Category Archives: Reviews

Book reviews, as well as Reads to Reels

Buy one, get one free: Jackson and Lincoln

Posted on January 11, 2026 by smellincoffee

I thought it would be amusing to do a history short round after realizing I’d read two books in which Jon Meacham focuses on Kentucky-born presidents who became icons and who dealt with secession crises. First up, Andy Jackson! Andrew … Continue reading →

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The Great Gatsby: Dramatized

Posted on January 9, 2026 by smellincoffee

As ifThe Great Gatsby needed more drama! LA Theater Works’ The Great Gatsby is a condensed audio adaptation (2 hours) of Fitzgerald’s original that focuses primarily on the relationships between Nick Carraway, Jay Gatsby, Jordan Baker, Tom Buchanan, and — … Continue reading →

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Chorus of the Union

Posted on January 8, 2026 by smellincoffee

Before the last month or so, my awareness of Stephen Douglas was that he had sparred against Abraham Lincoln in the Lincoln-Douglas debates. I did not realize until reading 1858 that these debates were not part of the 1860 presidential … Continue reading →

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Harry Potter and the Cat Who Rescues Books

Posted on January 7, 2026 by smellincoffee

Harry Potter and the Cat Who Rescues Books I only made it a week before doing a short-round!  First up, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, full cast audio edition.  I loved the full-cast audio edition of Harry Potter … Continue reading →

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Boston in the American Revolution

Posted on January 5, 2026 by smellincoffee

When people ask me, a son of the Deep South, why I root for the Red Sox, my usual answer is that I began wearing their hat decades ago because I liked the look of it, and then they went … Continue reading →

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John Tyler: The President Without a Party

Posted on January 2, 2026 by smellincoffee

I was instantly intrigued by John Tyler when I learned that his entire Cabinet, with the exception of the Secretary of State, had resigned on him in protest of his actions and that he had been declared excommunicate by his … Continue reading →

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Train Dreams

Posted on January 1, 2026 by smellincoffee

My first movie for 2026 was Train Dreams, a beautiful but tragic story of a man who found happiness, then saw it ripped away from him, and then was forced to grapple for meaning like Job. After dealing with an … Continue reading →

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Marce Catlett and the Force of Story

Posted on December 30, 2025 by smellincoffee

Marce Catlett  The Force of a Story takes a life we’ve visited with previously and then visits with it for a while, learning how the story of Andy Catlett was really a continuation of a story in which his grandfather … Continue reading →

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End Year Short Rounds: Frankenstein, Merlin, and Stephen Douglas

Posted on December 29, 2025 by smellincoffee

Although I ostensibly took a break from the blog on Christmas eve to focus on real life and all that, part of my brain is resolutely blog-oriented and insisted I keep reading so that I did not fail the Science … Continue reading →

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Harry Potter and the Quest to Get Expelled: Full Cast Audio!

Posted on December 28, 2025 by smellincoffee

Recently I took a chance on the full-cast audio version of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone that’s just come out. I say “took a chance” because the preview on Audible does not communicate the nature of the book especially … Continue reading →

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