Tag Archives: politics

Our Time Has Come

Posted on January 30, 2019 by smellincoffee

Our Time Has Come: How India is Making Its Place in the World ©  2018 Alyssa Ayres360 pages The India of the 21st century is more than  the word’s back office;  by some measures, it has already overtaken Japan as the … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Civic Interest, Reviews, World Affairs | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Short rounds and the week ahead

Posted on January 23, 2019 by smellincoffee

On Saturday the library was partially evacuated owing to a tornado warning, and today Father Winter has well and truly hit the town.  I’m currently reading a scrutiny of political utopias, transhumanism, and religious-spiritual ideas about life beyond death (from … Continue reading →

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The Limits of Partnership

Posted on January 18, 2019 by smellincoffee

The Limits of Partnership: U.S.-Russian Relations in the 21st Century © 2014 Angela Stent 384 pages The Limits of Partnership examines the Russo-American relationship through four presidential administrations,  reviewing what progress was made  or conflicts each American executive had with his … Continue reading →

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Fear, bikes, and NaNoWriMo

Posted on November 5, 2018 by smellincoffee

Happy Monday! (Or Monday evening, depending on where you are…) My NaNoWriMo is off to a promising start, as I’ve been logging just over 4,000 words per day, well over the 1667 minimum average requirement.   That is completely  unprecedented … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Civic Interest, Reviews | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

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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Dispatches from the Muckdog Gazette

Posted on October 25, 2018 by smellincoffee

Dispatches from the Muckdog Gazette: A Mostly Affectionate Account of a Small Town’s Fight to Survive© 2003 Bill Kauffman206 pages Bill Kauffman, as a kid, went places. Starting from a little town in upstate New York, he journeyed as far … Continue reading →

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The Iran Wars

Posted on October 3, 2018 by smellincoffee

The Iran Wars: Spy Games, Bank Battles, and the Secret Deals that Reshaped the Middle East © 2016 Jay Solomon 352 pages When the young people of Iran hit the streets in protest about suspicious election returns in 2009, the … Continue reading →

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The Looming Tower

Posted on September 28, 2018 by smellincoffee

The Looming Tower: Al-Queda and the Road to 9/11 © 2006 Lawrence Wright 480 pages “[…] we’re told that they were zealots, fueled by religious fervor…religious fervor. And if you live to be a thousand years old, will that make … Continue reading →

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Fire and Fury

Posted on September 16, 2018 by smellincoffee

Fire and Fury © 2018 Michael Wolff 336 pages “You look at the operation of this White House, and you have to say…’Let’s hope to God we don’t have a crisis.” – Bob Woodward, CBS Sunday Morning interview Even its … Continue reading →

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Real Dissent

Posted on August 23, 2018 by smellincoffee

Real Dissent: A Libertarian Sets Fire to the Index Card of Allowable Opinion© 2014 Tom Woods356 pages Note: I read this in August 2016, but the review of it languished as a draft. In most presidential elections, 2016 being an … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Civic Interest, Reviews | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments