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.

Surprised by Joy

Posted on March 20, 2017 by smellincoffee

Surprised by Joy© 1955 C.S. Lewis252 pages “When I first read Chesterton, I did not know what I was in for. God is, if I may say it,  quite unscrupulous.” Mention the name C.S. Lewis and the image of a … Continue reading →

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Podcast of the Week: Science Fiction, Liberty, and Dystopia

Posted on March 15, 2017 by smellincoffee

“One of the great things of it, Tom, and this is where Orwell was such a genius —  in looking how language was being used as a form of manipulation. Orwell is always interested in propaganda and makes the point … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Civic Interest, science fiction | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

China: An Introduction

Posted on March 15, 2017 by smellincoffee

China: An Introduction© 1984 Lucian W. Pye400 pages Lucien Pye was born in China and later returned there to advise the US government. China: An Introduction is written in that spirit, being a review of the making of Communist China and … Continue reading →

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China Road

Posted on March 11, 2017 by smellincoffee

China Road: A Journey into the Future of a Rising Power© 2007 Rob Gifford352 pages National Road 312 spans the breadth of China, connecting its sparsely settled and scarcely developed rural interior with the port city of Shanghai,  the largest … Continue reading →

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Robert E Lee

Posted on March 9, 2017 by smellincoffee

Robert E. Lee: A Life© 2003 Roy Blount Jr272 pages They say that God in heav’n  is everybody’s god I’ll admit that God in heav’n Is everybody’s god But I tell ya John, with pride, God leans a little on … Continue reading →

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Florida Under Five Flags

Posted on March 9, 2017 by smellincoffee

Florida Under Five Flags© 1945 Rembert Patrick160 pages Note: I read from the 1st edition. This cover is from the 5th edition,  which has been updated and presumably revised. The State of Florida entered the Union in 1845; in 1945, … Continue reading →

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Classics Club Spin Challenge

Posted on March 7, 2017 by smellincoffee

On Friday, the administrators of the Classics Club challenge are going to post a random number from one to twenty. Those of us enrolled in the Classics Club Challenge( reading fifty classics of our choosing within five years) have been … Continue reading →

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Real Music

Posted on March 6, 2017 by smellincoffee

Real Music: A Guide to the Timeless Hymns of the Church267 pages© 2016 Anthony Esolen In his book Out of the Ashes: Restoring American Culture,  Anthony Esolen devoted an entire chapter solely to music. Here he does one better! To … Continue reading →

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In Spite of the Gods

Posted on March 6, 2017 by smellincoffee

In Spite of the Gods: the Rise of Modern India© 2007 Edward Luce400 pages In Spite of the Gods appraises India’s culture as its ancient civilization enters the 21st century as the world’s largest democracy and one of its largest … Continue reading →

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Selma 1965: The Photographs of Spider Martin

Posted on March 4, 2017 by smellincoffee

Selma 1965: The Photographs of Spider Martin© 2015 University of Texas; photography Spider Martin128 pages, 80  photographs During the 50th anniversary of the Selma March back in 2015,  one of the more popular exhibits in the city was a public … Continue reading →

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