Category Archives: Reviews

Book reviews, as well as Reads to Reels

The Sea Wolves

Posted on October 1, 2019 by smellincoffee

© 2014 Lars Brownsworth 300 pages “Deliver us, Lord, from the hands of the Northmen!”    While that exact prayer may be apocryphal,  the sentiment certainly resounded in communities from Ireland to Cordoba to Constantinople.  In two of the final centuries … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Tick, tick, tick

Posted on October 1, 2019 by smellincoffee

It’s October 1,  meaning only three months remain  in 2019 to meet my reading goals.  How am I doing?  Classics Club: I am slightly ahead of  schedule, despite at one point being a month and a half behind.  However,  the … Continue reading →

Posted in General, history | 2 Comments

The Faith Healers

Posted on September 26, 2019 by smellincoffee

© 1987  James Randi 328 pages Recently I chanced to watch a lecture by “The Amazing” James Randi, a professional magician who, in the 1980s,  began investigating paranormal racketeers — and exposing them.   As someone who used people’s assumptions to … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Reviews | Tagged | 4 Comments

The Federalist Papers

Posted on September 24, 2019 by smellincoffee

  “It has been frequently remarked that it seems to have been reserved to the people of this country, by their conduct and example, to decide the important question, whether societies of men are really capable or not of establishing … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Reviews | Tagged , , , | 11 Comments

Spark

Posted on September 23, 2019 by smellincoffee

© 2008 308 pages Are you fat? Exercise! Are you  stressed? Depressed? Exercise! Do you have ADHD? Exercise!  Do you fear dementia? Exercise!  Do you want to learn more, and more quickly? Exercise! Do you struggle with an addiction to … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Reviews, science | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Survival of the Sickest

Posted on September 21, 2019 by smellincoffee

© 2008 Sharon Moalem 267 pages Ask the man on the street about evolution, and assuming he doesn’t connect it to Pokemon, he’ll probably identify it as something that happened long ago.   But creation is never finished, either underground where … Continue reading →

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

Drop Dead Healthy

Posted on September 15, 2019 by smellincoffee

Drop Dead Healthy: One Man’s Quest for Bodily Perfection © 2016 A.J. Jacobs 416 pages A.J. Jacobs, a writer for Esquire, has previously taken on year-long efforts to improve his mind and his spirit. Now, in Drop Dead Healthy, he … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Reviews | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

How we communicated on 9/11

Posted on September 12, 2019 by smellincoffee

“Pagers, Pay Phones, and Dial Up: How We Communicated on 9/11“ I largely avoided social media and the internet yesterday because of the significance of the day. It wasn’t anything pious, a deliberate remembrance;  but I knew what the topic … Continue reading →

Posted in history | 2 Comments

The Courage to Start

Posted on September 10, 2019 by smellincoffee

The Courage to Start: A Guide to Running For Your Life © 1999 John Bingham 208 pages John Bingham loved running as a kid. He wasn’t any good at it – he flailed his arms and wouldn’t impress any stopwatch-yielding … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Reviews | Tagged , | 1 Comment

A purloined book survey

Posted on September 9, 2019 by smellincoffee

I’m shamelessly stealing this from Cyberkitten! What is your average monthly budget for books? Officially, my entertainment budget allots $20 for books.  It is usually exceeded a little bit. $30 would be fairer, but I’ve decided to place myself under … Continue reading →

Posted in history | 6 Comments