Tag Archives: humor

Baghdad without a Map

Posted on June 14, 2017 by smellincoffee

Baghdad without a Map and Other Adventures in Arabia© 1992 Tony Horowitz285 pages So your wife is on extended assignment in Cairo, and you’re a freelance journalist without a regular gig. What do you do? Why not wander around northern … Continue reading →

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The Wheels of Chance

Posted on February 23, 2017 by smellincoffee

The Wheels of Chance: A Bicycling Idyll© 1896 H.G. Wells193 pages What an odd little story! Begin with one J. Hoopdriver, a draper’s assistant who lives for nothing but spare opportunities to ride his bicycle — or rather, to crash … Continue reading →

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Before Plan 9

Posted on February 9, 2017 by smellincoffee

Before Plan 9: Plans 1-8 From Outer Space© 2012 various authors354 pages TV Producer:”About the title…it’s highly inflammatory. What if we changed it to ‘Plan 9 from Outer Space’?” Ed Wood: …that’s ridiculous.  (From Ed Wood, starring Johnny Depp) Greetings, … Continue reading →

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Laughter is Better than Communism

Posted on January 26, 2017 by smellincoffee

Laughter is Better than Communism: Politics, Wit, and Cartoons180 pages© 2014 Andrew Heaton  A couple of years ago I stumbled upon Andrew Heaton’s “EconPop”, a series of videos in which he used popular films to illustrate economic concepts in a … Continue reading →

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Laughing Without an Accent

Posted on January 9, 2017 by smellincoffee

Laughing without an Accent: Adventures of a Global Citizen© 2008 Firoozeh Dumas256 pages In 2003, Firoozeh Dumas charmed readers with stories about her transoceanic childhood, unfolding in both in Iran and the United States in the 1970s. This sequel to … Continue reading →

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Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves

Posted on January 5, 2017 by smellincoffee

Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves© 1963 P.G. Wodehouse227 pages As had so often happened before, I felt that my only course was to place myself in the hands of a higher power. “Sir?” [Jeeves] said, manifesting himself. Bertie Wooster has two … Continue reading →

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When It Was Worth Playing For

Posted on November 20, 2016 by smellincoffee

When it was Worth Playing For: My Experiences Writing About the TV Show, ‘Survivor’ © 2015 Mario Lanza 466 pages THIRTY-NINE DAYS, SIXTEEN PEOPLE, ONE SURVIVOR! Once upon a time, there was a show called Survivor, which promised to chuck … Continue reading →

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I’m a Stranger Here Myself

Posted on November 12, 2016 by smellincoffee

I’m a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America after Twenty Years Away© 1999 Bill Bryson288 pages “It’s been a funny  old night, when you think of it. I mean to say, wife drowns, ship sinks, and there was … Continue reading →

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Immoderate Literati

Posted on October 30, 2016 by smellincoffee

This is a screencap I took back in May, something I spotted while reading reviews of Wilbur Smith’s River Gods. At least no one is ambivalent about it!

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Night of the Living Trekkies

Posted on October 8, 2016 by smellincoffee

Night of the Living Trekkies© 2010 Kevin David Anderson256 pages Braaaains and braaaains, what is braaaaiiins?! Oh, reader, good times ahead.  When Jim Pike returned from Afghanistan as a psychologically scarred veteran, the last thing he wanted was responsibility. That’s … Continue reading →

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