Category Archives: Reviews

Book reviews, as well as Reads to Reels

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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This Week at the Library (10 October)

Posted on October 10, 2012 by smellincoffee

Fall arrived rather suddenly this week, although I imagine the cooler temperatures won’t stay for too long. October 3rd was ‘der Tag der Deutschen Einheit’, or the day of German Unity. As I did with the United States and France … Continue reading →

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Waste and Want

Posted on October 3, 2012 by smellincoffee

Waste and Want: A Social History of Trash© 2000 Susan Strasser368 pages      Consider your trash can. In all likelihood, you cannot imagine not using it. What else would you do all with the trash generated in the course … Continue reading →

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Germany

Posted on October 3, 2012 by smellincoffee

Germany: Unraveling an Enigma© 2000 Paul Nees236 pages If you follow European news, chances are good that you’ve heard the name Angela Merkel in recent months. Chancellor of Germany, her nation is the economic heart of Europe and essential to … Continue reading →

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Conundrum

Posted on September 29, 2012 by smellincoffee

Conundrum: How Scientific Innovation, Increased Efficiency, and Good Intentions Can Make Our Energy and Climate Problems Worse© 2012 David Owen272 pages If only all big problems could be tackled with product substitution. We’re consumers at heart, and our response to … Continue reading →

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No Logo

Posted on September 29, 2012 by smellincoffee

No Logo: the Case Against the Brand Bullies  © 1999, 2009; Naomi Klein 544 pages The political and financial turmoil of the past few years have seen a rising tide of anger targeted against the political power of wealthy corporations. … Continue reading →

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This Week at the Library (25 September)

Posted on September 25, 2012 by smellincoffee

Germany’s national holiday, Der Tag der Deutschen Einheit, falls this next Wednesday, so this week my reading will be oriented toward ‘das Land der Dichter und Denker’,  just as in July I celebrated the American and French revolutions. On the … Continue reading →

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Raise the Dawn

Posted on September 22, 2012 by smellincoffee

Star Trek Typhon Pact: Raise the Dawn© 2012 David R. George III400 pages The ending of Plagues of Night saw me stand to my feet in shock. Not since the Destiny trilogy has there been such a cliffhanger in Trek … Continue reading →

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Mudhouse Sabbath

Posted on September 22, 2012 by smellincoffee

Mudhouse Sabbath: An Invitation to a Life of Spiritual Discipline © 2008 Laura Winner162 pages Increasingly, Christian religious scholars are examining Jesus in the context of his Jewish roots. While the works I’m familiar with have done this primarily to understand his … Continue reading →

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