McMurtry's first novel that was adapted into the Paul Newman film "Hud." The story of Lonnie and his life in a small town living with his grandparents, some ranch hands, a cook, and a mean, drunk half-uncle. It's a look at old ways vs. youth culture that's still relevant today. 4 Stars

Excellent, excellent, excellent story that's part comedy, part tragedy, and part coming-of-age novel...with some gangsters thrown in just for fun. Chabon's first book isn't his best known but it is a completely absorbing story. 5 Stars

This one isn't that thick, the print is large, and there are lots of page breaks since chapters are rarely more than 5 pages. And still it felt like it wouldn't end. At times the writing is gripping, but the story doesn't add up to much. Palahniuk has a tendency to rely on gimmicks in his writing...it may have seemed original and endearing in "Fight Club," but now.... 3 Stars

Implausible yet completely engrossing story of a group of students studying Greek at a New England liberal arts school. This book isn't flawless--the plot is implausible at times--but the story is excellent and so is the writing. 5 Stars

This is the vastly inferior sequel to "The Last Picture Show," which focuses on the character of Duane, now 48 years old, married, and successful. It's not a bad book--once you get into it there is some charm and depth. The problem is it takes you 100 to 150 pages to sort through all the zany characters and actually get a feel for what's going on. 3 Stars

Hard to get into because of the first person narrative that resorts to 1980's New York party girl dialect....

A series of vignettes about common characters who are mostly drug addicts living in Scotland. Not the easiest read, since the author chose to stick to regional dialect. 5 stars

Not terrible, but I never really cared about the narrator. In fact, I thought she was a bit of a whiner. And the story didn't go any where. 3 stars