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.

Wisdom Wednesday: Thoughts on love and pain

Posted on January 6, 2021 by smellincoffee

These are two quotes from two rather different authors “To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must … Continue reading →

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Scaling Mount Doom: 2020

Posted on January 5, 2021 by smellincoffee

The following titles were TBR titles read in 2020. From August on, they were part of the on-going Scaling Mount Doom series, in which I suspended book purchases except as rewards for reading TBR titles. The ban on book purchases … Continue reading →

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Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

Posted on January 4, 2021 by smellincoffee

“In that direction,” the Cat said, waving its right paw round, “lives a Hatter: and in that direction,” waving the other paw, “lives a March Hare. Visit either you like: they’re both mad.”“But I don’t want to go among mad … Continue reading →

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The best of 2020 — in books

Posted on January 3, 2021 by smellincoffee

2020 was….a heck of a year. Hurricanes, pandemic, fires,  the existential dread of an election featuring a wide variety of creepy corrupt politicians, all with their own plans for spending other people’s money badly and killing people overseas on behalf … Continue reading →

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The Awakening of Miss Prim

Posted on January 2, 2021 by smellincoffee

The Awakening of Miss Prim© 2014 Natalia Sanmartin Fenollera315 pages The Awakening of Miss Prim is a funny little novel, and not the sort of thing that would ordinarily be on my radar: a cozy romance, set in a ridiculously … Continue reading →

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Science Survey 2020

Posted on January 1, 2021 by smellincoffee

 Three years ago I created the ‘science survey’ challenge to make myself read more widely in science,  and I’m pleased to report that not only did I complete the survey halfway into the year, but I was able to go … Continue reading →

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What I Read in 2020

Posted on January 1, 2021 by smellincoffee

I wasn’t able to finish Mama’s Last Hug before 2020 ended. I blame Arthur Morgan. Oh, well! 2021 will have a head start. –January–1. A Warning, Anonymous2. How Jesus Became God, Bart Ehrman3. The Best Cook in the World, Rick … Continue reading →

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The Classics Club Strikes Back

Posted on January 1, 2021 by smellincoffee

From 2015 to 2019, I participated in the Classics Club, leaving one book to read in 2020 from my list of 50 — and  having finished, it’s time to start again.   I decided to focus on stories closer to home, … Continue reading →

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Top Ten Favorite Reads, 2020!

Posted on December 29, 2020 by smellincoffee

This week we’re looking back at the year and thinking about our favorite reads. These are presented in the order in which I read them. Where the Crawdads Sing, Delia Owns. An absolutely unforgettable mix of character drama and nature … Continue reading →

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Titanic 2020’s last hours: all kinds of yakking, including 2021 plans

Posted on December 28, 2020 by smellincoffee

Here we are in that sweet, weird spot between Christmas holidays and New Year’s Eve. The end is near for 2020, not that the Cursed Year will stop giving. I’m sure corona will follow us into 2021, though — knock … Continue reading →

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