Category Archives: Reviews

Book reviews, as well as Reads to Reels

The Tyrannosaurus Prescription

Posted on February 9, 2010 by smellincoffee

The Tyrannosaurus Prescription and 100 Other Essays© 1989 Isaac Asimov323  pages I take for granted that I will enjoy a work by Asimov, particularly a collection of essays, but this made for a particularly enjoyable read. The Tyrannosaurus Prescription covers … Continue reading →

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Storm of Steel

Posted on February 8, 2010 by smellincoffee

Storm of Steel © 1921 Ernst Jünger 319 pages Storm of Steel is the oddest war memoir I have ever read. I’ve read a few of them in hopes of understanding various motivations for young men marching off to war, … Continue reading →

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A Dirty Job

Posted on February 6, 2010 by smellincoffee

A Dirty Job© 2006 Christopher Moore400 pages When the Devil is too busy, and Death’s a bit too much They call on me, by name you see — For my special touch.  (Voltaire, “When You’re Evil”) Charlie Asher is the … Continue reading →

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Red Emma Speaks

Posted on February 4, 2010 by smellincoffee

Red Emma Speaks: An Emma Goldman Reader© 1973, 1996 ed. Alix Kates Shulman464 pages           Emma Goldman was an incorrigible political activist and social critic during the Gilded Age, speaking out against nearly everything society held dear – the government, capitalism, … Continue reading →

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Sand and Foam

Posted on January 30, 2010 by smellincoffee

Sand and Foam© 1926, 1943 Kahlil Gibran112 pages I am forever walking upon these shores,  Betwixt the sand and the foam,  The high tide will erase my foot-prints,  And the wind will blow away the foam.  But the sea and … Continue reading →

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Letters from a Stoic

Posted on January 28, 2010 by smellincoffee

Letters from a Stoic© 1969, 2004;  translated by Robin Campbell253 pages Seneca’s appearance in The Humanist Anthology piqued my interest, so I purchased Letters from a Stoic soon after finishing it, specifically the Penguin Classics edtiion translated by Robin Campell. … Continue reading →

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The Motorcycle Diaries

Posted on January 28, 2010 by smellincoffee

The Motorcycle Diaries: Notes on a Latin American Journey© Ernesto Guevara (Ocean Press 2004)175 pages “Along the roads of our daydream we reached remote countries, navigated tropical seas and traveled all through Asia. And suddenly, slipping in as if part … Continue reading →

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Into the Wild

Posted on January 21, 2010 by smellincoffee

Into the Wild© 1997 Jon Krakauer207 pages Well over a year ago, perhaps closer to two, a friend of mine asked me if I had heard the story of Christopher McCandless, a young man who left society to live off … Continue reading →

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This Week at the Library (20/1)

Posted on January 20, 2010 by smellincoffee

Books this Update: The Gangs of New York, Herbert Ashbury Asimov Laughs Again, Isaac Asimov Lamb: the Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Friend; Christopher Moore Under and Alone, William Queen The Lives of Dax, ed.  Marco Palmieri The Best American … Continue reading →

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The Chamber

Posted on January 20, 2010 by smellincoffee

The Chamber© 1994 John Grisham676 pages As a high school senior, my second John Grisham read resulted from rescuing a battered copy of The Chamber from my library’s discard pile. The librarian warned me against reading the book, saying that it … Continue reading →

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