WILL GRAYSON, WILL GRAYSON (John Green & David Levithan) - February 22/13

Ah, you guys did it to me again. I mostly enjoyed the heck out of this book, but I admittedly did think all the stuff revolving around Tiny's play was a little tedious. BUT it all turned out to be worth it at the end, when the various Will Graysons stood up and told Tiny how much they appreciate him. I got nice and choked up. Well played, Green and Levithan. Well played. ***1/2 out of ****

THE SECRET AGENT (Joseph Conrad) - February 20/13

Well, okay. I guess I really, really, really hate Joseph Conrad. The guy is just a horrible writer, filling his books with almost nonsensical paragraphs that mean nothing. There's no momentum as a result, with Conrad's overcooked writing style snuffing out the possibility of entertainment. He just goes on and on about things that nobody cares about in this laughably flowery style that's often infuriating. Having said that, there are a few halfway decent stretches here - with the final 20 or so pages, in which Mrs Verloc kills Mr Verloc and Ossipon cons Mrs Verloc, standing as a relative highlight. Still, this was an ordeal to get through and it's the kind of book that makes me hate reading. * out of ****

WARM BODIES (Isaac Marion) - February 10/13

Definitely a big improvement over Beautiful Creatures. This surprisingly readable novel explores the romance between a teenager and a zombie, and the book is actually far more entertaining than its silly premise might've indicated. The final stretch is a little too action heavy, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't get a little choked up by the revelation that love is the cure for the zombie plague. *** out of ****

LOOKING FOR ALASKA (John Green) - February 8/13

I'll admit I found this a little disappointing after The Fault in Our Stars, but the book does improve after its initial stretch - which feels like a better version of a Gordon Korman novel (what with the emphasis on school antics). But the mid-story twist, Alaska's death, is certainly unexpected and the book does contain a number of heartfelt moments. But I never really connected to the protagonist and the emphasis on pranks was a little tedious. Not bad, but nowhere near the level of The Fault in Our Stars. **1/2 out of ****

BEAUTIFUL CREATURES (Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl) - February 6/13

Well, it's not exactly Twilight, even though I kinda got a Twilight vibe at the outset. But the book is just so damn long. It feels like it's at least 300 pages longer than necessary, as the authors bog the narrative down with an absurd number of absolutely pointless diversions and subplots. (Did we really need that much detail about the Civil War reenactment, for example?) I was pretty bored by the end, and I doubt I'll be rushing out to read the sequels. ** out of ****