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

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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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Moviewatch, September 2024

Posted on September 30, 2024 by smellincoffee

Reagan, 2024.   Biopic released 20 years after the Gipper’s death, this is an adoring take on Reagan’s life, based off of a Paul Kengor book called Crusader.  It’s framed as an aging Soviet  (Jon Voight)  trying to explain the effect … Continue reading →

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September 2024 in Review

Posted on September 29, 2024 by smellincoffee

It is entirely possible that I’ll finish another book tomorrow (I’m reading an interesting alt-history novel that’s told via letters, and depicts the failure of the Nazi regime in 1936), buuuut I wouldn’t bet on it given that I have … Continue reading →

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