Yeah, the writing was pretty bland but the story drew me in too much to care. I didn't like the movie all that much, but that's because I read the 600-page book in a week and watched it immediately after, so it felt so short, even though they probably did the best job they could have done. 8(

I liked Hard-Boiled Wonderland too! Sputnik Sweetheart is also amazing, I forgot to add that to my favorites, djfhdhf. I'm lucky, for some reason our B&N always has every single one. And me, too-- I was never really leaning towards one story, I was so into both of them, which is rare for me.