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.

Conclave

Posted on November 30, 2016 by smellincoffee

Conclave© 2016 Robert Harris484 pages Inside the Casa Santa Marta, the elders of Rome are again assembling to choose the next bishop of Rome, and thereby the governor of Catholics the world over.  The Dean of the College of Cardinals … Continue reading →

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Columbine

Posted on November 29, 2016 by smellincoffee

Columbine© 2009 Dave Cullen417 pages Columbine. I remember it, of course.  I was in eighth grade when Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold turned their high school into a bloody spectacle. That day on April 20th, 1999, is always referred to … Continue reading →

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Civilian Warriors

Posted on November 28, 2016 by smellincoffee

Civilian Warriors: the Inside Story of Blackwater and the Unsung  Heroes of the War on Terror© 2013 Erik Prince413 pages In the 21st century, the line between public and private warfare has gotten a bit fuzzy. I realized this most … Continue reading →

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Lost Enlightenment

Posted on November 28, 2016 by smellincoffee

Lost Enlightenment: Central Asia’s Golden Age from the Arab Conquest to Tamerlane © 2015 S. Frederick Starr618 pages Lost Enlightenment takes readers back to a time when Central Asia was the crossroads of the world, a hub of both commercial and … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

TW on the Road: Mountain climbing in Alabama?

Posted on November 26, 2016 by smellincoffee

Three and a half hours north of me, and perhaps an hour or so east of Birmingham, lies Talledaga National Forest and Cheaha National Park.  The above shot is of Pulpit Rock, the apex of the park’s most challenging trail. … Continue reading →

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The Works

Posted on November 25, 2016 by smellincoffee

The Works: Anatomy of a City© 2005  Kate Ascher240 pages Cities are, for my money, mankind’s most astonishing invention. Their complexity is stupefying — system within system, handling tons of material at any given time, whether the subject is cars … Continue reading →

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Truck This For A Living

Posted on November 24, 2016 by smellincoffee

Truck This for a Living: Tales of a UK Lorry Driver© 2014  Gary Mottram226 pages After hand-manufacturing woodwind instruments for thirteen years, Gary Mottram was laid off. So naturally, he took up driving. Working through a temp agency, he delivered … Continue reading →

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The Motel in America

Posted on November 22, 2016 by smellincoffee

The Motel in America© 1996 Jefferson S. Rogers, John A Jakle, and Keith A. Sculle408 pages At some point in high school I pulled out a dictionary to find out what, exactly, was the difference between a motel and a … Continue reading →

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When It Was Worth Playing For

Posted on November 20, 2016 by smellincoffee

When it was Worth Playing For: My Experiences Writing About the TV Show, ‘Survivor’ © 2015 Mario Lanza 466 pages THIRTY-NINE DAYS, SIXTEEN PEOPLE, ONE SURVIVOR! Once upon a time, there was a show called Survivor, which promised to chuck … Continue reading →

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The Road Taken

Posted on November 16, 2016 by smellincoffee

The Road Taken: The History and Future of America’s Infrastructure336 pages© 2016 Henry Petroski What, exactly, is The Road Taken?   Its title declares it a history, which is mostly true. It does have a bounty of historic sketches on the … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Civic Interest, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 16 Comments