Tag Archives: Britain

Ruled Britannia

Posted on April 13, 2015 by smellincoffee

Ruled Britannia© 2002 Harry Turtledove458 pages 1597. The 16th century is drawing to a close, and with it — seemingly — England’s fortunes. Nine years ago the vast Spanish armada triumphed in delivering its army to English shores, where grim … Continue reading →

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Armada

Posted on April 9, 2015 by smellincoffee

Armada© 2012 John Stack400 pages It is the 16th century, and a crisis looms for England.  Spain, who thanks to the plunder of the New World and its Hapsburg connections, is Europe’s heavyweight and the declared enemy of England, threatens war. Spanish … Continue reading →

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Come Rack! Come Rope!

Posted on April 8, 2015 by smellincoffee

Come Rack! Come Rope! © 1912 Robert Hugh Benson 424 pages Dear Miss Manners:       My father, having long been both a leader of resistance against religious tyranny and an inspiration to his countrymen, has surrendered most abjectly … Continue reading →

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The Inimitable Jeeves

Posted on April 8, 2015 by smellincoffee

The Inimitable Jeeves© 1923 P.G. Wodehouse225 pages Bertie Wooster is something of an imbecile, but his preference for the quiet life would keep him out of trouble were it not for the fact that his relations and idiot friends are … Continue reading →

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Born Fighting

Posted on March 25, 2015 by smellincoffee

Born Fighting: How the Scots-Irish Shaped America© 2004 Jim Webb384 pages Born Fighting is a family story of the Scots-Irish, a clan of forgotten men. Beginning with the Celts, author Jim Webb moves swiftly through British history to the establishment … Continue reading →

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The Marriage Game

Posted on March 3, 2015 by smellincoffee

 The Marriage Game©  2015 Alison Weir416 pages             In Greek mythology,  the gods punished Tantalus by subjecting him to perpetual hunger, made worse by the fact that food and drink were both seemingly close at hand.His every attempt to drink … Continue reading →

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The Empty Throne

Posted on January 9, 2015 by smellincoffee

The Empty Throne© 2015 Bernard Cornwell320 pages Uhtred of Bebbanburg is an impossible man. A Saxon prince raised by Danes,  he  has nonethelessbeen the architect of a great redoubt against them, the defender of Wessex a hundred times over.  A … Continue reading →

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Race with the Devil

Posted on December 3, 2014 by smellincoffee

Race with the Devil: My Journey from Racial Hatred to Rational Love© 2013 Joseph Pearce264 pages How does a neo-Nazi become a Catholic literary critic?  An act of God?   Joseph Pearce would surely make the claim, his life having … Continue reading →

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Gallipoli

Posted on November 25, 2014 by smellincoffee

Gallipoli© 1956 Alan Moorehead416 pages           As the Great War ensnared powers beyond Middle Europe, it became  in truth a world war,  providing the spark to reignite old tensions in places like the middle east.  In late … Continue reading →

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Life, Death, and Growing Up on the Western Front

Posted on November 14, 2014 by smellincoffee

Life, Death, and Growing up on the Western Front© 2013 Anthony Fletcher352 pages In 1914 Britons marched to war, and with them they took their hearts. Life, Death, and Growing Up on the Western Front takes in the experience of … Continue reading →

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