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.

Breaking the Chains of Gravity

Posted on July 18, 2023 by smellincoffee

Breaking the Chains of Gravity: The Story of Spaceflight before NASA© 2016 Amy Shira Teitel304 pages You know the story. The scene: 1950s America. Everyone is drinking on the back patio in suburbia, dressed in cardigans or pearls and pastel … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

SPACE CAMP!!!!

Posted on July 17, 2023 by smellincoffee

Two years ago I decided to celebrate the anniversary of the lunar landing on July 20, 1969, with a week devoted to astronaut memoirs and space race histories. I enjoyed that so much I repeated it, and now here I … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged | 4 Comments

Not Tonight, Josephine!

Posted on July 14, 2023 by smellincoffee

‘You realise that most of the population of Harlowton was conceived in that park?’ ‘Really? We had no idea.’ ‘Well there ain’t much to do around here. So folks are either drinking in here, or else making out over in … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

First in Line

Posted on July 14, 2023 by smellincoffee

First in Line: Presidents, Vice Presidents, and the Pursuit of Power© 2018 Kate Anderson Brower327 pages The office of vice president was, for most of the 19th century, a near-superfluous one — but in the mid-20th century, the men holding … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Politics and Civic Interest | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

The Residence

Posted on July 13, 2023 by smellincoffee

The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House© 2016 Kate Anderson Brower336 pages They say that no man is a hero to his valet, but perhaps no man is properly a villain, either. Richard Nixon, despised by the … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Politics and Civic Interest, Reviews | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Team of Five

Posted on July 12, 2023 by smellincoffee

Team of Five: The Presidents Club in the Age of Trump© 2020 Kate Anderson Brower320 pages Nancy Gibbs’ and Michael Duffy’s The Presidents Club offered a history of how American presidents have rallied together after their respective terms in office … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Civic Interest, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Wednesday blogging prompt: “fashion sense”

Posted on July 12, 2023 by smellincoffee

Today’s prompt from Long and Short Reviews is to ‘describe our fashion sense’. I’m tempted to say that I don’t have any, but I suppose I do dress in a deliberate matter, with an eye for simplicity, minimalism, and adaptability. … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged | 10 Comments

Top Ten Random Titles

Posted on July 11, 2023 by smellincoffee

Today’s TT is a freebie, and I can’t think of anything so I’m going to go with….ten random books. I asked Bing to supply a random number, which proved to be #73, so I’m going to go with the 73rd … Continue reading →

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Redcoats , los presidentes, and medieval making-merry

Posted on July 10, 2023 by smellincoffee

Alllrighty, short rounds time, featuring: British Soldiers, American War; The Very Secret Sex Lives of Medieval Women; and The President’s Club: Inside the World’s Most Secret Fraternity. First up, British Soldiers, American War. This is an interesting volume in which … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Emergency Alert

Posted on July 6, 2023 by smellincoffee

Earlier today a disaster befell the citizens of Bedroom, when half of Mount Doom suddenly collapsed in a landslide covering not only parts of Bed, but part of the floor as well. Search parties were sent out and confirmed that … Continue reading →

Posted in General | 9 Comments