TRUST ME (Jeff Abbott) - September 29/09

It feels like forever since I started this one. Jeff Abbott takes a decent premise and squanders it with an overlong narrative that's nothing short of oppressive at times (seriously, this story could've been told so, so much better at half the length). ** out of ****

FIRESTARTER (Stephen King) - September 14/09

It took me months to finish this (the initial copy I got from the library was missing about 40 pages). And unlike most of King's books, this one felt long. With its wafer-thin storyline, King ensures that the book is probably about double the length it needs to be - which he accomplishes by describing the hell out of everything. There's plenty to like, though, as it's just as brutal and violent as one might've hoped (and it also doesn't hurt that King has created a pair of indelible characters in Charlie and Andy). **1/2 out of ****

LOVE AND OTHER IMPOSSIBLE PURSUITS (Ayelet Waldman) - September 5/09

I was eventually pretty surprised by how much I enjoyed this book, since author Ayelet Waldman's decidedly verbose sensibilities are initially a little off-putting. The overly descriptive nature of the book's opening 100 pages make it difficult to really care about Emilia, although as the story progresses, Emilia - and, of course, William - becomes an exceedingly charming (yet thoroughly flawed) figure that one can't help but root for. The expected fake break-up is handled especially well. *** out of ****

THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY (Oscar Wilde) - September 1/09

Oh, the humanity. This exceedingly boring book, which runs 188 pages, has been filled to the brim with long, long passages revolving solely around Wilde's opinions on varying topics. The pervasive atmosphere of windbaggery persists virtually from start to finish, and it's impossible to walk away from the novel without thinking that Wilde adores hearing himself talk. Plotwise, there are a few interesting things - ie Dorian murders the man who painted his portrait - but they're generally lost beneath absurdly descriptive and eye-rollingly talky stretches. A true ordeal. * out of ****