Category Archives: Reviews

Book reviews, as well as Reads to Reels

This week at the library: the Spirit of ’76

Posted on June 30, 2014 by smellincoffee

Greetings, dear readers! It’s been a busy week for me, reading-wise, because work at the library has been slow. Oprah and Brad Pitt have been wandering around town filming for a movie,  and a lot of our usual patrons and traffic … Continue reading →

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A Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

Posted on June 29, 2014 by smellincoffee

A Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass© 1845 Frederick Douglass144 pages Although modern readers take for granted the idea that slavery is “bad”, its horrors can only be fully appreciated  by the shared experience of those who were subjected … Continue reading →

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The Scarlet Letter

Posted on June 28, 2014 by smellincoffee

The Scarlet Letter ©  1850 Nathaniel Hawthorne 180 pages                    In 18thcentury Boston, a young woman stands upon the gallows in the center of town, facing down the contempt of the assembled mob. Having broken the … Continue reading →

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American Sphinx

Posted on June 28, 2014 by smellincoffee

American Sphinx: the Character of Thomas Jefferson© 1998 Joseph Ellis464 pages Principle author of the Declaration of Independence, partial broker of the Franco-American alliance,  third president —  there is no denying Thomas Jefferson’s pivotal place within the revolution.  He is … Continue reading →

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No Time Like the Past

Posted on June 24, 2014 by smellincoffee

No Time Like the Past© 2014 Greg Cox 400 pages Question: why is the heroic, resolute-looking face of James T. Kirk carved Rushmore-like into a mountainside in the middle of the Delta Quadrant?  In search of an answer, Seven of … Continue reading →

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This week at the library: American colonies and apes

Posted on June 23, 2014 by smellincoffee

Dear readers: Last week saw another entry struck from the To Be Read list, as well as the completion of The Odyssey. I’ve been meaning to read the full story properly for years.  I’ve mostly been reading the first entry … Continue reading →

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The World Until Yesterday

Posted on June 19, 2014 by smellincoffee

The World Until Yesterday© 2012 Jared Diamond481 pages             Earth has been the province of mankind for hundreds of thousands of years, and for most of the time he has transversed it in small tribal groups, … Continue reading →

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Power, Inc

Posted on June 18, 2014 by smellincoffee

Power, Inc: the Epic Rivalry between Government and Big Business© 2013 David Rothkopf448 pages      Historians of western civilization are used to viewing its late medieval and early modern period through the lens of a church versus state battle; the … Continue reading →

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The Partly Cloudy Patriot

Posted on June 18, 2014 by smellincoffee

The Partly Cloudy Patriot© 2003 Sarah Vowell197 pages           The Partly Cloudy Patriot sees cheeky Yank Sarah Vowell muse on history, politics, and American life in general through a series of essays written in 2001. Her familar … Continue reading →

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The Great War at Sea

Posted on June 18, 2014 by smellincoffee

The Great War at Sea: History of Naval Action 1914-1918© 1965 A.A. Hoehling346 pages             The Great War is not called the first world war for nothing, taking place as it did not only across the … Continue reading →

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