Category Archives: Reviews

Book reviews, as well as Reads to Reels

Sharpe’s Devil

Posted on April 10, 2022 by smellincoffee

Sharpe’s Devil: Chile, 1820© 1992 Bernard Cornwell280 pages Twelve years ago, Cyberkitten introduced me to Richard Sharpe, and for the next two years I happily followed him through India, Iberia, and France. These days I am forced to look for … Continue reading →

Posted in historical fiction, Reviews | Tagged , , , | 11 Comments

Lionheart

Posted on April 6, 2022 by smellincoffee

Lionheart© 2020 Ben Kane400 pages A noble son of Ireland is transported to England as a hostage to secure his father’s loyalty, and the adventure of a lifetime begins. Abused and ill-treated by the petty lords who are given custody … Continue reading →

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

Drunk Flies and Stoned Dolphins

Posted on April 4, 2022 by smellincoffee

Drunk Flies and Stoned Dolphins: A Trip through the World of Animal Intoxication© 2021 One R. Pagan320 pages Drunk Flies and Stoned Dolphins promises readers amusing stories of animal intoxication, but delivers instead a serious but enjoyable look at animal … Continue reading →

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

Irreversible Damage

Posted on March 25, 2022 by smellincoffee

Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters© 2020 Abigail Shrier276 pages To the degree that gender dysphoria existed prior to 2015, it was almost wholly the domain of young boys.  In the last ten years, however, claims of dysphoria … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, Society and Culture | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Righteous in their time

Posted on March 16, 2022 by smellincoffee

We live in a time when it has become politically correct to destroy statues of such historic figures as Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Christopher Columbus, Andrew Jackson, and others. A lesson about such statue-tory destruction can be learned by comparing the … Continue reading →

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Gone with the Wind

Posted on March 15, 2022 by smellincoffee

Gone with the Wind© 1936 Margaret Mitchell1037 pages It’s been nearly twenty years since I visited the joined worlds of antebellum Tara and postwar Atlanta, tied together through the life of a ruined plantation belle turned business magnate, Scarlett O’Hara. … Continue reading →

Posted in historical fiction, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

Caesar’s Last Breath

Posted on March 11, 2022 by smellincoffee

Caesar’s Last Breath: Decoding the Secrets of the Air Around Us© 2017 Sam Kean384 pages In The Disappearing Spoon, Sam Kean offered a history of early chemistry, as we began to understand the elements that create our world, and the … Continue reading →

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Ms. Adventure

Posted on March 8, 2022 by smellincoffee

Ms. Adventure: My Wild Explorations in Science, Lava, and Life© 2021 Jess Phoenix272 pages Some scientists work in nice, safe labs, with bright lights and sanitized equipment, and their greatest fear is that grant funding will fall through next year. … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, science | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

The Devil’s Company

Posted on March 7, 2022 by smellincoffee

The Devil’s Company© 2007 David Liss371 pages Benjamin Weaver is in trouble. An ex-boxer who now works as a private detective of sorts in 18th century London, he’s made a name for himself as a man who can get things … Continue reading →

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Eagles in the Storm

Posted on March 2, 2022 by smellincoffee

Eagles in the Storm© 2017 Ben Kane352 pages Six years ago, a German auxiliary named Arminius used his place of respect within the Roman army to lure Governor Vaurs and three legions into a devastating ambush. Rome began to exact … Continue reading →

Posted in historical fiction, Reviews | Tagged , , | 10 Comments