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Author Archives: smellincoffee
COVID Reviews #3: Romans, Dogs, and Saudis
I don’t know if anyone misses my usual chatty, sometimes florid reviews, but they’re impossible to do on a phone. More mini-reviews it is! Continuing my onslaught of the TBR pile, I finished Lives of Famous Romans, by Olivia Coolridge. … Continue reading
Posted in history, Reviews
Tagged animal domestication, Arabia, Central Asia, history, Islam, Middle East, Persia-Iran, Rome
4 Comments
Scaling Mount Doom: September 2020
Beginning last month, I decided to start doing a monthly ‘face-the-verdict’ post to help me stay focused on my TBR takedown, and the related goal of further minimizing my book collection. This month bears witness to the fact that I’m … Continue reading
COVID Reviews #2: Afghans and Turks and Austrians, oh my!
Khaled Hosseini’s third book is also his most unusual. His previous two books followed friendships which which were forged, broken, and tested over the years as Afghanistan reeled from one chaotic event to another. And the Mountains Echoed is more … Continue reading
Posted in historical fiction, history, Reviews
Tagged Austria, historical fiction, history, Middle East, Turkey
2 Comments
Top Ten Favorite Quotes
Top ten favorite quotations from books is a…daunting challenge, to say the least. I’ve been reading purposefully since 2006, and have encountering a great many challenging or insightful words since then. I am sorry that these all run together, but … Continue reading
Posted in General
5 Comments
Of Putin, Hamilton, wars, and corona
I entered quarantine on Tuesday, immediately after having my COVID test done. Since then my physical condition has improved (coughing is minimal, energy levels are much better) although until I test negative I’m still locked away from the public. I’ve … Continue reading
Corona diary with extra corona
This update is a bit different because I’m typing on my phone. I’m making arrangements now for a 2 week quarantine. Unfortunately, I have the plague. It’s a mild thing — I would not have thought to test for it … Continue reading
Top Ten Books on my Fall TBR
This week for Top Ten Tuesday, we’re sharing our fall reading lists! In my case, it’s a literal fall TBR: I’m currently diligently working on my Pile of Doom, complete with scheduled titles and the like, with other materials mixed … Continue reading
Posted in General
9 Comments
The Forest Unseen
In his Becoming Wild, Carl Safina remarked, “How long and rich a morning can be if you bring yourself fully to it. Come to a decent place. Bring nothing to tempt your attention away. Immerse in the timelessness of reality. … Continue reading
What Judgments Come
Star Trek Vanguard: What Judgments Come© 2011 Dayton Ward & Kevin Dilmore354 pages For three years, Vanguard Station’s mission of facilitating the exploration and colonization of the Taurus Reach has been sidetracked by its covert attempts to come to grips … Continue reading
Becoming Wild
Becoming Wild: How Animal Cultures Raise Families, Create Beauty, and Achieve Peace© 2020 Carl Safina375 pages In Becoming Wild, ecologist Carl Safina recounts his time spent with field scientists studying cetaceans, macaws, and chimpanzees, to share insights and speculation about … Continue reading
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