Category Archives: Reviews

Book reviews, as well as Reads to Reels

Barefoot Boy with Cheek

Posted on September 26, 2010 by smellincoffee

Barefoot Boy with Cheek (© 1943)From Max Shulman’s Large Economy Size © 1948207 pages Blessings on thee, little man, Barefoot boy, with cheek of tan! With thy turned-up pantaloons, And thy merry whistled tunes; With thy red lip, redder still Kissed … Continue reading →

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Stiff

Posted on September 24, 2010 by smellincoffee

Stiff: the Curious Lives of Human Cadavers© 2003 Mary Roach303 pages Being dead is absurd. It’s the silliest situation you’ll find yourself in. Your limbs are floppy and uncooperative. Your mouth hangs open. Being dead is unsightly and stinky and embarrassing, … Continue reading →

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Teaser Tuesday (21 Sept)

Posted on September 20, 2010 by smellincoffee

Teases on Tuesdays sometimes come in threes. Here, anyway. Let us begin with fundamentals. The first requisite for a young writer is paper. You will find that the work will go much better if the paper has not been previously … Continue reading →

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The King of Torts

Posted on September 20, 2010 by smellincoffee

The King of Torts© 2003 John Grisham472 pages “Why won’t they just throw money at me to make me go away?” “Now you’re thinkin’ like a real mass tort boy!” Clay Carter is an underpaid and overworked Public Defender, providing … Continue reading →

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The Mao Case

Posted on September 19, 2010 by smellincoffee

The Mao Case: An Inspector Chen Novel© 2009  Qiu Xiaolong289 pages This novel’s title caught my attention, but the setting hooked me. A police mystery set in contemporary China? Eager to explore what is for me terra incognita, I happily … Continue reading →

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Casino

Posted on September 16, 2010 by smellincoffee

Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas© 1995 Nicholas Pileggi363 pages The first gangster movie I ever watched was Martin Scorcese’s Goodfellas, based off of Nicholas Pileggi’s Wiseguy. Pileggi’s account of life in the Sicilian mob is considerably more gritty … Continue reading →

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This Week at the Library (8 Sept – 15 Sept)

Posted on September 15, 2010 by smellincoffee

This week at the library… Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir is the story of Lady Jane Grey, a young girl who was made queen in an effort to  Karl Marx: the Passionate Logician by Joel Carmichael is a brief biography of … Continue reading →

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Innocent Traitor

Posted on September 13, 2010 by smellincoffee

Innocent Traitor: A Novel of Lady Jane Grey© 2006 Alison Weir402 pages I just found Alison Weir this year and have thus far enjoyed her work in history and historical fiction. Innocent Traitor marked her introduction to historical fiction, and since … Continue reading →

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This Week at the Library (1 Sept – 8 Sept)

Posted on September 8, 2010 by smellincoffee

This week at the library… I began the week with Lost Souls, the outstanding finale to the generally impressive Destiny trilogy. David Mack didn’t disappoint; in fact, he floored me with the service done to this vein in Trek literature. … Continue reading →

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Timeline

Posted on September 7, 2010 by smellincoffee

Timeline© 1999 Michael Crichton444 pages What happens when quantum mechanics and medieval history meet? Specifically, what happens when a team of American archaeologists  excavating the site of a ruined medieval fortress-town  are approached by the techno-firm ITC which is sponsoring … Continue reading →

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