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.

War of the Wolf

Posted on April 30, 2019 by smellincoffee

War of the Wolfpub. 2018 Bernard Cornwell333 pages Uhtred of Bebbanburg is called a priest-killer, a chief of devils. And yet when a distressed and scarred monk came to his gates and begged that he send help to Mercia, beset … Continue reading →

Posted in historical fiction, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

So it goes

Posted on April 22, 2019 by smellincoffee

This weekend has seen me reach the end of Red Dead Redemption II. I have never been as moved by the ending of a game, or by a videogame protagonist. The sheer depth of this game — so much so … Continue reading →

Posted in General | 4 Comments

Crickets

Posted on April 18, 2019 by smellincoffee

This has been a dismally slow Read of England, between a history book more dense than I’d expected, and the fact that I have been utterly absorbed in the world of Red Dead Redemption since mid-March, and when I say … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged | 10 Comments

American Gun

Posted on April 12, 2019 by smellincoffee

 American Gun© 2013 Chris Kyle336 pages Think of English history, and longbows, tall ships, and shieldwalls may come to mind; think of France, and perhaps the image is knights charging across an open field. But American history, from the colonies … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Reviews | Tagged , | 7 Comments

The Time Traveler’s Guide to Restoration Britain

Posted on April 10, 2019 by smellincoffee

Having previously guided readers through the Medieval and Elizabethan eras, Ian Mortimer now welcomes intrepid travelers to the Age of Restoration. The tyrant Oliver Cromwell is dead, and with him went his grim police-state ‘republic’ and the armed doctrine of … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Reviews | Tagged , , , | 14 Comments

The Scarlet Thief

Posted on April 7, 2019 by smellincoffee

The Scarlet Thief  © 2013 Paul Fraser Collard352 pages Captain Arthur Sloames stepped off the boat with a terrible secret.  He wore on his shoulders the coat of a dead man.  When his transport left England, he was but Jack … Continue reading →

Posted in historical fiction, Reviews | Tagged , , | 11 Comments

Read of England, 2019!

Posted on April 1, 2019 by smellincoffee

Ah, dear readers, it’s that time again – April, a wonderful month of warm sunshine and cool breezes, and with them both a dream of another land. It’s READ OF ENGLAND time once again, a monthlong dive into English literature … Continue reading →

Posted in General | 14 Comments

Alice Roosevelt, Linux, and Death

Posted on March 29, 2019 by smellincoffee

Approaching the end of the month, as we are, time to post a few also-reads: Alice and the Assassin, R.J. Koreto. Entertaining historical fiction following the infamous pistol-packing Alice Roosevelt and her cowboy Secret Service bodyguard.  Following the assassination of … Continue reading →

Posted in historical fiction, Reviews | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Tip of the Iceberg

Posted on March 29, 2019 by smellincoffee

Tip of the Iceberg: My 3,000-Mile Journey Around Wild Alaska, the Last Great American Frontier© 2018 Mark Adams336 pages In 1899, railroad tycoon Edward Harriman organized a multidisciplinary expedition to Alaska, bringing with him some of the best scientists and … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Reviews | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Head On

Posted on March 28, 2019 by smellincoffee

Head On: A Novel of the Near Future© 2018 John Scalzi 328 pages Agent Chris Shane of the FBI saw the man decapitated on the playing field. before his very eyes.  But so did thousands of other people; decapitations  were, in … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, science fiction | Tagged , , | 3 Comments