Category Archives: Reviews

Book reviews, as well as Reads to Reels

Deer Hunting with Jesus

Posted on February 13, 2009 by smellincoffee

Deer Hunting with Jesus: Dispatches from America’s Class War© Joe Bageant 2007267 pages + acknowledgments One of the benefits of living in a university setting is that I’m constantly surrounded by people who are reading idea-centered books. One such book … Continue reading →

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How the Irish Saved Civilization

Posted on February 10, 2009 by smellincoffee

How the Irish Saved Civilization: the Untold Story of Ireland’s Heroic Role from the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe© 1995 Thomas Cahill230 pages plus bibliography, chronology, and index. Last week I began the “Hinges of History” … Continue reading →

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This Week at the Library (9/2)

Posted on February 6, 2009 by smellincoffee

Books this Update: Homeward Bound, Harry Turtledove Mysteries of the Middle Ages, Thomas Cahill The Book of Ecclesiastes, Tremper Longman III I started with Harry Turtledove’s conclusion to the Worldwar-Colonization series, Homeward Bound. While being the final book in this … Continue reading →

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Mysteries of the Middle Ages

Posted on February 6, 2009 by smellincoffee

Mysteries of the Middle Ages and the Beginnings of the Modern World© 2006 Thomas Cahill317 pages, plus notes and index A couple of weeks ago I met a friend for breakfast, and he brought with him an interesting-looking book. He … Continue reading →

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The Book of Ecclesiastes

Posted on February 6, 2009 by smellincoffee

The Book of Ecclesiastes.© 1998 Tremper Longman III284 pages, plus indices Man’s fate is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath; man has no … Continue reading →

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Homeward Bound

Posted on February 2, 2009 by smellincoffee

Homeward Bound© 2005 Harry Turtledove597 pagesThis week I concluded Harry Turtledove’s Worldwar-Colonization metaseries on a high note. Homeward Bound picks up at the conclusion of Aftershocks (1970) but quickly moves to 2030. In the opening pages, Turtledove moves the plot … Continue reading →

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This Week At the Library (2/2)

Posted on February 2, 2009 by smellincoffee

Books this Update: Colonization: Aftershocks, Harry Turtledove The Battle of the Labyrinth, Rick Riordian Amusing Ourselves to Death, Neil Postman Jedi Trial, David Sherman and Dan Cragg After nearly a two-month break, I returned to Harry Turtledove’s Colonization series. Colonization … Continue reading →

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Jedi Trial

Posted on January 30, 2009 by smellincoffee

Jedi Trial: A Clone Wars Novel© 2004 David Sherman and Dan Cragg345 Continuing in my Star Wars kick this week, I read Jedi Trial. As you might guess from the title, it’s set during the Clone Wars. Anakin Skywalker is … Continue reading →

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Amusing Ourselves to Death

Posted on January 29, 2009 by smellincoffee

Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Television© 1985 Neil Postman176 pages, plus index, bibliography, and notes. I read a couple of books by Postman during the summer, and both were mind-broadening. Postman is particularly concerned about … Continue reading →

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The Battle of the Labyrinth

Posted on January 28, 2009 by smellincoffee

The Battle of the Labyrinth© 2008 Rick Riordian361 pagesContinuing in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series this week, I read the last book that Riordian has published. The next book will not be released until May. The book begins, … Continue reading →

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