Category Archives: quotations

And now, the News

Posted on March 20, 2016 by smellincoffee

There seem to be very few reasons not to despair of the human race. If asked why it has decided to tell us all this, and is driving us more than a little made as a result, the news will … Continue reading →

Posted in quotations, Reviews | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Words worth Reading

Posted on March 17, 2016 by smellincoffee

From A Literary History of Ireland: “Of all the tribes of the Celts, and indeed of all their neighbours in the west of Europe, the children of Milesius have been at once blessed and cursed beyond their fellows, for on … Continue reading →

Posted in quotations | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Onward to the Edge

Posted on February 11, 2016 by smellincoffee

“Science is like a hungry furnace that must be fed logs from the forests of ignorance that surround us. In the process, the clearing we call knowledge expands, but the more it expands, the longer its perimeter and the more … Continue reading →

Posted in quotations, Reviews, science | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Loose Tweets Fry Gunships

Posted on January 22, 2016 by smellincoffee

“‘Is a badge on Foursquare or a check-in worth your life?’ That question, now commonly asked by the U.S. Army of its soldiers, is not rhetorical when even terrorists are taking advantage of geo-tagged data. For instance, when American military … Continue reading →

Posted in quotations | Tagged | 3 Comments

Surprised by Lewis

Posted on July 16, 2015 by smellincoffee

Earlier in the week I was reduced to laughing fits trying to read through C.S. Lewis’ account of his early life in “Surprised by Joy”. Somehow I knew what was coming and the anticipation made the ecstasy worse.  [My father] … Continue reading →

Posted in quotations | Tagged | 3 Comments

A Ghostly Watch and Wait: A Reading

Posted on November 5, 2014 by smellincoffee

“The most hideous scenes of all, however, were enacted in St. Sophia. Matins were already in progress when the beserk conquerors were heard approaching. Immediately the great bronze doors were closed, but the Turks soon smashed their way in. The … Continue reading →

Posted in quotations, Reviews | Tagged , | Leave a comment

A Reading on the Eve of Destruction

Posted on October 18, 2014 by smellincoffee

We know no spectacle in human history more instinct with pathos than that of these twelve million men, busy with the cares, hopes and joys of daily life, working in their fields or mills, or seated these summer evenings by … Continue reading →

Posted in quotations, Reviews | Tagged , | 5 Comments

This week at the library: …we’ll find out together

Posted on July 7, 2014 by smellincoffee

Dear readers: It turned out, despite their normally up-to-the-minute-correct website, that my university library was not open today, which means for the first time a long while, I have no idea what I’m going to read next. My local library doesn’t carry … Continue reading →

Posted in quotations, Reviews | Tagged , | Leave a comment

This week at the library: the Spirit of ’76

Posted on June 30, 2014 by smellincoffee

Greetings, dear readers! It’s been a busy week for me, reading-wise, because work at the library has been slow. Oprah and Brad Pitt have been wandering around town filming for a movie,  and a lot of our usual patrons and traffic … Continue reading →

Posted in quotations, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

This week: Strife at Sea

Posted on June 16, 2014 by smellincoffee

This has been a productive week in fiction, of the short kind at least.  On Saturday afternoon I finished Power, Inc,  and that’s another one down from the to-be-read-list.  That list has altered a touch; I was using the wrong … Continue reading →

Posted in quotations, Reviews | Tagged , | 6 Comments