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.

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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Teases! Lists! It’s Tuesday!

Posted on December 26, 2023 by smellincoffee

This week’s TTT is most recent additions to our book pile, but I did that for Nonfiction November. I’m going to diverge a bit and go with “Top Ten Books 2023 Added to my Goodreads Wanna Read List”. But first, teasing! “We’re not saints, … Continue reading →

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Wishing you a merry Christmas

Posted on December 24, 2023 by smellincoffee

Despite the radio silence ’round these parts the last week, I have not been on a ‘break’: Greg Iles’ Cemetery Road has kept me engrossed, I’m working on an online SQL class, and I’ve also been making merrie: the choir performed for nearly two hours … Continue reading →

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Teasin’ Tuesday with the Kingfish

Posted on December 19, 2023 by smellincoffee

Today’s TTT is books we hope Santa Claus brings. In my case, I’m trying to finish off Mount TBR, so I sincerely hope he does not bring me a blooming thing. I still want to do So, some teases from All the … Continue reading →

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Short rounds: The Office, sword-making, and love in the time of yellow fever

Posted on December 19, 2023 by smellincoffee

The Office BFFs, Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey.   Foes on the show, but IRL best friends Jenna and Angela here deliver a very personal memoir of not just the show, but of their friendship over the years – forged … Continue reading →

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Visiting with Huey on the Mississippi

Posted on December 18, 2023 by smellincoffee

Good morning from the Mississippi river. For the last few days I’ve been in Natchez, enjoying the sights of a rare southern town that has not lost its soul to Progress: its city streets are marked by people and shops, not … Continue reading →

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2023 in Other Media: Music

Posted on December 15, 2023 by smellincoffee

2020 Musical Wrapup | 2022 in Other Media: Music) I’m going to go ahead and post this because I don’t think another musician will Rock My World in the next 15 days. It could always happen, but I’ll edit if … Continue reading →

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America’s first female astronauts

Posted on December 14, 2023 by smellincoffee

When NASA was formed and began looking for astronauts, they settled on test pilots as the initial base: such men were already known quantities, with proven physical and intellectual gifts that could be applied to the pioneering work of Mercury and beyond. Although … Continue reading →

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God Rest Ye Merry, Soldiers

Posted on December 13, 2023 by smellincoffee

The Christmas of 1862 approached far differently than the year proceeding. Although the southern war for independence had begun in April of ’61,  the war was then still seen by many as a lark, an adventure – and soldiers on both … Continue reading →

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The War of 1812

Posted on December 12, 2023 by smellincoffee

The war of 1812 has had a particular fascination for me in recent years, in part because of the complexity of the conflict: it began as an offshoot of the Napoleonic Wars, as Britain’s attempts to control the azure main … Continue reading →

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