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.

May 2021

Posted on June 1, 2021 by smellincoffee

May has been a…weird month in my life, that’s all I can say. I’ve obsessively studying for the CompTIA A+ exams, and I started a part-time job driving for the railroad to expedite the whole “buy land and become an … Continue reading →

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Forward

Posted on May 27, 2021 by smellincoffee

While poking around on Amazon for new releases by Weir, Scalzi, and Doctorow, I encountered the Forward collection, a series of short stories by various authors (most new to me) on near-future SF. They are very short stories, the two … Continue reading →

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Drug Use for Grown Ups

Posted on May 24, 2021 by smellincoffee

Drug Use for Grown Ups: Chasing Liberty in the Land of Fear© 2021 Carl Hart304 pages My occasional forays into anarchist literature aside, I’m one of the squarest people you are ever likely to meet, a fellow whose idea of … Continue reading →

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“Crime is Contagious”:

Posted on May 19, 2021 by smellincoffee

I am presently reading Enemies: A History of the FBI, and encountered this insightful comment by Associate Justice Louis Brandeis, in the Olmstead vs. US (1928) decision. “The greatest dangers to liberty lie in insidious encroachments by men of zeal, … Continue reading →

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Captain’s Oath

Posted on May 19, 2021 by smellincoffee

Captain’s Oath © 2019 Christopher L Bennett323 pages Captain Jim Kirk has just taken command of the USS Enterprise, and already he has a tricky situation on his hands. It should be simple: pick up a team of archaeologists who … Continue reading →

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Of blowholes, blowhards, and blowing money

Posted on May 17, 2021 by smellincoffee

I’ve been studying for the CompTia A+ certification and entertaining a new lady friend in recent weeks, so my reading and reviewing has gotten a bit…torpid, shall we say. I haven’t been totally absorbed in specs and dates, though: Make … Continue reading →

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A Gathering of Old Men

Posted on May 7, 2021 by smellincoffee

A Gathering of Old Men© 1983 Ernest Gaines213 pages There’s a white man dead in the quarter, and by sundown there may be another body swinging from the trees. Most of the people in the quarter don’t know why Beau … Continue reading →

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May the Fourth be with You: Star Wars Lit

Posted on May 4, 2021 by smellincoffee

Today’s TT coincides with May the Fourth, so I’m highlighting some Star Wars books! The Darth Bane trilogy, Drew Karpyshyn “Always two there are. No more, no less.” This trilogy is set in the Old Republic — really old Republic, … Continue reading →

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Hiking grandmas, irreligious hombres, and unjacking from the Matrix

Posted on May 3, 2021 by smellincoffee

As an avid hiker I couldn’t help but be hooked by the story of Emma Gatewood, who in 1955 became the first woman to through-hike the Appalachian Trail. She did so with a minimum of preparation, without much of the … Continue reading →

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April 2021

Posted on April 30, 2021 by smellincoffee

April was an unusual month, as I hit ‘pause’ on a few of my themes to focus on English history & literature. Several holds came in this month, though, prompting me to stray a bit from the theme. In the … Continue reading →

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