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.

When Harry Became Sally

Posted on November 4, 2021 by smellincoffee

When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Movement© 2018 Ryan Anderson251 pages In the summer of 2015, a former non-issue affecting an extreme minority became, seemingly overnight, a mainstream talking point. All manner of individuals suddenly began announcing they … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Civic Interest, Reviews, Society and Culture | Tagged , , , | 9 Comments

October 2021

Posted on November 1, 2021 by smellincoffee

“October should be a fun month,” I said. Hah! It certainly went a different way than I expected, but I didn’t let a little ol’ thing like medical incarceration keep me down. Despite or perhaps because of my near-two week … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged | 2 Comments

For all the Tea in China

Posted on October 28, 2021 by smellincoffee

For all the Tea in China: How England Stole the World’s Favorite Drink and Made History© 2010 Sarah Rose272 pages A love of tea is one of the great English stereotypes, at least in the United States, so I thought … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Something’s coming, something good

Posted on October 26, 2021 by smellincoffee

I love West Side Story. I was exposed to the “Tonight” quartet in high school music appreciation, and after checking out a VHS tape from the library, I promptly watched it five times in two weeks and began looking for … Continue reading →

Posted in General | 5 Comments

The War that Made the Roman Empire

Posted on October 26, 2021 by smellincoffee

The War that Made the Roman Empire: Anthony, Cleopatra, and Octavian at Actium© 2022 Bary Strauss368 pages Rome, at the death of Julius Caesar, was no stranger to internal war.  A functioning, healthy republic had long vanished,  torn in pieces … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday Freebie: Frightfully Good Reads

Posted on October 26, 2021 by smellincoffee

Today is a freebie, and I’m going with Halloween-appropriate books because ’tis the season. Spook, Mary Roach.  A playful examination of scientific attempts to discover our fate after death. Night of the Living Trekkies,  David Anderson.  Easily the funniest zombie book I’ve ever read, … Continue reading →

Posted in General | 11 Comments

For mudpuddle

Posted on October 22, 2021 by smellincoffee
Posted in General | 9 Comments

Natchez Burning

Posted on October 18, 2021 by smellincoffee

Natchez Burning© 2015 Greg Iles816 pages When the choice is your father or the truth,  who could choose the truth?  Penn Cage has always idolized his father Tom.  A dedicated physician from the 1950s-on,  the senior Cage developed a reputation as a devoted and impartial … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

The Enterprise War

Posted on October 17, 2021 by smellincoffee

The Enterprise War© 2019 John Jackson Miller366 pages “Giving up our values in the name of security is to lose the battle in advance. I’m curious. Did you sideline the Enterprise because you knew I’d never stop reminding you of … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , | 14 Comments