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.

small is beautiful

Posted on January 14, 2014 by smellincoffee

small is beautiful: economics as if people mattered© 1973 E.F. Schumacher288 pages Get big or get out, said the Secretary of Agriculture to American farmers in the 1970s. But as the consequences of widespread industrialism and general upheaval began to … Continue reading →

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This week at the library: The Great War, politics, sex, and elephants

Posted on January 13, 2014 by smellincoffee

Dear readers: Hours ago I returned from my monthly visit to my alma mater’s library, where I found a host of interesting books. Although I’ve have plenty enough on my plate already, being knee-deep into The First World War by John … Continue reading →

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The Liberty Amendments

Posted on January 13, 2014 by smellincoffee

The Liberty Amendments:  Restoring the American Republic© 2013 Mark Levin257 pages The United States Constitution was written by men who appreciated their lack of omniscience, and who therefore included in Article V means for amending their handiwork, for fixing through … Continue reading →

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The Red Queen

Posted on January 12, 2014 by smellincoffee

The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature© 1993 Matthew Ridley404 pages The Red Queen begins with a question: why do creatures have sex? Why did it evolve? The answer, Matt Ridley believes, lies in the principle of the … Continue reading →

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This week at the library: prospects for the new year

Posted on January 6, 2014 by smellincoffee

Dear readers: The winter solstice is passed and December has ended, beginning a new year regardless of your reckoning. In the past few days I’ve used my time off, and the fact that it’s too cold and dark out to … Continue reading →

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It’s the Little Things

Posted on January 6, 2014 by smellincoffee

  It’s the Little Things: Everyday Interactions that Get Under the Skin of Blacks and Whites© 2002 Lena Williams304 pages It’s the Little Things is an account of Lena Williams and her family’s grievances with white people, which are legion. … Continue reading →

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The Best of 2013: Annual Year in Review

Posted on January 5, 2014 by smellincoffee

Previous yearly wrap-ups: 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012  The year turns once more and it’s time to look back on the past’s reading, to think about which books really stood out and to reflect … Continue reading →

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Stonehenge

Posted on January 3, 2014 by smellincoffee

Stonehenge: 2000 BC© 2000 Bernard Cornwell400 pages          For millennia the hanging rocks of Stonehenge have stricken visitors with awe and mystery. Who  built them, and to what purpose?  Stonehange: 2000 BC  tells the story of those people, the ancient … Continue reading →

Posted in historical fiction, Reviews | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

2013 Cumulative Reading List

Posted on January 1, 2014 by smellincoffee

Updated for the final time the day before yesterday, below is the list of this year’s reads. Those in bold are superior favorites. — January —1. Calico Joe, John Grisham (Fiction)2. Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins (Fiction)3. Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins (Fiction)4. Meat Eater: Adventures from the Life  of … Continue reading →

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’14: The Year of the Great War

Posted on January 1, 2014 by smellincoffee

As 2014 marks the 100-year anniversary of the Great War, I’m dedicating part of my reading to reflect on its tragic importance. At least one book every month will focus on the Great War; after beginning with a general history, … Continue reading →

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