WEIRD AL: THE BOOK (Nathan Rabin and Weird Al) - December 26/12

This brisk book, which is mostly pictures, takes a quick and entertaining look at the highs and lows of Weird Al's career. Rabin does a nice job of packing the book with facts I wasn't aware of - Weird Al was going to record a Black or White parody called Snack All Night - and I definitely came away with a new appreciation for Al's career. I really gotta get back into his stuff. *** out of ****

THE FAULT IN OUR STARS (John Green) - December 24/12

Further proof that the best literature is geared towards teens. I loooooooved this book. I loved pretty much everything about it and I was astonished at how emotionally connected I became to the characters. I was on the verge of tears during the entire stretch following Augustus' death, which was a little embarrassing, given that I was on the subway and the streetcar at the time. It's just a compulsively readable and completely enthralling little book. **** out of ****

HONOR AMONG THIEVES (Jeffrey Archer) - December 22/12

For one thing, I'm fairly positive I read this book before. At first, I didn't mind, since the first half is pretty decent and contains a number of good twists and plot developments (it is, after all, about a plot to kill Saddam AND a plot to steal the Declaration of Independence). I also enjoyed the weird romance between two characters, and was surprised when Archer seemingly killed one off (he wasn't really dead, natch). The second half of the book, devoted to the long effort at retrieving the Declaration, doesn't fare nearly as well, as there seems to be one lackluster set piece after another - including a long stretch in which several characters attempt to flee Iraq and an entirely anticlimactic final stretch revolving around an attempt at stealing the Declaration back from a notorious mob guy. It's readable, I guess, but somewhat half-baked and disappointing. **1/2 out of ****

PERSEPOLIS (Marjane Satrapi) - December 16/12

This entertainingly episodic comic has its moments but is all-too-often just a little too political. Without an internal monologue from the main character, it's difficult to wholeheartedly care about everything that she undergoes. There are a few unexpectedly touching sequences - the last panel, for example - but on the whole this never quite becomes anything more than a passable yet unremarkable comic. **1/2 out of ****

WAR OF THE WORLDS (H.G. Wells) - December 13/12

There are a lot of interesting plot twists here - the Spielberg adaptation is surprisingly faithful - but the narrative is just unreasonably slow and almost insanely descriptive. The whole book seems to consist of the main character wandering from one locale to the next, describing the hell out of everything he sees. The stiff, stuffy, formal prose only exacerbates the crushingly dull atmosphere. *1/2 out of ****

BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY (Jay McInerney) - December 10/12

At first I wasn't too sure about this one; with its initial emphasis on drug use and shifty behavior, I figured I was in for another boring, overwritten romp through 1980s New York City. But McInerney quickly reveals himself to be a much better and more compassionate writer than Ellis, as he offers up a compelling (and relatable) protagonist that one can't help but sympathize with. There are a few unexpectedly poignant moments - eg the death of the central character's mother - and I enjoyed the dynamic between the nameless hero and the various people in his life (including Tad, Vicky, Amanda, etc). The use of the second person narrative is initially weird, but I quickly got used to it. Strange that that's not something you see more of. Anyway, I liked this brisk book and will certainly look for more of McInerney's work. *** out of ****

ANNA KARENINA (Leo Tolstoy) - December 6/12

Well, here it is. The worst, most boring book I've ever read. This interminable read, which I've been working on for about three months now, just feels endless for the most part, as Tolstoy devotes chapter after chapter to utterly mindless and stupendously pointless subplots and diversions - including farming, the pros and cons of communism, etc. There's some good stuff here - the Anna/Vronsky romance is, after all, awfully melodramatic - but it's maybe 5% of a book that's otherwise packed with filler. (Take out everything not related to the relationships, and you've got AT BEST a short story.) Anna's grim death notwithstanding (she changed her mind and everything), there's very little here to recommend. Just an awful, awful piece of work. no stars out of ****