HEARTBURN (Nora Ephron) - January 30/21

 I wasn't too crazy about this at first mostly because Ephron tends to write in a kind of stream-of-consciousness style and emphasizes schticky jokes. But I got used to that stuff (though the jokes were never funny) and really found the characters well-drawn and interesting. I also felt like she made some unexpectedly cogent statements on relationships and marriage. Curious to see how it's adapted for the big screen, definitely. ***1/2 out of ****

THE MIDNIGHT LIBRARY (Matt Haig) - January 19/21

 Read this for the Lexis book club. It turned out to be a lot more conventional than I was expecting and I have to say that while I did enjoy it, it ultimately felt a little repetitive and overlong in its midsection. Still, the book does feature a fantastic premise and a thoroughly compelling protagonist at its core. The ending, though predictable, was satisfying and entertaining. *** out of ****

AFTER HOURS (Edwin Torres) - January 13/21

 Yikes, this was a nightmare. I started it last year sometime and was put off by the main character's broken English. I wound up skimming through most of the second half last night and I can't say I enjoyed any of it. Amazing De Palma was able to wring a solid movie out of this poorly-written mess. * out of ****

GOOD MORNING, MIDNIGHT (Lily Brooks-Dalton) - January 6/21

 I have mixed feelings about this one. On the one hand, it's really well written and the various characters are all developed exceedingly well, especially Sully and Augustine. But on the other hand, it's filled with long, descriptive passages in which nothing much happens. (I was never bored, though.) And I can't say I was crazy about the vague ending, or the fact that Sully and Augustine never found out who the other person was. Why include such a massive coincidence like that if they're not going to figure it out? It's very weird. *** out of ****

HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE (J.K. Rowling) - January 1/21

 I finally finished it! Holy hell is this a long book. And the problem is, much of the first half and midsection is devoted to fairly tedious day-in-day-out type shenanigans. There's not much in the way of tension or suspense and I was seriously losing interest, right up until Voldemort has his epic showdown with Harry. That was surprisingly electrifying, but it's followed by so much more book and a whole lot of exposition and explanations. Does nobody edit these books? **1/2 out of ****