Category Archives: Classics and Literary

The Jewish Annotated New Testament

Posted on September 14, 2023 by smellincoffee

(Yes, this book is why I’ve been so quiet the last two weeks.) The relationship between Christianity and Judaism has fascinated me ever since I bolted from the Pentecostalism in which I was raised, and began rebuilding my worldview from … Continue reading →

Posted in Classics and Literary, General, Religion and Philosophy, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , | 12 Comments

My Name is Asher Lev

Posted on August 31, 2023 by smellincoffee

How to describe My Name is Asher Lev? The book opens with Asher himself describing himself as an apostate, a traitor, a mocker — and yet the reader will find no cruel intentions here, only a young man struggling with … Continue reading →

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Mythic Realms

Posted on August 25, 2023 by smellincoffee

“It’s our duty to search out anywhere the excellent that exists within culture, and to promote it — because the excellent is always going to be in the minority. Excellence is the particular, whereas crud is universal. We find only … Continue reading →

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The Island of Doctor Moreau

Posted on June 17, 2023 by smellincoffee

“It was not in eating the apple that I sinned, but in overstepping the mark set for me. ” – Adam, Paradiso.   Adrift at sea,  a young biologist named Prendick – who had taken to natural history to relieve … Continue reading →

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Paradiso

Posted on June 6, 2023 by smellincoffee

Paradiso© trans. 2007 Anthony Esolen, original 14th century by Dante Alighieri544 pages including notes & appendices I’ve gotta hand it to Dante, at least the character Dante. I though I’d fallen hard for a woman, but against him there is … Continue reading →

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Of Cicero and base-ball

Posted on May 5, 2023 by smellincoffee

This week I’ve been finishing up a couple of audiobooks. The first is How to Grow Old, a short one by Cicero written during the early part of his retirement from Rome, before the odious Mark Anthony sent men to … Continue reading →

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The Acts of King Arthur and his Noble Knights

Posted on April 27, 2023 by smellincoffee

The Acts of so-called Arthur King and his Noble Kannnnnigits© 1976 John Steinbeck364 pages It befell in the days of yore, as I rode by a book-stall in a great city, that mine eye was caught by a fair volume … Continue reading →

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Purgatorio

Posted on March 28, 2023 by smellincoffee

Purgatorio© 14th century Dante Alighieri, translated 2004 by Anthony Esolen544 pages, including appendices and notes Seven years ago I descended into hell with Dante and his guide, Virgil,   and after that arduous descent into a valley of desolation and … Continue reading →

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Paul Among the People

Posted on March 14, 2023 by smellincoffee

Paul Among the People: The Apostle Reinterpreted and Reimagined in his Own Time© 2010 Sarah Ruden240 pages Although liberal Quaker Sarah Ruden had heard criticisms of Paul all her life,  after becoming familiar with the culture of the Greco-Roman world … Continue reading →

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Monroeville and TKAM

Posted on February 27, 2023 by smellincoffee

Monroeville and the Stage Production of “To Kill a Mockingbird” © 2023 John M. Williams160 pages The first time I ever visited Monroeville, I had the dumb luck to arrive on a day when the courthouse-turned-museum was hosting a theatrical … Continue reading →

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