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.

The Professionals

Posted on April 10, 2025 by smellincoffee

Since 1915,  Martin Falconer has been flying birds above France in His Majesty’s Royal Flying Corps,  but  as the days pass he’s beginning to wonder how much longer he can buck the odds.  The aerial carnage has gotten especially bad … Continue reading →

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

Selma: An Architectural Field Guide

Posted on April 8, 2025 by smellincoffee

Note: Yes, this has nothing to do with Read of England, but the author sent me a copy for review on publication. Additionally, I assisted in some of the background research and fact-checking in the book’s final stages. My hometown … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

Teaser Tuesday

Posted on April 8, 2025 by smellincoffee

Doubtless, at that moment he was blinking round him at the sky, as though wondering why he was there at all, and looking as if he were bewildered to find himself skilful enough to fly an aeroplane at all. In … Continue reading →

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Alabama honors the Marquis de Lafayette!

Posted on April 5, 2025 by smellincoffee

Two hundred years ago today the Marquis de Lafayette, as part of a tour of the rapidly-expanding United States, visited the capital of Alabama, Cahawba. Sitting at the convergence of the Alabama and Cahawba rivers, this river city was the … Continue reading →

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Vigilante Rewilding

Posted on April 4, 2025 by smellincoffee

While scouting for science books that could also fit into Read of England a few weeks back, I saw Brining Back the Beaver and was instantly on board. I like beavers, though I’m not entirely sure why: perhaps it was … Continue reading →

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

The Last Man in Europe

Posted on April 3, 2025 by smellincoffee

I have found George Orwell a fascinating person for almost as long as I’ve known of his existence. Introduced to his work in middle school, reading 1984 and Animal Farm were a political education – and I was surprised but … Continue reading →

Posted in historical fiction, Reviews | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments

WWW Wednesday

Posted on April 2, 2025 by smellincoffee

WHAT have you finished reading recently? The Last Man in Europe, a fictional biography of George Orwell. WHAT are you reading now? Real England: Battle Against the Bland, Paul Kingsnorth. On the commercial homogenization of England and those who are … Continue reading →

Posted in General | 9 Comments

Force of Nature

Posted on April 1, 2025 by smellincoffee

One of Joe Pickett’s few friends and allies is a federal fugitive named Nate Romanowski.  To be fair,  Joe didn’t know Nate was a fugitive when they became friends, only that he had a shady past as a member of … Continue reading →

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Top Ten Books You’d Be a Fool Not To Read

Posted on April 1, 2025 by smellincoffee

Today’s TTT is a nod to April Fools, so I’m going to spotlight some books I’ve tagged as humor. But first, teases! In May 2013, The Guardian reported that a 60-year-old fisherman had died in Belarus after being bitten by … Continue reading →

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Cold wind

Posted on March 31, 2025 by smellincoffee

Joe Pickett, Game Warden, is not a fan of his mother-in-law, but he wouldn’t figure her for murder. One morning while making his rounds and checking herds, he notices something odd about the wind turbines being installed on the far … Continue reading →

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