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.

Frankenstein

Posted on October 9, 2018 by smellincoffee

Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus© 1818 Mary Shelley288 pages “Shall I respect man when he contemns me? Let him live with me in the interchange of kindness; and, instead of injury, I would bestow every benefit upon him with tears of … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, science fiction | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

Church of Spies

Posted on October 6, 2018 by smellincoffee

Church of Spies: The Vatican’s Secret War Against Hitler© 2015 Mark Riebling384 pages The Catholic Church was one of Hitler’s earliest enemies, barring its members from participating in the Nazi party and publicly condemning Hitler’s early actions once he had … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

The Iran Wars

Posted on October 3, 2018 by smellincoffee

The Iran Wars: Spy Games, Bank Battles, and the Secret Deals that Reshaped the Middle East © 2016 Jay Solomon 352 pages When the young people of Iran hit the streets in protest about suspicious election returns in 2009, the … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Reviews, World Affairs | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Oktoberfest and Octoberfright

Posted on October 2, 2018 by smellincoffee

Well, dear readers, it’s October again.  I’ll be opening with a nod to German history, this time with a WW2 emphasis as I’m trying to address my TBR pile of doom.  I’m sure it will go down smoothly  with a … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | 6 Comments

Within Arm’s Reach

Posted on October 1, 2018 by smellincoffee

Within Arm’s Length: The Extraordinary Life and Career of a Special Agent in the United States Secret Service © 2014, 2018 Dan Emmett 320 pages Dan Emmett was a kid when he witnessed President Kennedy’s assassination on television, but instead … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Civic Interest, Reviews | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Build Your Own PC for Dummies

Posted on September 29, 2018 by smellincoffee

Build Your Pwn PC For Dummies© 2009 Mark Chambers336 pages Both my increasing interest in learning how to work with computer hardware, and my nephew’s desire to build a gaming computer,  have led to me watching hours of build videos … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

The Looming Tower

Posted on September 28, 2018 by smellincoffee

The Looming Tower: Al-Queda and the Road to 9/11 © 2006 Lawrence Wright 480 pages “[…] we’re told that they were zealots, fueled by religious fervor…religious fervor. And if you live to be a thousand years old, will that make … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Reviews, World Affairs | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Digital Filmmaking for Kids

Posted on September 27, 2018 by smellincoffee

Digital Filmmaking for Kids© 2015 Nick Willoughby304 pages I am not, readers may spot, a kid.  However, when I WAS a kid, I was one given to wandering around the woods with a massive camcorder in my shoulders, attempting to … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , | 5 Comments

A Nation Challenged

Posted on September 23, 2018 by smellincoffee

A Nation Challenged: A Visual History of 9/11 and Its Aftermath© 2002 The New York Times240 pages The first few anniversaries of 9/11 had a weight as they approached — not only for what memories they evoked, but for the … Continue reading →

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

The TBR of Doom

Posted on September 21, 2018 by smellincoffee

I recently realized that I’ve bought ten nonfiction books in the last few months and haven’t yet read them, and so began drafting another TBR challenge.  Both in 2014 and 2016 I imposed a challenge on myself: no more book … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged | 8 Comments