Category Archives: Reviews

Book reviews, as well as Reads to Reels

Fun times at Wayside school

Posted on August 15, 2024 by smellincoffee

Wayside School Wayside School was, I believe, my introduction to absurdist writing, and Sachar was a master at it in the realm of kiddie-fic. Imagine a school built sideways: instead of being 30 classrooms in a single-story campus, it’s a … Continue reading →

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Marvin Redpost

Posted on August 14, 2024 by smellincoffee

I was going to do a big Sachar post, but realized it would get…erm, unwieldly. Going to seperate Marvin and the Wayside kids up! Marvin Redpost When straining the ol’ cranium for books I was reading in the nineties, an … Continue reading →

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The Higher Frontier

Posted on August 13, 2024 by smellincoffee

Sorry, this isn’t Blast from the Past related, but Lower Decks is still two weeks away from airing and Strange New Worlds won’t return until 2025. Had to scratch my Trek itch. Got some Louis Sachar coming! On Andor, the … Continue reading →

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California Diaries, round one

Posted on August 11, 2024 by smellincoffee

Warning: big post. Comments, videos, quotes. Years ago when the world was new and dinosaurs walked upon the face of the Earth, I saw a novel with an interesting cover and took a look. It proved to be a fictional … Continue reading →

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Damned Un-English

Posted on August 6, 2024 by smellincoffee

Gilbert Maltravers, of His Majesty’s Ship Hindustan, has just been promoted to full lieutenant and has decided to jump ship. The Hindustan, anyway, not the Navy, though he has his doubts about his future there unless there’s a war. Gilbert … Continue reading →

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When Dixie was the Southwest

Posted on August 5, 2024 by smellincoffee

Everett Dick’s The Dixie Frontier offers a fascinating glimpse into the early days of the American Southwest, providing a colorful and informative account of life on the frontier. Following the end of the Revolutionary War, Americans poured westward, venturing all … Continue reading →

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What happened after Star Trek: The One with the Whales?

Posted on August 2, 2024 by smellincoffee

Have you seen Star Trek IV: A Voyage Home? It’s easy to remember — it’s the funny one, with whales and Admiral Kirk not recognizing 20th century slang. The Enterprise crew have to go back to 1986 to pick up … Continue reading →

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Brutal Reckoning

Posted on July 30, 2024 by smellincoffee

I live in a place named for people no longer present: the Alibamu[*], part of the Creek confederacy which was driven from the southeast after the Battle of Horseshoe Bend. I loved history even as a child, and it was … Continue reading →

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Pride and Premeditation

Posted on July 26, 2024 by smellincoffee

Liz Bennet’s mother wants to marry her and her four sisters off, but Liz has something more interesting in mind for her life than men — most of whom, her father aside, she has little use for. She wants to … Continue reading →

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Back to Battle

Posted on July 24, 2024 by smellincoffee

Kelly McGuire came of age in his Majesty’s Navy during the Great War, and unlike many he stuck it out through the ‘peace” — though for him it wasn’t so peaceful, between running around in China and having his heart … Continue reading →

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