Category Archives: Reviews

Book reviews, as well as Reads to Reels

Iran & Israel: A Lovers to Enemies Story

Posted on March 23, 2026 by smellincoffee

Trita Parsi’s Treacherous Alliance is a history of relations between the United States, Israel, and Iran from 1947 on. It principally argues that Iran and Israel’s relationship has become poisoned not because of Iranian ideology — specifically, that of the … Continue reading →

Posted in General, history, World Affairs | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Harry Potter and the Teenage Angst

Posted on March 19, 2026 by smellincoffee

Although I’ve frequently re-read some Harry Potter books over the years, I’ve tended to avoid Phoenix after my second read.I found it depressing and irritating my first rounds, and had no desire to ever revisit it. The full cast audio … Continue reading →

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Robert Parker’s Blind Spot

Posted on March 16, 2026 by smellincoffee

Robert Parker’s Blind Spot is a mystery/thriller novel written to continue the stories of one of Parker’s existing characters, Sheriff Jesse Stone. I ran across the novel because I was looking for novels with baseball connections: this one begins when … Continue reading →

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Mortal Stakes

Posted on March 13, 2026 by smellincoffee

Spenser is a private detective working in the Hub City, and he’s just been approached with an interesting job. Red Sox management thinks one of their players is throwing games, and they want him to find out if their hunch … Continue reading →

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Double Play

Posted on March 10, 2026 by smellincoffee

Burke has returned home from World War 2 with a body full of scars and a mind even more disturbed. He arrived home not to hugs and kisses, but to a letter from his wife telling him that she’d run … Continue reading →

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The Tragic Comedy of Suburban Sprawl (Revisited)

Posted on March 6, 2026 by smellincoffee

Almost twenty years ago I attended a guest lecture at my university and heard a talk that would prove to be exceptionally influential on my thinking.  The talk, by Jim Kunstler, was on how American urban design – the built … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Politics and Civic Interest, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

The Confessions

Posted on March 5, 2026 by smellincoffee

Fifteen years ago, I read The Confessions; I am not sure what prompted me to do so, other than perhaps a desire to read The Classics, and my belief that St. Augustine was like Cicero, a brother in avid pursuit … Continue reading →

Posted in Classics and Literary, Religion and Philosophy, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

The Crossroads

Posted on February 26, 2026 by smellincoffee

Joe Pickett’s body lies in a bullet-ridden Game Warden pickup truck, with no indication of where he was going or who he expected to find. As he’s airlifted to a hospital and specialists go to work on him, his three … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Andrew Johnson

Posted on February 23, 2026 by smellincoffee

Andrew Johnson is one of those presidents who can’t get away with merely being forgotten; he is no Pierce or Fillmore, whom the general public knows nothing about. If Johnson is mentioned, his reputation is closer to that of his … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Harry Potter and the Strangely Tortured McGuffin Quest

Posted on February 22, 2026 by smellincoffee

I’ve been looking forward to the full-cast audio edition of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire for a while now, because (1) the full cast audio books are BRILLIANT (2) I’m addicted to them and have accepted that all … Continue reading →

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