Category Archives: Reviews

Book reviews, as well as Reads to Reels

Transforming the Mind

Posted on March 30, 2009 by smellincoffee

Transforming the Mind: Teachings on Generating Compassion© Tenzin Gyatso 1999168 pages This book was not written as a book: it is, rather, the transcript of a series of lectures Gyatso gave in London. According to its introduction, many people asked … Continue reading →

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Rubicon

Posted on March 30, 2009 by smellincoffee

Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic© 2003 Tom Holland407 pages, including index As a student of history, Rome holds a particularly strong fascination for me. Having been brought up in western civilization, Roman history is my history. I … Continue reading →

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Roman Blood

Posted on March 28, 2009 by smellincoffee

Roman Blood: A Novel of Ancient Rome© 1991 Steven Saylor401 pages They had an awful lot of sex in ancient Rome. Not quite as much as the Cro–Magnons in Jean M. Auel’s Earth Children series, but a good part of … Continue reading →

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Freakonomics

Posted on March 25, 2009 by smellincoffee

Freakonomics: Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything (Revised and Expanded Edition)© 2005 Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner320 pages I gave little thought to choosing to read this book this particular week. I’d heard of the book … Continue reading →

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This Week at the Library 22/3

Posted on March 23, 2009 by smellincoffee

Books this Update: The Wordy Shipmates, Sarah Vowell An Open Heart, Tenzin Gyatso Here If You Need Me, Kate Braestrup Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis The Naked Sun, Isaac Asimov Real-Life X-Files, Joe Nickell Ten Discoveries that Rewrote History, Patrick Hunt … Continue reading →

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Archangel

Posted on March 23, 2009 by smellincoffee

Archangel: A Novel© 1998 Robert Harris432 pages No one can accuse Robert Harris of same-ness in his settings: after one alternate history mystery novel set in 1975 Nazi Germany, two novels set in ancient Rome, and another set in 1943 … Continue reading →

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Ethics for a New Millennium

Posted on March 22, 2009 by smellincoffee

Ethics for a New Millennium© 1999 Tenzin Gyatso (the XIV Dalai Lama)237 pages Every so often I encounter an author who I find to be delightful, and the Dalai Lama is one of them. I was somewhat dubious about reading … Continue reading →

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Frontiers II

Posted on March 20, 2009 by smellincoffee

Frontiers II : More recent discoveries about life, Earth, space, and the universe© 1993 Isaac and Janet Asimov369 pages Given Isaac Asimov’s deliberate attempt to be famous for sheer volume in terms of books, I think he would be amused … Continue reading →

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Ten Discoveries That Rewrote History

Posted on March 19, 2009 by smellincoffee

Ten Discoveries That Rewrote History© Patrick Hunt 2001226 pages I spotted this while ambling through the history section of the Selma library, and it turned out to be a splendid read. Archaeologist Patrick Hunt takes on a tour of the … Continue reading →

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Real-Life X-Files

Posted on March 18, 2009 by smellincoffee

Real-Life X-Files: Investigating the Paranormal© Joe Nickell 2001326 pages Joe Nickell is a frequent guest of Point of Inquiry, a podcast I listen to weekly. Past readings have come from Point of Inquiry, and this is another. Nickell examines paranormal … Continue reading →

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