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.

Midyear Book Freakout

Posted on June 29, 2024 by smellincoffee

I saw this floating around the book-blogging world, so I figured I’d play along. 2024 has been a most unusual year, as long-time readers may know. I’ve been reading “in public” for seventeen years now, and while my approach to … Continue reading →

Posted in General | 5 Comments

Recoding History

Posted on June 29, 2024 by smellincoffee

A few years ago I read Broad Band, a history of women in early computing, which blew my mind. I’d taken for granted that computers and the early internet were wholly the domain of socially awkward dudes with glasses wearing … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

ST: Pliable Truths

Posted on June 28, 2024 by smellincoffee

After a half-century of vicious occupation, the Cardassian Empire is finally cutting bait and withdrawing from Bajor, pushed by aggressive resistance movements. The Federation has been asked to meditate the terms of a peaceful withdrawal and settlement and has asked … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

A Daughter of Fair Verona

Posted on June 27, 2024 by smellincoffee

The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet was a cautious tale about the dangers of pride and unbridled passion. A Daughter of Fair Verona says phooey on that, tweaks Shakespeare so that our teenage lovers prove too incompetent to actually do … Continue reading →

Posted in historical fiction, Reviews | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade

Posted on June 26, 2024 by smellincoffee

France, 1918: the Great War is almost over, but it doesn’t feel like it for civilians close to the lines, where the threat of a German resurgence hangs as close to the battered ground as the dust from the constant … Continue reading →

Posted in historical fiction, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Minimalist awkwardness

Posted on June 25, 2024 by smellincoffee

….I wouldn’t notice and neither would my friends. I adopted a minimalist dress code years ago in which my t-shirts, underwear, and socks are all almost entirely black except in the case of some pre-code shirts/shorts that haven’t aged out … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged , | 7 Comments

Top Ten Anticipated releases

Posted on June 25, 2024 by smellincoffee

Today’s TTT is upcoming releases We’re So Excited about. I don’t know if I can manage ten, but I’ll give it the ol’ college try. But first ,teases! Baghdad is generally considered a good place for solo journalists to get … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged , | 12 Comments

A Thousand Ships

Posted on June 24, 2024 by smellincoffee

Sing, muse, of the confusion of Croseus, and of the anguish of Penthesilea! A Thousand Ships collects stories about the women of the Illiad — mostly of Troy, but of Achaea, too, across the wine-dark sea — and framed by … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

Fan Fiction

Posted on June 22, 2024 by smellincoffee

First up: do not read this. Do not read this. Listen to it. Reading this is the equivalent of getting your knowledge of War and Peace from a Wishbone classics edition. Fan Fiction is an audiobook that’s transcended to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Dune

Posted on June 21, 2024 by smellincoffee

For as long as I’ve been online, I’ve heard of Dune, have heard expressions like “The spice must flow” and seen the “I must not fear / fear is the mind-killer / fear is the little death (etc)” recitation embedded … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, science fiction | Tagged , , | 13 Comments