Author Archives: smellincoffee

Unknown's avatar

About smellincoffee

Citizen, librarian, reader with a boundless wonder for the world and a curiosity about all the beings inside it.

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 →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , | 10 Comments

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 →

Posted in General | Tagged , | 15 Comments

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 →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in Religion and Philosophy, Reviews | Tagged , | Leave a comment

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

Selections from Living in Wonder

Posted on December 11, 2024 by smellincoffee

Review to follow tomorrow.

Posted in quotations, Religion and Philosophy | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Christmas shorts: of Grinches and Herdmans

Posted on December 11, 2024 by smellincoffee

Because of the holidays I’m doing a lot of house and dogsitting at the moment, and driving more than I usually do: consequently I’m also chewing through some audiobooks! Recently I finished two short Christmas “reads”. First up, Walter Matthau … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , | 3 Comments

WWW Wednesday & Myths and Legends

Posted on December 11, 2024 by smellincoffee

WHAT have you finished reading recently? I listened to an Audible reading of A Christmas Carol (Tim Curry, very strange) and finished a version of The Screwtape Letters that’s oriented toward women. WHAT are you reading now? The Bookshop of … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Tim Curry Presents: A Christmas Carol

Posted on December 10, 2024 by smellincoffee

A Christmas Carol is one of my favorite pieces of literature, ever, not only for its story of Christmas grace and human redemption, but for Dickens’ frequently amusing writing. I recently saw a theatrical production of it (via the Montevallo … Continue reading →

Posted in Classics and Literary, Reviews | Tagged , | Leave a comment