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.

Present Concerns and even more Lewis quotes

Posted on December 17, 2020 by smellincoffee

Although Present Concerns’ title makes it sound as though it consists of essays by Lewis written about 1940s issues,   the contents still speak to our present day.  One of the passages, quoted to me from a friend, leapt out … Continue reading →

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Diabolical fragments: selections from Screwtape

Posted on December 16, 2020 by smellincoffee

I recently re-read The Screwtape Letters for Advent, and would have posted a review but realized I rather liked the draft review I’d written in 2013 more, so now I’m trying to graft the best of one onto the other, … Continue reading →

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Wisdom Wednesday: Live despite Death

Posted on December 16, 2020 by smellincoffee

Recently a friend was kind enough to bring this article to my attention. It’s from C.S. Lewis, written in 1948 to address the growing fears of his contemporaries, who were shaken by the spectre of Hiroshima and unnerved by the … Continue reading →

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The 12 Days of Christmas Book Tag

Posted on December 15, 2020 by smellincoffee

Ruth at A Great Book Study shared a fun little book game called “The Twelve Days of Christmas”, where a book is used to fit the lyrics of the song. She did a Little House on the Prairie spin! I … Continue reading →

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Books on my Winter TBR

Posted on December 15, 2020 by smellincoffee

This week, the Artsy Reader Girl is taking a look at our Top Ten Books on Winter TBRs! What are you reading as Christmas approaches and hope for a corona-free future looms? Ends of the Earth: The Polar Regions of … Continue reading →

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Nutcracker novel giveaway!

Posted on December 11, 2020 by smellincoffee

Fellow book blogger Marian H is hosting a giveaway for her new book, Drosselmeyer’s Dream, a fantasy novel inspired by The Nutcracker. How perfect for Christmas! I haven’t visited this story since childhood, so I’m curious myself to see what … Continue reading →

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You are not so smart, and animals are not so dumb: a science twofer

Posted on December 10, 2020 by smellincoffee

Last week I read You Are Not So Smart, an often interesting if sometimes trivial review of how mental shortcuts get us in trouble. My reading of Suspicious Minds led into this, and they shared some common ground. The shortcuts … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, science | Tagged , | 5 Comments

Christmas Tales and Counting Buzzards

Posted on December 9, 2020 by smellincoffee

Christmas Tales collects various human interest stories around the State of Alabama that have a Christmas connection — though perhaps human interest isn’t the right word, seeing as many of these stories involve animals! The stories were collected by a … Continue reading →

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Wisdom Wednesday: Now will never come again

Posted on December 9, 2020 by smellincoffee

This past month some friends and I have been sharing, anonymously, thoughts on the pandemic and its influence on our growth as people — reflecting on how it’s changed us, how we’ve risen to the challenge (or not). I ended … Continue reading →

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Silent Night: The Christmas Truce

Posted on December 8, 2020 by smellincoffee

Silent Night: The Remarkable Story of the Christmas Truce© 2002 Stanley Weintraub240 pages One of the most extraordinary stories to come out of the Great War is that of the Christmas Truce, a spontaneous outbreak of caritas in which English, … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Reviews | Tagged , | 5 Comments