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.

1356

Posted on April 6, 2013 by smellincoffee

1356 © 2013 Bernard Cornwell 432 pages And by God, he thought, there was nothing like this feeling. A good horse, a tight high saddle, a lance, and an enemy taken by surprise. It’s the year..well, 1356, and after a … Continue reading →

Posted in historical fiction, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Straphanger

Posted on April 6, 2013 by smellincoffee

Straphanger: Saving Our Cities and Ourselves from the Automobile336 pages© 2012 Taras Grescoe The cheap energy era is over, unless someone invents a Star Trek replicator that can magick barrels of oil into existence. Cities across the world are working … Continue reading →

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

Sundays in America

Posted on March 30, 2013 by smellincoffee

Sundays in America: A Yearlong Road Trip in Search of Christian Faith© 2008 Suzanne Strempek Shea311 pages The outpouring of devotion that followed Pope John Paul II’s death stirred Suzanne Shea: why hadn’t she felt like that in a long, … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Hey Mom, Can I Ride My Bike Across America?

Posted on March 28, 2013 by smellincoffee

Hey Mom, Can I Ride My Bike Across America? Five Kids Meet their Country© 1990 John Siegel Boettnerwith excerpts from the journals of Heather Deutsch, Joy Fulton, Jimmy West, Carl Fagerlin, and Ethan Turpin.439 pages The United States isn’t a … Continue reading →

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

Teaser Tuesday (26 March)

Posted on March 26, 2013 by smellincoffee

One man from Nebraska even wrote us a couple of times, filling his envelopes with books and brochures. He apologized for always filling my mailbox and ended one of his letters with, “I’m just so excited that you’ll be coming … Continue reading →

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Pedaling Revolution

Posted on March 25, 2013 by smellincoffee

Pedaling Revolution: How Cyclists are Changing American Cities© 2009 Jeff Mapes288 pages That’s some serious wind resistance there, buddy. Governments across the world today are beset by problems common to all: rising fuel prices and obesity rates, the ever-present spectre … Continue reading →

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Shift

Posted on March 23, 2013 by smellincoffee

Shift© 2008 Jennifer Bradbury245 pages Chris and his best friend Win decided to cycle across the United States in the summer between high school and their freshman year of college — but only Chris came back, and now his first … Continue reading →

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Reviving Ophelia: A Reading

Posted on March 22, 2013 by smellincoffee

“Most preadolescent girls are marvelous company because they are interested in everything — sports, nature, people, music, and books. Almost all the heroines of girls’ literature come from this age group — Anne of Green Gables, Heidi, Pippi Longstocking and … Continue reading →

Posted in quotations, Reviews | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

This week at the library: sheikhs, airplanes, and VW vans

Posted on March 16, 2013 by smellincoffee

This past Thursday, some friends drove me three hours into the woods, dropped me off in the midst of some 70 strangers, and left me there. They called it “Cursillo”, and it was a spiritual retreat which I liked enormously … Continue reading →

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A Reading

Posted on March 15, 2013 by smellincoffee

“I began to wonder what personal ideas I believed that weren’t true. I believed I was not athletic enough; too stupid; I believed I had to go to college; I believed the Astros were a more important team than the … Continue reading →

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