Author Archives: smellincoffee

Unknown's avatar

About smellincoffee

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

Iran & Israel: A Lovers to Enemies Story

Posted on March 23, 2026 by smellincoffee

Trita Parsi’s Treacherous Alliance is a history of relations between the United States, Israel, and Iran from 1947 on. It principally argues that Iran and Israel’s relationship has become poisoned not because of Iranian ideology — specifically, that of the … Continue reading →

Posted in General, history, World Affairs | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Harry Potter and the Teenage Angst

Posted on March 19, 2026 by smellincoffee

Although I’ve frequently re-read some Harry Potter books over the years, I’ve tended to avoid Phoenix after my second read.I found it depressing and irritating my first rounds, and had no desire to ever revisit it. The full cast audio … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

WWW Wednesday + Audiobooks We Have Loved

Posted on March 18, 2026 by smellincoffee

WHAT have you finished reading recently? Robert Parker’s Blind Spot. Meh. WHAT are you reading now? I’m listening to the full cast audio of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and reading Eleanor Oiliphant is Completely Fine along … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged , | 16 Comments

Ten Books with Green Covers

Posted on March 17, 2026 by smellincoffee

Today’s treble T is books with green book covers, in honor of St. Patrick, whose feast day is today. He is the patron saint of Ireland and green rivers. Funny story: blue was originally the color associated with St. Patrick, … Continue reading →

Posted in General | 15 Comments

Robert Parker’s Blind Spot

Posted on March 16, 2026 by smellincoffee

Robert Parker’s Blind Spot is a mystery/thriller novel written to continue the stories of one of Parker’s existing characters, Sheriff Jesse Stone. I ran across the novel because I was looking for novels with baseball connections: this one begins when … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Mortal Stakes

Posted on March 13, 2026 by smellincoffee

Spenser is a private detective working in the Hub City, and he’s just been approached with an interesting job. Red Sox management thinks one of their players is throwing games, and they want him to find out if their hunch … Continue reading →

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

WWW Wednesday

Posted on March 11, 2026 by smellincoffee

WHAT have you finished reading recently? Double Play, Robert Parker. WHAT are you reading now? Mortal Stakes, Robert Parker — and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, full-cast audio edition. Released yesterday but I had a night class, … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged , | 14 Comments

Double Play

Posted on March 10, 2026 by smellincoffee

Burke has returned home from World War 2 with a body full of scars and a mind even more disturbed. He arrived home not to hugs and kisses, but to a letter from his wife telling him that she’d run … Continue reading →

Posted in historical fiction, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Top Ten Tuesday: Ordinal Numbers Time

Posted on March 10, 2026 by smellincoffee

Today’s TTT is “books with ordinal numbers in the title”. Mmkay….. But first, a tease from Robert Parker’s Double Play: “We need to work this out,” Burke said. “I don’t want to have to keep shooting people.”“We got plenty.” (1) … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged , | 17 Comments

The Tragic Comedy of Suburban Sprawl (Revisited)

Posted on March 6, 2026 by smellincoffee

Almost twenty years ago I attended a guest lecture at my university and heard a talk that would prove to be exceptionally influential on my thinking.  The talk, by Jim Kunstler, was on how American urban design – the built … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Politics and Civic Interest, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments