Category Archives: Reviews

Book reviews, as well as Reads to Reels

Excalibur

Posted on November 8, 2012 by smellincoffee

Excalibur: a Story of Arthur© 1999 Bernard Cornwell436 pages In Britain’s darkest hour, a man named Arthur came to rule. With the high king dead and enemy Saxons filling the shores looking for land to settle, he confronted the tremendous … Continue reading →

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The Mark of Athena

Posted on November 7, 2012 by smellincoffee

The Mark of Athena © 2012 Rick Riordan608 pages In The Son of Neptune, Percy Jackson — a demigod, the son of a human mother and Poseidon — discovered another population of half-blood like himself, a veritable city called New Rome. The … Continue reading →

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This Week at the Library (2 November)

Posted on November 2, 2012 by smellincoffee

Being as 5 November falls in a few days, it’s finally time for me to do my reading set in tribute to England, and I’ve been looking forward to it since before July — though when it came time to … Continue reading →

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Flushed

Posted on October 27, 2012 by smellincoffee

Flushed: How the Plumber Saved Civilization© 2006 W. Hodding Carter241 pages So, plumbing.  You use it.  Chances are you wouldn’t be alive without it, because civilizations without plumbing tend to be miserable places rife with disease. Despite its importance, not much fuss … Continue reading →

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Bitterly Divided

Posted on October 26, 2012 by smellincoffee

Bitterly Divided: the South’s Inner Civil War© 2008 David Williams310 pages Why did the South lose the Civil War? Was it the strengths of the Union — a better rail network, a superior manufacturing base, more soldiers? David Williams doesn’t … Continue reading →

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Enemy of God

Posted on October 25, 2012 by smellincoffee

Enemy of God: A Novel of Arthur© 1996 Bernard Cornwell416 pages           Enemy of God  stunned me. I thought I knew what to expect from a Bernard Cornwell novel: a solid, irreverent hero with a talent … Continue reading →

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This Week at the Library (22 October)

Posted on October 22, 2012 by smellincoffee

A day or so ago, I finished the second book in Bernard Cornwell’s King Arthur trilogy, Enemy of God, and realized with a sigh that last year, I only purchased the first two books in the series. Why I didn’t … Continue reading →

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The Winter King

Posted on October 20, 2012 by smellincoffee

The Winter King: a Story of Arthur© 1997 Bernard Cornwell433 pages The high king of Britain is dead, and the land lies in peril. Surrounded by implacable enemies, from the vicious Irish to the aggressive and hungry Saxon invaders, scarcely … Continue reading →

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Thoughts on Building Strong Towns

Posted on October 20, 2012 by smellincoffee

Thoughts on Building Strong Towns, Volume I© 2012 Chuck Marohn174 pages$9.95  In California, school districts are being forced to suspend their bus routes. In Alabama,  Jefferson County – home to the state’s largest city, Birmingham – has gone bankrupt. Basic … Continue reading →

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The Twelfth Imam

Posted on October 14, 2012 by smellincoffee

The Twelfth Imam© 2010 Joel Rosenberg512 pages Who’s up for the Apocalypse? Israel stands ready for a preemptive strike against Iran, whose concealed nuclear program is on the verge of being able to produce warheads. Considering that both Iran’s Supreme … Continue reading →

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