A THOUSAND COUNTRY ROADS (Robert James Waller) - January 27/13

This seemingly needless followup to The Bridges of Madison County is, at the outset, exactly what one might've expected, given that we know the whole story of Robert and Francesca. But Waller offers up a surprisingly compelling story about Robert and the long-lost son he never knew he had, with this aspect of the story ultimately compensating for the more overtly padded-out portions. It's a decent read and it's probably better than one had any right to anticipate (ie it never quite feels like the money-grubbing endeavor it could've been). **1/2 out of ****

ONE LAST THING BEFORE I GO (Jonathan Tropper) - January 23/13

Oh, Jonathan Tropper, you magnificent bastard. Tropper does it again with this slightly overlong yet completely engrossing novel. It started out a little shaky, I'll admit, but within 50 pages or so I was completely and utterly hooked. And by the time the last 30 pages rolled around, I was in tears. I'm a little frustrated by the ambiguous conclusion (ie is he dead or not?), but still this is another unqualified masterpiece from Tropper. **** out of ****

GHOST WORLD (Daniel Clowes) - January 20/13

This extremely slight graphic novel is quite readable, yet its episodic structure ensures that it's rarely compelling. It basically lurches from one stand-alone segment to the next, and there are only a few that genuinely stand out (eg Enid and Rebecca fight). But then the final stretch comes along and destroys whatever little momentum there was, as it feels disjointed and almost nonsensical in parts - before finally leading to an absolutely anticlimactic non-ending. It's weird. **1/2 out of ****

MAUS: AND HERE MY TROUBLES BEGAN (Art Spiegelman) - January 20/13

More of the same, although the book does contain a few unexpectedly engrossing stretches - including Vladek's stint in Auschwitz and the final bit involving his reunion with his wife (I even got a little choked up). But by and large, it's just not terrible involving - mostly because of the ugly animation style and a propensity for cramming text and images into the pages. **1/2 out of ****

NORWEGIAN WOOD (Haruki Murakami) - January 19/13

I guess I'm a little conflicted about this one. I found it really difficult to get into and there were many stretches that just seemed to drag. But I really found myself sympathizing with the central character and his subdued exploits. It doesn't hurt, either, that Murakami has packed the narrative with memorable asides and segues, including the circumstances leading to a side character's mental breakdown (ie the 13-year-old lesbian encounter). So yeah, I enjoyed it and admired it but I don't think I can say I loved it. *** out of ****

LONDON BOULEVARD (Ken Bruen) - January 12/13

I decided to read this simply because of my pathological need to read books before seeing the movies, so I wasn't expecting much. But Bruen's impressively terse, clipped style hooked me right away and I enjoyed the book much more than I anticipated. The central character is remarkably compelling and a total badass, and I'm disappointed to learn that there are no further novels in which he's featured. It's a quick, entertaining read and the ending ("the butler did it") is pretty much perfect. Good stuff. ***1/2 out of ****

MAUS: MY FATHER BLEEDS HISTORY (Art Spiegelman) - January 10/13

I'm still not sure why Spiegelman depicts everyone as animals, when there's absolutely nothing else different here from the truth. (It's not like everyone's fighting over a big block of cheese or something.) But anyway, Maus is basically passable, even though I never really cared about Spiegelman's father. This made it difficult to work up much interest in or sympathy for his exploits, with the hands-off feel compounded by an absolutely atrocious animation style. The book, also, peters out significantly in its final stretch, as the central couple attempts to hide from the Nazis after escaping a work camp. It's fine, I guess, but this won a Pulitzer? **1/2 out of ****

THE CAT (Edeet Ravel) - January 9/13

This depressing yet compulsively readable book tells the grim story of a woman whose young son dies and her efforts at coping in the months that follow. It's not exactly lighthearted stuff, but Ravel does an amazing job of establishing the central character and it's impossible not to become wrapped up in her exploits. It's a short read and there are admittedly a few lulls here and there, but for the most part I was riveted. (I read the majority of it after waking up at 2:00 AM the day after being fired.) And in addition to making me shed actual tears, the book also made me wish that it hadn't ended. Can't remember the last time that happened. **** out of ****

ORYX AND CRAKE (Margaret Atwood) - January 6/13

Well, this was certainly a dud. It's a kind of interesting premise - it details the exploits of the last surviving man in a post-apocalyptic wasteland - but Atwood squanders it with endless flashbacks and prose that's often laughably flowery. (As I told my brother, it's kind of like, just tell me a story, dammit!) There are a few good twists here and there, but the characters are dull and the book is just too uneventful. This might have made for a decent short story but it feels awfully padded out at almost 400 (!) pages. And let's not even get started on the end, which is comically abrupt. (The guy sees three other humans and it just ends!) *1/2 out of ****