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.

Teaser Tuesday (13 December)

Posted on December 12, 2011 by smellincoffee

Teaser Tuesday!  You’re not perceiving what’s out there. You’re perceiving whatever your brain tells you.  Incognito: the Secret Lives of the Brain, David Eagleman. p. 33. This is a fascinating little about about neurology and the subconscious. They say that Antarctica is … Continue reading →

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This Week at the Library (9 December)

Posted on December 8, 2011 by smellincoffee

This being the Christmas season, I’m currently in the middle of a Harry Potter re-read. This is not a tradition, though it may become one: in 2007 I re-read the entire series during Christmas break after I’d returned home from … Continue reading →

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Physics of the Future

Posted on December 6, 2011 by smellincoffee

Physics of the Future: How Science Will Shape Human Destiny and Our Daily Lives by the Year 2100© 2011 Michio Kaku389 pages We live in a remarkable time of human history. Since the industrial revolution, society has been radically altered … Continue reading →

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In Defense of Food

Posted on December 5, 2011 by smellincoffee

In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto© 2009 Michael Pollan256 pages Michael Pollan’s seminal work, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, established that there’s no such thing as a free, or even a cheap, lunch.  The low-cost processed foods that the American diet … Continue reading →

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Teaser Tuesday (29 November)

Posted on November 29, 2011 by smellincoffee

Last Teaser of November… Mr. Dursley stood rooted to the spot. He had been hugged by a complete stranger. He also thought he had been called a Muggle, whatever that was. He was rattled. He hurried to his car and … Continue reading →

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Christmas Reading

Posted on November 28, 2011 by smellincoffee

Today the Christmas spirit finally found me. Usually we embrace immediately after Thanksgiving, but the weather has been unseasonably warm lately. Sunday brought with it grey skies and a constant drizzle, though, which is partially inconvenient (for someone who walks … Continue reading →

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Timequake

Posted on November 27, 2011 by smellincoffee

Timequake© 1997 Kurt Vonnegut219 pages Timequake may be the oddest novel I’ve ever read. Scratch that: it is the oddest novel I’ve ever read, but despite its utter lunacy I loved it anyway, because it is so much the product of its … Continue reading →

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A Light in the Window

Posted on November 25, 2011 by smellincoffee

A Light in the Window© 1996 Jan Karon446 pages A few weeks ago I read At Home in Mitford,  a novel which offers a charming escape from the noise, pollution, and chaos of everyday life into a small town which … Continue reading →

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The Crisis of Islam

Posted on November 25, 2011 by smellincoffee

The Crisis of Islam: Holy War and Unholy Terror© 2001, 2003 Bernard Lewis184 pages Bernard Lewis’ What Went Wrong? examined the failure of modernity in the middle east, but did not address its role in the rise of terrorism. The Crisis … Continue reading →

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Happy Thanksgiving from Kurt Vonnegut

Posted on November 24, 2011 by smellincoffee

After a day spent with family, I came home and began reading Timequake, by Kurt Vonnegut. How appropriate to read the following: ‎”My uncle Alex Vonnegut, a Harvard-educated life insurance salesman who lived at 5033 North Pennsylvania Street, taught me … Continue reading →

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