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.

The Best of 2023: Annual Year in Review

Posted on January 3, 2024 by smellincoffee

Considering that I’m about to finish my first read for 2024, it’s high time for looking back on the past year and all that. At the close of 2023, I had three goals: to finish off Mount Doom, make solid … Continue reading →

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Top Ten Books I Read in 2023

Posted on January 2, 2024 by smellincoffee

Today’s treble-T is top ten reads of 2023. But first, these important messages from Teaser Tuesday: “Your order, sir?”“What?” I looked up and remembered where I was. “Sorry. I was watching two people break into my home.”“So….a dozen assorted donuts … Continue reading →

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2023 in Other Media: Games

Posted on January 1, 2024 by smellincoffee

I’ve never been one for chasing the latest and greatest games and platforms, preferring instead to find games that I can spend a lot of time with. Case in point: I played The Sims 2 from 2004 to 2018 (when … Continue reading →

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The Reactionary Mind

Posted on December 31, 2023 by smellincoffee

Arise, you consumers, from your slumber –  arise, ye impoverished of purpose!    Michael Penn Warren   here picks up his pen in defense of medieval civilization,  self-reliance,  Luddism,  and letter-writing.   He bids the reader smash his cellphone and … Continue reading →

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Science Survey ’23

Posted on December 31, 2023 by smellincoffee

I finished this year’s science survey early in the year — very early, in May — and ended up with 18 titles in total, which was below the 20 I’d hoped for. Taking a look at “Predicting….Science Survey 2023“, I see … Continue reading →

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What I Read in 2023

Posted on December 31, 2023 by smellincoffee

Favorite titles in bold, reflection to follow later today or tomorrow. January (1) Chasing New Horizons: Inside the Epic First Mission to Pluto, Alan Stern & David Grinspoon(2) Think Like an Ecosystem: An Introduction to Permaculture, Amelia des Plantes(3) People … Continue reading →

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2023 in Other Media: Movies

Posted on December 31, 2023 by smellincoffee

2023 was a big year in movies for me, partially because of losing the Harmony Club: I still hang out with one of the guys, but since we’re in a private apartment instead of a bar/clubhouse open to random dropbys and tourists, now … Continue reading →

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December 2023 in Review

Posted on December 30, 2023 by smellincoffee

I don’t anticipate finishing off any books in the next couple of days, so I’m posting this early to make room for all the obligatory end-year posts, which will follow in the days to come. First up, I HIT MY … Continue reading →

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Reads to Reels: All the King’s Men

Posted on December 27, 2023 by smellincoffee

This won’t be a traditional RtR because it will be a very quick take. Last weekend I watched two different versions of All the King’s Men after finishing the novel, as well as Kingfish, a nonfiction film about the life and death … Continue reading →

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Cemetery Road

Posted on December 27, 2023 by smellincoffee

Marshall McEwan (who is not Marshall McLuhan, disappointingly) ran away from small-town Mississippi to become a journalist in D.C. He found great success there as  a talking head on what passes for TV news, talking down with great condescension about the place … Continue reading →

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