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.

Brookhiser on Madison

Posted on January 19, 2026 by smellincoffee

Interestingly enough, it was James Madison who prompted my interest in reading presidential biographies. Early in the blog’s history, I happened upon Founding Rivals, a history of the dynamic between Madison and Monroe: both were members of the Revolutionary generation, … Continue reading →

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No! ….lovelost.

Posted on January 17, 2026 by smellincoffee

I solemnly swear I will not write this review lovingly mocking Will!iam SHATner’s cadence. But an understanding reader will grant me at least the title? Yesterday I finished listening to Together Tonight, an audio play in which the writings of … Continue reading →

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Together Tonight: A Founding Fathers Triwizard Tournament

Posted on January 16, 2026 by smellincoffee

After listening to The Rivalry, a play based on the Lincoln-Douglas debates and delivered with aplomb by the Los Angeles Theater Works Productions company, I wanted to experience more of LATW. Then I saw this, another play based on debate … Continue reading →

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The Rivalry

Posted on January 14, 2026 by smellincoffee

The Rivalry proceeds from an ambitious and fascinating idea for a play. The Lincoln–Douglas debates of 1858 led to Douglas being elected to the Senate, but they also allowed for a sustained public debate over slavery—and gave Lincoln far more … Continue reading →

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WWW Wednesday, totally not sponsored by The Lincoln Museum

Posted on January 14, 2026 by smellincoffee

WHAT have you finished reading recently? And There Was Light, Jon Meacham. A biography of Abraham Lincoln. WHAT are you reading now? I am listening to The Rivalry, a play composed by Norman Corwin. It turns the Lincoln-Douglas debates into … Continue reading →

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Science Survey ’26 Predictions & Tueasday Teese

Posted on January 13, 2026 by smellincoffee

Today’s TTT is books we’re anticipating being released this year, but I did that last Wednesday, so I’m going to offer a preview of what this year’s Science Survey might constitute. But first, a tease! Hurrying means that you miss … Continue reading →

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John Grisham’s The Widow

Posted on January 12, 2026 by smellincoffee

Simon Latch is a seasoned attorney in a dead marriage who struggles to make ends meet, even as he sleeps on a cot in his office. When an elderly woman approaches him for some estate work and mentions that she … Continue reading →

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Buy one, get one free: Jackson and Lincoln

Posted on January 11, 2026 by smellincoffee

I thought it would be amusing to do a history short round after realizing I’d read two books in which Jon Meacham focuses on Kentucky-born presidents who became icons and who dealt with secession crises. First up, Andy Jackson! Andrew … Continue reading →

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The Great Gatsby: Dramatized

Posted on January 9, 2026 by smellincoffee

As ifThe Great Gatsby needed more drama! LA Theater Works’ The Great Gatsby is a condensed audio adaptation (2 hours) of Fitzgerald’s original that focuses primarily on the relationships between Nick Carraway, Jay Gatsby, Jordan Baker, Tom Buchanan, and — … Continue reading →

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Chorus of the Union

Posted on January 8, 2026 by smellincoffee

Before the last month or so, my awareness of Stephen Douglas was that he had sparred against Abraham Lincoln in the Lincoln-Douglas debates. I did not realize until reading 1858 that these debates were not part of the 1860 presidential … Continue reading →

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