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.

Gods of Night

Posted on August 21, 2010 by smellincoffee

Gods of Night© 2008 David Mack431 pages “The moment I have dreaded for […] years has finally arrived. The Borg, our most lethal enemy, have begun an invasion of the Federation…and this time there may be no stopping them.” (Jean-Luc Picard, First … Continue reading →

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Admiral Hornblower in the West Indies

Posted on August 20, 2010 by smellincoffee

Admiral Hornblower in the West Indies© 1957 C.S. Forester250 pages Although not the last Hornblower book published — Hornblower during the Crisis was a work-in-progress when Forester died — it is the novel set latest in Hornblower’s life. The Napoleonic wars … Continue reading →

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Booking through Thursday: Reading Questions

Posted on August 19, 2010 by smellincoffee

From Booking Through Thursday: 1. Favorite childhood book?The Pigman, Paul Zindel. I probably should not have read it as a kid, but I did.  The book is the story of two misfit teenagers who befriend a lonely old man and … Continue reading →

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Working IX to V

Posted on August 18, 2010 by smellincoffee

Working IX to V: Orgy Planners, Funeral Clowns, and Other Prized Professions of the Ancient World© 2007 Vicki Leon312 pages This amusingly-titled volume caught my eye more than a few times in the past, and with an itching to read … Continue reading →

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This Week at the Library: 11 Aug – 18 Aug

Posted on August 18, 2010 by smellincoffee

This week: Heroes of History by Will Durant is a brief summary of western history, though one introduced with chapters on India, China, and Egypt. Durant’s heroes are philosophers, theologians, poets, and an occasional political figure.  West and East is second in Harry … Continue reading →

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Don’t Know Much About Geography

Posted on August 17, 2010 by smellincoffee

Don’t Know Much about Geography: Everything You Need to Know about the World But Never Learned© 1992 Kenneth C. Davis384 pages I’ve taken several geography courses as part of my university education, a tribute perhaps to Jared Diamond’s Guns, Germs, … Continue reading →

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West and East

Posted on August 17, 2010 by smellincoffee

The War that Came Early: West and East© 2010 Harry Turtledove436 pages In 1938, the Munich Peace Conference ended in a general European war. Britain and France, outraged by Hitler’s transparent attempts to manipulate them, pledged to defend Czechoslovakia — … Continue reading →

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Teaser Tuesday (17 August)

Posted on August 16, 2010 by smellincoffee

Teaser Tuesday again, hos– waitaminute, who’d he say he was?  “Sind Sie Frau Druce?” A man’s voice. “Yes, I’m Peggy Druce. And who the devil are you?” “Adolf Hitler here,” the voice answered.  p. 170, The War that Came Early: … Continue reading →

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Heroes of History

Posted on August 15, 2010 by smellincoffee

Heroes of History: A Brief History of Civilization from Ancient Times to the Dawn of the Modern Age© 2001 Will Durant348 pages Will Durant is an author I’ve heard of but not yet read from, and this slim volume intended … Continue reading →

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Booking through Thursday: Evolution

Posted on August 13, 2010 by smellincoffee

Booking through Thursday asks: Have your reading choices changed over the years? Or pretty much stayed the same? (And yes, from childhood to adulthood we usually read different things, but some people stick to basically the same kind of book … Continue reading →

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