Tag Archives: humor

Smoke Gets In Your Eyes

Posted on September 9, 2018 by smellincoffee

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory© 2014 Caitlin Doughty272 pages Memento mori — remember your death. Young Caitlin Doughty couldn’t help but remember it; as a child she was traumatized by the memory of another girl … Continue reading →

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Agent to the Stars

Posted on August 28, 2018 by smellincoffee

Agent to the Stars© 1997, 2005 John Scalzi286 pages They’re heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere.  Extraterrestrials exist, and they’ve been watching our television.  The good news is they don’t hold it against us — though they don’t want to meet any of our politicians.  … Continue reading →

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Of Neanderthals and dogs and extinction level events

Posted on July 8, 2018 by smellincoffee

Time for science short rounds! Last week I read The Invaders,  a much-anticipated work about how dogs gave humans a competitive edge over their neanderthal cousins. This brief book posits that human beings function like invasive species, and after establishing … Continue reading →

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Tales from a Techie

Posted on May 7, 2018 by smellincoffee

Tales from a Techie: Funny Real Life Stories from Tech Support© 2014 Matt Garrett250 pages I’ve been reading tech support horror stories since I was first online in 1997, from Rinkworks’ “Computer Stupidities” to Reddit’s “TalesfromTechSupport” subreddit. On a whim … Continue reading →

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Love Among the Chickens

Posted on April 24, 2018 by smellincoffee

Love Among the Chickens© 1906 P.G. Wodehouse150 pages “He’s a very young gentlemen, sir,” said Mrs. Medley, in vague defense of her top room.“And it’s highly improbable,” said Garnet, “that he will ever grow old, if he repeats his last … Continue reading →

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The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis

Posted on February 12, 2018 by smellincoffee

The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis: Eleven Campus Stories© 1951 Max Shulman223 pages Imagine if PG Wodehouse wrote stories about a girl-crazy freshman at the University of Minnesota, circa late 1940s. That’s kind of what reader will find in The … Continue reading →

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Grunt

Posted on November 2, 2017 by smellincoffee

Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War© 2016 Mary Roach285 pages I’ve never given much thought to the idea of military science. What might it involve? The chemistry of better weapons, the psychology behind successful strategy gambits? The science encountered … Continue reading →

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Boomsday

Posted on July 30, 2017 by smellincoffee

Boomsday© 2007 Christopher Buckley336 pages By day, Cass Devine is a public relations specialist who labors to ensure her clients’ sh-tuff doesn’t stink. By night, she’s a  tax revolutionary, stirring the pot — blogging furiously and urging young people to … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Civic Interest, Reviews | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Redshirts

Posted on July 21, 2017 by smellincoffee

Redshirts: A Novel With Three Codas © 2012 John Scalzi 320 pages Audible presentation read by Wil Wheaton, runtime 7 hrs 41 minutes. “I’m not even supposed to be here! I’m just Crewman #6. I’m the guy in the episode … Continue reading →

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The Great Explosion

Posted on June 25, 2017 by smellincoffee

The Great Explosion© 1962 Eric Frank Russell187 pages Following the discovery of faster-than-light travel, Earth’s population fell by half as her children fled to the stars.  After decades of benign neglect, the powers that be on Earth — the military … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, science fiction | Tagged , , | 16 Comments