LAST EXIT TO BROOKLYN (Hubert Selby, Jr.) - December 29/13

Sigh, stream of consciousness. I still don't see the appeal of this particular form of writing - it just seems so hacky and lazy - but Selby, Jr. admittedly does a nice job of packing this episodic novel with a few compelling stretches. (The whole Tralala section is appropriately horrifying.) And although the "strike" chapter is good (if entirely overlong and repetitive), Selby, Jr. destroys the reader's good will by closing the novel with a rather interminable stretch revolving around several different characters residing within the same rundown apartment building. I didn't hate the book as I suspected I was going to when I first started it, but I wouldn't call this entertaining in any real sense of the word. *1/2 out of ****

GARDEN OF BEASTS (Jeffery Deaver) - December 20/13

This extremely readable novel kept me entertained throughout, certainly, but it's hard to deny that the book feels about 300 pages longer than necessary. Deaver pads out the story with a whole host of interesting but needless subplots, including an ongoing thing about a cop pursuing the main character. It seems like the story would've fared better had it simply revolved around Paul's exploits. Maybe a first-person narrative? There's just too much going on here and I found that certain things that were supposed to have an impact didn't just because I had forgotten who certain characters were and what their role was in the story. There's some exciting action towards the end, though. *** out of ****

IMZADI (Peter David) - December 10/13

This is definitely one of the better TNG novels I've read. The middle part of the book is admittedly not that interesting, as it focuses entirely on the rather predictable nature of Riker and Troi's initial relationship (Troi's mom disapproves! Riker is initially after just sex! etc etc). But the book picks up with a vengeance in its final stretch, as David offers up an exciting time-travel plot that includes two Rikers, two Datas (one headless!), and a completely baffled Barclay. It's fun stuff that I would've loved to see in the actual series. *** out of ****

SOMETHING BLUE (Emily Giffin) - December 5/13

I have to admit I was a little skeptical of a sequel set entirely from Darcy's point of view, as the character is, in Something Borrowed, shallow and materialistic. And indeed, for the first half of this book, which is entertaining all the way through, admittedly, I wasn't entirely onboard with Giffin's decision to focus entirely on Darcy (ie it's hard to care about someone this fake). But as the book progressed and as Darcy changed her ways, I did find myself growing more and more involved with the predictable narrative. It's a brisk, fast-paced read in the best way possible, to be sure. *** out of ****