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.

Of Mars, Antarctica, and the human condition

Posted on August 11, 2021 by smellincoffee

Mars is a cold tease, an object of immediate interest to anyone who believes humanity needs to continue to venture outward.  It’s neither so hostile or so far from us to preclude manned missions entirely,  and it has its own resources that … Continue reading →

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

Broadcast

Posted on August 9, 2021 by smellincoffee

Broadcast© 2017 Liam Brown288 pages Most people, if approached by a corporation and asked for permission to plant a microchip in their brainstem, would say “Nope” and back away from the crazy man. But David Callow isn’t most people: he’s … Continue reading →

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

The Disappeared

Posted on August 6, 2021 by smellincoffee

The Disappeared© 2019 Amy Lord368 pages Clara Winter was only a child when her father disappeared. A poet and English teacher, he made the mistake of criticizing Britain’s new order, the martial rule imposed on it after a terrorist attack … Continue reading →

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Obey little, bake much: The Choice

Posted on August 5, 2021 by smellincoffee

The Choice© 2019 Claire Ward400 pages “Let them eat cake,” Marie Antoinette supposedly said of the people too poor to buy bread, and the words inspired revolution. The Choice throws that on its head, and makes it rallying cry — … Continue reading →

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Ghost Sub

Posted on August 4, 2021 by smellincoffee

Ghost Sub© 2013 Todd Tucker166 pages Ghost Sub opens with a scene reminiscent of “There Will Come Soft Rains”: an automated environment, eerily chugging along through its pre-programmed routines, an imitation of life in the midst of death. The USS … Continue reading →

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July 2021

Posted on August 3, 2021 by smellincoffee

A month I’d planned to be TBR and American Classics-heavy was instead dominated by the ongoing Space Camp series, though I still managed to squeeze in some technical progress. Science SurveyThe Social Instinct: How Cooperation Shaped the World, Nichola RaihaniThe … Continue reading →

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Collapse Depth

Posted on August 2, 2021 by smellincoffee

© 2012 Todd Tucker264 pages The USS Alabama, like the rest of the Trident submarine force, exists for one reason only:   strategic deterrence.   Onboard her are enough nuclear missiles to destroy a dozen or more prominent cities, for use in … Continue reading →

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Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars

Posted on July 30, 2021 by smellincoffee

Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars© 2021 Eileen Collins314 pages Eileen Collins was obsessed with flying. Maybe it was an unusual preoccupation for a girl, but her parents – despite their struggles with mental illness and alcoholism – always … Continue reading →

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Into the Black

Posted on July 29, 2021 by smellincoffee

Into the Black: The Extraordinary Untold Story of the First Flight of the Space Shuttle Columbia © 2016 Rowland White480 pages As the Apollo missions neared the completion of their goal, NASA looked ahead and charted a bold new course … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , | 9 Comments

Oops, I did it again

Posted on July 27, 2021 by smellincoffee

Last week a publisher contacted me on goodreads about reading one of their soon-to-be-released titles, The Social Instinct. Accessing it meant reviving my old NetGalley account, and before I knew it.. Well, I did say that science would be making … Continue reading →

Posted in General | 2 Comments