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.

Flushed

Posted on October 27, 2012 by smellincoffee

Flushed: How the Plumber Saved Civilization© 2006 W. Hodding Carter241 pages So, plumbing.  You use it.  Chances are you wouldn’t be alive without it, because civilizations without plumbing tend to be miserable places rife with disease. Despite its importance, not much fuss … Continue reading →

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Bitterly Divided

Posted on October 26, 2012 by smellincoffee

Bitterly Divided: the South’s Inner Civil War© 2008 David Williams310 pages Why did the South lose the Civil War? Was it the strengths of the Union — a better rail network, a superior manufacturing base, more soldiers? David Williams doesn’t … Continue reading →

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Enemy of God

Posted on October 25, 2012 by smellincoffee

Enemy of God: A Novel of Arthur© 1996 Bernard Cornwell416 pages           Enemy of God  stunned me. I thought I knew what to expect from a Bernard Cornwell novel: a solid, irreverent hero with a talent … Continue reading →

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Teaser Tuesday (23 October)

Posted on October 23, 2012 by smellincoffee

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish event in which bloggers share excerpts from their current reads, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. “Remember , don’t look up!” one of the sewer workers, affectionately known as the “flusher” within the … Continue reading →

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This Week at the Library (22 October)

Posted on October 22, 2012 by smellincoffee

A day or so ago, I finished the second book in Bernard Cornwell’s King Arthur trilogy, Enemy of God, and realized with a sigh that last year, I only purchased the first two books in the series. Why I didn’t … Continue reading →

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The Winter King

Posted on October 20, 2012 by smellincoffee

The Winter King: a Story of Arthur© 1997 Bernard Cornwell433 pages The high king of Britain is dead, and the land lies in peril. Surrounded by implacable enemies, from the vicious Irish to the aggressive and hungry Saxon invaders, scarcely … Continue reading →

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Thoughts on Building Strong Towns

Posted on October 20, 2012 by smellincoffee

Thoughts on Building Strong Towns, Volume I© 2012 Chuck Marohn174 pages$9.95  In California, school districts are being forced to suspend their bus routes. In Alabama,  Jefferson County – home to the state’s largest city, Birmingham – has gone bankrupt. Basic … Continue reading →

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Teaser Tuesday (16 October)

Posted on October 16, 2012 by smellincoffee

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish game hosted by Should Be Reading wherein participants share excerpts from their current reads. This week I started Bernard Cornwell’s King Arthur trilogy, which has proven captivating so far. There have been many more … Continue reading →

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The Twelfth Imam

Posted on October 14, 2012 by smellincoffee

The Twelfth Imam© 2010 Joel Rosenberg512 pages Who’s up for the Apocalypse? Israel stands ready for a preemptive strike against Iran, whose concealed nuclear program is on the verge of being able to produce warheads. Considering that both Iran’s Supreme … Continue reading →

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This Week at the Library (10 October)

Posted on October 10, 2012 by smellincoffee

Fall arrived rather suddenly this week, although I imagine the cooler temperatures won’t stay for too long. October 3rd was ‘der Tag der Deutschen Einheit’, or the day of German Unity. As I did with the United States and France … Continue reading →

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