Category Archives: Reviews

Book reviews, as well as Reads to Reels

Laughing Without an Accent

Posted on January 9, 2017 by smellincoffee

Laughing without an Accent: Adventures of a Global Citizen© 2008 Firoozeh Dumas256 pages In 2003, Firoozeh Dumas charmed readers with stories about her transoceanic childhood, unfolding in both in Iran and the United States in the 1970s. This sequel to … Continue reading →

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The Chinese in America

Posted on January 7, 2017 by smellincoffee

The Chinese in America: A Narrative History© 2003 Iris Chang558 pages Like most Americans, my earliest notion of the Chinese in America is an association with the Transcontinental railroad. As it happened, their story begins before that, with the California … Continue reading →

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Wonder and Skepticism

Posted on January 7, 2017 by smellincoffee

Last night I suddenly wanted to listen to Carl Sagan’s last address to the Committee for the Scientific Investigation for Claims of the Paranormal (now known as the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry).   I needed to hear Sagan’s voice, his … Continue reading →

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Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves

Posted on January 5, 2017 by smellincoffee

Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves© 1963 P.G. Wodehouse227 pages As had so often happened before, I felt that my only course was to place myself in the hands of a higher power. “Sir?” [Jeeves] said, manifesting himself. Bertie Wooster has two … Continue reading →

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Never stop learning

Posted on January 5, 2017 by smellincoffee
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Telling the Future

Posted on January 1, 2017 by smellincoffee

Well, dear readers, another year is upon us!  How shall we use the time?   Here are some things to expect in the coming year from these parts… 1. Discovery of AsiaMy big challenge this year is to make good … Continue reading →

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The Whistler

Posted on December 30, 2016 by smellincoffee

The Whistler© 2015 John Grisham384 pages The offices of the Board of Judicial Conduct rarely see excitement.  Responsible for investigating claims of judicial abuse and defrocking offenders, their rowdiest target has been an old lech who forgot which bar  he … Continue reading →

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Glimpses of World History

Posted on December 26, 2016 by smellincoffee

Glimpses of World History© 1942 Jawaharlal Nehru1192 pages In 1930,  a man who would later become the first prime minister of India was thrown in jail for a period of two years. There, removed from his family and regretful that … Continue reading →

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Inside the Kingdom

Posted on December 24, 2016 by smellincoffee

Inside the Kingdom: Kings, Clerics, Modernists, Terrorists, and the Struggle for Saudi Arabia432 pages© 2009 Robert Lacey When I first began paying attention to politics, the cozy relationship between Saudi Arabia and the DC power-caste  confused me to no end. … Continue reading →

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You Have the Right to Remain Innocent

Posted on December 23, 2016 by smellincoffee

You Have the Right to Remain Innocent © 2016 James Duane 152 pages “One of the Fifth amendment’s basic functions is to protect innocent men who otherwise might be ensnared by ambiguous circumstances.” (Ohio v. Reiner) “People are inherently honest, … Continue reading →

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