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.

Top Ten Books Books I Resolve to Read in 2011

Posted on January 4, 2011 by smellincoffee

This week the Broke and the Bookish expect us to commit to at least ten books, particularly those which have sat meekly in the ‘pile of books to read’ for a while. 1. Marcus Aurelius: A Life, Frank McLynn I’ve had this … Continue reading →

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Teaser Tuesday (4 January)

Posted on January 4, 2011 by smellincoffee

Welcome to the first Teaser Tuesday of 2011, hosted by Should Be Reading. “This is a country that loses a prime minister and that is so vast and so empty that a band of amateur enthusiasts could conceivably set off … Continue reading →

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Rough Beasts of Empire

Posted on January 3, 2011 by smellincoffee

Rough Beasts of Empire© 2010 David R. George III304 pagesOn the cover: Leonard Nimoy as Spock; Avery Brooks as Captain Sisko Ever since the mass assassination of the Romulan senate in Nemesis, the Romulan Empire has existed in a state … Continue reading →

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The Burning Land

Posted on January 2, 2011 by smellincoffee

The Burning Land© 2009 Bernard Cornwell336 pages “I see all history as being — and this is very simplistic — a contest between puritans and cavaliers, and I’m instinctively on the side of the cavaliers. As far as Uhtred is concerned, the … Continue reading →

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Over the Hills

Posted on December 31, 2010 by smellincoffee

Over the Hills: A Midlife Escape Across America by Bicycle© 1996 David Lamb254 pages Despite a life of front-line journalism in Vietnam and Rwanda, LA Times journalist David Lamb feels as though his lifestyle has become positively sedentary as he … Continue reading →

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Seize the Fire

Posted on December 30, 2010 by smellincoffee

Star Trek Typhon Pact: Seize the Fire © 2010 Michael A. Martin 499 pages In the wake of the last great Borg War, most of Starfleet is tasked with helping to pick up the pieces. Only a few ships, the … Continue reading →

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This Week at the Library (29 December)

Posted on December 29, 2010 by smellincoffee

Aside from the books I’ve already done full comments on, I also finished The Great American Wolf and The Golden Door.  My observations about them were shortish, so I decided to include them here instead of making seperate, strangely short … Continue reading →

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Teaser Tuesday (28 December)

Posted on December 28, 2010 by smellincoffee

Time for the Tuesday teasin’, and if I’m not too much mistaken this is the last TT of the year.  So love, I thought, had turned Erik against his brother. Love would make him slash a blade through every oath … Continue reading →

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Top Ten Top Reads

Posted on December 28, 2010 by smellincoffee

Every January I reflect on the past year’s reading and draw attention to a few special books so I hesitated at participating in this week’s list at first.  I wouldn’t want to make my annual review sound repetitive, but I … Continue reading →

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Sword Song

Posted on December 27, 2010 by smellincoffee

Sword Song: The Battle for London© 2008 Bernard Cornwell314 pages When King Alfred assumed the throne of Wessex, his fragile nation stood alone against the rest of England, subdued and ruled by the Danes.  Through  Alfred’s able administration and his … Continue reading →

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