Category Archives: Reviews

Book reviews, as well as Reads to Reels

That Hideous Strength

Posted on June 13, 2014 by smellincoffee

That Hideous Strength: A Modern Fairy Tale for Grown Ups © 1945 C.S. Lewis 384 pages Mark Studdock is a newly married sociologist who has been given the opportunity of a lifetime; the chance to work with a promising and … Continue reading →

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The Vikings

Posted on June 12, 2014 by smellincoffee

The Vikings: A History© 2010 Robert Ferguson464 pagesUK title: The Hammer and the Cross: A History of the Vikings             VIKINGS!  For students of western civilization, the word has quite the mystique. Invaders from the frozen … Continue reading →

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Global Weirdness

Posted on June 10, 2014 by smellincoffee

Global Weirdness: Severe Storms, Deadly Heat Waves, Relentless Drought, Rising Seas, and the Weather of the Future© 2013 Climate Central224 pages           Global Weirdness is a climate briefing for the civic body; short, well-organized, and to the … Continue reading →

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This week: POWER! unLIMITED POWER!!!!!!

Posted on June 9, 2014 by smellincoffee

Dear readers: First, of literary interest, last night I discovered a “Classic Tales” podcast that features readings of classic stories. I haven’t figured out how to access their archives prior to February, but just on the front page are performances … Continue reading →

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Anthem

Posted on June 7, 2014 by smellincoffee

Anthem© 1938 Ayn Rand128 pages In a dark future, the triumph of collectivism has created a global society deteriorating to near-medieval conditions.  Man is utterly broken by the state, dominated by institutions from birth onward. Raised in cohorts in government … Continue reading →

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Divergent

Posted on June 5, 2014 by smellincoffee

Divergent © 2011 Veronica Roth 487 pages Every major city has problems with organized gangs, but the Chicago of Divergent’s future has nothing else. The entire society is organized in five factions devoted to an ideal;  Dauntless, Abnegation, Erudition, Amity, … Continue reading →

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The Smoke at Dawn

Posted on June 5, 2014 by smellincoffee

The Smoke at Dawn© 2014 Jeff Shaara528 pages The bells of the South in 1863 rang death knells, not peals of joyous victory. In July, on the same day that Lee’s army suffered a staggering loss at Gettysburg,  General Grant … Continue reading →

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The Penelopiad

Posted on June 2, 2014 by smellincoffee

The Penelopiad© 2006  Margaret Atwood224 pages               Which is worse, waiting twenty years for a rascal of a husband to return home while simultaneously managing his kingdom, raising his son, and fending off scores of … Continue reading →

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This week at the library: Civil War and Sea People

Posted on June 2, 2014 by smellincoffee

Dear readers: This weekend I finally posted comments for Away Down South, completing my unintentional miniseries of Books Whose Titles Came from the Chorus of “Dixie”.   The traditional verses offer a lot of other phrases ripe for titles; imagine … Continue reading →

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The Burden of Southern History

Posted on June 2, 2014 by smellincoffee

The Burden of Southern History © 1960, 1968, 1970 C. Vann Wordward 250 pages Louisiana State University Press The publication of these essays on southern character and its tragic history, from Civil War to the abandoned civil rights efforts of … Continue reading →

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