Category Archives: Reviews

Book reviews, as well as Reads to Reels

Top Ten + Teaser Tuesday

Posted on March 21, 2023 by smellincoffee

Today’s Tuesday teases come from three different books: one, a collection of extended quotations from Mohandas Gandhi; a book on the study of ice, air, and oceans; and a history of D-Day from a German historian. A man who aspires … Continue reading →

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The Boys from Biloxi

Posted on March 20, 2023 by smellincoffee

The Boys from Biloxi© 2022 John Grisham453 pages Keith Rudy and Hugh Malco were among the best of friends,   who grew up playing ball and exploring the Gulf Coast together.  Third-generation immigrants,    they both admired their fathers intensely  … Continue reading →

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Pompey and Caesar

Posted on March 17, 2023 by smellincoffee

And do you now strew flowers in his wayThat comes in triumph over Pompey’s blood? Be gone! The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, William Shakespeare The narrative of Julius Caesar and the fall of Rome that we get in elementary school … Continue reading →

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Paul Among the People

Posted on March 14, 2023 by smellincoffee

Paul Among the People: The Apostle Reinterpreted and Reimagined in his Own Time© 2010 Sarah Ruden240 pages Although liberal Quaker Sarah Ruden had heard criticisms of Paul all her life,  after becoming familiar with the culture of the Greco-Roman world … Continue reading →

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Betrayer and Betrayed

Posted on March 9, 2023 by smellincoffee

The Lost Gospel of Judas Iscariot: A New Look at Betrayer and Betrayed© 2006 Bart Ehrman198 pages In the 1970s a small collection of previously unknown texts surfaced, one of which (“The Gospel of Judas”) was of great interest to … Continue reading →

Posted in Religion and Philosophy, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

The Other Side of the Bay

Posted on March 8, 2023 by smellincoffee

The Other Side of the Bay© 2014 Sean Dietrich177 pages There’s a broken down  truck in the woods holding three men,  two drunk brothers and a passed-out football has-been.   By morning, the truck will be discovered in perfect working … Continue reading →

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Blood of Honour

Posted on March 7, 2023 by smellincoffee

Blood of Honour© 2011 James Holland384 pages It’s May 1941, and it looks like the good guys may actually win one for once.   British troops have arrived in Crete to defend it against an anticipated German invasion,   making … Continue reading →

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Monroeville and TKAM

Posted on February 27, 2023 by smellincoffee

Monroeville and the Stage Production of “To Kill a Mockingbird” © 2023 John M. Williams160 pages The first time I ever visited Monroeville, I had the dumb luck to arrive on a day when the courthouse-turned-museum was hosting a theatrical … Continue reading →

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The Joyful Christian

Posted on February 24, 2023 by smellincoffee

The Joyful Christian: 127 Readings© 1977 256 pages Let’s say you’ve never read any of C.S. Lewis’  nonfiction, but you’ve heard his name constantly and are curious.  Published fourteen years after Lewis’ death, The Joyful Christian collects excerpts from his … Continue reading →

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Early Alabama

Posted on February 22, 2023 by smellincoffee

Early Alabama: An Illustrated Guide to the Formative Years © 2019 Mike Bunn184 pages Published in time for the celebration of Alabama’s bicentennial, Early Alabama invites readers back to when the Heart of Dixie was still a wilderness, save for … Continue reading →

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