Tag Archives: architecture

The Architecture of Happiness

Posted on August 5, 2020 by smellincoffee

The Architecture of Happiness © 2006 Alain de Botton 280 pages I never thought much about the meaning of architecture until attending a lecture by James Howard Kunstler, given at my university in autumn 2008, entitled “Peak Oil and the … Continue reading →

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Mirrors of the Unseen

Posted on May 16, 2018 by smellincoffee

Mirrors of the Unseen:  Journeys in Iran © 2006 Jason Elliot 432 pages Readers uninterested in the origins and history of Islamic art, metaphysics, or pigeons, should skip to the next chapter, here. In the late nineties, before Afghanistan was … Continue reading →

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A Burglar’s Guide to the City

Posted on September 18, 2017 by smellincoffee

A Burglar’s Guide to the City© 2016 Geoff Manaugh304 pages There’s really no resisting a title like that, is there?  Mind, it’s not accurate;  this isn’t a guide to how burglars read architecture, a catalog of vulnerabilities that homeowners and … Continue reading →

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Infrastructure: A Field Guide

Posted on September 14, 2017 by smellincoffee

Infrastructure: A Field Guide to the Industrial Landscape© 1999, 2014 Brian Hayes544 pages Here at last is a book for those of us who constantly gaze out the car window at the fixtures on utility poles, or drums mounted in … Continue reading →

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American Independence Wrapup & On the Horizon

Posted on July 15, 2017 by smellincoffee

Well, gentle readers,  July’s halfway marks the conclusion of my American Independence series, at least for another year. What ground did I cover this year? Revolutionary Summer, Joseph Ellis;  a history of the summer of 1776,  in which the States … Continue reading →

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The Fountainhead

Posted on June 22, 2017 by smellincoffee

The Fountainhead© 1943 Ayn Rand753 pages “Howard Roark laughed.”   This epic novel opens with the roar of its main character, leading the reader to wonder what is to come. Is he laughing in triumph? In fatalistic glee, like a … Continue reading →

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Beautiful Genius

Posted on June 8, 2017 by smellincoffee

After leaving the Castillo, I began exploring the streets of a city which had come alive.  Already, the wide sea-front avenue and the narrow alleys of the ‘old town’ proper were filled with the smell of food, from grilled fish … Continue reading →

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The Road Taken

Posted on November 16, 2016 by smellincoffee

The Road Taken: The History and Future of America’s Infrastructure336 pages© 2016 Henry Petroski What, exactly, is The Road Taken?   Its title declares it a history, which is mostly true. It does have a bounty of historic sketches on the … Continue reading →

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Civilisation: A Personal View

Posted on October 14, 2014 by smellincoffee

Civilisation: A Personal View© 1959 Sir Kenneth Clark359 pages We don’t read and write poetry because it’s cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race, and the human race is filled with passion — … Continue reading →

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Religion for Atheists

Posted on August 18, 2013 by smellincoffee

Religion for Atheists: A Non-Believer’s Guide to the Uses of Religion© 2012 Alain de Botton320 pages What were we doing when we unchained this earth from its sun? Whither is it moving now? Whither are we moving? Away from all suns? … Continue reading →

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