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.

Top Ten Tuesday: Ordinal Numbers Time

Posted on March 10, 2026 by smellincoffee

Today’s TTT is “books with ordinal numbers in the title”. Mmkay….. But first, a tease from Robert Parker’s Double Play: “We need to work this out,” Burke said. “I don’t want to have to keep shooting people.”“We got plenty.” (1) … Continue reading →

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The Tragic Comedy of Suburban Sprawl (Revisited)

Posted on March 6, 2026 by smellincoffee

Almost twenty years ago I attended a guest lecture at my university and heard a talk that would prove to be exceptionally influential on my thinking.  The talk, by Jim Kunstler, was on how American urban design – the built … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Politics and Civic Interest, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

The Confessions

Posted on March 5, 2026 by smellincoffee

Fifteen years ago, I read The Confessions; I am not sure what prompted me to do so, other than perhaps a desire to read The Classics, and my belief that St. Augustine was like Cicero, a brother in avid pursuit … Continue reading →

Posted in Classics and Literary, Religion and Philosophy, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

WWW Wednesday

Posted on March 4, 2026 by smellincoffee

WHAT have you finished reading recently? The Confessions, St. Augustine. WHAT are you reading now? 2/3rds through Augustine: A Very Short Introduction, by Henry Chadwick. Also starting a re-read of The KunstlerCast: Conversations with James Howard Kunstler about the Tragic … Continue reading →

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Top Ten Tuesday Freebie: Books that Sing

Posted on March 3, 2026 by smellincoffee

Today’s topic is a TTT genre freebie.   I was going to do something like “My Favorite Historical Fiction Books of the Last Five Years”. Instead, I am going to do…..ten songs to pair with ten books.   “The problem in … Continue reading →

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February 2026 in Review

Posted on February 28, 2026 by smellincoffee

February was an odd month for reading, opening with another Box binge (this time reading through his other series, featuring a sheriff’s deputy turned private investigator) before drifting back a little into history. It was not a strong month for … Continue reading →

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The Crossroads

Posted on February 26, 2026 by smellincoffee

Joe Pickett’s body lies in a bullet-ridden Game Warden pickup truck, with no indication of where he was going or who he expected to find. As he’s airlifted to a hospital and specialists go to work on him, his three … Continue reading →

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WWW Wednesday

Posted on February 25, 2026 by smellincoffee

WHAT have you finished reading recently? Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, full cast audio edition. WHAT are you reading now? CJ BOX’S THE CROSSROADS! IT CAME OUT YESTERDAY! MORE JOE PICKETT! I would have read it through yesterday … Continue reading →

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Top Ten Quotes about Books

Posted on February 24, 2026 by smellincoffee

Today’s TTT is quotations about…books. But first, a tease! Back in Washington, Lincoln came down with what doctors diagnosed as “varioloid,” a mild form of smallpox. So now he and Tad both were sick—though Tad at least was improving. Where … Continue reading →

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Andrew Johnson

Posted on February 23, 2026 by smellincoffee

Andrew Johnson is one of those presidents who can’t get away with merely being forgotten; he is no Pierce or Fillmore, whom the general public knows nothing about. If Johnson is mentioned, his reputation is closer to that of his … Continue reading →

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