Category Archives: General

The Last Battle

Posted on September 19, 2015 by smellincoffee

The Last Battle © 1956 C.S. Lewis 184 pages “This is my password,” said the King as he drew his sword. “The light is dawning, the lie broken. Now guard thee, miscreant, for I am Tirian of Narnia.” In The … Continue reading →

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The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Posted on September 17, 2015 by smellincoffee

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader © 1952 C.S. Lewis 223 pages             There are unwanted gifts, and then there are unwanted gifts that pull your only son into a fantasy world of dangerous creatures, powerful … Continue reading →

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2015 Reading Challenge Progress

Posted on August 30, 2015 by smellincoffee

Considering that two-thirds of the year is now spent, how’s that 2015 reading challenge coming?  As introduced earlier in the year, it’s a literary scavenger hunt: 52 books in 52 weeks.  I’ve taken care of most of the list, with … Continue reading →

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Top Ten Authors I’ve Read the Most Of

Posted on August 11, 2015 by smellincoffee

This week the Broke and the Bookish are asking people who their most-read authors are. 1. Isaac Asimov  It’s been a while since I read the dear doctor here, but after discovering his fiction in 2007 I went a little … Continue reading →

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Before the Throne

Posted on July 28, 2015 by smellincoffee

Before the Throne: A Modern Arabic Novel© 1982 Naguib Mafouz, trans. 2008 Raymond Stock128 pages In ancient Egyptian mythology, the souls of the dead were weighed before the gods. In Before the Throne, the dead pharaohs, generals, leaders, and dictator-presidents … Continue reading →

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Engines of War

Posted on July 17, 2015 by smellincoffee

Engines of War: How Wars Were Won and Lost on the Railways368 pages© 2010 Christian Wolmar An army marches on its stomach, but for a hundred years it rode to victory only on the rails.  It was Napoleon who observed … Continue reading →

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Coming Attractions

Posted on July 13, 2015 by smellincoffee

This week will see a clearing-of-the-decks as far as the American Revolution books go as I start reading a more diverse batch of books. A few weeks ago I acquired five books I’ve been waiting for over a year to … Continue reading →

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Asimov and Nimoy read

Posted on July 3, 2015 by smellincoffee

Since 2007, Isaac Asimov has been my favorite author, possibly because his devotion to the full spectrum of human creativity and knowledge — science, history, language, name it and he’s written about it — is inspiring.  The retro feel of … Continue reading →

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A Year of Living Prayerfully

Posted on June 29, 2015 by smellincoffee

A Year of Living Prayerfully© 2015 Jared Brock352 pages Emotionally weary from his fight against human trafficking, Jared Brock and his wife sought refreshment in prayer. A yearlong traveling retreat would immerse them in the prayer traditions of Orthodox Judaism, … Continue reading →

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Summer vacation — bring on the light and fluffy!

Posted on June 22, 2015 by smellincoffee

Dear readers: My reading of late has been emotionally intense, and after the recent racial violence in Charleston, doubly depressing and disturbing. I haven’t felt this drained since surviving Chris Hedges’ Empire of Illusion, and I stand in need of … Continue reading →

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