Category Archives: Reviews

Book reviews, as well as Reads to Reels

CS Lewis and the Catholic Church

Posted on May 26, 2022 by smellincoffee

C.S. Lewis and the Catholic Church© 2013 Joseph Pearce280 pages When C.S. Lewis began writing on Christian belief and practice in the mid-20th century,  reviewers at the time took it for granted that he had joined the Catholic church, despite … Continue reading →

Posted in Religion and Philosophy, Reviews | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Optimal

Posted on May 23, 2022 by smellincoffee

Optimal© 2020 J.M. Berger355 pages Jack has known nothing but the System his entire life.  He rises when it tells him to, he dresses in the outfit its algorithms choose for him, he follows prompts to a selected diner and … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, science fiction | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

Excellence requires work

Posted on May 23, 2022 by smellincoffee
Posted in quotations, Religion and Philosophy | Leave a comment

Cloud Judgement

Posted on May 20, 2022 by smellincoffee

Cloud Judgement© 2022 Kat Wheeler193 pages Cam Caldwell was a conscientious saleswoman whose interest in a product defect inadvertently threw her into the middle of a murder mystery.  The culmination of that drama in There is no Cloud cost Cam … Continue reading →

Posted in science fiction | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Dogfight

Posted on May 20, 2022 by smellincoffee

Dogfight: How Apple and Google Went to War and Started a Revolution© 2013 Fred Vogelstein272 pages Fifteen years ago, Apple inaugurated a technical and social revolution when it released the first iPhone.  It did so in close partnership with Google, … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Commandos, Inklings, and powershell

Posted on May 11, 2022 by smellincoffee

If you can’t tell, dear readers, I’m in something of a reading funk — nibbling at many books but not immersed in any. Life has gotten busy recently: I’m now officially on a transplant list, a friend was just married, … Continue reading →

Posted in Classics and Literary, historical fiction, Religion and Philosophy, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

A Sea Unto Itself

Posted on April 28, 2022 by smellincoffee

A Sea Unto Itself© 2013 Jay Worrall272 pages Amid the bloodshed and chaos of the French revolution, a singular figure has emerged: General Napoleon Bonaparte, a minor Corsican nobleman who distinguished himself on the field of battle and now has … Continue reading →

Posted in historical fiction, Reviews | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Crusader

Posted on April 27, 2022 by smellincoffee

Crusader© 2021 Ben Kane426 pages Lionheart introduced readers to Rufus, an Irish noble turned household knight in the court of England’s own King Richard. Exiled to England as a surety for his father’s good behavior, made an orphan by insurrection … Continue reading →

Posted in historical fiction, Reviews | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Churchill’s Shadow Raiders

Posted on April 18, 2022 by smellincoffee

Churchill’s Shadow Raiders: The Race to Develop Radar, World War II’s Invisible Secret Weapon© 2020 Damien Lewis 416 pages A decade ago, in reading Electric Universe, I was delighted to learn about Operation BITING, one of World War 2’s more extraordinary … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Reviews | Tagged , , , | 9 Comments

Churchill’s Band of Brothers

Posted on April 14, 2022 by smellincoffee

Band of Brothers: WW2’s Most Daring D-Day Mission and the Hunt to Take Down Hitler’s War Criminals© 2021 Damien Lewis400 pages A few months back, I read D-Day Girls, a history of SOE operatives who prepared the way for Operation … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments