Category Archives: Reviews

Book reviews, as well as Reads to Reels

Ope! ..it’s the Midwest Survival Guide

Posted on May 8, 2026 by smellincoffee

A few years ago I stumbled into the Midwestcentric comedy stylings of Charlie Berens, and he’s become a close favorite: I rewatch his and YouBetcha’s collabs constantly. The Midwest Survival Guide is a solo effort of his, one I ignored … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Killing Kennedy

Posted on May 7, 2026 by smellincoffee

A black convertible slows around a turn in Dallas, showing off a handsome couple in the backseat. Shots are fired, and suddenly a woman in pink is climbing across the trunk of the convertible as it now speeds away. These … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Civic Interest, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

WWW Wednesday & Long and Short Reviews

Posted on May 6, 2026 by smellincoffee

Today’s prompt is “What could you give a speech about without notice”, which makes me laugh because going off on spontaneous history lectures is a specialty of mine. History is my passion, and it’s partially connected to my profession: I … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Politics and Civic Interest | Tagged , , | 18 Comments

Being Nixon

Posted on May 5, 2026 by smellincoffee

Last year I nearly did a deep dive into all things Nixon: exactly a year later,  he beckoned me to follow him, and this time I did.  What is it about Nixon?  One book I’ve read recently, and I can’t … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Politics and Civic Interest, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Ike and Dick

Posted on May 4, 2026 by smellincoffee

I increasingly find Richard Nixon a fascinating personality, and stumbled onto this while looking for Nixon books: I’ve been reading it along with Being Nixon the last week or so. Ike and Dick focuses on the relationship between these two … Continue reading →

Posted in General, history, Politics and Civic Interest, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Rebecca

Posted on April 25, 2026 by smellincoffee

Imagine your life being so overwhelmed by other people’s memories of a woman that her name is emblazoned over your story — and still worse, you don’t have a name in your story, only the title that both you and … Continue reading →

Posted in Classics and Literary, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 13 Comments

Author in Chief

Posted on April 24, 2026 by smellincoffee

“History will be kind to me, for I intend to write it,” said Winston Churchill, and write it he did – histories of the World Wars and the Anglo-American people. Across the pond, American executives were also doing their writing. … Continue reading →

Posted in General, history, Politics and Civic Interest, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Inside Camp David

Posted on April 23, 2026 by smellincoffee

President Herbert Hoover found himself homesick during his term in office in D.C, and decided to buy some land with his own money to develop as a mountain retreat. While security concerns did add some infrastructure, like telephone lines, the … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Politics and Civic Interest, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Harry Potter and the Epic Backstory

Posted on April 21, 2026 by smellincoffee

Half-Blood Prince and Prisoner of Azkaban routinely compete for my favorite HP novel, and for similar reasons — humor and backstory. It is far, far more than that, however: Prisoner of Azkaban had both in spades, but HBP is a … Continue reading →

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

Magna Carta

Posted on April 20, 2026 by smellincoffee

In a sunny meadow in southern England stands a quiet monument commemorating a document signed there centuries ago: the Magna Carta. The monument is erected not by some English historical society, however, but by the American Bar Association. The Magna … Continue reading →

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