Category Archives: Reviews

Book reviews, as well as Reads to Reels

Ta’arof on Reddit

Posted on May 14, 2018 by smellincoffee

I recently shared a book called The Ayatollah Begs to Differ which covered the Iranian culture of hospitality. Oddly enough the same subject came on reddit, so I share it below for the curious. Click on the picture to expand..

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The Ayatollah Begs to Differ

Posted on May 10, 2018 by smellincoffee

The Ayatollah Begs to Differ: The Paradox of Modern Iran288 pages© 2008 Hooman Majd Whatever nebulous conception most Americans have of the Middle East, Iran should stand apart. Not because it is currently DC’s designated enemy,  but because Iran is … Continue reading →

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Tales from a Mainframe Mechanic

Posted on May 9, 2018 by smellincoffee

The Computer Guy Is Here! Mainframe Mechanic© 2018 John Sak201 pages When John Sak began his training with IBM as a young college drop out, instructors informed his class that the only constant they could expect from their careers was … Continue reading →

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Tales from a Techie

Posted on May 7, 2018 by smellincoffee

Tales from a Techie: Funny Real Life Stories from Tech Support© 2014 Matt Garrett250 pages I’ve been reading tech support horror stories since I was first online in 1997, from Rinkworks’ “Computer Stupidities” to Reddit’s “TalesfromTechSupport” subreddit. On a whim … Continue reading →

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Short rounds: things that are not Star Trek, like North Koreans and Aeneas

Posted on May 5, 2018 by smellincoffee

Believe it or not, I have been reading books without a Star Trek label appended to them this week. Just recently I finished off Don’t Go There, a short collection of travel pieces that interested me with its mention of visits to … Continue reading →

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Yesterday’s News

Posted on May 4, 2018 by smellincoffee

Recently I had occasion to review the front pages of virtually all of 1918, or at least from January to late September. I didn’t find what I was looking for, in part because the Great War consumed the papers, but … Continue reading →

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Rise Like Lions

Posted on May 3, 2018 by smellincoffee

Star Trek Mirror Universe: Rise Like Lions© 2011 David Mack352 pages “That’s what passes for good news, now? We have a good chance of not dying if we crawl into a hole and keep our heads down? I’d hoped we’d … Continue reading →

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Shards and Shadows

Posted on May 2, 2018 by smellincoffee

Star Trek Mirror Universe: Shards and Shadows448 pages© 2009 various authors, ed. Margaret Clark and Marco Palmieri The mirror universe of Trek is chiefly known for its inhabitants’ general awfulness and triumphant moral chaos. In The Sorrows of Empire, however, … Continue reading →

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Obsidian Alliances

Posted on May 1, 2018 by smellincoffee

Star Trek Mirror Universe: Obsidian Alliances© 2007 Keith DeCandido, Peter David, and “Sarah Shaw”448 pages Noticeably absent from Glass Empires were any characters or stories from Deep Space Nine,  the series which revived and expanded the premise of the Mirror … Continue reading →

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Glass Empires

Posted on April 30, 2018 by smellincoffee

Star Trek Mirror Universe:  Glass Empires© 2007 Greg Cox, Kevin Dilmore, David Mack, Dayton Ward, and Mike Sussman458 pages The original series episode “Mirror, Mirror” visited an alternate universe where familiar characters and institutions existed, but as vulgar perversions of … Continue reading →

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