Category Archives: Reviews

Book reviews, as well as Reads to Reels

WWW Wednesdays (20 July)

Posted on July 19, 2011 by smellincoffee

WWW Wednesdays is a weekly quiz-thing hosted by ShouldBeReading. I’m out of town and offline from early Monday morning to late Tuesday evening, so I haven’t been able to do Teaser Tuesday or Top Ten Tuesdays as of late. What … Continue reading →

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An Altar in the World

Posted on July 15, 2011 by smellincoffee

An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith© 2009 Barbara Brown Taylor240 pages Barbara Brown Taylor is an Episcopal priest who no longer pastors a church; for although she still finds enriching experiences inside the walls of her parish … Continue reading →

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Robots and Empire

Posted on July 9, 2011 by smellincoffee

Robots and Empire© 1985 Isaac Asimov383 pages In Isaac Asimov’s robots novels, Earth is home to some eight billion people living in vast underground complexes known as Cities or “caves of steel”. In his Empire novels, those billions have vanished: … Continue reading →

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This Week at the Library (8 July)

Posted on July 8, 2011 by smellincoffee

Between the Fourth of July and hospitalized relatives, this has been a poor week for reading. I typically read and review a book around the Fourth about the American Revolution: this year’s read was and still is The First Salute, … Continue reading →

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Sharpe’s Prey

Posted on July 2, 2011 by smellincoffee

Sharpe’s Prey: Denmark 1807© 2001 Bernard Cornwell288 pages Richard Sharpe has fallen from grace — or rather, the Lady Grace, his love, has fallen from him, perished in childbirth along with his child.  His Indian fortune has been legally stolen … Continue reading →

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Sharpe’s Trafalgar

Posted on July 2, 2011 by smellincoffee

Sharpe’s Trafalgar: Spain 1805© 2001 Bernard Cornwell301 pages Richard Sharpe did well for himself in India, rising in the ranks from private to Ensign,  as well as finding love and fortune. But while Sharpe has been helping Britain grow powerful … Continue reading →

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The Final Storm

Posted on June 28, 2011 by smellincoffee

The Final Storm© 2011 Jeff Shaara446 pages The Final Storm is an appetizer served in lieu of a main course: tasty, but unsatisfying. As fine a story as it is, it’s a frustratingly disappointing treatment of the Pacific War. Jeff … Continue reading →

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This Week at the Library (26 June)

Posted on June 25, 2011 by smellincoffee

This week at the library… I checked out: Sharpe’s Trafalgar, Bernard Cornwell Creations of Fire:  Chemistry’s Lively History from Alchemy to the Atomic Age,   Cathy Cobb and Harold Goldwhite and The Final Storm, Jeff Shaara, the finishing touch on … Continue reading →

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God is Not One

Posted on June 24, 2011 by smellincoffee

God is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions that Rule the World and Why Their Differences Matter © 2010 Stephen Prothero 400 pages Despite the promises of modernity to drive religion out of the human mind, the New York City … Continue reading →

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Sharpe’s Fortress

Posted on June 24, 2011 by smellincoffee

Sharpe’s Fortress: India 1803© 1999 Bernard Cornwell294 pages There’s nothing quite so miserable as a good sergeant who’s been made into  purposeless officer. Mister Richard Sharpe is a man with a mission — the defeat of renegade-murder Dodd — but … Continue reading →

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