AN OBJECT OF BEAUTY (Steve Martin) - February 27/11

I'm a little conflicted about this one. On the one hand, the story stuff is interesting and it's hard not to be drawn into Lacey's ongoing exploits in the art world (from her initial start at an auction house to opening her own gallery to participating in fraud). But the book also includes long, interminable stretches in which Martin describes the art world and how it operates. These portions of the book seem designed to appeal solely to those with an inherent interest in the art scene and essentially had me glazing over whole paragraphs. But the book did improve toward the end as the plot became more prominent, so I would have to give it a marginal recommendation. (It's still awfully disappointing, though, given the strength of Martin's first two books.) **1/2 out of ****

PAYBACK aka THE HUNTER (Richard Stark) - February 21/11

I don't know why, but I have a memory of starting this book many years ago and not finishing it. I think I had a problem with Stark's stark style, but reading it now, I found that the style really complemented the surprisingly brutal story. Some of the overly descriptive passages don't fare too well - especially the climactic train yard thing - but otherwise, this is a lean, mean, fast-paced book featuring a vivid badass at its center. *** out of ****

SARAH'S KEY (Tatiana De Rosnay) - February 17/11

Though it took me a while to get used to the two timelines - it seemed like just as I was getting into the story, it'd switch to the other timeline - Sarah's Key eventually established itself as a surprisingly gripping little book. The stuff involving the past turns out to be rather limited, though there are several highlights during this portion (ie Sarah hides from Nazis in a sack of potatoes). And though the book seems to peter out a little towards the end - it's hard to really care about Julia's move to NYC - Sarah's Key nevertheless features a number of surprisingly touching interludes and stands as one of the more readable books I've tackled in a while. ***1/2 out of ****

THE UNNAMED (Joshua Ferris) - February 14/11

Ugh, what an obnoxious book. The Unnamed starts out reasonably well, with its rather ludicrous story of a man who can't stop himself from walking. Though Ferris' writing style is a little ostentatiously pretentious, the author generally does a nice job of portraying the protagonist's condition and his efforts at sustaining his home and work lives. But then Ferris has the character go crazy, and the reader is treated to an interminable stretch in which he rambles on and on (and on). It didn't work in Spider and it doesn't work here. By the time the guy becomes lucid again, it's impossible to care and the last 50 pages just drag for what feels like an eternity. * out of ****

DON'T SPEAK TO STRANGERS (Marion Rosen) - February 9/11

This passable book feels like an episode of Law & Order: SVU; it gets the job done but just barely. It's not especially well written and it's often laughably stupid (ie the FBI agent's schoolgirl crush on her superior), but there are a few tense sequences sprinkled here and there. The trashiness of the book ensures that the references to the girl's ongoing rape feel exploitative and unnecessary, and the ending is way, way too abrupt (really? We don't get to see Jonathan reunite with his parents? WTF?) **1/2 out of ****

ONE DAY (David Nicholls) - February 5/11

For a while there, One Day had established itself as one of the best books I'd ever read. It's just so entertaining and brilliantly done, as Nicholls does an amazing job of establishing the two incredibly vivid characters and their yearly exploits. It just feels real and authentic, and the book often made me laugh out loud. But then Nicholls decides to kill off Emma. I mean really, WTF. (I actually said "what!" out loud following her death.) It's a stupid ending that really diminishes the book's overall impact, though I was happy that at least Dexter found love with Maddy. Very frustrating. And we never found out what Emma's inscription to Dexter on his copy of her book was! What up with that? ***1/2 out of ****

ACTS OF MALICE (Perri O'Shaughnessy) - February 1/11

This is a sporadically entertaining yet ridiculously overlong legal thriller that feels like a 15o page novel ungainly expanded out to 450 pages. There's some interesting stuff here, but the author has filled the book with so many subplots and instances of padding that it eventually becomes a little tedious. I dunno; it's basically entertaining, in spite of the fact that it's not very well written, and the ending was pretty exciting. (Can't believe they killed Collier.) **1/2 out of ****