Category Archives: Reviews

Book reviews, as well as Reads to Reels

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 →

Posted in historical fiction, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

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 →

Posted in history, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

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 →

Posted in historical fiction, Reviews | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

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 →

Posted in historical fiction, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

While We Were Watching Downton Abbey

Posted on July 19, 2024 by smellincoffee

While prowling the shelves in search of more Ruth Ware, I spotted the phrase Downton Abbey on a book spine and pounced immediately. In the modern age which is flooded with new shows by the day, Downton is one of … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , | 11 Comments

The Astronaut and the Star

Posted on July 18, 2024 by smellincoffee

Regina “Reggie” Hayes wants to be the first woman on the Moon: it’s a goal she’s worked forward to for fifteen years, but her intelligence and drive are frequently undermined by her inability to suffer fools and her…anti-charisma, let’s say. … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged | 3 Comments

The Turn of the Key

Posted on July 16, 2024 by smellincoffee

This….book. I was twenty minutes late returning from lunch because of it, I burned a pizza because of it, I didn’t even notice the thunderstorm was over and it was safe to go in the pool I was housesitting because … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

Attachments

Posted on July 15, 2024 by smellincoffee

Lincoln thought he’d snagged a sweet new job as an IT security chief at a large newspaper, until he realized the job description was almost entirely about monitoring staff emails and activity flagged as violations of the company’s computer-use policy. … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , | 9 Comments