THE WAR FOR LATE NIGHT (Bill Carter) - December 15/10

Like The Late Shift, The War for Late Night is an interesting but overlong book that is too often bogged down in the business side of things. I honestly don't care too much about what the various executives did during this whole event, and the book is at its best when focused on the moves and actions of the talent involved. **1/2 out of ****

FULL DARK, NO STARS (Stephen King) - December 10/10

This relatively strong collection of four stories starts out with a bit of a whimper, as 1922 wears out its welcome somewhere around its midway point. But the revenge tale, about a woman who sets out to kill her rapist but also winds up killing his mother and brother, really stood out for me, while the other two stories are also quite good (especially the tale of a wife who learns her husband is a serial killer). King's reliance on oddball elements notwithstanding (ie the wife's "mirror universe" fantasies), Full Dark, No Stars is right up there with the best of his recent work. *** out of ****

TRUE GRIT (Charles Portis) - December 4/10

This surprisingly entertaining and readable Western features plenty of memorable characters and a number of thoroughly exciting sequences. The book does slow down in its rather uneventful midsection, but it picks up towards the end. *** out of ****