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.

WWW Wednesday & Long and Short Prompt

Posted on May 20, 2026 by smellincoffee

Today’s prompt from Long and Short Reviews is, “A Typical Day in My Life”. I’m as-yet unmarried and as-yet still working, so my day to day is fairly predictable. I wake up at 7, make coffee, read substack and blogs, … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged , | 16 Comments

Take Me To Your Leader

Posted on May 19, 2026 by smellincoffee

Aliens have been in the news of late, as Congress held hearings on ‘UAPs’ in ’23 and ’24, and the Biden and Trump admins both began moving to release some of the government’s ‘Unidentified Anomalous Phenomenon’ or UFO files. Just … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, science, science fiction | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Teaser Tuesday & CC Spin 44

Posted on May 19, 2026 by smellincoffee

Teaser Tuesday “If Aliens landed in Los Angeles, their first impression might be that Earth’s dominant life-form is the automobile. An obvious conclusion. When one gets injured, another version of that life-form shows up to haul it away and get … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Harry Potter and the VERY SCREAMY CAMPING TRIP

Posted on May 18, 2026 by smellincoffee

One minute Harry and company are attending the wedding of Bill and Fleur, the next moment they’re running for their lives and living like vagabonds in the woods while trying to figure out how to take down the second coming … Continue reading →

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

Hope Rides Again

Posted on May 16, 2026 by smellincoffee

A few years ago I read a silly story about Joe Biden and Barack Obama trying to solve the mystery of an AMTRAK conductor being murdered while their Secret Service handlers and wives went “REALLY?”. This is its sequel. President … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Decision Points

Posted on May 14, 2026 by smellincoffee

I have a ….complicated relationship with George W. Bush. He was the president when I was in high school, and most importantly during 9/11: his “I can hear you!” response still makes me want to find a table, stand on … Continue reading →

Posted in General, history, Politics and Civic Interest | Tagged , , , , , , , | 22 Comments

Classics Club Spin #44

Posted on May 14, 2026 by smellincoffee

It’s time for another Classics Club spin, in which we’re given until May 17th to produce a list of 20 titles remaining on our Classics Club list, and then on that date a random number tells us which book on … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged | 23 Comments

WWW Wednesday

Posted on May 13, 2026 by smellincoffee

Today’s prompt from Long and Short Reviews is, what’s something we’d like to know more about? ….well, everything. You know when we’re children, we pester adults with question after question — what’s that? What’s that? Why does it do this? … Continue reading →

Posted in General | 10 Comments

Top Ten Bookish Quotes in re: the Whole Flower Thingummy

Posted on May 11, 2026 by smellincoffee

(Yes, I’ve been enjoying PG Wodehouse. How could you tell?) Teaser Tuesday “The one thing that saved me was that I always thought facts mattered. And once you think that facts matter, then of course that’s a very different ball … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged , | 10 Comments

Ope! ..it’s the Midwest Survival Guide

Posted on May 8, 2026 by smellincoffee

A few years ago I stumbled into the Midwestcentric comedy stylings of Charlie Berens, and he’s become a close favorite: I rewatch his and YouBetcha’s collabs constantly. The Midwest Survival Guide is a solo effort of his, one I ignored … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , | 2 Comments