Category Archives: General

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Posted on July 2, 2014 by smellincoffee

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer© 1876 Mark Twain202 pages             There is truly no better time to revisit The Adventures of Tom Sawyerthan the summer, with its long, languid days bringing back memories of childhood liberty from school, and the … Continue reading →

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The American Classics

Posted on July 1, 2014 by smellincoffee

Readers may have noticed in recent weeks American literature appearing with more frequency than usual on a blog that is dominated by nonfiction. This is not an accident; a few weeks ago I arranged a course of reading for myself … Continue reading →

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The Odyssey

Posted on June 19, 2014 by smellincoffee

The Odyssey© 1884 trans. George Herbert Palmer, original author Homer313 pages Three years ago I read The Illiad, and intended to follow it shortly with The Odyssey. Like Odysseus, however, my own attention was blown of course. This is course a classic, … Continue reading →

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The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

Posted on June 12, 2014 by smellincoffee

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow© 1820 Washington Iriving; illustrations 1966, Leonard Fisher58 pages Long ago in a quiet part of the north country near Hudson Bay lived a superstitious and gangly schoolteacher whose amorous affections for a local heiress threw … Continue reading →

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Teaser Tuesday

Posted on May 27, 2014 by smellincoffee

Marvin interrupted. “Suppose I don’t want to spend my life on anti-Communist work but I feel — a calling to fight the Communists on as many fronts as I can. Am I an altruist then?”“Yes,” Lee said. “And you are … Continue reading →

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Progress so far, and another announcement

Posted on May 2, 2014 by smellincoffee

Four months into my “Great War” yearly theme, I’ve managed to stay true to my intention of reading one book a month on it.  Only two of the books so far have come from my original list,  as I supplemented … Continue reading →

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Bookshelf Organization

Posted on March 28, 2014 by smellincoffee

Yesterday Daisy  at the Broke and the Bookish asked about bookshelf organization.  Aside from two large collections, all of my books are organized by  general subject. This is perfectly sensible for the most part;  no one is surprised to find … Continue reading →

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Teaser Tuesday (4 Feb)

Posted on February 4, 2014 by smellincoffee

“We asked for help,” said the other priest, “to ensure that the light of the gospel isn’t extinguished from Britain, so that the pagans defeated utterly, and so the love of Christ will fill this land.”“What he means,” Pyrlig explained, … Continue reading →

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The Best of 2013: Annual Year in Review

Posted on January 5, 2014 by smellincoffee

Previous yearly wrap-ups: 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012  The year turns once more and it’s time to look back on the past’s reading, to think about which books really stood out and to reflect … Continue reading →

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2013 Cumulative Reading List

Posted on January 1, 2014 by smellincoffee

Updated for the final time the day before yesterday, below is the list of this year’s reads. Those in bold are superior favorites. — January —1. Calico Joe, John Grisham (Fiction)2. Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins (Fiction)3. Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins (Fiction)4. Meat Eater: Adventures from the Life  of … Continue reading →

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