Category Archives: Reviews

Book reviews, as well as Reads to Reels

Hey Mom, Can I Ride My Bike Across America?

Posted on March 28, 2013 by smellincoffee

Hey Mom, Can I Ride My Bike Across America? Five Kids Meet their Country© 1990 John Siegel Boettnerwith excerpts from the journals of Heather Deutsch, Joy Fulton, Jimmy West, Carl Fagerlin, and Ethan Turpin.439 pages The United States isn’t a … Continue reading →

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Pedaling Revolution

Posted on March 25, 2013 by smellincoffee

Pedaling Revolution: How Cyclists are Changing American Cities© 2009 Jeff Mapes288 pages That’s some serious wind resistance there, buddy. Governments across the world today are beset by problems common to all: rising fuel prices and obesity rates, the ever-present spectre … Continue reading →

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Shift

Posted on March 23, 2013 by smellincoffee

Shift© 2008 Jennifer Bradbury245 pages Chris and his best friend Win decided to cycle across the United States in the summer between high school and their freshman year of college — but only Chris came back, and now his first … Continue reading →

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Reviving Ophelia: A Reading

Posted on March 22, 2013 by smellincoffee

“Most preadolescent girls are marvelous company because they are interested in everything — sports, nature, people, music, and books. Almost all the heroines of girls’ literature come from this age group — Anne of Green Gables, Heidi, Pippi Longstocking and … Continue reading →

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This week at the library: sheikhs, airplanes, and VW vans

Posted on March 16, 2013 by smellincoffee

This past Thursday, some friends drove me three hours into the woods, dropped me off in the midst of some 70 strangers, and left me there. They called it “Cursillo”, and it was a spiritual retreat which I liked enormously … Continue reading →

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This week at the library: bikes, Arab sheikhs, Christian urbanism, and marriage

Posted on March 6, 2013 by smellincoffee

What kind of car would Jesus drive? And he certainly would have to drive, were he to initiate a ministry in 21st century America, for it is an place impossible to navigate otherwise.  The Space Between: A Christian Engagement with the Built … Continue reading →

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Railroad Stations

Posted on February 26, 2013 by smellincoffee

Railroad Stations: the Buildings that Linked the Nation© 2012 ed. David Naylor336 pages For the past couple of weeks I’ve been slowly enjoying Railroad Stations: the Buildings that Linked the Nation, a collection of photographs of the United States’ wide … Continue reading →

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Selma

Posted on February 25, 2013 by smellincoffee

Selma: A Novel of the Civil War© 2008 Val McGee396 pages On the cover: Sturdivant Hall, a local home-turned-museum. Today, Selma, Alabama is a small town on the Alabama river, largely forgotten save for its role in the Civil Rights … Continue reading →

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Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Posted on February 18, 2013 by smellincoffee

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies © 2009  Seth Grahame-Smith 319 pages Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is the old story of girl meets boy, girl declares boy to be Worst Man in the World and humiliates him, girl and boy fight … Continue reading →

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Reads to Reels: Pride and Prejudice

Posted on February 16, 2013 by smellincoffee

Pride and Prejudice has been subjected to several dramatizations, but the 2005 movie starring Kiera Knightly is my first.  I only finished the book a day or two before watching the movie, and indeed looked for the movie because I wanted … Continue reading →

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