Category Archives: Reviews

Book reviews, as well as Reads to Reels

Agatha Christie and Tony Soprano

Posted on October 21, 2019 by smellincoffee

Over the weekend I finished two titles that don’t bear elaborate reviews. First up was Agatha Christie’s Hallowe’en Party,  a murder mystery set during this spooky-fun season.  Not everyone is having fun, though, especially not little Joyce, who – – … Continue reading →

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American Rifle

Posted on October 18, 2019 by smellincoffee

American Rifle: A Biography © 2008 Alexander Rose 512 pages The quintessential American firearm is the rifle,   which through centuries of colonization and growth,  has served in both myth and fact.  I use myth not in the modern disparaging sense, … Continue reading →

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The Hidden Life of Trees

Posted on October 17, 2019 by smellincoffee

The Hidden Life of Trees: What they Feel, How they Communicate: Discoveries from a Secret World © 2016 Peter Wohlleben 288 pages Joyce Kilmer offered that he had never seen a poem as lovely as a tree —  and I … Continue reading →

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The Ice at the End of the World

Posted on October 16, 2019 by smellincoffee

© 2019  Jon Gertner 418 pages My reading journeys have taken me to Greenland recently, but instead of reading more about the Viking settlements there,  I wanted to read about another tribe:   the explorers and scientists who willingly endured months … Continue reading →

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IRL

Posted on October 15, 2019 by smellincoffee

© 2014 Cory Doctorow & Jen Wang 192 pages I happened to see Cory Doctorow’s name on the cover of this graphic novel, and had to take a look.  The plot is heavily based on a short story of Doctorow’s, … Continue reading →

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Needful Things

Posted on October 13, 2019 by smellincoffee

Needful Things © 1992 Stephen King 940 pages A new shop has come to Castle Rock, one with a curious name: NEEDFUL THINGS. Its wares appear to run the gamut from cheap antiques to one-of-a-kind oddities. Even in a small … Continue reading →

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How To Break Up With Your Phone

Posted on October 12, 2019 by smellincoffee

How To Break Up With Your Phone © 2018 Catherine Price 192 pages In just over a decade, smartphones have become ubiquitous and transformative. But for all the ease they add to our lives,   smartphones also have an inherent capacity … Continue reading →

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The Histories of Herodotus

Posted on October 10, 2019 by smellincoffee

One doesn’t study history for very long, at least in the West,  before running into Herodotus.  I’ve meant to read him for years,  given his reputation as one of the earliest, if not the earliest,  historian —  that is, someone … Continue reading →

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The Jungle

Posted on October 8, 2019 by smellincoffee

The Jungle © 1906 Upton Sinclair 475 pages Welcome to The Jungle, but we don’t have fun and games. We have despair, ruin, and death.    The Jungle begins as the story of the Rudkus-Lukoszaite family, who have arrived in America … Continue reading →

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FREEEEEEEDOOOOOOMMMMM!

Posted on October 5, 2019 by smellincoffee

This has nothing to do with reading, but last night I celebrated a huge milestone. My student loans are….no more! Vanquished! Signing my master promissory note in summer 2007,  preparing to go to college: Making the final-final payment of $0.16 … Continue reading →

Posted in history | 12 Comments