't Palahniuk ever tire of the relentless sleaze within in his works? **1/2 out of ****

NICK & NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST (Rachel Cohn & David Levithan) - August 4/08

This may perhaps be the most authentically romantic book I've ever read, as it follows two characters as they meet and bond and fall in love over one very long night. A cross between Before Sunrise and Say Anything (especially the latter), the book does take a while to get going but reaches a point at which you just don't want to put it down. The ending is note perfect and they better not change it for the movie ("Ready. Set. Jump.") ***1/2 out of ****