DISCLOSURE (Michael Crichton) - March 27/12

This typically engrossing yet overlong effort from Crichton certainly held my interest from start to finish, although the sheer length of the thing ensures that there are a few lulls within the narrative. Still, the characters were all quite vivid and I didn't even come close to guessing the outcome of the whole story. *** out of ****

VENDETTA (Peter David) - March 21/12

This entertaining Star Trek book takes an awfully long time to get going, as David opens the novel with a flashback into Picard's Starfleet Academy days and a prolonged sequence involving a planet invaded by the Borg. And the rest of the book feels just as long in parts; it's billed as a "giant novel" and one can't shake the feeling that David felt pressure to pad out the narrative to justify it. Still, it's entertaining and the Borg remain one of the Star Trek world's most compelling antagonists. The climactic stuff was a little over-described for my liking but I ultimately enjoyed the book. *** out of ****

Y THE LAST MAN: ONE SMALL STEP (Brian K. Vaughan, Pia Guerra, Jose Marzan Jr, Paul Chadwick) - March 15/12

The saga continues with this uneven installment, which feels somewhat padded out to a degree, as Vaughan and company don't really take the story anywhere terribly new or interesting and even offer up a palpably pointless stretch involving an all-female (obviously) troupe of actresses that encounter Ampersand. It's not terrible, I guess, but what's the point? *** out of ****

THE LUCKY ONE (Nicholas Sparks) - March 15/12

This fairly typical Sparks novel - it occasionally feels like it's come from a template - is certainly quite entertaining from start to finish, as the author does a nice job of establishing the various characters (especially Logan and his dog Zeus). Not much more to say; it held my interest and I enjoyed reading it. *** out of ****

OFFSPRING (Jack Ketchum) - March 11/12

This expectedly fast-paced sequel to Off Season certainly possesses a number of expectedly engrossing interludes, but the book kind of fizzles out a little towards the end. My ongoing difficulties in separating Amy and Claire didn't help, and the overly descriptive passages simply lost some of their impact as a result. Still, it's a good, brutal book and I look forward to reading the final (?) installment soon. *** out of ****

A PRINCESS OF MARS (Edgar Rice Burroughs) - March 8/12

This surprisingly interminable book was kind of readable in the beginning, with the outlandish premise employed to relatively decent effect by Burroughs. But the author's insanely antiquated writing style inevitably alienated me, as it became more and more difficult to care about the central character's fish-out-of-water exploits. (It doesn't help that much of the book consists of long, descriptive paragraphs, which, by the end, I was pretty much completely glazing over.) The many, many action sequences are, as such, completely uninvolving and uninteresting, although I did admittedly like the climactic battle and John Carter's final discovery that he's been sent back home. The cliffhanger ending is nevertheless not going to encourage me to read any more of the books in this series. * out of ****

THE TWITS (Roald Dahl) - March 5/12

This slight and silly book is entertaining enough, but it's clearly meant to be read by small children. There's nothing wrong with it, really, but as an adult it's difficult for me to say whether it's good or not. It's breezy, I guess, so there's that. **1/2 out of ****

THE ODDS (Stewart O'Nan) - March 5/12

This typically uneven book by O'Nan certainly has a number of engrossing stretches and it's hard to recall a story featuring two equally memorable characters, but the novel is often bogged down in descriptions and flowery passages that feel kind of meaningless. And while the final few pages are admittedly quite exciting, the anticlimactic resolution feels a little disappointing and vague (ie they're staying together because they won? What about all their problems and the impending divorce?) It would've been nice if O'Nan had fleshed out some of the smaller details, but still, it's a quick, truthful read. (And surprisingly depressing in stretches, too.) *** out of ****

Y THE LAST MAN: CYCLES (Brian K. Vaughan, Pia Guerra, Jose Marzan Jr) - March 1/12

The saga continues with this engrossing, fast-paced installment. I'm still not completely sold on the entire concept of the Amazons, but that's a minor complaint for what is otherwise a tremendously involving and entertaining series. (Loved the cliffhanger with the guys in space, too.) ***1/2 out of ****

BOSSYPANTS (Tina Fey) - March 1/12

This entertaining but overlong autobiography/self-help book is admittedly quite entertaining in stretches, mostly when Fey talks about her showbiz exploits, but the author spends way too much time on her dull childhood and upbringing. It doesn't help, either, that Fey devotes whole chapters to her opinions on various topics, with her opinions on such fluffy things as magazine shoots and her kid's fingernails included, seemingly, solely to pad out the book's length. Fey is a good writer (albeit not terribly funny), but this just feels like a needless vanity project. **1/2 out of ****