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.

November 2022 in Review

Posted on December 1, 2022 by smellincoffee

Well, this has been an interesting month for reading.  My best-intentioned plans to read more southern literature finally woke up after attending a lecture by Dr. Wayne Flynt on Harper Lee, leading to my reading his memoir about his friendship … Continue reading →

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Sid Meier’s Memoir

Posted on November 30, 2022 by smellincoffee

Sid Meier’s Memoir: A Life in Computer Games© 2020 Sid Meier304 pages Dear readers, I cannot tell you how much of my life has been spent in worlds of Sid Meier’s making –  discovering his talent for historically-grounded but  still-compelling … Continue reading →

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A trio of Tuesday Teases

Posted on November 29, 2022 by smellincoffee

What do you call a heart that is simultaneously full and breaking? Maybe there’s no word for it, but for some reason, it makes me think of rain falling through sunlight. Upgrade, Blake Crouch “Most people,” [The Old Man] had … Continue reading →

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Upgrade

Posted on November 28, 2022 by smellincoffee

Upgrade© 2022 Blake Crouch352 pages Growing up, Logan Ramsey idolized his brilliant mother, a cutting edge bioengineer. Then a tool of her device that worked perfectly in proving trials killed over two hundred thousand people by accidentally inducing a global … Continue reading →

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RDR2 in Real Life

Posted on November 24, 2022 by smellincoffee

This is completely irrelevant to anything on the blog, but I stumbled across it and was so impressed by it that I had to share. I’ve mentioned RDR2 here a time or two (usually as an obstacle to my reading, … Continue reading →

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The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Civil War

Posted on November 23, 2022 by smellincoffee

The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Civil War© 2008 H.W. Crocker III 370 pages This is not a book I’d expected to read,   because as a Southerner who’s been reading different views about the war for twenty years,  I … Continue reading →

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Stories, southern and otherwise

Posted on November 23, 2022 by smellincoffee

Rick Bragg is one of those authors I gave a shot simply because people around me wouldn’t shut up about him. It’s easy to understand why, after only a page or two;  he has a gift for storytelling, one he … Continue reading →

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Southern stories: quotations from My Southern Journey

Posted on November 22, 2022 by smellincoffee

“My people tell their stories of vast red fields and bitter turnip greens and harsh white whiskey like they are rocking in some invisible chair, smooth and easy even in the terrible parts because the past has already done its … Continue reading →

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Tis’ Tuesday, Tis’ Teasing Time

Posted on November 22, 2022 by smellincoffee

“I guess the best way to tell the story of how I glued myself to the wall of my house, of how such a thing could even happen, is to tell it chronologically. Otherwise, I might appear stupid. But if … Continue reading →

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Together

Posted on November 18, 2022 by smellincoffee

Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World© 2020 Vivek H. Murthy352 pages People are generally open about their physical health; indeed, for men of a certain age, it’s their favorite topic of discussion — at least, … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Civic Interest, Reviews, Society and Culture | Tagged , | 6 Comments