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.

Eleanor Oliphant is Per *hic* Perfect *hic* SHE’S FINE

Posted on March 28, 2026 by smellincoffee

Eleanor Oliphant  has worked at the same firm every year since she graduated college, and she has an unvarying routine of going home and watching tv while eating packaged meals. On weekends, she drinks vodka by the liter, staying  pleasantly  … Continue reading →

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Sam Grant

Posted on March 27, 2026 by smellincoffee

Ulysses Grant opens with Josiah Bunting III’s rueful observation that Grant is almost always thought of “General Grant”, never president — despite being the only man between Lincoln and Wilson to serve two consecutive terms. Bunting attributes this to both … Continue reading →

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Losing the Signal

Posted on March 25, 2026 by smellincoffee

Despite coming of age as cellphones were becoming ubiquitous, I developed an immediate dislike for them on arrival; I grudgingly bought one in 2005 when I began working, purely to keep in the car for emergencies, and but was not … Continue reading →

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WWW Wednesday, and Reading More Genre Fiction

Posted on March 25, 2026 by smellincoffee

Today’s prompt from Long and Short reviews is: what genre do you want to read more of in 2026? My science fiction and historical fiction reading last year were both fairly dismal, so….both. WHAT have you finished reading recently? Treacherous … Continue reading →

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Top Ten Books on my Alleged Spring TBR

Posted on March 24, 2026 by smellincoffee

Today’s TTT is books on our spring TBR. As is my custom, I’m going to look back at my previous quarterly TBR to see how I did. I batted .500, which is great by my standards: I read five of … Continue reading →

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Iran & Israel: A Lovers to Enemies Story

Posted on March 23, 2026 by smellincoffee

Trita Parsi’s Treacherous Alliance is a history of relations between the United States, Israel, and Iran from 1947 on. It principally argues that Iran and Israel’s relationship has become poisoned not because of Iranian ideology — specifically, that of the … Continue reading →

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Harry Potter and the Teenage Angst

Posted on March 19, 2026 by smellincoffee

Although I’ve frequently re-read some Harry Potter books over the years, I’ve tended to avoid Phoenix after my second read.I found it depressing and irritating my first rounds, and had no desire to ever revisit it. The full cast audio … Continue reading →

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WWW Wednesday + Audiobooks We Have Loved

Posted on March 18, 2026 by smellincoffee

WHAT have you finished reading recently? Robert Parker’s Blind Spot. Meh. WHAT are you reading now? I’m listening to the full cast audio of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and reading Eleanor Oiliphant is Completely Fine along … Continue reading →

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Ten Books with Green Covers

Posted on March 17, 2026 by smellincoffee

Today’s treble T is books with green book covers, in honor of St. Patrick, whose feast day is today. He is the patron saint of Ireland and green rivers. Funny story: blue was originally the color associated with St. Patrick, … Continue reading →

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Robert Parker’s Blind Spot

Posted on March 16, 2026 by smellincoffee

Robert Parker’s Blind Spot is a mystery/thriller novel written to continue the stories of one of Parker’s existing characters, Sheriff Jesse Stone. I ran across the novel because I was looking for novels with baseball connections: this one begins when … Continue reading →

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