Category Archives: Reviews

Book reviews, as well as Reads to Reels

A Place on Earth

Posted on March 5, 2014 by smellincoffee

A Place on Earth320 pages© 1983 Wendell Berry “I ain’t saying I don’t believe there’s a Heaven. I surely hope there is. That surely would pay off a lot of mortgages. But I do say it ain’t easy to believe. … Continue reading →

Posted in historical fiction, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Voyage

Posted on March 4, 2014 by smellincoffee

Voyage: A Novel of What Might have Been© 1996 Stephen Baxter511 pages             On November 22nd, 1963, John F. Kennedy narrowly escaped assassination while touring Dallas, Texas. A gunman’s assault left his wife Jacqueline dead and the president hospitalized, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, science fiction | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Excerpts from "A Place on Earth"

Posted on February 27, 2014 by smellincoffee

From Wendell Berry’s A Place on Earth,  the story of a great flood and a terrible war. In the preacher’s words the Heavenly City has risen up, surmounting their lives, the house, the town — the final hope, in which … Continue reading →

Posted in quotations, Reviews | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Look Away!

Posted on February 26, 2014 by smellincoffee

Look Away! A History of the Confederate States of America© 2003 William C. Davis496 pages While most Civil War histories concentrate on military campaigns, Look Away! chronicles the history of the Confederacy from a political and social perspective. Its attempt … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

What’s Wrong with the World

Posted on February 20, 2014 by smellincoffee

What’s Wrong with the World© 1910 G. K. Chesterton200 pages What’s wrong with the world? Too many people are proposing answers to the wrong questions.  What’s Wrong is a curious collection of thoughts, voiced at the turn of the 20thcentury, … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Gift of Good Land

Posted on February 18, 2014 by smellincoffee

The Gift of Good Land© 1981 Wendell Berry281 pages Wendell Berry is a philosopher, poet, and more, but before all else he is a farmer. He is a faithful son of Kentucky devoted to the land, to the stewardship of … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Martian

Posted on February 18, 2014 by smellincoffee

The Martian© 2013 Andy Weir369 pages I was elated!  This was the best plan ever! Not only was I clearing out the hydrogen, I was making more water!  Everything went great right up to the explosion.  p. 43 Mark Watney never thought … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, science fiction | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

Forgotten Voices of the Great War

Posted on February 15, 2014 by smellincoffee

Forgotten Voices of the Great War© 2004 ed. Max Author336 pages                         Forgotten Voices of the Great War is a chronicle of the first great war,  a story told not by one author but many. Interviews and written recollections from … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

From Chunk to Hunk

Posted on February 14, 2014 by smellincoffee

From Chunk to Hunk: Diary of a Fat Man© 2003 Fred Anderson242 pages Fred Anderson had an epiphany while munching on snack cakes and watching TV; as he witnessed the amputation of a diabetic man’s leg, he realized: this is … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

And Then There Were Nuns

Posted on February 13, 2014 by smellincoffee

And Then There Were Nuns: Adventures in a Cloistered Life© 2013 Jane Christmas292 pages When Jane Christmas’ boyfriend proposed to her, she gave him the most obvious reply: she said she wanted to join a nunnery.  It wasn’t that he … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments