Category Archives: Reviews

Book reviews, as well as Reads to Reels

Hope Never Dies

Posted on August 7, 2023 by smellincoffee

Joe Biden is roused by his faithful pooch, Champ, who hears something Nefarious going on outside. Sallying forth to investigate, Scranton Joe finds a lone (well, lone-ish — there are guards) figure standing in the woods waiting for him. It’s … Continue reading →

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Selected quotes from “41: A Portrait of my Father”

Posted on August 5, 2023 by smellincoffee

41 is a biography of George H.W. Bush by his son, George W. Bush, and is written with affection, not objectivity. Bush offers that as a disclaimer at the very beginning. This is a tribute, written by a man who … Continue reading →

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The Last Republicans

Posted on August 3, 2023 by smellincoffee

I was interested in reading this book even before my unexpected presidential reading tangent of this last month, in part because of my age: George H.W. Bush was the first president I remember, and holds that title somewhat fixedly in … Continue reading →

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The Fight of his Life

Posted on August 2, 2023 by smellincoffee

“I’ll tell ya one thing, and I’m not ashamed to say it,” to borrow from my favorite Sopranoes antagonist, Phil Leotardo, “but my estimation of Chris Whipple as an author just plummeted. ” His Gatekeepers, a history and assessment of … Continue reading →

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July 2023 in Review

Posted on July 31, 2023 by smellincoffee

While it’s conceivable that I could finish a book today (I’m halfway through The Last Republicans, and ditto for Off the Planet: Five Months on Mir), I doubt it. I spent the weekend saying goodbye to a friend: the Harmony … Continue reading →

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Amber Brown and Matilda

Posted on July 27, 2023 by smellincoffee

Most of this week’s reading has been of books I read in the 1990s, or at least were books from series I read in the 1990s. I never read Amber Brown, though, possibly because by the time they were published … Continue reading →

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Charlie and Harriet

Posted on July 27, 2023 by smellincoffee

At some point in 1996 or ’97, I got to watch Harriet the Spy. I also began keeping a journal in 1997, which is not an accident, though I found California Diaries at the same time. As part of this … Continue reading →

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Goosebumps and Boxcar Children

Posted on July 26, 2023 by smellincoffee

I’m lumping these two together because as much as I liked them as a kid, I wasn’t able to get access to many copies while I was prepping for this project, so I’m limited to one or two books . … Continue reading →

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Henry, Beezus, and Ramona

Posted on July 26, 2023 by smellincoffee

I wish I could tell you when I met Henry, Beezus, and Ramona, but it’s been 30+ years and a child’s early life is full of firsts, too many to hold on to. I do know that it was Ribsy … Continue reading →

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Matthew Martin!

Posted on July 25, 2023 by smellincoffee

This week’s reading owes its existence to the Matthew Martin books, which I found in my home library and devoured. The star? Matthew Martin (no prizes for guessing that), who the series follows for four years, through the awkward tween … Continue reading →

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