Author Archives: smellincoffee

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About smellincoffee

Citizen, librarian, reader with a boundless wonder for the world and a curiosity about all the beings inside it.

WWW Wednesday

Posted on August 26, 2026 by smellincoffee

WHAT have you finished reading recently? Greek Ways: How the Greeks Created Western Civilization, Bruce Thornton, and James Garfield, Ira Rutkow. WHAT are you reading now? Just began The Unexpected President, a history of Chester Arthur. Still pecking at The … Continue reading →

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James “Death by Lightning” Garfield

Posted on August 25, 2026 by smellincoffee

Back in March, I announced that I was beginning a trio of unknowns — Hayes, Garfield, and Arthur. Then the 1960s took over, but I’m back at it. Who is James Garfield? A teacher, an officer, a forceful Republican — … Continue reading →

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Ten Bookish Spaces

Posted on August 25, 2026 by smellincoffee

Today’s TTT is ‘bookish places’, which will be a hard one, but let’s see what I manage. But first, the Tuesday Tease! “A little polis living orderly in a high place is stronger than block-headed Nineveh,” the Assyrian capital destroyed … Continue reading →

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Stalking the Atomic City

Posted on August 22, 2026 by smellincoffee

“This is Chernobyl, too”, someone posted on reddit, captioning a large radar-like installation. “Huh,” says I. A radar station? In the Zone? I’d never heard of such a thing. When I looked at its satellite footage, I noticed something nearby … Continue reading →

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Dark Mirror

Posted on August 21, 2026 by smellincoffee

The memory of thirty years ago is hazy, but I can look back through it and see one moment of clarity: my best friend Gil and I walking around during lunch period (we always skipped lunch in favor of roaming … Continue reading →

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I Am Spock

Posted on August 20, 2026 by smellincoffee

I cannot tell you how many times I read through this book in high school, but it’s the foundation of everything I know about Star Trek’s original production, from the practical effects to the behind the scenes drama.  I Am … Continue reading →

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ST Stargazer: Gauntlet

Posted on August 19, 2026 by smellincoffee

Captain Jean-Luc Picard just showed up at a sector captains’ meeting with a serious case of imposter syndrome. He’s all of 28, and the only reason he’s a captain is that everyone higher else up on the command chain got … Continue reading →

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WWW Wednesday

Posted on August 19, 2026 by smellincoffee

If that meme bewilders you, LeVar Burton (Geordie) was the star of a PBS show called Reading Rainbow. Its theme: WHAT have you finished reading recently? I Am Spock, Leonard Nimoy, and a book I won’t mention just yet. Review … Continue reading →

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ST TNG: The Forgotten War

Posted on August 18, 2026 by smellincoffee

Centuries ago, in the days of legends like Captain Pike and Captain Murat, the Federation fought an undeclared war against an aggressive reptilian warrior-race called the Tarn. The war ended in an armistice that established a small no-fly zone between … Continue reading →

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It’s a Trekkie Teaser Tuesday

Posted on August 18, 2026 by smellincoffee

Leonard Nimoy, musing on the Spock/McCoy dynamic in I Am Spock: McCoy, frustrated: Now wait a minute, Spock! When the first baseman gets his paycheck, who gets the money?Spock: It is only logical that he should do so, since he … Continue reading →

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