"Reluctant Genius...Alexander Graham Bell" by Charlotte Gray

The book was enjoyable in parts, but I found other parts to be too pedantic and filled with details that didn't interest me in the least. I don't read many biographies, so I'm not sure if this is par for the course, as far as biographies go. At least now I understand Alexander Graham Bell's relationship to Canada.

"The Loved One" by Evelyn Waugh

I enjoyed this satire of the funeral industry much more this time than when I read it as a teen. I didn't at all mind that the woman committed suicide rather than choosing her true love. I guess I've lost the dewey-eyed romanticism of my youth.

"Smilla's Sense of Snow" by Peter Hoeg

A pretty decent book, though I enjoyed it much more the first time I read it. I guess the novelty factor is gone. The characters were a bit tricky to follow because their names were so similar and sometimes the translation was clunky. And I guess Smilla is no longer unique in the role of a strong, edgy female protagonist. Also, the book made me sad because it revolved around the death of a boy of Lucas' age.

"One Corpse too Many" be Ellis Peters

This is a bland, feel good style of mystery writing. I found the attention to Medieval life details slowed the book down. The final fight to the death was so predictable, that it turned me off from reading any more books in this series.

"The Big Sleep" by Raymond Chandler

Another book read for my course at Carleton. Overall, I enjoyed it, especially Marlow's ironic humour. The gender and sexual orientation stereotypes were horrific. It's quite a tricky book for keeping track of all the murders and scams.

"Bogman" by R. I. Olufsen

This is without a doubt the worst written book I have ever read. The author, who is apparently a journalist, has no feel for dialogue or fiction writing overall. So stupid... she had the protagonist thinking thoughts, and then voicing them out loud. And I had solved the mystery halfway through, without even trying. That's what I get for buying a $2 e-book. I'll be more careful in the future.

"Epitaph for a Spy" by Eric Ambler

I enjoyed this book because I found the point of view of a bumbling civilian to be amusing."Poor" Vadassy was the pawn of officials he thought were incompetent fools, and so he kept altering their instructions regarding his behaviour in the hotel.