Category Archives: Reviews

Book reviews, as well as Reads to Reels

The Oceans

Posted on January 21, 2012 by smellincoffee

The Oceans© 2000 Ellen J. Prager with Sylvia A. Earle314 pages Seventy percent of the Earth’s surface is covered in water, constituting a vast and largely unknown world of its own — vitally important to ours, but scarcely explored and … Continue reading →

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The Misunderstood Jew

Posted on January 19, 2012 by smellincoffee

The Misunderstood Jew: the Church and the Scandal of the Jewish Jesus© 2007 Amy-Jill Levine250 pages  Amy-Jill Levine is a Jew for Jesus. No, not that kind of Jew — she’s happily Orthodox, thank you very much. But she grew … Continue reading →

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This Week at the Library (18 January)

Posted on January 18, 2012 by smellincoffee

Pending Reviews: How the Mind Works, Stephen Pinker; The Misunderstood Jew: the Church and the Scandal of the Jewish Jesus, Amy-Jill Levine.Currently Reading: The Fabric of the Cosmos, Brian Greene; At Home, Bill BrysonPotentials: The Oceans, Ellen PragerNew Releases: Bernard … Continue reading →

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Supervolcano: Eruption

Posted on January 17, 2012 by smellincoffee

Supervolcano: Eruption© 2011 Harry Turtledove420 pages “I love the smell of hydrogen sulfide in the morning,” Daniel intoned. “Smells like…tenure.” p. 146 Sometimes, even Harry Turtledove must tire of penning novels based on World War II. I don’t know what … Continue reading →

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The Throne of Fire

Posted on January 17, 2012 by smellincoffee

The Kane Chronicles #2: The Throne of Fire© 2011 Rick Riordan464 pages Sadie Kane isn’t even a teenager yet, but she and her older brother have four days to find the three pieces of the lost Book of Ra, ressurected … Continue reading →

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The Positronic Man

Posted on January 13, 2012 by smellincoffee

The Positronic Man© 1993 Isaac Asimov and Robert Silverberg290 pages This novel takes me back to high school, where at some point following the release of The Bicentennial Man starring Robin Williams, I checked it out and read my very first Asimov. … Continue reading →

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This Week at the Library (11 January)

Posted on January 11, 2012 by smellincoffee

Currently Reading: How the Mind Works, Steven Pinker; The Positronic Man, Isaac Asimov and Robert Silverberg; The Fabric of the Cosmos, Brian Greene (on hold until I finish How the Mind Works). =============T=H=E===W=E=E=K===I=N===Q=U=O=T=E=S=========== “It’s ridiculous, sir! Getting married.”“Women like it, … Continue reading →

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Sharpe’s Honour

Posted on January 10, 2012 by smellincoffee

Sharpe’s Honour© 1985 Bernard Cornwell320 pages In Sharpe’s Enemy, Richard Sharpe vanquished one foe only to create another, this time the subtle French intelligence officer Pierre Ducos. Ducos is an enemy both to England and Sharpe, for with one plan … Continue reading →

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Bowling Alone

Posted on January 7, 2012 by smellincoffee

Bowling Alone: the Collapse and Revival of American Community© 2001 Robert D. Putnam544 pages Every so often I read a book that strikes my brain as lightening, forever altering my thinking and earning a permanent place both on my bedside … Continue reading →

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The Son of Neptune

Posted on January 6, 2012 by smellincoffee

The Heroes of Olympus, Volume II: The Son of Neptune© 2011 Rick Riordan521 pages In The Lost Hero, Rick Riordan introduced another epic battle between the gods, forcing three young demigods to free Hera from imprisonment and forestall the awakening … Continue reading →

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