Author Archives: smellincoffee

Unknown's avatar

About smellincoffee

Citizen, librarian, reader with a boundless wonder for the world and a curiosity about all the beings inside it.

Wisdom Wednesday: Rise and Shine

Posted on July 22, 2020 by smellincoffee

Today’s reading comes from Marcus Aurelius,  who has shamed me out of slumber many a winter’s morn. Aurelius was the last of Rome’s “five good emperors”, and produced a work called The Meditations which has been lauded through the centuries; … Continue reading →

Posted in quotations | Tagged , | 5 Comments

The Obesity Code

Posted on July 17, 2020 by smellincoffee

The Obesity Code © 2016 Jason Fung 326 pages Jason Fung begins with a question: why are there fat doctors?   If the conventional analysis  of fat and its prescription are accurate, why do many people struggle to make long-term headway … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , | 11 Comments

Classic Meme 2.0

Posted on July 15, 2020 by smellincoffee

The Classics Club is bringing back their monthly question, beginning with: Which classic author have you read more than one, but not all, of their books and which of their other books would you want to read in the future? … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged | 18 Comments

Wisdom Wednesday: Enough

Posted on July 15, 2020 by smellincoffee

Hearing wisdom and knowing wisdom are two different things. The usual human experience is to hear a thing, remark on its  insight, and then shove it away in some dark closet of our minds, where it is forgotten and fruitless.  … Continue reading →

Posted in quotations | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Top Ten Books That Make Ya Smile

Posted on July 14, 2020 by smellincoffee

Today’s TTT is….books that make us smile! 10. David Liss.  A writer of political & business thrillers, often set in the age of discovery,  Liss’ sense of humor snared me “You have my word as a gentleman.” “You are no … Continue reading →

Posted in General | 13 Comments

Related Videos: Losing an Enemy

Posted on July 12, 2020 by smellincoffee

A few months ago I read Losing an Enemy, written by Trita Parsi on the Joint Plan of Action, also known as “The Iran Deal”.     I just discovered a ten-minute clip from Parsi in a TED talk reviewing the history … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Stoicism and Western Buddhism

Posted on July 11, 2020 by smellincoffee

Stoicism and Western Buddhism: A Reflection on Two Philosophical Ways of Life © 2018 Patrick Ussher 88 pages We read philosophy in order to live philosophy. In Stoicism and Western Buddhism, Patrick Ussher explores the kindred beliefs and practices of … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Waco: A Survivor’s Story

Posted on July 8, 2020 by smellincoffee

A Place Called Waco: A Survivor’s Story © 1999 David Thibodeau 381 pages On April 19th, 1993, the arrogance of power was made obvious when scores of people were killed in a outstandingly incompetent, if not deliberately malicious, attempt to … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

(Not) the Top Ten Authors I’ve Read Most

Posted on July 7, 2020 by smellincoffee

This week’s TTT, bloggers are sharing the top ten authors they’ve read the most books by….but my top ten won’t have changed too much since the last time we did this in ’15 (lots of kid-lit heavyweights), so I’m going … Continue reading →

Posted in General | 20 Comments

Clutter Free

Posted on July 6, 2020 by smellincoffee

Clutter Free: Quick and Easy Steps to Simplifying Your Space © 2015 Kathi Lipp 226 pages “Enough is a beautiful thing.” Reading books about decluttering is much easier than actually doing it, which is probably why I’ve read so many … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged | 8 Comments