Category Archives: Reviews

Book reviews, as well as Reads to Reels

In Spite of the Gods

Posted on March 6, 2017 by smellincoffee

In Spite of the Gods: the Rise of Modern India© 2007 Edward Luce400 pages In Spite of the Gods appraises India’s culture as its ancient civilization enters the 21st century as the world’s largest democracy and one of its largest … Continue reading →

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Selma 1965: The Photographs of Spider Martin

Posted on March 4, 2017 by smellincoffee

Selma 1965: The Photographs of Spider Martin© 2015 University of Texas; photography Spider Martin128 pages, 80  photographs During the 50th anniversary of the Selma March back in 2015,  one of the more popular exhibits in the city was a public … Continue reading →

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A History of Saint Augustine, Florida

Posted on March 2, 2017 by smellincoffee

A History of Saint Augustine, Florida© 1881 William Dewhurst196 pages St. Augustine is the oldest European city in North America, founded by the Spanish in 1565.  Sitting at the mouth of the St. John river in northern Florida, it originally … Continue reading →

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Miseri

Posted on March 1, 2017 by smellincoffee

My podcast and lecture time this week has been devoted to a series of lectures on southern literature and the like, all at least an hour long. This Wednesday being Ash Wednesday, however, and the start of Lent, I thought … Continue reading →

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Selma Shots

Posted on February 27, 2017 by smellincoffee

As a followup to my review of a recent history of Selma, I’d like to share some photographs of my hometown I took a few years ago (2010 – 2011) when I was trying to experience it as a tourist … Continue reading →

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Selma: A Bicentennial History

Posted on February 27, 2017 by smellincoffee

Selma: A Bicentennial History© 2017 Alston Fitts III384 pages On December 4th, 1820, the Alabama legislature granted a town charter to a burgeoning community established on a high bluff overlooking the Alabama river. The place, named after a cities of … Continue reading →

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I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Posted on February 25, 2017 by smellincoffee

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings© 1969 Maya Angelou304 pages I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is an autobiography in the form of a novel, following a young woman’s coming of age as she journeys from a small … Continue reading →

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The Wheels of Chance

Posted on February 23, 2017 by smellincoffee

The Wheels of Chance: A Bicycling Idyll© 1896 H.G. Wells193 pages What an odd little story! Begin with one J. Hoopdriver, a draper’s assistant who lives for nothing but spare opportunities to ride his bicycle — or rather, to crash … Continue reading →

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Reading All Around the World?

Posted on February 22, 2017 by smellincoffee

A few days ago I caught wind of a project that took me aback with its ambition. Several blogs/readers, including Cleopatra of the  Classical Carousel, are attempting read books from across the world, either fiction or nonfiction. This is being … Continue reading →

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Up from Slavery

Posted on February 20, 2017 by smellincoffee

Up From Slavery© 1901 Booker T. Washington332 pages Up from Slavery is an hopeful reflection by Booker T. Washington on the future of black Americans and the American nation, as he reflects on the thirty-odd years since the abolition of … Continue reading →

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