Tag Archives: Classics and Literary

Mark Twain and the Swiss Family Robinson

Posted on May 22, 2019 by smellincoffee

May’s theme for the classics was “Adventure”, as I paired Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain with The Swiss Family Robinson.     Twain’s former is  a collection more than a monograph, as he presents together his recollections of growing up … Continue reading →

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The Whale

Posted on January 27, 2019 by smellincoffee

The Whale, or, Moby-Dick © 1851 Herman Melville 630 pages The Whale, alternatively called Moby-Dick,  is a comprehensive  19th century guide to whaling and whales from a novelist who decided to take a hand at writing nonfiction. Such a thing … Continue reading →

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Invisible Man and Everybody Lies

Posted on January 13, 2019 by smellincoffee

This week I’ve finished two books of interest, the first being a classics club entry (Invisible Man), and the other a book on big data and statistics.  Everybody Lies  played true to its title, opening with ways that analysis of … Continue reading →

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The Arabian Nights

Posted on November 14, 2018 by smellincoffee

Tales from the Arabian Nights “If you are not sleepy, tell us one of your lovely, little tales to while away the night.” Shahrazad replied, “With the greatest pleasure”:Tales from The Arabian Nights proved an interesting challenge, because most collections … Continue reading →

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The Prince

Posted on October 30, 2018 by smellincoffee

The Prince© 1532 Niccolo Machiavelli100 pages Italy, circa 1500, was a rough neighborhood. Divided between powerful city-centered states and frequently threatened by outside empires,  few rulers could rest on their laurels and enjoy a prolonged peace. Even if someone outside … Continue reading →

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Oliver Twist

Posted on October 19, 2018 by smellincoffee

Oliver Twist© 1837 Charles Dickens447 pages “Please, sir, I want some more.”   I had never read or otherwise encountered Oliver Twist before this month, but I immediately recognized that quote. Something about little Oliver sticks in the minds of … Continue reading →

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Frankenstein

Posted on October 9, 2018 by smellincoffee

Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus© 1818 Mary Shelley288 pages “Shall I respect man when he contemns me? Let him live with me in the interchange of kindness; and, instead of injury, I would bestow every benefit upon him with tears of … Continue reading →

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The Hiding Place

Posted on August 10, 2018 by smellincoffee

The Hiding Place© 1971 Corrie ten Boom,  John and Elizabeth Sherrill241 PAGES You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance. Psalms 32 When Corrie ten Boom turned in her family radio … Continue reading →

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Short rounds: things that are not Star Trek, like North Koreans and Aeneas

Posted on May 5, 2018 by smellincoffee

Believe it or not, I have been reading books without a Star Trek label appended to them this week. Just recently I finished off Don’t Go There, a short collection of travel pieces that interested me with its mention of visits to … Continue reading →

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A Hobbit, A Wardrobe, and a Great War

Posted on April 12, 2018 by smellincoffee

A Hobbit, A Wardrobe, and a Great War © 2014 Joseph Loconte 256 pages When some future Gibbon writes of the Decline and Fall of Western Civilization, he will have to devote a great deal of attention to the Great … Continue reading →

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