Category Archives: Reviews

Book reviews, as well as Reads to Reels

Harry Potter and the Epic Backstory

Posted on April 21, 2026 by smellincoffee

Half-Blood Prince and Prisoner of Azkaban routinely compete for my favorite HP novel, and for similar reasons — humor and backstory. It is far, far more than that, however: Prisoner of Azkaban had both in spades, but HBP is a … Continue reading →

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Magna Carta

Posted on April 20, 2026 by smellincoffee

In a sunny meadow in southern England stands a quiet monument commemorating a document signed there centuries ago: the Magna Carta. The monument is erected not by some English historical society, however, but by the American Bar Association. The Magna … Continue reading →

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Clouds of Glory

Posted on April 18, 2026 by smellincoffee

General Lee has long fascinated me as a man who did not believe in secession, but was compelled by his sense of honor and Fate to become an icon of the war which followed. He is, of course, an idol … Continue reading →

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My Cousin Rachel

Posted on April 16, 2026 by smellincoffee

Phillip and Ambrose had a good thing going: Phillip was largely raised by his older cousin, a man with twenty years on him and a tremendous unease around women that he passed on to his ward. They lived in Ambrose’ … Continue reading →

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Top Ten Tuesday: Backstage at the Lincoln Assassination!

Posted on April 14, 2026 by smellincoffee

This will be an unprecedented post, as I’m combining a TT and a review of the book from whence it came. On the stage of Ford’s Theatre, Harry Hawk, facing upstage and bent over in mock civility, rotated his comic … Continue reading →

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Short rounds, Read of England style

Posted on April 12, 2026 by smellincoffee

By luck of the draw, I’ve had a series of books too short to review properly, so I’ve bid them all wait until I had enough for a short round post. First up was my first proper experience with Dan … Continue reading →

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The Shaping of England

Posted on April 9, 2026 by smellincoffee

The Shaping of England is an older (1960s) Asimov history written about early England, beginning with speculation about the Beaker people and moving through the Celts, Romans, Anglo-Saxons etc to wrap up with the establishment of the Magna Carta. Like … Continue reading →

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Controversial Polemics

Posted on April 8, 2026 by smellincoffee

When he was twenty-three, Michael Mohr read On the Road and decided to pursue the life of Sal Paradise himself. He hit the road for a life of drinking and adventures, but by the end of his twenties had lost … Continue reading →

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The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy

Posted on April 6, 2026 by smellincoffee

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce was one of my favorite books of 2024, and I’ve been meaning to read its sequel for some time now. I thought Read of England as appropriate an occasion as any. … Continue reading →

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The People on Platform 5

Posted on April 2, 2026 by smellincoffee

You don’t talk to the people on the platform, or on the train. You sit in silence, lost in your headphones or your phone or even a book. But what happens when the man sitting opposite you suddenly begins choking … Continue reading →

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