Category Archives: General

So you say you want a revolution?

Posted on June 6, 2015 by smellincoffee

After a couple of months almost entirely devoted to England, ’tis time to part — momentarily.   It’s June, and almost time for my annual tribute to the American revolution. I had thought to have an appropriate mix of English and … Continue reading →

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Progress

Posted on May 2, 2015 by smellincoffee

I dedicated the month of April to England in part to clear space for reading a little Dickens and a little Austen, and here the month is past and I haven’t read one of either. The month was still a … Continue reading →

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Read of England 2015

Posted on April 1, 2015 by smellincoffee

In previous years I have done a bit of reading devoted expressly to England around St. George’s Day on April 23rd. This time around, however,  I’m going whole hog — April belongs to England!  The majority of what I read … Continue reading →

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@ War

Posted on March 9, 2015 by smellincoffee

@ War: The Rise of the Military-Internet Complex © 2014 Shane Harris 288 pages In the 21st century, intelligence and war are no longer the domain of pipe-smoking spooks hiding behind newspapers, and uniformed soldiers on the march. When so … Continue reading →

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Teaser Tuesday: The Empty Throne

Posted on January 6, 2015 by smellincoffee

It’s been ages since I did a Teaser Tuesday, but it’s Tuesday and here I sit with a Bernard Cornwell quotation worth sharing. At night, in the hall, when the hearth smoke thickens about the beams and the ale-horns are … Continue reading →

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2015 Reading Challenge

Posted on January 5, 2015 by smellincoffee

Tonight the gauntlet was laid down! What a diverse set of challenges!   I’m excited about this considering I don’t have anything big planned for 2015 (I have something enormous in mind for  2016, though). Some categories will be harder … Continue reading →

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The Best of 2014: Annual Year in Review

Posted on January 3, 2015 by smellincoffee

Previous yearly wrap-ups: 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 What a year for reading!  As usual, a breakdown of major categories from ChartGo.com. (Titles in bold constitute this year’s top ten list!)  Earlier in the … Continue reading →

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2014 Cumulative Reading List

Posted on January 1, 2015 by smellincoffee

Considering I usually struggle to get to 150, I’m somewhat pleased and somewhat terrified by my results this year. The usual year in review will follow this weekend.Previous years:    2011 | 2012 | 2013 — January —1. The Red Queen, Matt Ridley2. Stonehenge: … Continue reading →

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Twilight’s End

Posted on November 28, 2014 by smellincoffee

Star Trek: Twilight’s End© 1996 Jerry Oltion279 pages Somewhere in space lies a planet that’s not spinning, and that just shouldn’t be so.  Tidally locked, it poses a great inconvenience to the colonists who occupy the permanent perimeter between frozen … Continue reading →

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This week: fiction, the writing and reading of

Posted on November 17, 2014 by smellincoffee

Dear readers:             The past few weeks have been taken up with National Novel Writing Month, of course. I got off to a roaring start, 20,000  words in the first week, before slowing down to the recommended average of 1667 … Continue reading →

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