Category Archives: Reviews

Book reviews, as well as Reads to Reels

1632

Posted on August 4, 2013 by smellincoffee

1632© 2000 Eric Flint608 pages Tremble, lords of Germany. A new breed has come into the world. What happens when you throw a small American mining town from the 20th century into the middle of Germany…during the 17th-century’s Thirty Years … Continue reading →

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

Hannah Coulter

Posted on August 3, 2013 by smellincoffee

Hannah Coulter© 2005 Wendell Berry190 pages This is the story of my life, that while I lived it weighed upon me and pressed against me and filled all my senses to overflowing and is now like a dream dreamed. […] … Continue reading →

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

The Unschooling Handbook

Posted on August 1, 2013 by smellincoffee

The Unschooling Handbook: How to Use the Whole World As Your Child’s Classroom© 1998 Marry Griffith240 pages What does it mean to educate a child? In the United States, schooling is dominated by standards, by regular exams that force educators … Continue reading →

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

A Higher Call

Posted on July 31, 2013 by smellincoffee

A Higher Call© 2012 Adam Makos and Larry Alexander400 pages “You follow the rules of war for you — not your enemy. You fight by rules to keep your humanity.” The Eighth Air Force operating over Germany in the early … Continue reading →

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

This week at the library: France, airborne chivalry, and Wendell Berry

Posted on July 29, 2013 by smellincoffee

Dear readers: This past week saw the conclusion of my annual tribute to France after reading An Outline of French History, by Rene Sedillot. The work is translated from French, but bears no weakness on that account: it is as … Continue reading →

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

French Kids Eat Everything

Posted on July 27, 2013 by smellincoffee

French Kids Eat Everything: How Our Family Moved to France, Cured Picky Eating, Banned Snacking, and Discovered 10 Simple Rules for Raising Happy, Healthy Eaters© 2012 Karen Le Billon 320 pages Upon landing in France to spend a year with her … Continue reading →

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

The Choice

Posted on July 25, 2013 by smellincoffee

The Choice: A Fable of Free Trade and Protectionism© 2006 Russ Roberts128 pages  Imagine that George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life had wrestled not with the impulse to throw himself off of a bridge, but with the decision whether … Continue reading →

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

It Can’t Happen Here

Posted on July 24, 2013 by smellincoffee

It Can’t Happen Here© 1935 Sinclair Lewis400 pages The Great Depression sent the entire western world reeling, destroying faith in the existing order and creating opportunities for charismatic, forceful leaders with vision to sweep into power and create societies anew … Continue reading →

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

This week at the library (7/22): free trade, American Hitler, and French food

Posted on July 23, 2013 by smellincoffee

Dear readers: This past week has been on the quiet side. I finished yet another book by Russ Roberts, this one proclaiming the virtues of free trade (The Choice),  and resumed reading Sinclair Lewis’ It Can’t Happen Here, a novel … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged | Leave a comment

Getting There

Posted on July 19, 2013 by smellincoffee

Getting There: the Epic Struggle  between Road and Rail in the American Century© 1996 Stephen Goddard366 pages Regardless of the status of George Washington, Napoleon Bonaparte, and William Pitt, each man of power traveled at the same speed as the … Continue reading →

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