STAR (Peter Biskind) - April 27/10

Wow. This incredibly long book - seriously, it felt like the longest book I've ever read, and that includes Under the Dome - tells the exhausting story of Warren Beatty's upbringing and career. Biskind has certainly packed the book with a number of fascinating tidbits and the book certainly proves an eye-opening look into the darker side of Hollywood. But the darn thing is just way too long; Biskind is given to repetition and he often includes his own opinions, which is hardly necessary. It's consequently impossible not to think that Star would've worked much, much better at a fraction of the length. (Seriously, it took me two long weeks to finish this crazy thing!) **1/2 out of ****

THE LAST SONG (Nicholas Sparks) - April 12/10

This satisfying yet overlong romance - seriously, it feels like it's 200 pages longer than necessary - ultimately comes off as a typical Sparks book, and there are very few plot twists here that one doesn't see coming miles away. Sparks also lays on the religious stuff a little thick, and he tends to be awfully descriptive when one really just wants him to move the story along. But the character's are all quite well developed, and the stuff with Ronnie and her father is surprisingly moving (if depressing). And, it's worth noting, this seems to be the rare Sparks book in which the two lovers actually get together in the end. **1/2 out of ****

HERE'S THE DEAL: DON'T TOUCH ME (Howie Mandel) - April 5/10

Though it started out extremely poorly - I just don't care about Howie's childhood or the myriad of unusually cruel pranks he's pulled over the years - this book eventually became surprisingly readable and almost brutally honest. Mandel talks about his successes and his medical problems with a candidness that proves impossible to resist, and the book ultimately does what all good autiobiographies do: it makes the reader feel as though they know the writer personally. *** out of ****

PUPPY CHOW IS BETTER THAN PROZAC (Bruce Goldstein) - April 3/10

Okay, so even though the book improved immensely as it went along, this doesn't excuse the fact that the first half is just about intolerable. I suppose Goldstein wrote this portion of the book while suffering from the effects of his bipolar disease, but it doesn't excuse the fact that it's about the worst-written stuff I've ever seen. It's what I imagine in would look like if Tim ever wrote a book. But as the book progressed and Ozzy entered Goldstein's life, I admit that I was kind of drawn into his story and the way that people flocked to him because of the dog (although if I had to read "look at the puppeeee" one more time, I think I would've screamed). Otherwise, you can't help but read this stuff and think that Goldstein should just man up and get on with things. *1/2 out of ****