Category Archives: Reviews

Book reviews, as well as Reads to Reels

Pedal to the Metal

Posted on August 6, 2015 by smellincoffee

Petal to the Metal: The Work Lives of Truckers© 1994 Lawrence Ouelett247 pages ICC is a-checkin’ on down the lineI’m a little overweight, and my logbook’s way behind But nothin’ bothers me tonight, I can dodge all the scales all … Continue reading →

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The Great Cities in History

Posted on July 23, 2015 by smellincoffee

The Great Cities in History© 2009 ed. John Julius Norwich302 pages             The Great Cities in History takes readers on a literary world tour, traveling through space and time to visit the greatest political bodies in history.  Civilization is nothing … Continue reading →

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The Space Between Us

Posted on July 23, 2015 by smellincoffee

The Space Between Us© 2007 Thrity Umrigar321 pages “A hard land, yes, full of mountains, but toughness has its own beauty.” p. 200 The Space Between Us is a modern Indian tragedy, told through the plight of two women who guide … Continue reading →

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Travelin’ man

Posted on July 21, 2015 by smellincoffee

Hello again, dear readers! I’ve been on a mini-vacation this past weekend, staying with my sister’s in-laws in Atlanta and watching the Atlanta Braves take on the Chicago Cubs.  The game itself was a sleepy affair, with little hitting and  only … Continue reading →

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A Canticle for Leibowitz

Posted on July 16, 2015 by smellincoffee

 A Canticle for Leibowitz © 1960 Water M. Miller 320 pages A thousand years ago, nuclear war swept the Earth,  rendering to ashes the civilizations which inaugurated it.  In the southwestern desert, however,  there lies an outpost of another civilization … Continue reading →

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We Could Not Fail

Posted on July 7, 2015 by smellincoffee

We Could Not Fail: The First African-Americans in the Space Program© 2015 Richard Paul, Steven Moss312 pages Between the murder of the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr, and both political and racial riots throughout the United States, 1968 was a … Continue reading →

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I Am Forbidden

Posted on July 6, 2015 by smellincoffee

I Am Forbidden© 2012 Anouk Markovits302 pages Darkness grips Eastern Europe in the 1940s as war devours millions and the hopes of generations. Jewish residents of Romania are especially hard-pressed; already viewing themselves as a people in exile, they are … Continue reading →

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The Whiskey Rebels

Posted on July 4, 2015 by smellincoffee

The Whiskey Rebels© 2008 David Liss544 pages “You have my word as a gentleman.”“You are no gentleman!”“Then you have my word as a scoundrel, which, I know, opens up a rather confusing paradox that I have neither the time nor … Continue reading →

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Last Call

Posted on July 1, 2015 by smellincoffee

Last Call: the Rise and Fall of Prohibition © 2010 Daniel Okrent 480 pages “Law and order should not ruin the lives of law-abidin’ people! Like that stupid law of Prohibition they had in the old days. Gangsters had to go … Continue reading →

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American Cicero

Posted on June 24, 2015 by smellincoffee

American Cicero: The Life of Charles Carroll © 2010 Bradley Birzer 230 pages When Charles Carroll of Carrollton signed the Declaration of Independence, he was risking the biggest fortune on the American mainland.  But Carroll had yearned for independence for … Continue reading →

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