Category Archives: Reviews

Book reviews, as well as Reads to Reels

The Last Kingdom

Posted on November 21, 2010 by smellincoffee

The Last Kingdom© 2005 Bernard Cornwell333 pages My name is Uhtred. I am the son of Uhtred, who was the son of Uhtred and his father was also called Uhtred.[…]   I look at those parchments, which are deeds saying … Continue reading →

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Taking Wing

Posted on November 20, 2010 by smellincoffee

Star Trek Titan (Book One): Taking Wing© 2005 Michael Martin & Andy Mangels370 pages On the cover: Johnathan Frakes as Captain William Riker; Dina Meyer as Commander Donatra; Marina Sirtis as Commander Deanna Troi; and Jude Cicolella  as Commander Suran. … Continue reading →

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Britain: At the Edge of the World?

Posted on November 18, 2010 by smellincoffee

A History of Britain: At the Edge of the World? 3500 B.C. – 1603 A.D.© 2000 Simon Schama414 pages Image from audio-book version, as I could not find a suitable image for the standard cover. I get the feeling that … Continue reading →

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This Week at the Library (3 November – 10 November)

Posted on November 10, 2010 by smellincoffee

This past week I tried planning my reading around English culture, but unfinished business with Jules Verne and the inability to resist a history of modernization in the Islamic world meant I only read two of the three English-themed books … Continue reading →

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Heretic

Posted on November 10, 2010 by smellincoffee

Heretic© 2003 Bernard Cornwell355 pages The year is 1347, and the English armies of Edward III are prevailing in France, having invaded to protect old Norman lands and capture new ones like the new port-city of Calais. The Hundred Years’ … Continue reading →

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The Prisoner of Azkaban (Audio)

Posted on November 10, 2010 by smellincoffee

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 10 discs, approximately 12 hours.© 2000 J.K. Rowling, Listening LibraryPerformed  by Jim Dale Last week I finished listening to my first audiobook, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. I don’t know why … Continue reading →

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20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

Posted on November 6, 2010 by smellincoffee

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea © 1870 Jules Verne 382 pages  Scarcely a year after the end of the American Civil War, Professor Pierre Aronnax of the Museum of Natural History in Paris is  preparing to return to his native France … Continue reading →

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A Singular Destiny

Posted on November 6, 2010 by smellincoffee

Star Trek: A Singular Destiny © 2009 Keith R.A. Decandido 384 pages Only days have passed since the culmination of Destiny. The Federation and the Klingon empire, still licking their wounds from the Dominion War, have been ravaged: billions are … Continue reading →

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The Mother Tongue

Posted on November 5, 2010 by smellincoffee

The Mother Tongue: English & How It Got That Way© 1990 Bill Bryson270 pages “More than 350 million people around the world speak English and the rest, it sometimes seem, try to.” While I’m reading this as part of a … Continue reading →

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What Went Wrong?

Posted on November 4, 2010 by smellincoffee

What Went Wrong? Western Impact and Middle-Eastern Response© 2003 Bernard Lewis180 pages (adopted from lectures) In essence, this collection of modified lectures is a brief history of modernization in the Islamic world and its aftermath. The fist three chapters focus … Continue reading →

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