THE 25TH HOUR (David Benioff) - July 25/13

It's kind of interesting how closely this book resembles the Spike Lee movie. Elements I was sure were invented for the film are here, including that long rant by Monty about the different races in New York City. But the book, though it's short, feels overlong, as Benioff pads out the narrative with needless digressions and overly descriptive passages. Still, I can't deny that I was captivated for much of this and I even got choked up a few times (eg Monty's speech to Jakob about his dog and his imagined life if he were to run away). *** out of ****