Category Archives: Reviews

Book reviews, as well as Reads to Reels

The Scarlet Thief

Posted on April 7, 2019 by smellincoffee

The Scarlet Thief  © 2013 Paul Fraser Collard352 pages Captain Arthur Sloames stepped off the boat with a terrible secret.  He wore on his shoulders the coat of a dead man.  When his transport left England, he was but Jack … Continue reading →

Posted in historical fiction, Reviews | Tagged , , | 11 Comments

Alice Roosevelt, Linux, and Death

Posted on March 29, 2019 by smellincoffee

Approaching the end of the month, as we are, time to post a few also-reads: Alice and the Assassin, R.J. Koreto. Entertaining historical fiction following the infamous pistol-packing Alice Roosevelt and her cowboy Secret Service bodyguard.  Following the assassination of … Continue reading →

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

Tip of the Iceberg

Posted on March 29, 2019 by smellincoffee

Tip of the Iceberg: My 3,000-Mile Journey Around Wild Alaska, the Last Great American Frontier© 2018 Mark Adams336 pages In 1899, railroad tycoon Edward Harriman organized a multidisciplinary expedition to Alaska, bringing with him some of the best scientists and … Continue reading →

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

Head On

Posted on March 28, 2019 by smellincoffee

Head On: A Novel of the Near Future© 2018 John Scalzi 328 pages Agent Chris Shane of the FBI saw the man decapitated on the playing field. before his very eyes.  But so did thousands of other people; decapitations  were, in … Continue reading →

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

Elusive Salvation

Posted on March 27, 2019 by smellincoffee

Star Trek: Elusive Salvationpub. 2016 Dayton Ward365 pages Buckle up, readers, this one is a fun one. In the 19th century, a group of scientists with a cure to saving their people from tyranny were forced to take refuge on … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , | 5 Comments

Romance of the Rails

Posted on March 21, 2019 by smellincoffee

Romance of the Rails: Why the Trains We Love Are Not the Transportation We Need© 2018 Randal O’Toole300 pages “These are the 1930s again, with all the charm and romance, all the gaiety! That was a carefree world, Danny, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Civic Interest, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

Magnificent Nine

Posted on March 20, 2019 by smellincoffee

Firefly: The Magnificent Nine pub. 2019 James Lovegrove 384 pages Jayne Cobb is not the most conventionally faithful man aboard the good ship Serenity; he did, after all, enter Mal’s service for purely mercenary ends.  But there’s more to him … Continue reading →

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

The USS Alabama

Posted on March 17, 2019 by smellincoffee

Images of America: USS Alabama © 2013 Kent Whitaker & Battleship Memorial Park 128 pages When visiting downtown Mobile, one can’t help but notice the enormous battleship parked in the bay.  It’s the USS Alabama, tenth to bear the name, … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Walkable City Rules

Posted on March 16, 2019 by smellincoffee

Walkaable City Rules: 101 Steps to Making Better Places © 2018 Jeff Speck312 pages In Walkable Cities, Jeff Speck argued for the virtues of a city optimized for pedestrian travel, and offered ten general guidelines  for making it happen — … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Civic Interest, Reviews | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Mockingbird Songs

Posted on March 14, 2019 by smellincoffee

Mockingbird Songs: My Friendship with Harper Lee ©  2017 Wayne Flynt 251 pages When I read Poor but Proud by Wayne Flynt some years ago, I never imagined I’d meet the author, let alone help him carry in boxes of … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments