Umney's Alley - 2004's Book Log

A Year in Reading: 2004

2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012

The companion piece to my film log, the book log keeps a listing of everything I've read over the course of a year, as well as giving me a place to type up a short review. As a handy reference, the book title of each listing provides links to the Amazon page for the book.

Starting in 2009, I began providing star ratings of the books I read. The ratings are out of five stars, with five stars being equivalent to an A, 4½ to an A-/B+, four to a B, and so on.

12-23	A Place of Execution, by Val McDermid	A really great book, even if I did guess the ending halfway through. (The back cover doesn't give anything away, but by telling you where the book goes, you can put together enough to guess easily.) The disappearance is interesting, but what makes the book so remarkable is the last third, which puts an intriguing spin on what you've read (similar to Jonathan Lethem's Gun, with Occasional Music, in a way). A fascinating and powerful book, more about its characters than its plot, and that's a good thing.
12-21	The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, by Mark Haddon	Really, really outstanding book--one of the best I've read in a long time. The book is narrated by an autistic child, and Haddon does an amazing job of putting you inside this stifling, confusing world in which emotional gradations simply don't compute. The plot is an intriguing riff on mysteries, but it's more about the emotional ramifications of what that story reveals. Entertaining, surprisingly powerful, and often heartbreaking--just an amazing book, and one that I hope to see followed up soon.
12-17	Someone Like You, by Roald Dahl	I had been wanting to read Dahl's adult suspense for a while, and finally stumbled across this batch of short stories. Kind of disappointing, given what I hoped for. Most started off great, but just fizzled toward the end. Still, there were a few that worked, and I loved the bent humor in so many of them. Not a complete waste, but disappointing.
12-10	The Bourne Supremacy, by Robert Ludlum	Really dazzling followup, with the plot being more of a continuation than a retread--something I liked immensely. Just as complicated (if not more so) than the original, but with a lot more political intrigue and even more psychological mind games going on. A really excellent book, with the only disappointment being the whimper of an ending.
11-17	The Bourne Identity, by Robert Ludlum	A hell of a read, although it was massively complicated (I spent a good hour one night just sorting out the plot to that point)--somehow, tho, that just made me enjoy it more. Great book, with stellar writing and good characters, and a brilliant plot that was still surprising even after the still-good movie (they only share about 10 minutes worth of story).
11-11	The Upright Man, by Michael Marshall	And my disenchantment with Marshall returns. I think part of why I was so much happier with The Straw Men was the hope that more would get resolved in this sequel. More the fool me! A phenomenal first chapter falls apart into unconvincing paranoia, betrayal of character traits, and--honest to God--a Bigfoot hunt. Ultimately, the book trashes everything good about its predecessor, and just fizzles out into mediocrity. Sigh.
11-8	The Straw Men, by Michael Marshall	A LOT better than I remembered it. I think it helped knowing he wrote a sequel, so I wouldn't expect everything to be wrapped up. It's got a great plot, constantly evolving beyond what you expect, and some seriously nightmarish scenes along the way. I have to say, this was so great--surprising, considering my mixed feelings on it the first time I read it...on to the sequel, which will hopefully not crash me down...
11-4	Twisted, by Jeffery Deaver	Solid entertainment. The nice thing about short stories is that they allow Deaver to focus solely on his always twisty plots, making each story a fun little puzzle box. It also helps that, for one book, he gets to let morality slide and the chips fall where they may. Just great (especially "Triangle", the best story in the book, and the most effective twist).
10-30	The Throat, by Peter Straub	For so much of this book, it's complex, well-written, and entirely fascinating. It's a shame that it all fizzles out at the very end. It's not a horrible ending, by any means, but it's definitely more of a whimper than a bang. Still, it's an otherwise excellent read--incredibly complex, well-crafted, with a plot that will completely draw you in.
10-24	Mystery, by Peter Straub	Interesting, tho Straub's habit of leaving a lot of plot points only alluded to, and never outright stated, can be frustrating, especially in a book like this where plot is everything. Still, it's a great read, with nicely drawn characters and a compelling story. The odd connections to Koko may be clearer when I finish the third book in the trilogy...
10-18	Koko, by Peter Straub	A great thriller, a haunting war story, a nice tale of friendship, a harrowing glimpse into a psychotic mind, and more than anything else, an excellent book about its characters, letting their personalities dictate the story. Sure, that makes it wander a bit, but the depth of personality makes up for that, and it's an intense read. Well worth picking up.
10-14	Tripwire, by Lee Childs	Another typically solid Jack Reacher book from Lee Childs. Sure, it's nothing brilliant or life-changing, but they're well-written, tightly plotted, very entertaining, and all around a blast to read. Reacher is a great hero--conflicted, solitary, and very capable of handling himself, and watching his character develop is as fun as unravelling the plot. Quite good.
10-6	Heroes, by Robert Cormier	One of the few Cormier books I hadn't read it, and it's an excellent one. As usual, Cormier revels in the dark side of human nature, but the ending of this one is more thought-provoking than most of his work. As always, it's well-written and interesting; this one's just a little more philosophical and almost optimistic than some. Excellent.
10-3	The Zombie Survival Guide, by Max Brooks	Entertaining, but not as much as I had hoped. It's a very solid parody of survival guides, and while there's a certain very subtle humor to it, for the most part it plays things dead seriously. While that helps the book, it's not as laugh-out-loud funny as I hoped. Still, quite entertaining. (Apparently, the author is the son of Mel Brooks. Interesting.)
9-22	The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower, by Stephen King	Absolutely amazing--all I had hoped for and more. Suffice to say, if King is retiring, he has gone out with the crowning achievement of his career. This book is incredible--it is moving beyond words, causing me to tear up multiple times; it is terrifying, funny, philospophical, heartrending, and ultimately uplifting, if one takes the time to understand the ending. In every way, King has succeeded--he has crafted a true epic story, yet did it his way--he grounded it in the lives of its characters, ultimately making it about them, not just their quest. It is the work that should define him as a writer.
9-20	The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah, by Stephen King	Re-read it to get ramped up for tomorrow. After 10 years of reading The Dark Tower, it all ends tomorrow, and the incredible job this book does of setting the stage for the finale has only made me want it to be here sooner. (If I weren't so tired, I'd go to the midnight sale tonight.) This is a stunning read, the best of the set to date, and among King's top three novels. It's got an amazing scope, it's completely terrifying, and it simply builds nonstop until the killer cliff-hanger on the final page. MAN, I want it to be tomorrow.
9-19	Hollywood Nocturnes, by James Ellroy	Not too bad. The stories range from top-notch ("Dick Contino's Blues") to mediocre ("Torch Number"), but they're all well-written (like you would expect something else from Ellroy). Mostly, I prefer Ellroy's sprawling tapestry-like novels, but this wasn't too bad. Definitely dark, taut, and deeply engrossing while they lasted.
9-12	The Wide Window, by Lemony Snicket	I enjoyed both of them, but don't have enough to say about each individually, so one long review it is. The books are plenty entertaining, but I don't know about their suitability for kids. It's not the dark humor that bothers me (tho it may some adults). It's more that they're not very good children's books (it's as if they're written down to kids, not for kids); rather, they work better as a parody of children's literature. I think their success is mainly due to the fact that they're a great antidote to the usual sugary sweetness that most kids' books come with. Anyways, good books, enjoyable enough, and I laughed a lot. I'm just not sure about them as children's books.
9-12	The Reptile Room, by Lemony Snicket
9-11	The Bad Beginning, by Lemony Snicket	A ridiculously dark kids' book, but it's so over-the-top, so darkly witty (a la Roald Dahl, or Edward Gorey), that I can see certain kids (like me) enjoying it immensely. The writing is sharp, with some hilarious throwaway lines (I even liked the sarcastic definitions). Overall, the whole thing keep me greatly entertained for the 45 minutes I read it.
9-11	A Winter Haunting, by Dan Simmons	Even better and creepier than it was the first time, due in no small part to the fact that this time, I realized what a lot of the details and references actually meant (helps, knowing that it's a sequel). Very creepy, but far more psychologically driven than its predecessor's pure horror--not a bad thing, just a different approach. Still, it's just as scary a story (if not somewhat more so), and an excellent novel than manages to continue the story while still being a totally different experience.
9-9	Summer of Night, by Dan Simmons	I have to admit, I had been reluctant to pick this one up, after my last fairly lackluster experience with Simmons. Man, was I wrong. This was easily one of the best horror novels I've ever read. Equal parts It and Ghost Story, it's both a great story about childhood and an absolutely freaky, completely terrifying tale of evil invading a small town. It was out-friggin-standing. I liked it so much, I'm going to re-read the sequel (which I think will make more sense this time around, now that I know it's a sequel).
9-4	Zodiac, by Neal Stephenson	When you first pick up a book with the subtitle "An Eco-Thriller," you worry it's going to be really, really preachy. And yet, this really wasn't at all. It's typically great Stephenson writing, with equal parts clever plot, good characters, and wicked humor, and although it's not the equal of his later work, it's still very, very entertaining.
8-22	Lost Light, by Michael Connelly	The ending of City of Bones left me wondering if and how Connelly would keep the series going. He does, and uses the transition to completely reconstruct the set, even shifting to a first person narration, and the result is an excellent book that breathes a lot of life back into the series and continues the emotional side of the last book. A top notch read, though I really, really wish I hadn't already read The Narrows, since that book gave away the final chapter's revelation about Bosch's personal life. Oh well--still a great book.
8-18	City of Bones, by Michael Connelly	Wow...this was excellent. Not the tightest plot, but it's not intended to be plot-driven. In fact, it's probably the most emotional and introspective of the series (possibly excepting The Last Coyote), and it all builds to a major turning point in the books, and in Bosch's life. An outstanding read, although it's a deeply haunting and painful one, and easily the best book in a set that keeps getting better with every new entry.
8-17	A Darkness More Than Night, by Michael Connelly	It seems like, when Connelly does a "crossover" book, all his usual great plotting goes out the window, and all the characters involved seem to be more weakly portrayed. That's less the case here than in The Narrows, but this is definitely the worst plot of any book he's written. The "setup" could not be more heavy-handedly obvious, and the final "twist" seems arbitrarily thrown in for some sort of conflict. I think, between this and The Narrows, Connelly should just learn to keep his characters to themselves.
8-14	Angels Flight, by Michael Connelly	An excellent book. It's got a great plot, the usual outstanding character development, and a stunning portrait of the post-Rodney King L.A. One of the best aspects of reading these in order is watching Connelly improve, and this one alone, with its eye for social detail, would be enough to qualify him as one of the great modern crime novelists.
8-10	Trunk Music, by Michael Connelly	Good, but probably my least favorite of the set to this point. The plot is good, and has a solid twist in the middle that's really convincingly done. But it's like some of the plot details never really got finalized, and the end just kind of fades out. Still, I've read far worse books. Just doesn't measure up to its predecessors.
8-5	The Last Coyote, by Michael Connelly	Of the books in the set (so far), this is the least plot driven, and I mean that as a good thing. This one is more of an exploration of Bosch, his past, and the events that made him who he is. It's a reminder that whatever else you can say about Connelly, he has created a great character in Bosch, and Connelly knows his character very well.
8-1	The Concrete Blonde, by Michael Connelly	For some reason, I didn't remember anything about this book, which made it a great reading experience. It's got some great swerves, some really convincing bluffs, and the usual great development of Bosch as well as his world and the characters around him. Excellent stuff, and the best of the set so far.
7-28	The Black Ice, by Michael Connelly	Quite good, although I figured out the ending REALLY quickly into the book. The plot is solid and complicated enough to keep things interesting, and I like the way Connelly makes his books driven by Bosch's character as much as Bosch becomes defined by his actions. Great neo-noir kinda stuff.
7-27	The Black Echo, by Michael Connelly	Since I read most of them out of sequence, I'm going back and re-reading the Harry Bosch books in order, and I have to say, I had forgotten how good the first book was. It's not his best--Connelly, as usual, tries too hard when he makes plot twists. But it's clear, even in his debut, that Bosch is a well-developed, fascinating, and great character.
7-25	Tricky Business, by Dave Barry	Who knew that within two books, Dave Barry would be one of the most entertaining crime fiction authors? This isn't as consistently hilarious as Big Trouble (intentionally so, I think, tho the news crew subplot is laugh-out-loud funny), but it's better plotted, and is just pound for pound one of the most enjoyable books I've read in a while.
7-22	Stranger than Fiction, by Chuck Palahniuk	Typically outstanding Palahniuk. The interviews are all interesting, but it's in the personal essays (and the great introduction) that the book really comes to life, letting Palahniuk's gentler, more philosophical side out, as well as his brilliantly dark humor. The final essay remains quite possibly the best thing he has written so far in his career.
7-19	Ring, by Koji Suzuki	Good, even if you've seen the movie. It's well written, mostly, and the plot's good, tho I wish I could have read it without knowing the main idea already. Still, there are enough major differences, especially in the backstory of the video, to make it interesting on its own. Creepy, decently written, and made me want to read the sequel...
7-16	The Vanished Man, by Jeffrey Deaver	One of his best, tho it falters a bit towards the end. Deaver's gotten better at integrating his twists, and while that improves the books' flow, I miss those moments of shock from The Coffin Dancer. Still, this one's great, with a beautifully crafted plot that's intriguing as all hell and filled with enough twists and feints to fool anyone. Solid as a rock.
7-15	Carrion Comfort, by Dan Simmons	sigh It wasn't bad. It had a pretty good concept, well developed characters, and some great scenes. But it was TOO DAMN LONG. There was NO need for it to be 900 pages--it could have been 300-400 pages shorter and been great. The subject matter just wasn't epic enough to sustain it, and I'm just really, really happy it's over. I'm just sick of it.
7-2	The Narrows, by Michael Connelly	Decent enough, but nowhere near as good as its predecessor (The Poet, below). Still, it's not a bad followup; Connelly does a good job of filling in the gaps in the characters' lives in interesting ways. It's just that the plot isn't as intriguing, or as solid, as the first, and Backus just seems...lesser, somehow. Still, not bad--it just pales in comparison.
6-27	The Poet, by Michael Connelly	Excellent read. Been a long time since I read this one (re-reading it since there's a sequel now), and I forgot just how good it is. The ending didn't bother me as much this time, with its wild (and sorta implausible twists); this time, I could focus on the well-crafted story of a brother grieving and trying to atone for his past. Great book.
6-20	Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, by David Sedaris	Fun stuff, and very, very funny (laughed throughout the final essay, "Nuit of the Living Dead"). Mainly focused on his family this time around, Sedaris manages to bring a good amount of self-appraisal and even emotion to his always hilarious and witty essays. Often, he even manages to move (the story about helping the kid on the elevator is heartbreaking, in many ways). An excellent book.
6-10	The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah, by Stephen King	Wow. Easily the best book in the set to date, and that's saying something. It expanded the set to even more epic proportions, deepened it (thematically and scope-wise) massively, and resolved a good number of plots while leaving me itching for Sept. 21 to get here. Apart from the teeth-grindingly frustrating cliff-hanger ending, this could not be better, and I have to say King handled his own introduction far more beautifully than even I expected...so friggin good. 108 days, dammit!
6-9	The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla, by Stephen King	Re-read this one to ramp back up for book VI, and found it to be even better than remembered. It's a brilliant read, and a good sign that King truly intended to return the set to the fast-paced action of The Waste Lands, not to mention that he had not forgotten his characters. The plot began to thicken, and the end was finally near...
6-7	The Bonfire of the Vanities, by Tom Wolfe	Pretty superb read. Kind of the respectable, literary cousin to American Psycho, it's the more realistic and nuanced depiction of 80s greed, solipsism, narcissism, and racial tension. FAR more tightly plotted than it first appears, it's funny, although eventually it becomes SO dark that it's almost depressing. Should be a literary classic, if it's not.
5-31	Mount Dragon, by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child	A lot better than I remembered it. A really good update, in some ways, on The Andromeda Strain, these guys proved with their second book that they had become what Michael Crichton used to be. A blast of a book, although the denouement is way too drawn out...still, a lot better than any Crichton in recent memory.
5-30	The Cold Six Thousand, by James Ellroy	Basically American Tabloid²--bigger, badder, and more impressive in just about every way. In some ways, I miss the way Tabloid focused on JFK, giving the read some boundaries and focus; mostly, tho, this one's sprawling nature allows it to cover more material, hit more emotional peaks, and be even more devastating. Absolutely superb.
5-13	American Tabloid, by James Ellroy	An epic, impressive read. Ellroy takes his bitterly cynical worldview and focuses it on JFK. Gone are the heroes of Camelot; in their place, dark, hard-boiled, violent, corrupt men who make everything happen. (To me, it's similar to Gangs of New York, with its use of the underworld to explain history.) Excellent in every way.
5-6	Take the Cannoli, by Sarah Vowell	Better than expected collection of essays (another in the NPR correspondent genre). When I started it, I started to realize how vaguely tired I was getting of "witty essays", just because they're so ubiquitous. Yet I really liked this, mainly because Vowell moved beyond humor, taking on actual, unironic deep emotions and thoughts.
5-4	Bad Men, by John Connolly	Good, but not his best. It's his first effort to write a true supernatural book, and overall it works, but it seems like some details got lost towards the end. That didn't prevent some freaky scenes, an amazingly high body count, and some really shocking moments. Worth a read, and admirable, but not as solid as the Parker books. (If you care, I got this book signed by Connolly this week--click here for the story.)
5-1	Fraud, by David Rakoff	Outstanding collection of essays. I was afraid at first that it would be one of those "I'm making fun of these people who are dumber than me" books, but Rakoff always turns his scathing wit onto himself, poking fun at his own prejudices and bringing out the best in those he depicts. A truly enjoyable, very funny, and well-crafted book.
4-24	The Emperor of Ocean Park, by Stephen L. Carter	Part legal thriller with a great plot, part family history, and part trenchant observations on the state of race relations, this is a pretty complex book. Some people griped about its wandering nature, but I enjoyed it greatly. The thriller part was fantastic, and the intellectual side always kept me interested. A solid, intelligent, literate thriller.
4-17	The Haunted Air, by F. Paul Wilson	You know, I've said it before...pound for pound, the Repairman Jack books are the best fiction series going, and the latest is no exception. Plots are always great and interesting; the characters continue to entertain, grow, and develop; the emotional content is well done...there's not a better series of books in the thriller market today.
4-16	The Policy, by Bentley Little	I'm really torn. On the one hand, this is creepier and more effective a social satire than most of Little's other "social commentary" books. On the other...where's the great character development? More importantly, where's the logic? And what about the random subplots in the last few chapters? Creepy, but kind of a mess...
4-11	Spring-Heeled Jack, by Philip Pullman	Cute children's book, very much in the dark vein of Roald Dahl kinda stuff. Nothing brilliant (unlike Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, which is incredible), but a pleasant diversion, with some very fun drawings and a few great one-liners. Fun stuff.
4-11	Watchmen, by Alan Moore and David Gibbons	One of the most staggering pieces of literature I've ever read--and, yes, I did just call a "comic book" literature. More than just a deconstruction of the superhero mythos--tho it is that, and a great one--it's a portrait of ourselves and human society, and a character study, and a morality play, and so much more. Read it, read it, read it.
4-6	Running Blind, by Lee Child	Even though I ended up figuring out the ending just over a quarter of the way through the book, it's a pretty good read. Reacher is a great and fascinating protagonist, very much in the vein of early, gruff Clint Eastwood. Sure, it's not brilliant, and hardly literature, but it's a solidly intriguing mystery and thriller.
3-29	A Child's Night Dream, by Oliver Stone	I tried and I tried, but I simply couldn't finish it. I had only thirty pages to go, but I couldn't handle any more of this self-aggrandizing, pretentious pile of crap, created by a raving egomaniac who mistakes outlandishly bad poetry and lack of punctuation for good writing. Stone should stick to his fairly mediocre films.
3-27	The Select, by F. Paul Wilson	Not bad, but probably the weakest Wilson book I've read. I give it credit for not falling into maniacal supervillain territory, and for raising some interesting ethical questions, but in the end, it's just not that gripping a book.
3-21	The White Road, by John Connolly	Sprawling, but ultimately the strongest Connolly book so far. The supernatural and horror elements, always hinted at, are more evident, and the plot is brutal, but Connolly never loses the moral (philosophical/theological/cosmological) core of his characters, and that makes his some of the best thrillers you can read today.
3-18	The Killing Kind, by John Connolly	Somehow, even better than Dark Hollow, largely thanks to the creation of Mr. Pudd, one of the all-time freakiest villains I've ever read. Pretty horrifyingly bleak, even by Connolly standards, tho I had forgotten the bursts of optimism and hope that try to break through.
3-12	Dark Hollow, by John Connolly	The sequel makes you appreciate the growth in Connolly's talent and see some of the flaws in its predecessor. Every Dead Thing was far from bad, but this one is just so much tighter, better written, and all around more solid. Hard to improve on such a strong book as its predecessor, but somehow he managed.
3-11	Every Dead Thing, by John Connolly	In re-reading the series to get to book 4, this one made me remember how much it struck me the first time, and I stand by it--Connolly's first book is better than many writers will ever write in their career. Equal parts thriller and somber meditation, it's staggeringly good.
3-10	Children of the Night, by Dan Simmons	Not bad--interesting, but not a horror novel. More like a medical/political/suspense thriller that happens to have vampires in it. Neat idea, and well written, but not the horror I was looking for. Good for what it is, tho.
3-9	In the Lake of the Woods, by Tim O'Brien	Once you realize that it doesn't have a conclusive ending, you can appreciate this for what it is intended to be: a story about both a man confronting his long hidden and denied past, and America's similar relationship with the Vietnam war. Not his best book (Going After Cacciato), but it's thought-provoking..and it'll stick with you.
3-8	Chasing the Dime, by Michael Connelly	A great setup is marred only by Connelly's desire to have a twisty, "it's all connected" kinda ending. Still, pretty dang good, and definitely a great hook for the story to hang on. The ending, while disappointing, doesn't ruin the book.
3-7	The Corrections, by Jonathan Franzen	Great, great, great. A really rich, entertaining, compelling, and moving portrayal of the attempt by various members of a family to have a last Christmas together. Nice to find a book that doesn't worry about pacing or overly focus on a plot, just creates its characters, brings them to life, and simply lets them be themselves.
2-24	Dark Matter, by Garfield Reeves-Stevens	An uneasy mixture of interesting physics theories and a decent serial killer thriller. Ultimately, the two don't work well together, but it didn't make it any less intriguing. Not bad, just not as good as it could have been with more confidence in the story.
2-20	The Return, by Bentley Little	Typical Little fare, which I mean as a good thing. Incredibly freaky scenes tied together by something somewhat resembling a plot. An ending would have been nice, tho...
2-15	Fluke, by Christopher Moore	Off the wall, to put it mildly, but pretty fun. A bizarre discussion of whales and their behavior, which makes points about conservation without being preachy. Kinda forgot an ending, but it was too enjoyable to complain too much.
2-14	How to Be Good, by Nick Hornby	Not sure what book all the reviewers read, but this definitely wasn't "hilarious". It was well-written, but also heartbreaking and bleak. An excellent book, but not what I expect from Hornby. A major departure...but really good nonetheless.
2-8	The Stake, by Richard Laymon	Pretty decent horror. Very unconventional, and while it's great that he avoids the cliched "it's all connected" ending, the ending he did have was...sloppy, I guess. Still, a pretty good read.
2-7	Libra, by Don Delillo	A massive, fascinating exploration of the JFK assassination--or, more accurately, of conspiracies, social pressures, politics, and so much more, which uses the assassination as a jumping off point. Very well done and solidly compelling.
1-26	Angels and Visitations, by Neil Gaiman	A reminder why I really love Gaiman's work. A fantastic collection of funny, twisted, moving, and just plain great pieces, including two of my all-time favorite stories (the hilarious and suddenly horrifying "We Can Get Them for You Wholesale" and the inexplicably moving and haunting "Murder Mysteries"). Good stuff.
1-26	Running with Scissors, by Augusten Burroughs	A morbidly funny memoir about a really horrifying childhood. This, not the "woe-is-me/inspirational speaker" route, is what surviving and coping with an nightmarish past is all about. Truly powerful, not to mention darkly hilarious.
1-21	Black Wind, by F. Paul Wilson	A majorly different book for Wilson, but really great nonetheless. Part romance, part horror, part suspense, part historical, and all the parts were handled well. A typically good Wilson book.
1-17	The Power and the Glory, by Graham Greene	Thudding, humorless tract. I loved The Quiet American, but this one was just too heavy-handed, preachy, and ridiculously dull and uninvolving for me. One to give another shot sometime, maybe. (A late edit, for anyone who notices: maybe, after seeing The End of the Affair, it's just that The Quiet American was a fluke.)
1-17	Secret Window, Secret Garden, by Stephen King	Reread this after seeing the movie trailer. The plot is really only average, and people just reading it will find the twisty ending to be a ripoff of...another work, but King's talent and skill, as usual, make it unique and interesting (basically, better than it really is).
1-16	The Tailor of Panama, by John Le Carré	A great story mired in too much detail and meandering plot threads that never got resolved. I usually say I prefer a book about people than one about a story, per se. Somehow, though, this one's an exception.
1-8	The Town, by Bentley Little	Really, really freaky. One of his best books. Some typical Little problems (the explanation and denouement, as usual, leave much to be desired), but doesn't detract from some chilling scenes.
1-4	Fugitives and Refugees, by Chuck Palahniuk	A fun read. The autobiographical sections were fascinating, and a nice window into the mindset and life of a fairly reclusive writer. As for the travel guide to Portland? Well, it would make for a pretty twisted trip, but it'd be a memorable one.

e-mail me at
clydeumney@gmail.com

page updated:
September 29, 2009