Category Archives: Reviews

Book reviews, as well as Reads to Reels

On the Grid

Posted on May 14, 2016 by smellincoffee

On the Grid: A Plot of Land, an Average Neighborhood, and the Systems That Make Our World Work© 2010 Scott Huler256 pages If modern humans have retained a penchant for magical thinking, little wonder. Our homes accomplish marvels seemingly by the … Continue reading →

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Iran and the United States

Posted on May 13, 2016 by smellincoffee

Iran and the United States: An Insider’s View on the Failed Past and the Road to Peace© 2014 Seyed Hossein Mousavian368 pages The United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran have not been on speaking terms since the hostage … Continue reading →

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American History: the Index

Posted on May 13, 2016 by smellincoffee

Across the Bering:  Native America Twilight of the Mammoths,  Paul Martin The Earth Shall Weep: A History of Native America, James Wilson Kingdoms of Gold, Kingdoms of Jade: Peopling the Americas, Brian Fagan 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before … Continue reading →

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This week: science, the middle east, and a duel

Posted on May 10, 2016 by smellincoffee

Dear readers, I’m beginning to suspect books are a racket.  Today I began reading one and within fifty pages, I’d already written down four  more titles that I wanted to investigate.  No wonder people read fiction — it’s far less … Continue reading →

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Sphere

Posted on May 7, 2016 by smellincoffee

Sphere© 1987 Michael Crichton385 pages  Norman Thomas is accustomed to government officials asking for his assistance to counsel survivors at plane crashes, but traveling fifteen hours into the middle of the Pacific is a first.   Upon arrival, John finds … Continue reading →

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Aces over Ypres

Posted on May 6, 2016 by smellincoffee

Aces over Ypres© 2016 John Stack286 pages Charlie Sexton didn’t choose the RFC life, the RFC life chose him. Literally.  As the Great War opened in Europe, Charlie was a member of the 119th Artillery, the same unit his father … Continue reading →

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Diving Companions

Posted on May 6, 2016 by smellincoffee

Diving Companions: Sea Lion – Elephant Seal – Walrus ©  1974 Jacques-Yves Cousteau 304 pages Before David Attenborough, there was Jacques-Yves Cousteau, who helped invent SCUBA gear and used it in expeditions across the globe to explore the unknown right … Continue reading →

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Driving with the Devil

Posted on May 4, 2016 by smellincoffee

Driving with the Devil:  Southern Moonshine, Detroit Wheels, and the Birth of NASCAR© 2006 Neil Thompson411 pages Oh Rapid Roy that stock car boy He’s the best driver in the lan’ He say that he learned to race a stock … Continue reading →

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After the Prophet

Posted on May 4, 2016 by smellincoffee

After the Prophet: the Epic Story of the Shia-Sunni Split © 2009 Lesley Hazleton256 pages When Muhammad lay in his deathbed, legend has it that he cried to God for pity on those who would follow him. With no sons and … Continue reading →

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ST: The Patrian Transgression

Posted on May 2, 2016 by smellincoffee

The Patrian Transgression© 1994 Simon Hawke Annnnnnnnnnd kickoff for the Warp Speed Challenge! In The Patrian Transgression, the Enterprise arrives at the planet Patria to investigate a plea for help. According to the planet’s leaders, the Klingons are supplying weapons to … Continue reading →

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