You think Rockford Files is cool

Much like I always do in my actual work, I have grossly underestimated how much time it will take me to complete my recap of my weekend in Pittsburgh and Boston. So i'm changing my arrival date from "yesterday or today" to "uh, whenever."

But keep the faith, friend(s?), it will happen.

So let's do some reviews of my in-flight reading. I'm introducing a new scale, since i don't think my 1-10 was very consistent.

It's now a 20-point scale, with four, five-point categories. Here's how it breaks down:

Plot: Is there one? any obvious holes or generally unbelievable parts beyond what is acceptable in a work of fiction?

Comedic Relief: This has two incarnations. For heavier themed books, it's the unexpected laughs. For lighter reads, it's the laugh out loud parts beyond the general whimsy of the story.

Ending: A bad ending ruins books for me. it doesn't have to tie everything up nicely, but if there some unanswered questions, there needs to be enough there for me to figure it out on my own.

Je ne sais quoi: All the stuff i don't know how to categorize. Will also serve as a tool for me to adjust scores that seem too low or too high after the first three categories.

And away we go

Hit Parade by Lawrence Block

The third in a series of novels about a stamp-collecting hit man named Keller. The first two were excellent and quite funny. This one?

Plot: 2.5
I guess there was technically a plot, but it read more like a series of short stories. Way too much referencing to past events in the book, like he was trying to catch the reader up on what had happened previously. Wouldn't be so bad if he weren't trying to catch you up on something that happened 10 pages ago.

Comedic Relief: 4
The book as a whole is a fun read, but not a ton of belly laughs. Probably could give a lower score, but want to make sure it gets credit for being consistently humorous.

Ending: 3
Nothing special, but it got the job done.

Je ne sais quoi: 3
The two main characters, Keller and his broker, are endlessly likeable, but i'm not sure how much farther Block can go with them. Wouldn't be surprised if this is the last Keller book.

Final Score: 12.5 out of 20

Music for Torching by A.M. Homes

Unhappy suburban couple sets their house on fire, successfully making it look like an accident. Family splits while repairs/upgrades are being made. Couple stays with neighbors while their two sons stay with different friends. The sort of weirdness that very few beyond Homes are able to conjure and keep things readable ensues.

Plot: 5
Reading it, i felt a lot like the characters: I knew i was going somewhere, i just didn't know where. And I most certainly didn't expect it to go where it went.

Comedic relief: 4
For as bizarre and frustrating as this book and its characters got, it was surprisingly funny.

Ending: 4
I was torn on how to score this. The ending didn't suit my preferences, but i think Homes had to end it like she did to stay consistent with the novel as a whole. The more i think about, the more i think she met the "at least give me enough to figure it out for myself" criteria. So this score is .5 higher than i originally had it.

Je ne sais quoi: 3
There's one subplot that I found a little hard to believe. It involved one of the sons and i just can't fathom how the couple missed what was happening. Ultimately, i think the point of the story was that the fact that they could miss it was the problem. blame my happy upbringing, i guess.

Final score: 16 out of 20
(read this book)