Category Archives: Reviews

Book reviews, as well as Reads to Reels

What Einstein Told His Cook

Posted on July 5, 2019 by smellincoffee

What Einstein Told His Cook: Kitchen Science Explained© 2002  Richard Wolke369 pages What did Einstein tell his cook?  ..I still don’t know. I have learned, however, that it is possible to make a jello out of champagne;  that concrete sidewalks, … Continue reading →

Posted in science | Tagged , | 7 Comments

The Thinking Man’s Gangster

Posted on June 28, 2019 by smellincoffee

Meyer Lansky: The Thinking Man’s GangsterRevised and expanded reprint of Little Man: The Gangster Life of Meyer Lanksy 457 pages© 2019 Robert Lacey There’s no such thing as a lucky gambler. There’s only winners and losers, and the winners are the … Continue reading →

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

The Lone Warrior

Posted on June 25, 2019 by smellincoffee

The Lone Warrior© 2016 Paul Fraser Collard384 pages The time for grand strategy was over. The moment had come to put faith in an Enfield rifle, a steel bayonet and the exhausted and bloodied soldier who stood behind it. Jack … Continue reading →

Posted in historical fiction, Reviews | Tagged , | 2 Comments

American Detective

Posted on June 22, 2019 by smellincoffee

American Detective: Behind the Scenes of Famous Criminal Investigations© 2018  Thomas Reppetto312 pages I’ve been playing through L.A. Noire lately, and its use of real-life crime (the Black Dahlia case)  prompted me to look for anything written about it. American … Continue reading →

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

The Devil’s Assassin

Posted on June 19, 2019 by smellincoffee

The Devil’s Assassin© 2015 Paul Fraser Collard336 pages   Jack was filled with the madness. He could feel it searing through his veins. It resonated deep in his soul, every fibre of his being tingling with the insanity of galloping … Continue reading →

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

The Maharajah’s General

Posted on June 14, 2019 by smellincoffee

The Maharajah’s General© 2013 Paul Fraser Collard339 pages In The Scarlet Thief, an ambitious but impoverished redcoat saw a way for himself out of the gutter when the officer he served as an orderly became deathly ill on a sea … Continue reading →

Posted in historical fiction, Reviews | Tagged , | 9 Comments

Metropolis

Posted on June 12, 2019 by smellincoffee

Metropolis© 2019 Phillp Kerr384 pages At the height of Weimar decadence, young Bernie Gunther is invited to join the Murder Commission. It’s a step up from Vice, and the department needs every watchful eye and quick wit it can get:  … Continue reading →

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

Top Ten Favorite History Reads

Posted on June 8, 2019 by smellincoffee

My PC was in the shop this past Tuesday (trying to figure out why a new graphics card wasn’t working — turns out the card itself is defective), so I missed the “Books from Your Favorite Genre” list done on … Continue reading →

Posted in history | Tagged , | 10 Comments

Roswell reboot…initial impressions

Posted on June 7, 2019 by smellincoffee

I just discovered that there’s a new Roswell — or rather, a show called Roswell, New Mexico, which is loosely based on Melinda Metz’  Roswell High and has no connection to the old CW show beyond also being produced by CW.      … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Altered Carbon

Posted on June 6, 2019 by smellincoffee

Altered Carbon© 2002 Richard K. Morgan416 pages Takeshi Kovacs,  soldier-turned-commando-turned rogue,  is rudely awakened with a job.  Imprisoned for two hundred years, he’s now being offered the chance of parole if he can solve a murder.  Or should it be … Continue reading →

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