Tag Archives: goods/services

Consuming Kids

Posted on May 29, 2012 by smellincoffee

Consuming Kids: the Hostile Takeover of Childhood© 2004 Susan Linn288 pages To some, children are the joy of our lives; a refreshing source of curiosity, energy, youth, and joy. To others, they are nothing but grist for the mill. In … Continue reading →

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A History of the World in Six Glasses

Posted on May 24, 2012 by smellincoffee

A History of the World in Six Glasses© 2006 Tom Standage311 pages A toast to human enterprise! Pick your poison — beer, wine, rum, tea, coffee, or Coca-Cola. Three are alcoholic, three are caffienated: all were the stuff of empires, … Continue reading →

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The Wal-Mart Effect

Posted on May 18, 2012 by smellincoffee

The Wal-Mart Effect: How the World’s Most Powerful Company Really Works, and How It’s Transforming the American Economy © 2006 Charles Fishman 352 pages In only a little over fifty years, Wal-Mart has grown from a small five-and-dime store in … Continue reading →

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Reefer Madness

Posted on May 16, 2012 by smellincoffee

Reefer Madness: Sex, Drugs, and Cheap Labor in the American Black Market310 pages© 2003 Eric Schlosser What do pornography, marijuana, and migrant labor have in common? They’re all factors in an underground economy, a vast web of cash-heavy transactions barred … Continue reading →

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The Coffee Trader

Posted on May 1, 2012 by smellincoffee

The Coffee Trader© 2003 David Liss386 pages I never intended to return to David Liss so soon. No doubt, A Conspiracy of Paper was phenomenal — but I have two Bernard Cornwell novels just awaiting to be read! There’s something compelling … Continue reading →

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Fast Food Nation

Posted on April 30, 2012 by smellincoffee

Fast Food Nation: the Dark Side of the All-American Meal© 2001 Eric Schlosser362 pages I underestimated Fast Food Nation. I’d expected a heated attack on the subject from a nutritional standpoint, but Eric Schlosser’s history and overview of fast food’s … Continue reading →

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Salt

Posted on April 24, 2012 by smellincoffee

Salt: A World History© 2003 Mark Kurlansky498 pages Last Autumn, my doctor advised me to start watching the amount of salt in my diet, and so I did. That this was a concern surprised me: I was never one to … Continue reading →

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Blood, Iron, and Gold

Posted on April 7, 2012 by smellincoffee

Blood, Iron, and Gold: How the Railways Transformed the World© 2009 Christian Wolmar376 pages Outside of the wheel, the railways may be the single most influential form of transportation ever invented by human beings. This is a bold claim, but … Continue reading →

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Coal: A Human History

Posted on December 11, 2010 by smellincoffee

Coal: A Human History© 2003 Barbara Freese308 pages I never expected to be so fascinated by coal. This book’s cover and title compelled my interest from the first moment I spotted it on my library bookshelves, and the text itself … Continue reading →

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