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.

Ten Winningest Titles

Posted on March 23, 2021 by smellincoffee

Five years ago I created a list called “Titles that Win”, not for Top Ten Tuesday but because I was inspired by How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had it Coming. Today’s TT on our favorite ‘titles’ offers a … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged | 9 Comments

Davita’s Harp

Posted on March 21, 2021 by smellincoffee

Davita’s Harp© 1985 Chaim Potok384 pages Are you a Jew?  Ilana Davita Chandel  gets that question a lot. It’s lobbed at her from Irish and Italian street toughs, and from inquisitive neighbors who see  her swimming on the Sabbath.  Is … Continue reading →

Posted in Classics and Literary, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

After action report: Central Alabama Twisters 3/17/2021

Posted on March 18, 2021 by smellincoffee

Yesterday at eleven o’clock I was sitting in a sunny courtyard, enjoying coffee with friends. An hour later I was in the library’s tornado-shelter room, trying to keep people from wandering out into the open hallway to look at the … Continue reading →

Posted in General | 10 Comments

Conspiracies and other stories that make us human

Posted on March 16, 2021 by smellincoffee

Early last week I read Brian Dunning’s Conspiracies Declassified: The Skeptoid Guide to the Truth Behind the Theories. I used to listen to Skeptoid over a decade ago, enjoying Dunning’s research into the facts behind popular theories and unsolved mysteries. … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, science | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

News and views: the tyranny of comfort

Posted on March 13, 2021 by smellincoffee

From “COVID and the Tyranny of Comfort“, Matt Purple. I had a retrospective post planned for today, the observation of the one-year mark of the coronamania episode in Alabama, but this piece from TAC fits the bill.========== But it’s still … Continue reading →

Posted in News and Views | 12 Comments

Rebekah

Posted on March 11, 2021 by smellincoffee

Rebekah© 2001 Orson Scott Card416 pages When I stumbled upon Orson Scott Card’s ‘women of the bible’ series, I knew I had to try it just out of curiosity. The idea of a science fiction writer turning his hand to … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , | 8 Comments

Wisdom Wednesday: There are no problems, only situations

Posted on March 10, 2021 by smellincoffee

I liberated this screenshot from a facebook group on the psychology of Stoicism and Buddhism. It’s been lingering in drafts for a few weeks because I recognized wisdom in the quote, even though it’s easy to dismiss it out of … Continue reading →

Posted in quotations | Tagged | 2 Comments

Tuesday trifecta: hacking, prepping, and making shine

Posted on March 9, 2021 by smellincoffee

I’ve been dog & cat-sitting away from my computer since last week, and without a TV or computer to distract me I’ve been doing that ‘reading’ thing. First up, I read Just in Case, a prepping-for-newbies book the library acquired … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Civic Interest, Reviews, science fiction, Society and Culture | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Disaster by Choice

Posted on March 5, 2021 by smellincoffee

Disaster by Choice: How our Actions Turn Natural Hazards into Catastrophes© 2020 Ilan Kelman180 pages What makes a natural event — rising waters, a hurricane, a sudden slip of tectonic plates — a disaster? Human suffering — and Illan Kelman … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Civic Interest, Reviews | Tagged , | 9 Comments

News and views: The New Theocrats

Posted on March 4, 2021 by smellincoffee

“When I was a boy in school, we were often encouraged to read banned books. Back then, to censor anyone was about the least hip thing you could do, the province of the glowering churchman and the cordless phone-wielding parent, … Continue reading →

Posted in General, News and Views | Tagged | 6 Comments