Category Archives: Reviews

Book reviews, as well as Reads to Reels

Nomadland

Posted on June 24, 2021 by smellincoffee

Nomadland: Surviving America in the 21st Century© 2017 Jessica Bruder273 pages America has always been a nation on the move, but some people take that more literally than others.  Nomadland takes us into the aftermath of the great recession, as … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, Society and Culture | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

A clump o’ reviews, because I’m house/dog/pool-sitting sans PC

Posted on June 20, 2021 by smellincoffee

I am in town for Father’s Day and thus taking a moment to scribble on my computer, having spent the past few days happily bobbing in a pool. Taking care of friends’ houses in their absence is such a chore, … Continue reading →

Posted in Classics and Literary, Reviews | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Never a Dull Moment

Posted on June 15, 2021 by smellincoffee

Never a Dull Moment: A Libertarian Looks at the Sixties© 2016 Murray Rothbard, ed. Justin Raimondo 168 pages I first encountered Murray Rothbard in 2013, when reading Radicals for Capitalism, a history of market libertarianism. As I was someone who … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Civic Interest, Reviews, World Affairs | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Steal this Book

Posted on June 8, 2021 by smellincoffee

pub. 1971 Abbie Hoffman308 pages At some point in the early 2000s, I stumbled onto a digital copy of Steal this Book and was appropriately scandalized. Because of the unique religious subculture in which I was raised, most of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, Society and Culture | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Project Hail Mary | #agora

Posted on June 7, 2021 by smellincoffee

Ryland Grace just woke up strapped to a medical bed with two dead roommates. That’s not the least of his problem, though: he’s in space, and he doesn’t know why. Eventually, he’ll figure that out; his memory will return. But … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, science fiction | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Do you Vonu?

Posted on June 4, 2021 by smellincoffee

Vonu: A Strategy for Self-Liberation© 2018 Shane Radliff127 pages In 1968, a frustrated man named Tom Marshall ventured into the woods along with his wife to conduct a living experiment. Was it possible, he wondered, to create a life for … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Civic Interest, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Three cheers for anarchy — three reads, anyway

Posted on June 1, 2021 by smellincoffee

While everyone else was honoring dead soldiers by buying things, shooting off fireworks (dear neighbors: why?), and grilling out, I was in bed all weekend with a case of food poisoning. Naturally, I wound up reading books about anarchism and … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Civic Interest, Reflection, Religion and Philosophy, science fiction | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Forward

Posted on May 27, 2021 by smellincoffee

While poking around on Amazon for new releases by Weir, Scalzi, and Doctorow, I encountered the Forward collection, a series of short stories by various authors (most new to me) on near-future SF. They are very short stories, the two … Continue reading →

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Drug Use for Grown Ups

Posted on May 24, 2021 by smellincoffee

Drug Use for Grown Ups: Chasing Liberty in the Land of Fear© 2021 Carl Hart304 pages My occasional forays into anarchist literature aside, I’m one of the squarest people you are ever likely to meet, a fellow whose idea of … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Civic Interest, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Captain’s Oath

Posted on May 19, 2021 by smellincoffee

Captain’s Oath © 2019 Christopher L Bennett323 pages Captain Jim Kirk has just taken command of the USS Enterprise, and already he has a tricky situation on his hands. It should be simple: pick up a team of archaeologists who … Continue reading →

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