Category Archives: Reviews

Book reviews, as well as Reads to Reels

The News

Posted on April 2, 2016 by smellincoffee

The News: A User’s Manual© 2014 Alain de Botton272 pages The news more than any other modern institution has taken the role of shaping a nation’s collective consciousness, but  what shape does that leave us in? Alain de Botton’s The … Continue reading →

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Brideshead Revisited

Posted on March 30, 2016 by smellincoffee

Brideshead Revisited: The Secular and Profane Memories of Captain Charles Ryder© 1945 Evelyn Waugh350 pages My theme is memory, that winged host that soared about me one grey morning of war-time. These memories, which are my life–for we possess nothing … Continue reading →

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The First Congress

Posted on March 29, 2016 by smellincoffee

The First Congress: How James Madison, George Washington, and a Group of Extraordinary Men Invented the Government© 2016 Fergus Bordewich416 pages The first attempt at creating an American confederation resulted in a chronically bankrupt and impotent organization which no one … Continue reading →

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The Scotch-Irish

Posted on March 26, 2016 by smellincoffee

The Scotch-Irish: A Social History© 1989 James Leyburn397 pages         Though they have long ceased to be a distinct ethnic group outside of Appalachia, for years the greatest non-English minority in the United States were the Scotch-Irish. … Continue reading →

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The Road to Little Dribbling

Posted on March 26, 2016 by smellincoffee

The Road to Little Dribbling: Adventures of an American in Britain© 2015 Bill Bryson380 pages “When people asked me where I was bound, I could gaze toward the northern horizon with a set expression and say ‘Cape Wrath, God willing’. … Continue reading →

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Return to Bag End

Posted on March 23, 2016 by smellincoffee

On March 25th, by the reckoning of the Shire,  the Ring of Power was cast into the Cracks of Doom and the vicious horde facing the Men of the West melted away.  I would it would be appropriate, therefore, to … Continue reading →

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The Lincoln Lawyer

Posted on March 20, 2016 by smellincoffee

The Lincoln Lawyer© 2005 Michael Connelly404 pages Mickey Haller is a lawyer on the move, a criminal defender whose clients are so numerous and widespread that he conducts business from the backseat of his Lincoln Towncar.  For him, the law … Continue reading →

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And now, the News

Posted on March 20, 2016 by smellincoffee

There seem to be very few reasons not to despair of the human race. If asked why it has decided to tell us all this, and is driving us more than a little made as a result, the news will … Continue reading →

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Pilgrim’s Progress

Posted on March 19, 2016 by smellincoffee

Pilgrim’s Progress in Today’s English © 1678 John Bunyan,   retold 1971 James Thomas 285 pages Years ago I read Pilgrim’s Progress,  the story of one Christian’s spiritual journey made physical. The story begins when a man named Graceless, soon to be … Continue reading →

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Armed and Dangerous

Posted on March 17, 2016 by smellincoffee

Under and Alone: The Hunt for One of America’s Most Wanted Criminals© 2007 William Queen and Douglas Century224 pages When William Queen started as an ATF agent in the Los Angeles area, all the cops around agreed on one thing: … Continue reading →

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