Category Archives: Reviews

Book reviews, as well as Reads to Reels

Death and madness in China

Posted on February 22, 2021 by smellincoffee

The Cultural Revolution: A People’s History© 2016 Frank Dikotter433 pages In twenty-five years of reading history, I know of no man who has instigated more human suffering and death at a broader scale than Mao Tse-tung, the rebel turned architect … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , | 13 Comments

The Lost Classics

Posted on February 18, 2021 by smellincoffee

The Lost Classics© ed. Jim Casada1950s-60s pieces by Robert Ruark from Field & Stream and other magazines260 pages A hunt for southern literature outside the Faulkner/O’Connor domain brought me to the happy surprise that was The Old Man and the … Continue reading →

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Double play: Mobile & Latin America

Posted on February 15, 2021 by smellincoffee

This past week has seen a little progress on the ol’ TBR front, as I knocked out three books from the list, including The Network and those below. First up was E.O. Wilson’s Why We Are Here: Mobile and the … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Reviews, World Affairs | Tagged , , , , , , | 15 Comments

The Network

Posted on February 11, 2021 by smellincoffee

The Network: The Battle for the Airwaves and the Birth of the Communications Age© 2015 Scottt Woolley280 pages Few things fascinate me as much as cities in the United States and Europe, circa 1880 – 1930: they were being remade … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

The Bird Way

Posted on February 9, 2021 by smellincoffee

The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think© 2020 Jennifer Ackerman368 pages When reading an introduction to a book on anthropology, one can’t help but be impressed by the variety of human cultures: … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, science | Tagged , | 8 Comments

The Miracle of New Orleans

Posted on February 5, 2021 by smellincoffee

Andrew Jackson and the Miracle of New Orleans 2017 Brian Kilmeade256 pages I know precious little about the war of 1812, saved that it involved the United States invading Canada, D.C. being burned, and….something about New Orleans? That ….something is … Continue reading →

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

Selections from Beyond Tenebrae

Posted on February 4, 2021 by smellincoffee

For Marx, man is at heart economic. For Darwin, man is biological. For Freud, man is psychological. Each of these things is true. But man—a complexity and mystery even to himself—is all of these things and so much more. True … Continue reading →

Posted in General, quotations, Religion and Philosophy | 2 Comments

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe

Posted on February 2, 2021 by smellincoffee

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe© 1987 Fannie Flagg416 pages “You know, a heart can be broken, but it keeps on beating, just the same.” Evelyn Couch is too young to feel this old. Despairing and lonely, she … Continue reading →

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Alabama: Making of an American State

Posted on January 28, 2021 by smellincoffee

Alabama: the Making of an American State© 2016 Edwin C. Bridges264 pages In December of 2019,  the streets of Montgomery were thronged with people as the citizens of Alabama celebrated its 200th anniversary. The three years prior had been full  … Continue reading →

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The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop

Posted on January 26, 2021 by smellincoffee

The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop© 2020 Fannie Flagg304 pages One of my favorite movies growing up was Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle-Stop Cafe: why on Earth this movie became a favorite in my very sheltered household, I cannot … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Reviews | Tagged , | 4 Comments