Tag Archives: Germany

1932: Franklin and Adolf

Posted on September 29, 2026 by smellincoffee

I’m afraid 1932 won’t get much of a review because frankly, it exhausted me. It’s the story of two men who were rising to national leadership on their respective sides of the pond in the same year – two men … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Politics and Civic Interest, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Springtime for Northheim

Posted on November 13, 2025 by smellincoffee

“Tomorrow Belongs to Me” is one of the more disturbing songs in the musical Cabaret, not because of the song itself, but because of what the viewer knows it portends. It begins simply, with one sweet voice singing at a … Continue reading →

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

Bloodlands

Posted on February 7, 2025 by smellincoffee

On a scale of 1 to 10, how demoralized, depressed, and soul-dead do you want to be? Ten? Well, have I got a book for you! Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin examines the grim fate of Eastern Europe from … Continue reading →

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

Hitler’s Heralds: The Freikorps

Posted on December 7, 2024 by smellincoffee

I’ve had this review written since September, but had intended to feature it as part of a series on inter-war Germany. That’s not going to happen this year, as I’m certainly not spending Advent reading about Weimar and Nazis! After … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments

A Prophet Without Honor

Posted on September 30, 2024 by smellincoffee

A Prophet Without Honor without a doubt one of the more interesting alt-history novels I have ever read, in part because it is told not through a straight narrative, but via a collection of excerpts from letters, journals, telegrams, and … Continue reading →

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

The Book Thief

Posted on September 12, 2024 by smellincoffee

Ever read a book narrated by Death? I have, sort of, only Death didn’t know he was Death. He accidentally walked into the job, but that’s another story. But this is a book narrated about Death proper, and he’ll have … Continue reading →

Posted in historical fiction, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 12 Comments

The Door to Door Bookstore

Posted on January 19, 2024 by smellincoffee

In the city of Munster, after the bookshop closes for the night, an aging fellow named Carl begins his rounds. Walking the city’s cobblestone paths, he visits a village within the metropolis that only he is aware of: a little community … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Hitlers amerikanische Freunde

Posted on December 5, 2023 by smellincoffee

Years ago when the History Channel was more interested in Hitler than aliens and ice road truckers, I happened upon a documentary there about German-Americans in the United States who supported the “New Germany” from their adopted country. I was … Continue reading →

Posted in history, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

Breaking the Chains of Gravity

Posted on July 18, 2023 by smellincoffee

Breaking the Chains of Gravity: The Story of Spaceflight before NASA© 2016 Amy Shira Teitel304 pages You know the story. The scene: 1950s America. Everyone is drinking on the back patio in suburbia, dressed in cardigans or pearls and pastel … Continue reading →

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

Naked at Lunch

Posted on July 1, 2023 by smellincoffee

Naked at Lunch: Adventures of a Reluctant Nudist© 2015 Mark Haskell Smith288 pages Beware all enterprises which require new clothes, Henry David Thoreau opined. Say what you will about naturism, or nudism – it’s the only hobby I can think … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, Society and Culture | Tagged , | 5 Comments