Category Archives: Reviews

Book reviews, as well as Reads to Reels

Memorial Day

Posted on May 30, 2016 by smellincoffee

Memorial Day© 2004 Vince Flynn407 pages “And if they manage to get this thing into Washington and end up killing the leaders of America, Great Britain, and Russia?”Rapp shrugged. “At least there won’t be any more ambivalence about the war … Continue reading →

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All the Shah’s Men

Posted on May 29, 2016 by smellincoffee

All the Shah’s Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror© 2003 Stephen Kinzler272 pages On one  dismal  night in 1953,  a conspiracy destroyed both Iranian democracy and American honor.  At the dawn of the 1950s, Iran was … Continue reading →

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The Grid

Posted on May 28, 2016 by smellincoffee

The Grid© 1995 Phillip Kerr447 pages Some modern architecture might make you want to kill yourself. Other modern architecture might try to kill you directly. The Yu Corporation’s newest project in Los Angeles, derisively called “The Gridiron” by everyone except … Continue reading →

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The Persians

Posted on May 25, 2016 by smellincoffee

The Persians: Ancient, Mediaeval, and Modern Iran© 2009 Homa Katouzian452 pages Come, let us sit upon the ground and tell sad stories of the death of kings. It’ll take a while, because there’s been a lot of them.The Persians: Ancient, … Continue reading →

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8.4

Posted on May 25, 2016 by smellincoffee

8.4.© 1995 Peter Hernon393 pages San Andreas? You want a real earthquake, son, you come to Tennessee.  In America’s heartland lies a currently-quiescent fault, the New Madrid Seismic Zone. In the early 19th century a series of three massive earthquakes … Continue reading →

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In God’s Path

Posted on May 21, 2016 by smellincoffee

In God’s Path: the Arab Conquests and the Creation of an Islamic Empire© 2015 Robert Hoyland303 pages A Roman author referred to the Roman and Persian empires as the two eyes of the world — but they didn’t see the … Continue reading →

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Science: the Index

Posted on May 20, 2016 by smellincoffee

This list includes most of the science books I’ve read since 2007, omitting  titles that received only scant mention. Brane and Brane! What is Brane?!- Cosmology and Astrophysics* The Grand Design, Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow Black Holes and Baby … Continue reading →

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The Planets

Posted on May 17, 2016 by smellincoffee

The Planets© 2003 Dava Sobel288 pages Like Lives of the Planets, Sobel’s The Planets is a flyby through the solar system. The inclusion of the Sun and Moon give this a classical feel, since those bodies were considered by the … Continue reading →

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The Deep: Extraordinary Creatures of the Abyss

Posted on May 16, 2016 by smellincoffee

The Deep: the Extraordinary Creatures of the Abyss 253 pages © 2007 Claire Nouvian I’ve been enjoying a gallery book devoted to the extraordinary creatures of the deep sea these past two weeks.  Edited by Claire Nouvian, The Deep collects … Continue reading →

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Off the Grid

Posted on May 15, 2016 by smellincoffee

Off the Grid:  Inside the Movement for More Space, Less Government, and True Independence in Modern America© 2010 Nick Rosen292 pages When Nick Rosen put up a website to help his fellow Britons find resources and land reduce their carbon … Continue reading →

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