Category Archives: General

Treasure Island Game

Posted on February 8, 2020 by smellincoffee

As we headed into the weekend, a post from A Great Book Study and Marian drew my attention to a little survey or game created by Classic Reader, called “Treasure Island”.The premise is that you are stuck on a Treasure … Continue reading →

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Favorite Nonfiction, 2010 – 2019

Posted on February 2, 2020 by smellincoffee

Okay, folks, this one hurt.  It would have been even worse were I aiming for a top ten list!    Interestingly,  history and science don’t fill the list as I expected; instead, books on society are the heavyweights, and many … Continue reading →

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Favorite Fiction, 2010 – 2019

Posted on February 1, 2020 by smellincoffee

I realize the “right” time to do this was in December, when everyone else was doing decade retrospectives,  but it takes a while to pore through ~2000 titles!    These are in rough chronological order.    Horatio Hornblower series, C.S. … Continue reading →

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Science education meets anime

Posted on January 6, 2020 by smellincoffee

A friend of mine told me “You like biology, right? You have to watch Cells at Work on YouTube.  Now, this friend introduced me to StarCraft, so I respect his opinion.  I searched it up yesterday fully expecting a well-done … Continue reading →

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Science, before and after

Posted on January 4, 2020 by smellincoffee

For the first time since I started doing a purposeful science survey, challenging myself to read from twelve different scientific disciplines, I didn’t quite make it last year.   I did, however, draw up a list of next year’s science prospects, … Continue reading →

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Forward to 2020

Posted on January 1, 2020 by smellincoffee

Although I’ve never been much for New Year’s, save for enjoying a day off, I do appreciate the occasion it offers to look back on progress,  and to plan for the future.  As I’ve done the latter, already,  time for … Continue reading →

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2019 Year in Review

Posted on December 31, 2019 by smellincoffee

Well,  dear readers,  it’s that time of year again — for appraising one year’s progress and getting ready for another year’s goals.  I’ve had a fantastic year in my personal life  — paying off my student loans,  making huge strides … Continue reading →

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Top Ten Favorite Books, 2019

Posted on December 30, 2019 by smellincoffee

 Code Girls: The American Codebreakers who Helped Win WW2, Liza Mundy. Fun and informative, Code Girls follows the rapid growth of intelligence and crytography during WW2.   Absolutely fascinating! The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe, Steven Novella et. al. The best … Continue reading →

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(Most Of) What I Read in 2019

Posted on December 30, 2019 by smellincoffee

(“Most” because I forgot to keep track, so this just has the stuff I remembered to put on Goodreads. ) Politics and Civic Interest The Long Game: How Obama Defied Washington and Redefined America’s Place in the World, Derek Chollet … Continue reading →

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“The Night Before Christmas: The Musical”

Posted on December 23, 2019 by smellincoffee

A few weeks ago I shared my admiration of Alma Deutscher, a German-English musical prodigy who’s been writing operas since she was  in elementary school.  I recently encountered this video of her singing with her little sister, ‘reciting’ the classic … Continue reading →

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