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.

Nerve

Posted on January 27, 2025 by smellincoffee

Nerve is an odd little title, a memoir of a woman trying to overcome some specific fears — falling from heights, and driving — occasionally interspersed dips into psychology and neurology. Eva Holland’s fear of heights is enough that she … Continue reading →

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

Goodbye, Darkness

Posted on January 24, 2025 by smellincoffee

Haunted by disturbing dreams that evoke the bloody days of his youth, William Manchester decided to confront his memories directly. Retracing his steps in the Pacific War, returning again to the jungle-covered rocks wherin he suffered, and where so many … Continue reading →

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

The Unsettling of America, audio edition

Posted on January 23, 2025 by smellincoffee

It was twelve years ago that I met a man named Jayber Crow, and met too, his author — Wendell Berry. Berry is one of my very favorite living authors, and would probably still make the list of favorite authors … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, Society and Culture | Tagged , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Strong Towns: the Book

Posted on January 22, 2025 by smellincoffee

Years ago I heard an engineer being interviewed on a podcast about urbanism, castigating his fellow planners and engineers for supporting an approach to urbanism that was dishonest and financially ruinous. This engineer, Chuck Marohn, had recently started a blog … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Civic Interest, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

WWW Wednesday, TT, Tech Problems, and Fake News

Posted on January 22, 2025 by smellincoffee

I woke up Wednesday morning and my brand-new superduper gaming rig with nine colorful fans and a hum like a small airplane was unresponsive. No idea why, as it was working fine the night before — and into Wednesday, since … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged , | 11 Comments

Trump: The Art of the Comeback

Posted on January 20, 2025 by smellincoffee

This business history / memoir is not something I’d ordinarily read, given that when my reading brushes business it’s usually in connection with something like food, energy, or IT. Howeverrrrrrr, since Trump went out of office and now he’s going … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , | 14 Comments

If You Lived Here, You’d Be Home By Now

Posted on January 15, 2025 by smellincoffee

It was just another day at the office when Chris Ingraham wrote a piece about the prettiest and ugliest places to live in the United States and declared Red Lake Falls, Minnesota, as the worst. He received lots of angry … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

WWW Wednesday + Favorite Things to Do in Winter

Posted on January 15, 2025 by smellincoffee

Today’s topic from Long and Short Reviews is “Favorite Thing to do in Winter”. In Alabama, we don’t get snow (not usually, northern Alabama just got a few inches last week), so I’m not skiing or sledding or anything. It’s … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged , | 14 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday: Recent TBR’s

Posted on January 14, 2025 by smellincoffee

Today’s TTT is books recently added to our TBR list. I’ve got a few reviews lined up, but foist: here’s a tease! The Buddhist point of view takes the function of work to be at least threefold: to give a … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged , | 19 Comments

Prompt: most memorable road trip

Posted on January 13, 2025 by smellincoffee

Oh, this is an easy one. New Mexico, 2016. Not only was it my first time on an airplane, and my first time out of the South, but it was my first time taking a vacation somewhere as an adult: … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged , , | 10 Comments