Category Archives: Reviews

Book reviews, as well as Reads to Reels

Seven of Nine

Posted on June 23, 2020 by smellincoffee

Star Trek Voyager: Seven of Nine © 1998 Christie Golden 233 pages Sing a song of sixpence, A pocket full of rye Four and twenty blackbirds, Baked into a pie It began with a bird. A single black bird — … Continue reading →

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Scams, beer, and the Constitution

Posted on June 22, 2020 by smellincoffee

This past week I’ve read a few books which haven’t gotten full reviews, but I wanted to mention them anyway:. Scam Me if You Can, Frank Abanagle Jr. If that name sounds familiar to you, Abnagle’s youthful feats in fraud … Continue reading →

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To Wake the Giant

Posted on June 21, 2020 by smellincoffee

To Wake the Giant: A Novel of Pearl Harbor © 2020 Jeff Shaara 528 pages In To Wake the Giant,  Jeff Shaara returns to World War 2, this time with a curveball.  Unlike most of his other novels,  Wake the … Continue reading →

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American Terrorist

Posted on June 19, 2020 by smellincoffee

American Terrorist: Timothy McVeigh and the Oklahoma City Bombing ©  2001, 2015 Lou Michel & Dan Herberck 426 pages   During a recreation period one day, a prisoner in an adjoining cage poured his heart out to McVeigh, telling him … Continue reading →

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Ruby Ridge

Posted on June 17, 2020 by smellincoffee

Every Knee Shall Bow / Ruby Ridge: The Truth and Tragedy of the Randy Weaver Family © 1995, 2002  Jess Walter 416 pages “[….] people ought not to be murdered by their own government.” The inherent brutality of the police … Continue reading →

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How to Run a Drug Cartel

Posted on June 11, 2020 by smellincoffee

Narconomics: How to Run a Drug Cartel © 2016 Tom Wainright 288 pages I only know of one rule for the drug business, and that via Scarface: never get high on your own supply.  And as Manny could tell you, … Continue reading →

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To Build a Castle

Posted on June 9, 2020 by smellincoffee

To Build a Castle: My Life as a Dissenter ©  1978 Vladimir Bukovsky 438 pages When frustrated Soviet officials asked Vlaldimir Bukovsky why he continued to provoke them, he replied that he doubted he could cause them nearly as much … Continue reading →

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Smuggler Nation

Posted on June 4, 2020 by smellincoffee

Smuggler Nation: How Illicit Trade Made America © 2014 Peter Andreas 472 pages “What can a Governor do, without the assistance of the Governed? What can the Magistrates do, unless they are supported by their fellow Citizens? What can the … Continue reading →

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The Lion at Sea

Posted on May 30, 2020 by smellincoffee

The Lion at Sea © 1977  Max Hennessy/John Harris 368 pages The atmosphere was electric and exultant. They were sailing into history at thirty knots. But what history? Defeat or victory? Kelly McGuire never consciously intended to follow his old … Continue reading →

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Wayside School Beneath the Cloud of Doom

Posted on May 29, 2020 by smellincoffee

© 2020 Louis Sachar 176 pages I was a weekly visitor to my childhood library, always bringing home  a fresh pile of books — but some books I checked out over and over again. Sideways Stories from Wayside High and … Continue reading →

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