A Hologram for the King

A Hologram for the King (2012) by Dave Eggers. In 2010, businessman Alan Clay arrives in Saudi Arabia to help set up a presentation for King Abdullah -- a holographic teleconference system which Clay hopes will win an IT contract for his company, Reliant, and a six-figure bonus for him. While waiting for the king to show up, Clay gets involved in various adventures and relationships with Saudis, all the while trying to compose a letter to his daughter. This book, from the author of A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, is only fitfully interesting. Although it presents a pretty good portrait of the challenges of conducting business in a global environment, it doesn't quite succeed in making you care about Clay and his situation. A good, but not great, read. Grade: B

The Fear Index

The Fear Index (2012) by Robert Harris. This is one of the more boring books that I have bothered to finish in my life. The plot concerns a computer whiz who makes hundreds of millions of dollars by developing a computer algorithm to run a hedge fund. Trouble is, the algorithm becomes a form of artificial intelligence, and begins manipulating the stock markets to maximize returns. Of course, it also turns on its creator and, using email, hires someone to kill him. The book is so clumsily written and so flimsy at depicting human relationships that I found it hard to enjoy. The only reason I stuck with it is that I didn't have anything else to read at the time. Grade: C-

Ali in Wonderland

Ali in Wonderland (2012) by Ali Wentworth. Ali Wentworth has led something of a charmed life, and she charms her readers with her accounts of her interesting adventures. Wentworth made a name for herself on the comedy series In Living Color, and has appeared on The Tonight Show, Seinfeld (playing Schmoopie in "The Soup Nazi" episode), and was a correspondent for Oprah Winfrey. She has also had minor parts in several motion pictures, and is married to George Stephanopoulos. Her book is an entertaining diversion, and contains quite a few laughs, or smiles, anyway. Grade: B

Bond Girl

Bond Girl (2012) by Erin Duffy. This is the story of a young woman named Alex who dreams of, then attains, a job at a Wall Street firm. But her dream job quickly turns into a nightmare as she finds that Wall Street is a good-ole-boy network, and that she has the disadvantage not only of being a woman, but of being the junior employee at a large firm. Her superiors do everything they can to strip her of her last shred of dignity (they refer to her, not by her name, but as "girlie"), including sending her to fetch 50 pizzas from the lobby of the building, all by herself. In spite of it all, this is a funny book, and it has the unmistakable air of authenticity (Duffy herself worked for more than a decade in fixed-income sales on Wall Street). The book has little of great import to say, but I enjoyed it immensely. Grade: B

Fire and Rain

Fire and Rain (2011) by David Browne. This book's full title is Fire and Rain: The Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, James Taylor, CSNY and the Lost Story of 1970. That pretty much sums it up. This is a highly readable book, especially for someone who was 21 in 1970 (like me), and I found it almost unfailingly entertaining. It was also sad, as all the musical groups in the title were undergoing breakups in 1970. Worst of all were the Beatles, but Simon & Garfunkel also split up, and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young only made one album. There were other significant events during 1970, and they are duly noted in the book. For anyone of my generation, I would highly recommend this book. Grade: B+

The Orphan Master's Son

The Orphan Master's Son (2012) by Adam Johnson. A novel set in North Korea? Doesn't sound too promising, yet this brilliant, sinister book manages to make it fascinating. Johnson very convincingly portrays the psychotic, paranoid society that results from two generations of total dictatorship. Loudspeakers blare daily, even inside people's own houses, with constant propaganda which sounds ludicrous to Western ears but which the people who are subjected to it eventually come to believe. Into this setting comes Jun Do, the son of the orphan master, not really an orphan himself. In the book, North Korea is crawling with orphans (their parents have been "sent away"), and orphans are of the lowliest status. It is a book filled with sadness, but also with courage, humor and surprising love. Grade: A

The Fault in our Stars

The Fault in our Stars (2012) by John Green. Hazel, a teenage cancer patient, meets Augustus at a support group and it's love at first sight. He has lost his leg to bone cancer, and she can hardly breathe, but they don't let such impediments stand in their way as they hang out, play video games, and share books. This is a well written novel aimed at the youth market, but on a very serious subject. It seems to me that Green has done a good job of showing what it would feel like to be a young cancer patient, and this book should appeal to the young audience it aims to connect with. Grade: B

Glock: The Rise of America's Gun

Glock: The Rise of America's Gun (2012) by Paul M. Barrett. The Glock is an Austrian pistol, made partly of plastic and capable of holding a clip of 17 shots, that has become the gun of choice for many American law enforcement agencies and many gun enthusiasts. Strangely enough, according to the book, it is not all that popular as a gun used in crimes. Barrett examines in some depth the history of the Glock, its rise in popularity, and the impact of handguns on American culture. I found the book very interesting, although dry in spots. His ultimate conclusion: Glock got there first. Grade: B+

The Street Sweeper

The Street Sweeper (2011) by Elliot Perlman. This is an ingenious book which blends themes of being black in America, being Jewish in America, and the Holocaust into one overall narrative which comes together near the end of the novel. One man fresh from prison, one professor without tenure, one Holocaust survivor, and one oncology doctor find their paths intertwining in unexpected ways until their separate stories become one story, and the reader is swept along. A great book. Grade: A-

American Dervish

American Dervish (2012) by Ayad Akhtar. A young Pakastani-American boy's world is turned upside down when his attractive Aunt Mina comes to stay with his family. She convinces him to study the Quran with great diligence, and he starts to have some pretty outlandish ideas about Islam and his place in it. Meanwhile, his Aunt Mina, who has recently gone through a divorce, meets and falls for an American man who is Jewish. The flavor of this novel is rich and authentic, and there seems no doubt that the author is also Pakistani, for he knows the culture so well. It made for a very entertaining and enlightening read. Grade: A-