Little Dorrit seeps sentimentality on every one of its nearly 700 pages. Dickens is critiquing the British system of debtors’ prisons by showing how a family becomes undone, first by debt and later by riches. William Dorrit is imprisoned as a debtor. Amy (aka, Little Dorrit) is his saintly daughter. Fanny, his snobbish daughter, is a constant burden. Edward (aka, Tip) is a worthless idler. Someone bursts into tears on a regular basis. Arthur Clennam, returns to England after 20 years in the East, and befriends the Dorrits. Through Clennam’s efforts at the Circumlocution Office (aka, the British Treasury), Dorrit is released from debtors’ prison, becomes rich, and more disasters befall him. I slogged page by page, tear-jerker scene by tear-jerker scene, through Little Dorrit. I finished it, but if had been one page longer I might have bailed. The BBC version of Little Dorrit sits on my stack of Watch Real Soon DVDs so you’ll be seeing a review of that performance soon. As for the book, it is far from Dickens’ best. GRADE: C

There must be someone else besides me in America who hasn’t read Dan Brown’s Angels & Demons before now. I read Brown’s The Da Vinci Code before the movie version appeared and wondered what all the fuss was about. The Da Vinci Code seemed to me like a run-of-the-mill thriller with a series of puzzles thrown in. The movie was so-so. But now the buzz about the new movie version of Angels & Demons tempted me to read the book before I see the movie this weekend. First, Angels & Demons is a better book that The Da Vinci Code. In fact, it reminded me of 24 with non-stop action crammed into one day. Once again, Harvard professor and symbologist Robert Langdon is called on to solve a series of baffling puzzles starting with the branded body of a particle physicist. And, once again, Brown provides a sexy sidekick in the form of Vittoria Vetra, daughter of the murdered physicist. Together, they take on the sinister forces of the Illuminati, sworn enemies of the Catholic Church. There are grand chase scenes all round Rome as the clock ticks down to an explosive conclusion. Great fun here! GRADE: B+

Lisa Genova’s Still Alice is the story of a 50 year old Harvard psychology professor named Alice Howland who discovers she has early onset Alzheimer’s disease. In a matter of months, despite medication, Alice finds herself forgetting how to get home, where she put her Blackberry, and what she’s supposed to lecture about to those pesky Harvard students. The author, like her main character, is a Ph.D. in psychology so she knows her stuff. And Lisa Genova’s mother suffered from Alzheimer’s which makes many of the painful family scenes in this book ring true. However, Genova is more of a psychologist than a novelist. If you really want to read about the loss of cognition and identity, read Daniel Keyes’ classic “Flowers for Algernon.” GRADE: B.

I’ve been a fan of Richard Ford ever since I read The Sportswriter in 1986 and his short story collection, Rock Springs in 1987. Ford won a Pulitzer Prize for Independence Day. I highly recommend all Richard Ford’s books. In the May 18 issue of Newsweek, Richard Ford shared his thoughts on books that influenced him.

MY FIVE MOST ESSENTIAL BOOKS

A CLASSIC YOU REVISITED WITH DISAPPOINTMENT: “Ulysses” by James Joyce. Way too long, and unduly obscure. Should have stuck to short stories.

Star Trek bursts onto the screen with all kinds of action. From this breathless beginning, we follow James T. Kirk growing up as a rebellious kid and a troubled young man. Captain Christopher Pike, played with scene-stealing excellence by veteran actor Bruce Greenwood, recruits the young Kirk (Chris Pine) for Star Fleet Academy. There, Kirk meets Bones (Karl Uban), Nyota Uhura (Zoe Saldana), and Spock (Zachary Quinto), all well cast. There’s one incredible coincidence in the plot, but by the time it happens, you’re well into the story and will forgive anything. You’re going to love this movie! GRADE: A

Art Scott, audiophile and Emperor of DAPA-EM, posted this comment about last week’s FORGOTTEN BOOK, Fire Lake: “Whatever happened to Jonathan Valin?  For one, he became increasingly engrossed in High End Audio, and became a lead reviewer for The Absolute Sound.  Also, he self-published The RCA Bible, the definitive reference work for collectors of “Living Stereo” LPs (like me).”  Valin used his love of records, especially those “Living Stereo” collectors’ items in another Harry Stoner novel, The Music Lovers, featuring a “Living Stereo” album on the book’s cover!  In this one, Stoner is hired to find 35 vintage records that have been stolen.  Valin explores the culture of obsessive/compulsive record collecting as part of the mystery.  Once again, if you haven’t read Jonathan Valin’s Harry Stoner mysteries, you’re missing out on some great reading.

I thought Booker T. was dead. After all, I grew up listening to Booker T. and the MGs in Sixties and it has been 20 years since Booker T.’s last CD. But Potato Hole makes the wait worth it. Now backed by the Drive-By Truckers, Booker T. can still create great rock instrumentals. Neil Young plays blistering guitar on nine of the ten tracks. From the first few notes of the first song, “Pound It Out,” I knew this CD is going to be good. GRADE: A.

After correcting 100 term papers, my brain was fried so I decided to escape into a Marvel animated feature. The Ultimate Avengers tells the tale of how the Avengers were formed and features a dramatic battle with alien forces. Thor, Iron Man, Black Widow, Giant Man, Wasp, the Hulk, and, of course, Captain America don’t quite work together right off the bat. There’s the usual Marvel conflict between the superheroes. But when the chips are down…

In 1969, Simon and Garfunkel were at the height of their popularity and their powers. Most of their classic hits–“Homeward Bound,” “At the Zoo,” “Feelin’ Groovy,” Scarborough Fair,” “The Boxer,” “Mrs. Robinson,” “I am a Rock,” “The Sounds of Silence,” and “Bridge Over Troubled Waters”–were behind them. Only their breakup and solo careers loomed on the horizon. If you’re a Simon and Garfunkel fan, you’ve probably been waiting decades for this legendary performance to be released. Both singers are in fine voice, but you can barely hear the band, which may explain why it took Columbia 40 years to release this. GRADE: B