Category Archives: Reviews

Book reviews, as well as Reads to Reels

The Greatest Show on Earth

Posted on November 5, 2009 by smellincoffee

The Greatest Show on Earth: the Evidence for Evolution© Richard Dawkins 2009 470 pages 2009 is the “Year of Darwin”, giving us nice round anniversaries for both Charles Darwins’ birth and the publication of his most famous work, The Origin … Continue reading →

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A Gladiator Dies Only Once

Posted on October 31, 2009 by smellincoffee

A Gladiator Dies Only Once: The Further Investigations of Gordianus the Finder © 2005 Steven Saylor 269 pages Although the meat of the Roma sub Rosa series is its novels, Steven Saylor also enjoys writing short stories set within it, … Continue reading →

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This Week at the Library (27/10)

Posted on October 31, 2009 by smellincoffee

Books this Update: A Mist of Prophecies, Steven Saylor The Spiritual Teachings of Marcus Aurelius, Mark Forstater For Everything a Season, Philip Gully Darwin Awards III, Wendy Northcutt The Cosmic Connection, Carl Sagan This update is a bit unusual in … Continue reading →

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The Cosmic Connection

Posted on October 28, 2009 by smellincoffee

The Cosmic Connection: An Extraterrestrial Perspective© 1973 Carl Sagan273 pages Carl Sagan penned The Cosmic Connection in the interests of communicating his own exhilaration at the human exploration of space. He begins by expressing his appreciating for being alive when … Continue reading →

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Darwin Awards III

Posted on October 28, 2009 by smellincoffee

Darwin Awards III: Survival of the Fittest© 2003 Wendy Northcutt304 pages The Darwin Awards are tongue-in-cheek “honors” given to adults who remove themselves from the gene pool by killing themselves in extraordinarily stupid ways, thus improving it. The home of … Continue reading →

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For Everything a Season

Posted on October 24, 2009 by smellincoffee

For Everything a Season: Simple Musings on Living Well © 2001 Phillip Gully 220 pages I don’t recall what lead me to reading this book, although I’m sure my fondness for the Hebrew book of Ecclesiastes had something to do … Continue reading →

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The Spiritual Teachings of Marcus Aurelius

Posted on October 20, 2009 by smellincoffee

The Spiritual Teachings of Marcus Aurelius© 2000 Mark Forstater288 pages I first encountered Marcus Aurelius in November 2007, reading his Meditations during Thanksgiving. Although I did not mention it any detail here, the Meditations have stuck with me ever since, … Continue reading →

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A Mist of Prophecies

Posted on October 19, 2009 by smellincoffee

A Mist of Prophecies © 2003 Steven Saylor 304 pages Gordianus the Finder and Rome have been through much turmoil in the past two preceding books, Rome having been plunged into civil war by the ambitions of those two men … Continue reading →

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This Week at the Library (16/10)

Posted on October 16, 2009 by smellincoffee

This Week at the Library: I Sold My Soul on eBay, Hement Mehta Last Seen in Masillia, Steven Saylor The Consolations of Philosophy, Alain de Botton Humanist Anthology, ed. Margaret Knight and James Herrick Love and Death, F. Forrester Church … Continue reading →

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Humanist Anthology

Posted on October 14, 2009 by smellincoffee

Humanist Anthology© 1995 ed. Margaret Knight and revised editor James Herrick220 pages Know then thyself, presume not God to scan; The proper study of Mankind is Man. Plac’d on this isthmus of a middle state, A being darkly wise, and … Continue reading →

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