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.

Thinking About 2025

Posted on December 23, 2024 by smellincoffee

2024 is winding down, and blogwise it feels like it’s already crashed into bed, has covered itself with comforters, and has no plans to stir until spring has come. I’ve been oddly busy with Christmas merriment, and don’t see any … Continue reading →

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Frank and Red and Arthur and Maddy and —

Posted on December 20, 2024 by smellincoffee

This week I’ve read three books about lonely old men finding connection. I already posted a review for The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife, but here are two more. They were both absolutely lovely, and featured friendships and connection across … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , | 7 Comments

Worth reading: Smash the Technopoly!

Posted on December 19, 2024 by smellincoffee

From “After Babel”, a substack written in part by Jonathan Haidt. This is a guest post from Professor Nicholas Smyth, who teaches a course called “Ethnics and the Internet”. “One thing I’ve been learning is that opposition to smartphones and … Continue reading →

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WWW Wednesday

Posted on December 18, 2024 by smellincoffee

WHAT have you finished reading recently? The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife, a charming story about a lovely old man on the verge of homelessness who, after an accident, find himself taken for someone else and wakes up in a … Continue reading →

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The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife

Posted on December 17, 2024 by smellincoffee

Frederick Fife is a warm-hearted old soul who’s something of the polar opposite of say, Ebeneezer Scrooge: he has the milk of human kindness in every vein and flowing out of his ears, but he’s penniless and soon to be … Continue reading →

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Top Ten Winter TBRs

Posted on December 17, 2024 by smellincoffee

“Winter TBR” is a difficult thing for someone living in central Alabama, because winter isn’t something that happens. Yes, the leaves do turn brown and fall, it tends to get cloudy and rainy, and we’ll have occasional cold streaks, common … Continue reading →

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Animal Farm

Posted on December 16, 2024 by smellincoffee

Recently I realized that it had been as many as twenty years since I read Animal Farm, as I can remember reading it in early high school (1999, 2000 perhaps). A lot of water has flown under the bridge since … Continue reading →

Posted in Classics and Literary, Politics and Civic Interest, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

The Bookshop of Yesterdays

Posted on December 13, 2024 by smellincoffee

Miranda grew up in sunny California, but her interest in teaching history took her across the country. Now a phone call summons her back: her uncle Billy, who she’s not seen for sixteen years, has died. Returning home to see … Continue reading →

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My Dear Hemlock

Posted on December 12, 2024 by smellincoffee

During Advent I like to revisit The Screwtape Letters as a devotional exercise, but this year my ladyfriend discovered My Dear Hemlock, a new Screwtape-esque book that focuses on a female “patient”, and follows her from early young adulthood through … Continue reading →

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Living in Wonder

Posted on December 12, 2024 by smellincoffee

“The world is not what you think it is.” Rod Dreher opens Living in Wonder with that line, one that can rattle the reader when it actually begins sinking in throughout the course of this book. I’ve struggled with writing … Continue reading →

Posted in Religion and Philosophy, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , | 11 Comments