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.

Quotes from Rick Bragg’s family trilogy

Posted on December 30, 2021 by smellincoffee

ALL OVER BUT THE SHOUTIN’   “I know how silly and paranoid that sounds, especially coming from a man who gets a perverse thrill from taking chances. But it is a common condition of being poor white trash: you are always … Continue reading →

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Top Ten Tuesday: My Ten Favorite Reads from 2021

Posted on December 27, 2021 by smellincoffee

Final Top Ten Tuesday of 2021! The Old Man and the Boy, Robert Ruark. Stories of a young boy growing up under the watchful eye and biting wit of his grandfather, who teaches him to be a man who lives … Continue reading →

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Science Survey 2021

Posted on December 27, 2021 by smellincoffee

In the last four years it’s been my habit to structure my science reading, mitigating my tendency of reading some subjects devotedly and ignoring the others (‘others’ almost always being physics and chemistry.) This year I completed the survey early, … Continue reading →

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Wide open spaces: riding with state troopers and a British lass

Posted on December 26, 2021 by smellincoffee

Goals and ambitions disappear in the glow of Christmas lights, lost in the end-year hubbub and reflection. I’ve been taking it easy by reading a couple of on-the-job memoirs, one by a Nevada state trooper and the other by a … Continue reading →

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Thoughts from Philosophy: Who Needs It

Posted on December 22, 2021 by smellincoffee

In early November I finished reading Philosophy: Who Needs It by Ayn Rand. Her works are so much of one piece that every time I’ve started tinkering with a review I find it repeats some of the same assessments of … Continue reading →

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On protecting, serving, and burying

Posted on December 22, 2021 by smellincoffee

Merry Christmas week, all! Some book comments for you amid a busy holiday week… The first, Police Craft is a sequel to the author’s 400 Things Cops Know, which shared insights on how cops view the world — reading body … Continue reading →

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The Speckled Beauty

Posted on December 16, 2021 by smellincoffee

The Speckled Beauty: A Dog and his People© 2021 Rick Bragg256 pages There’s no bond like that between a boy and his dog – except, maybe, that of an old man and his dog.   Rick Bragg never meant to adopt “Speck”, the mangy and … Continue reading →

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Readin’ Dixie: The Index

Posted on December 13, 2021 by smellincoffee

Pursuant to my goal of reading more southern history and literature, I’m creating an index to get an at-a-glance idea of areas I’ve read more in or have ignored. I’m planning on developing this more in 2022! LAND, LITERATURE, and … Continue reading →

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Maria! I just met a girl named Mariaaaaaaaaa

Posted on December 12, 2021 by smellincoffee

Tonight I watched the new West Side Story in theaters, and I have to say — I’m a fan. I love it. I’ve seen the original at least a dozen times (I used to be obsessed with it), know the … Continue reading →

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Sharpe’s Assassin

Posted on December 9, 2021 by smellincoffee

Sharpe’s Assassin© 2021 Bernard Cornwell400 pages Boney is beaten, his ruined army streaming across the country. The way to Paris is open for the Allied armies, and yet Richard Sharpe’s war is not yet done. As much as he’d like … Continue reading →

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