Monthly Archives: September 2011

Tales of Beedle the Bard

Posted on September 19, 2011 by smellincoffee

The Tales of Beedle the Bard© 2007 J.K. Rowling111 pages “Translated from the ancient runes by Hermione Granger. Commentary by Albus Dumbledore Introduction, Notes, and Illustrations by J.K. Rowling” If the end of the Harry Potter story this summer has … Continue reading →

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This Week at the Library (14 September)

Posted on September 14, 2011 by smellincoffee

This week at the library… I’ll be finishing a biography of Marcus Aurelius, as well as the Discourses and Handbook of Epictetus. As it turns out, reading them together gives me a complementary experience, as Epictetus’s philosophy inspired Marcus’ own, … Continue reading →

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Sharpe’s Gold

Posted on September 14, 2011 by smellincoffee

Sharpe’s Gold© 1981 Bernard Cornwell256 pages Napoleon triumphant! Spain is lost, defended only by partisans fighting a ‘little war’ — and Britain’s peninsular foothold in Portugal is teetering on the edge of an abyss: the army is right out of … Continue reading →

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Top Ten Books from Other Blogs

Posted on September 12, 2011 by smellincoffee

This week the Broke and the Bookish are discussing books which they encountered first through other blogs and bloggers. 1. Sharpe’s Eagle, Bernard Cornwell Reccommended to me by Cyberkitten of Seeking a Little Truth, this novel introduced me to the … Continue reading →

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Teaser Tuesdayish (13 September)

Posted on September 12, 2011 by smellincoffee

Well, it’s Tuesday in most of the world. Time for a teaser, then. Or three. “Get him out, sir? There’s two regiments there!”“So? That’s only eight hundred men. There are fifty-three of us.” p. 64, Sharpe’s Gold. Bernard Cornwell. Hogan, … Continue reading →

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The Renaissance

Posted on September 12, 2011 by smellincoffee

The Renaissance:  A History of Civilization in Italy from 1304-1576 A.D.© 1953 Will Durant776 pages I assumed the Renaissance would be a high point of this series for me, second only to The Age of Reason. After a thousand years … Continue reading →

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The Illiad

Posted on September 8, 2011 by smellincoffee

The Illiad© 1960 Barbara Leonie Picard208 pagesIllustrated by Joan Kiddell-Monroe The Illiad is one of the oldest and most celebrated works of literature of western civilization: a classic among classics, no world literature class would be complete without it.  It is … Continue reading →

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The Big Rock Candy Mountain

Posted on September 8, 2011 by smellincoffee

The Big Rock Candy Mountain© 1943 Wallace Stegner563 pages “The frontier is closed”, declared the US census board in 1890. The boundless west has been fenced in and taken, but Bo Mason isn’t satisfied to believe it. There must be opportunities … Continue reading →

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The Feather Merchants

Posted on September 8, 2011 by smellincoffee

The Feather Merchants© 1944 Max Shulman145 pagesFrom Max Shulman’s Large Economy Size,  Sergeant Dan Miller, supply clerk extraordinaire, is home on furlough — and leave to him to get into more trouble in one night than he’s found in months … Continue reading →

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Booking through Thursday: Queue

Posted on September 8, 2011 by smellincoffee

Booking through Thursday asks:What are you reading now?Would you recommend it?And what’s next? I’m nibbling at several books at the moment: Will Durant’s The Renaissance, which is thus far just about Italian city-state politics;  The Illiad, interpreted into prose by … Continue reading →

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