Category Archives: Reviews

Book reviews, as well as Reads to Reels

Yours, Isaac Asimov

Posted on February 24, 2010 by smellincoffee

Yours, Isaac Asimov: A Lifetime of Letters© 1996 Isaac Asimov, ed. Stanley Asimov352 pages Had you asked me who my favorite author was in 2007, I would’ve looked askance at you, thinking that sort of question a type of sacrilege. … Continue reading →

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The Geography of Nowhere

Posted on February 24, 2010 by smellincoffee

The Geography of Nowhere: the Rise and Decline of America’s Man-Made Landscape© 1993 James Howard Kunstler303 pages Little boxes on the hillside, little boxes made of ticky-tacky Little boxes, little boxes, little boxes all the same There’s a green one, … Continue reading →

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Stories Behind Words

Posted on February 23, 2010 by smellincoffee

Stories Behind Words: The Origins and Histories of 285 English Words© 1986 Peter Limburg288 pages I have long held an interest in etymology and the history of language, thus this book’s interest to me.  Author Peter Limburg expounds upon the … Continue reading →

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The Year of Living Biblically

Posted on February 22, 2010 by smellincoffee

The Year of Living Biblically: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Bible As Literally As Possible© 2007 A.J. Jacobs388 pages Day 111. When I’m jotting down tips on how to land a second wife, it’s clear that the pendulum … Continue reading →

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Dinner with a Perfect Stranger

Posted on February 18, 2010 by smellincoffee

Dinner with a Perfect Stranger: An Invitation Worth Considering © 2005 David Gregory 100 pages  When  Nick Cominsky received a personalized dinner invitation from Jesus of Nazareth, self-proclaimed Deity Extraordinaire, he was more than a little dubious. Obviously, his friends … Continue reading →

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This Week at the Library (18/2)

Posted on February 18, 2010 by smellincoffee

I haven’t done a review post in nearly a month, as I’ve been toying with the idea of dropping the weekly summaries. When I changed from a weekly to an individual format over a year ago, I maintained the weekly … Continue reading →

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I Am Spock

Posted on February 18, 2010 by smellincoffee

I Am Spock© 1995 Leonard Nimoy356 pages Leonard Nimoy’s autobiographical I Am Spock has been one of my favorite books for years. I purchased it perhaps over a decade ago: it’s a very battered paperback now, well-thumbed. I revisted it … Continue reading →

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The Emperor’s Handbook

Posted on February 17, 2010 by smellincoffee

The Emperor’s Handbook: A New Translation of the Meditations© 2002, translated by David and Scot Hicks.160 pages I first read Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations in 2007 and have returned to selected passages from the book time and again. The good emperor … Continue reading →

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A Guide to the Good Life

Posted on February 14, 2010 by smellincoffee

A Guide to the Good Life: the Ancient Art of Stoic Joy© 2009 William Irvine314 pages Last year when I began to examine Stoicism in depth, having found strength in the works of Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus, I read or … Continue reading →

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A Power Governments Cannot Suppress

Posted on February 11, 2010 by smellincoffee

A Power Governments Cannot Suppress © 2007 Howard Zinn 293 pages This year I have become convincted that democracy is not something that happens at the ballot-box but on the streets. It consists in mass movements forcing the institutions that … Continue reading →

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