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.

Read of England, 2023!

Posted on April 1, 2023 by smellincoffee

Well, dear readers, it’s April first, and that means ’tis time to Read of England. RoE is an annual tradition at Reading Freely, starting with an annual nod to English history in 2010 before growing into a month set aside … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged | 11 Comments

March 2023 in Review

Posted on March 31, 2023 by smellincoffee

A fourth of the year has gone by already! If January was SCIENCE MONTH!!! and February was as Southern as fried green tomatoes, then March was a month for the ol’ to be read pile. I’ve got a few unreviewed … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged | 2 Comments

Gaming on the ZX Speccy, oceans, and harrumphing at the White House

Posted on March 30, 2023 by smellincoffee

I think I’ve managed to avoid doing any ‘short rounds’ posts this year, but three months in the streak ends. It’s not my fault, I swear. It’s the books. First up is The Nostalgia Nerd’s Retro Tech, a mostly-graphic look … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Reviews, science | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

WWW: Favorite Nonfiction?

Posted on March 29, 2023 by smellincoffee

Today’s blogging challenge from Long & Short Reviews is ‘Favorite Nonfiction Book’, which is…er, problematic. I read over a hundred nonfiction books a year, and have done since I started keeping a book log in mid-2007. which means I’ve read … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged | 17 Comments

Purgatorio

Posted on March 28, 2023 by smellincoffee

Purgatorio© 14th century Dante Alighieri, translated 2004 by Anthony Esolen544 pages, including appendices and notes Seven years ago I descended into hell with Dante and his guide, Virgil,   and after that arduous descent into a valley of desolation and … Continue reading →

Posted in Classics and Literary, Religion and Philosophy, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Tuesday Tease: The stuff of empire

Posted on March 28, 2023 by smellincoffee

From Waters of the World, by Sarah Dry, on glaciology, geology metereology, and climatology…so far. Only with the leveraging power of certain technologies was British rule in India even thinkable. Much has been made of the importance of railways, telegraphs, … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The wretch, concentered all in Self….

Posted on March 24, 2023 by smellincoffee
Posted in quotations, Society and Culture | Tagged | Leave a comment

The Wit and Wisdom of Gandhi

Posted on March 23, 2023 by smellincoffee

© 2005, 2019 General Press Publishers183 pages The Wit and Wisdom of Gandhi is a book better judged by its cover than its title, for the title makes it sound like a collection of jokes and sage observations from a … Continue reading →

Posted in quotations, Religion and Philosophy, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Other Side of the Bridge

Posted on March 22, 2023 by smellincoffee

The Other Side of the Bridge© 2022 Timothy E. Paul124 pages This is one of the stranger books I imagine I’ll read this year. Its title, setting, and opening disclaimer make the reader suspect that it’s a story set in … Continue reading →

Posted in historical fiction, Reviews | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Wednesday blogging: famous book you’ve not read?

Posted on March 22, 2023 by smellincoffee

Long and Short Reviews’ blogging challenge this week is ‘A famous book you haven’t read, and why’. Immediately before college and a little during (before assignments took priority), I sought out books that had changed the world for good or … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged | 7 Comments