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.

WWW Wednesday

Posted on September 17, 2025 by smellincoffee

WHAT have you finished reading recently? Dominus, by Steven Saylor. A novel covering one family across a century or so of Roman history, from Marcus Aurelius to Constantine. WHAT are you reading now? Day of Battle, a history of the … Continue reading →

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Teaser Tuesday, Operation Husky Edition

Posted on September 16, 2025 by smellincoffee

Today’s TTT is….books that inspire candle scents? I got nothing, so here’s some historical gore instead. “Harris dashed forward only to have another mine shred his abdomen and legs; after flicking grenades into a line of pillboxes, he sprinkled sulfa … Continue reading →

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The Storm of the Century

Posted on September 15, 2025 by smellincoffee

In 1900, a powerful hurricane swept Galveston Bay and destroyed a boomtown that in time may have become the New York of the Gulf. In ways, Al Roker’s Storm of the Century is rather similar to Isaac’s Storm, in that … Continue reading →

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SPQR

Posted on September 12, 2025 by smellincoffee

SPQR is an unusual history of Rome, one that largely ignores the imperial period to focus instead on ancient Rome — first, the early city-state, and then the expansive republic it grew into. It also ignores a general narrative, choosing … Continue reading →

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Fall and Rise

Posted on September 11, 2025 by smellincoffee

24 years ago today, the ‘severe clear’ skies above New York were overwhelmed by ash and smoke, by ignorance and hate. Fall and Rise is a history of that day, one that was good enough to be favorably compared to … Continue reading →

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WWW Wednesday

Posted on September 10, 2025 by smellincoffee

WHAT have you finished reading recently? A couple of memoirs about people who escaped from the North Tower on 9/11. WHAT are you reading now? SPQR by Mary Beard (~70% through) and Fall and Rise: The Story of 9/11, Mitchell … Continue reading →

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Top Ten (Recent) Villains

Posted on September 9, 2025 by smellincoffee

Today’s TTT is “Villains”.     We did this one ….over a decade ago, so I’m going to compose this list without looking at  that prior list, and try to focus on recent villains I’ve read.  Turns out it’s…a lot … Continue reading →

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From the Inside Out: Twin Tower Escapes

Posted on September 8, 2025 by smellincoffee

Erik Ronningen came close to death several times on 9/11 as he made his way from the heights above Manhattan to the relative safety of the sidewalks below. The day after, while comparing notes with his wife, Ronningen was struck … Continue reading →

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The Most Spectacular Restaurant in the World

Posted on September 5, 2025 by smellincoffee

I’ve been collecting WTC photos since high school, haunted by watching the Towers burn and fall on live tv. Some of the most interesting I’ve seen have been inside Windows of the World, a restaurant that occupied two of the … Continue reading →

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The Great Deluge

Posted on September 4, 2025 by smellincoffee

In September 2005, I remember watching the approach of Hurricane Katrina with a wary eye; just a year before, my own area had been savaged by Hurricane Ivan. I had no desire to live through that again, especially now that … Continue reading →

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