Tag Archives: biography

Passionate Sage

Posted on July 11, 2017 by smellincoffee

Passionate Sage: The Character and Legacy of John Adams© 1993 Joseph Ellis288 pages G.K. Chesteron once wrote that the Catholic Church is the only thing that saves a man from the degrading slavery of being a child of his age. … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

Forgotten Founder, Drunken Prophet

Posted on June 28, 2017 by smellincoffee

Forgotten Founder, Drunken Prophet: The Life of Luther Martin© 2008 Bill Kauffman227 pages There isn’t enough whitewash in the world to create a Luther Martin hagiography, Bill Kauffman admits, but in the spirit of lost causes he does his best. Billed … Continue reading →

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

Hank Williams

Posted on May 21, 2017 by smellincoffee

Hank Williams: The Biography© 1994 Colin Escott320 pages “You don’t have to call me Mister, mister —  the whole world calls me Hank.” Hank Williams is the legend of country music. I’d heard of him long before I ever heard him;  my … Continue reading →

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

Sister Queens

Posted on April 16, 2017 by smellincoffee

Sister Queens: The Noble, Tragic Lives of  Katherine of Aragon and Juana, Queen of Castille480 pages© 2011 Julia Fox Virtually any reader of Tudor fiction is familiar with the sad story of Queen Catherine,  the lawful wife of Henry VIII … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Surprised by Joy

Posted on March 20, 2017 by smellincoffee

Surprised by Joy© 1955 C.S. Lewis252 pages “When I first read Chesterton, I did not know what I was in for. God is, if I may say it,  quite unscrupulous.” Mention the name C.S. Lewis and the image of a … Continue reading →

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

Robert E Lee

Posted on March 9, 2017 by smellincoffee

Robert E. Lee: A Life© 2003 Roy Blount Jr272 pages They say that God in heav’n  is everybody’s god I’ll admit that God in heav’n Is everybody’s god But I tell ya John, with pride, God leans a little on … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Images of CS Lewis’ World

Posted on September 9, 2016 by smellincoffee

CS Lewis: Images of his World © 1973  Douglas R Gilbert, Clyde S Kilby 144 pages Last year I was tasked with the lamentable duty of weeding our history, literature, and science sections, and so in consequence spent several weeks methodically … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

The Quest for Shakespeare

Posted on April 23, 2016 by smellincoffee

The Quest for Shakespeare: the Bard of Avon and the Church of Rome© 2008 Joseph Pearce275 pages Although April 23rd is, historically, the feast of England’s patron saint George,   it is also the anniversary of William Shakespeare’s  death.  2016 … Continue reading →

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

Yamamoto

Posted on December 3, 2015 by smellincoffee

Yamamoto: The Man Who Planned Pearl Harbor© 1990 Edwin Hoyt271 pages Isoroku Yamamoto was the indispensable man of the Japanese navy,  the author of the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor and an object of such interest to the United States … Continue reading →

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

American Cicero

Posted on June 24, 2015 by smellincoffee

American Cicero: The Life of Charles Carroll © 2010 Bradley Birzer 230 pages When Charles Carroll of Carrollton signed the Declaration of Independence, he was risking the biggest fortune on the American mainland.  But Carroll had yearned for independence for … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Civic Interest, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments