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.

Over my Dead Body: American Cemeteries

Posted on October 12, 2024 by smellincoffee

“There is glory in graves; there is grandeur in gloom”. So begins a poem inscribed on an elaborate tombstone in my favorite cemetery, Selma’s own Old Live Oak. Perhaps it was growing up in a city with such a picturesque … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Reviews | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Ghosts on the Titanic

Posted on October 11, 2024 by smellincoffee

Billionaire Jackson Riggs has a plan: raise the Titanic! Currents and bacteria are steadily eating away at it, so if the Mary Rose can be brought to surface, why not the big T? (Well, 40 feet versus 12,500 feet….) So … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

WWW Wednesday

Posted on October 9, 2024 by smellincoffee

WHAT have you finished reading recently? Precipice, Robert Harris. I found it enjoyable enough to finish, but it was distinctly underwhelming. WHAT are you reading now? In addition to the things I’ve started but have not yet continued in earnest, … Continue reading →

Posted in General | 10 Comments

Precipice

Posted on October 8, 2024 by smellincoffee

Summer 1914: there’s a man dead in Sarajevo, and ominous rumors of war are drifting from eastern Europe. Across the Continent, war machines are slowly cranking up. At 10 Downing Street, though, the long-serving Prime Minister has more pressing issues: … Continue reading →

Posted in historical fiction, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Top Ten Bookish Brags and Confessions

Posted on October 8, 2024 by smellincoffee

Today’s TTT is Bookish Brags and/or Confessions. But first, the tease! “Imagine it — to be the King-Emperor of nearly five hundred million subjects and to be able to locate the twelve dullest, then gather them together around one table. … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged , | 19 Comments

Lost at Sea: The Jon Ronson Mysteries

Posted on October 7, 2024 by smellincoffee

I’ve been wanting to revisit Jon Ronson and Will Storr, whose books visiting extremists and cranks were both amusing and thought-provoking: October seemed an appropriate month to do so, given their tendency to visit the strange. This collection of pieces … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , | 3 Comments

“Reader’s Advisory: Thrillers!”

Posted on October 6, 2024 by smellincoffee

Grad school has kept me very busy this semester, with serious deadlines every single week. It would be the reason I haven’t posted any reviews in the last week, though there are a couple upcoming, if only in a short-round … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

Wednesday memin’

Posted on October 1, 2024 by smellincoffee

WHAT have you finished reading recently? A Prophet without Honor, an alt-history novel told in letters about a German officer who leads to Hitler’s downfall in 1936. WHAT are you reading now? Precipice, Robert Harris. As Europe drifts into suicide … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged , | 18 Comments

Top Ten Teases, round 2!

Posted on October 1, 2024 by smellincoffee

This week’s Teaser Tuesday! “My darling Rosamunde, I don’t wish you to remain in suspense during the reading of this letter. This is a proposal of marriage.” (A Prophet Without Honor, Joseph Wurtenbaugh and Manoj Vijayan) […] “My demented sister, … Continue reading →

Posted in General | 11 Comments

A Prophet Without Honor

Posted on September 30, 2024 by smellincoffee

A Prophet Without Honor without a doubt one of the more interesting alt-history novels I have ever read, in part because it is told not through a straight narrative, but via a collection of excerpts from letters, journals, telegrams, and … Continue reading →

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