Category Archives: Reviews

Book reviews, as well as Reads to Reels

The Chosen

Posted on April 1, 2015 by smellincoffee

The Chosen © 1967 Chaim Potok 288 pages Danny and Reuven are two Orthodox Jewish boys who take one thing very seriously: baseball.  When their rival schools meet on the baseball diamond, religious passion turns play to war, and an … Continue reading →

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Little Women

Posted on April 1, 2015 by smellincoffee

Little Women© 1868 Louisa May Alcott528 pages “But you see, Jo wasn’t a heroine, she was only a struggling human girl like hundreds of others, and she just acted out her nature, being sad, cross, listless, or energetic, as the mood … Continue reading →

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The Adventures of Henry Thoreau

Posted on March 28, 2015 by smellincoffee

 The Adventures of Henry Thoreau: A Young Man’s Unlikely Path to Walden Pond© 2014 Michael Sims384 pages Shortly before retreating for two years to his self-built cabin at Walden Pond, Henry David Thoreau accidentally started a forest fire. A simple … Continue reading →

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Born Fighting

Posted on March 25, 2015 by smellincoffee

Born Fighting: How the Scots-Irish Shaped America© 2004 Jim Webb384 pages Born Fighting is a family story of the Scots-Irish, a clan of forgotten men. Beginning with the Celts, author Jim Webb moves swiftly through British history to the establishment … Continue reading →

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The Importance of Being Earnest

Posted on March 19, 2015 by smellincoffee

“The Importance of Being Earnest” © 1895 Oscar Wilde The truth is rarely pure and never simple. Modern life would be very tedious if it were either, and modern literature a complete impossibility! (Algernon, Act I.)          Algernon and Earnest … Continue reading →

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Selma 1965

Posted on March 18, 2015 by smellincoffee

Selma 1965: the March that Changed the South© 1974, 1985, 2015 Chuck Fager257 pages (2nd edition), Last weekend, my hometown suddenly became host to two presidents, a hundred members of Congress, and enough people to see it swell over ten times … Continue reading →

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The Iron Web

Posted on March 14, 2015 by smellincoffee

The Iron Web© 2009 Larken Rose363 pages         All Jessica wanted to do to celebrate her 19th birthday was go camping and test out her skills navigating with a GPS. At no point during the celebration did … Continue reading →

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Runaway Slaves

Posted on March 13, 2015 by smellincoffee

Runaway Slaves: Rebels on the Plantation© 2000 John Hope Franklin, Loren Schweninger480 pages Easily the most horrible aspect of American history, is the institution of slavery.  Indentured servitude had been a historical norm for centuries before, of course,  usually the … Continue reading →

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The Marriage Game

Posted on March 3, 2015 by smellincoffee

 The Marriage Game©  2015 Alison Weir416 pages             In Greek mythology,  the gods punished Tantalus by subjecting him to perpetual hunger, made worse by the fact that food and drink were both seemingly close at hand.His every attempt to drink … Continue reading →

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The Rebels: A Brotherhood of Outlaw Bikers

Posted on February 24, 2015 by smellincoffee

The Rebels: A Brotherhood of Outlaw Bikers© 2000 Daniel Wolf372 pages Ever wonder what  it’s like to ride with a biker gang? They held a certain fascination for Daniel Wolf, who decided to turn a local gang into an anthropological … Continue reading →

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