Category Archives: Reviews

Astrophysics for People in a Hurry

Posted on May 7, 2017 by smellincoffee

Astrophysics for People in a Hurry© 2017 Neil deGrasse Tyson200 pages Astrophysics for People in a Hurry is exactly what it says on the tin, a brief cosmological primer that presents the basics of cosmology, explains the ways we are … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, science | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

The Elephant and the Dragon

Posted on May 6, 2017 by smellincoffee

The Elephant and the Dragon: The Rise of India and China and What It Means for All of Us© 2007  Robyn Meredith272 pages For most of the 20th century, Europe and the United States enjoyed an outsided influence on global … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Spain in the Southwest

Posted on May 5, 2017 by smellincoffee

Spain in the Southwest: A Narrative History© 2013 John Kessell480 In the early 1500s, the Spanish triumphed over the Aztecs and established a new Spain — an empire forged out of the new world.  The equatorial tropics were only the … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

Captain to Captain

Posted on May 2, 2017 by smellincoffee

Captain to Captain© 2016 Greg Cox368 pages Captain Kirk is surprised to be hailed by the formidable former first officer of the Enterprise, a woman so accomplished she still retains the nickname “Number One”, enroute to a little shore leave. … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Departing England

Posted on May 1, 2017 by smellincoffee

From the cover of Commodore Hornblower Yesterday we bid goodbye to April, and thus for me, to Read of England 2017.  I believe I found a good balance between literature and history, though next year I may mix in a … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged | 11 Comments

The Canterbury Tales

Posted on April 30, 2017 by smellincoffee

WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! *ahem* If you’ve ever glanced at my Classics Club list, you’ll see Canterbury Tales sitting there, and I’ve regarded it as one of the tougher ones on my list — in the same tier as the Russians,  April is the … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

From Narnia to a Space Odyssey

Posted on April 29, 2017 by smellincoffee

From Narnia to a Space Odyssey: The War of Ideas between Arthur C. Clarke and C.S. Lewis ed. Ryder Miller © 2003 175 pages First of all, reader, understand that the title of this book is overstated. It is not … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, science fiction | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

1066: A New History

Posted on April 28, 2017 by smellincoffee

1066: A New History© 2009 Peter Rex The list of English kings begins with William the Conqueror, but such a list is really a thing of propaganda; although England’s patchwork of ancient kingdoms were slow to be united against threats … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Reviews | Tagged , , | 9 Comments

Sense and Sensibility

Posted on April 25, 2017 by smellincoffee

Sense and Sensibility© 1811 Jane Austen409 pages Sense and Sensibility is the story of two sisters, Marianne and Elinor,  who are left to live on a fixed income after their father perished and the law forced him to leave all … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 15 Comments

Shakespeare announcement

Posted on April 23, 2017 by smellincoffee

Bernard Cornwell chose this, the anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death, to announce his next novel: Fools and Mortals. It will follow young Richard Shakespeare as he tries to make his way in the acting world, dominated by his estranged older … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged | Leave a comment