"Barkskins" by Annie Proulx

I finally finished this overly long and overly convoluted "mouthpiece" novel about the destruction of forests worldwide. I think it's the worst thing Proulx has ever written. Too too many of her characters do nothing but spout dogma and business information, and never come alive. Any attempts at subtlety are buried under mountains of detail, and it was depressing reading about all those deaths and about the miserable plight of the aboriginal population. The book was somewhat educational, but that's about it.

"Doctor Sleep" by Stephen King

This was a fairly enjoyable sequel to "The Shining". I like the fact that King rehabilitated Danny's father. I wonder if King dislikes the movie because it made Jack Torrance a 100% monster. And oh yes... I think the book lost some of its logical consistency during the battle with Rose, and became excessively silly. ... Harnessing the monsters from the Overlook who happened to be locked in Danny's head... having his father's ghost appear and help him... using the steam of the cancer ridden grandmother to kill the vampires...

"The Museum of Hoaxes" by Alex Boese

A fun enough read about hoaxes throughout time. It was especially significant in this year of fake news and Donald Trump's win of the presidential election.

"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.