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.

eaarth

Posted on May 4, 2013 by smellincoffee

earth: making a life on a tough new planet© 2010 Bill McKibben253 pages Oh, we’re in trouble.  For two decades, forward-thinking politicians have made noise about climate change. “We’ve gotta do something to save the world for our grandchildren,” they say. But … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, science, World Affairs | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Chimpanzee Politics

Posted on May 2, 2013 by smellincoffee

Chimpanzee Politics: Power and Sex Among Apes©  1983 Frans de Waal256 pages Back in the 1970s, primatologist Frans de Waal conducted one of the first extensive studies into the social structures of chimpanzees.  Chimpanzee Politics is the result,  establishing facts … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, science | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Crunchy Cons

Posted on April 30, 2013 by smellincoffee

Crunchy Cons: How Birkenstocked Burkeans, gun-loving organic gardeners, evangelical free-range farmers, hip homeschooling mamas, right-wing nature lovers, and their diverse tribe of counterculture conservatives plan to save America (or at least the Republican party) © 2006  Rod Dreher 272 pages … Continue reading →

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The New Jim Crow

Posted on April 27, 2013 by smellincoffee

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness © 2010 Michelle Alexander 290 pages             In The New Jim Crow, Michelle Alexander argues that the United States’ drug laws, coupled with its law … Continue reading →

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The New World

Posted on April 26, 2013 by smellincoffee

A History of the English-Speaking Peoples, Volume II: The New World© 1956 Winston Churchill400 pages Shortly before the eruption of the Second World War, Winston Churchill was busy at work authoring a history of the English and American people, of … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Plain Reader

Posted on April 24, 2013 by smellincoffee

The Plain Reader© 1998 various authors, edited by Scott Savage272 pages What really matters?  Such is the question explored by the contributing authors of The Plain Reader, a collaboration between Amish and Quaker communities to express how living simply allows … Continue reading →

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This week at the library: cities and simple living

Posted on April 19, 2013 by smellincoffee

This week at the library, I’ve started a series of England-themed readings to commemorate St. George’s Day, on 23 April. My selections are A History of the English-Speaking Peoples, Volume II: The New World by Winston Churchill, and A Dangerous … Continue reading →

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A Spectacle of Corruption

Posted on April 13, 2013 by smellincoffee

A Spectacle of Corruption© 2004 David Liss381 pages When Benjamin Weaver went to a pub, he never expected to end up fighting for his life, let alone be arrested for the crime of killing a man he only met when … Continue reading →

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Rising Powers, Shrinking Planet

Posted on April 13, 2013 by smellincoffee

Rising Powers, Shrinking Planet352 pages© 2008 Michael T. Klare For much of the 20th century, a handful of industrialized countries enjoyed access to a seemingly infinite supply of oil. But a century of economic progress has seen global demand for … Continue reading →

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Monday Musings

Posted on April 8, 2013 by smellincoffee

Every Monday, Should Be Reading posts a list of questions people can write on as they like. I don’t think I’ve ever participated before, but I usually enjoy reading others’ responses. The questions are: • Describe one of your reading … Continue reading →

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