THE TENTH CIRCLE (Jodi Picoult) - February 19/09

This is a fairly intriguing novel revolving around a 14-year-old who may or may not have been raped (she was) by a star hockey player and the fallout that ensues. Picoult's incredibly meandering style ensures that the book is only sporadically enthralling, as the novelist spends far too much time on details that one couldn't possibly care less about (ie the forensic stuff, the Eskimo backstory of the dad, etc). The needless emphasis on the spiritual Eskimo hokum grows increasingly tedious as the book progresses, with the final 80 pages or so faring quite poorly as a result (the book shifts gears to Alaska after Trixie runs there). **1/2 out of ****

WONDER BOYS (Michael Chabon) - February 11/09

Though I started this book sometime last fall, I've only just finished it. Chabon is clearly an excellent writer, yet his incredibly pretentious modus operandi ensures that the book is only sporadically engaging. The author bogs the proceedings down with incredibly pointless digressions delving into the minute history of things that the reader couldn't possibly care less about. And while the book's events and characters are extremely vivid, it's impossible to ever entirely connect to anything within the narrative. **1/2 out of ****

TIM (Colleen McCullough) - February 3/09

Overlooking the fairly icky romance that pops up in the last 50 pages or so, Tim is otherwise a slight yet awfully entertaining read revolving around the friendship that forms between a stodgy old spinster and a mentally retarded 25-year-old. McCullough does a nice job of not only establishing the two central characters but also a variety of periphery characters (ie Dawnie, Esme, Ron, etc). *** out of ****