Tag Archives: weather

In the air and across the Cosmos

Posted on May 25, 2023 by smellincoffee

This month’s science reading served up two surprises, both pleasant. When I arrived at university and joined the Astronomy Club, which met once a month to aim a giant telescope at the skies and gasp as we saw Saturn’s rings … Continue reading →

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Caesar’s Last Breath

Posted on March 11, 2022 by smellincoffee

Caesar’s Last Breath: Decoding the Secrets of the Air Around Us© 2017 Sam Kean384 pages In The Disappearing Spoon, Sam Kean offered a history of early chemistry, as we began to understand the elements that create our world, and the … Continue reading →

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A Furious Sky

Posted on November 17, 2021 by smellincoffee

A Furious Sky: The Five Hundred Year History of America’s Hurricanes© 2020 Eric Jay Dolin415 pages A Furious Sky is a history of hurricanes in American history, opening with Columbus’ attempts to warn a rival governor of imminent danger and … Continue reading →

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18 Miles

Posted on May 6, 2020 by smellincoffee

18 Miles: The Epic Drama of Our Atmosphere and its Weather © 2018 Christopher Dewdney 272 pages Maybe it’s a life spent watching the skies for signs of tornadoes talking, but few everyday things strike me as more dramatic than … Continue reading →

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Hooked on this writing

Posted on May 5, 2020 by smellincoffee

I’m presently reading 18 Miles: The Epic Drama of Our Atmosphere and Its Weather, and loving the writing.    In advance of a review, I’m sharing some of my Kindle highlights: “Insubstantial factories of infinite forms, clouds are both ephemeral and … Continue reading →

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The Weather Machine

Posted on April 25, 2020 by smellincoffee

The Weather Machine: How We See Into the Future ©  2019 Andrew Blum 224 pages How do we know what the forecast will be?  Well, we don’t — yesterday my chances of afternoon rain were supposedly minimal, and yet by … Continue reading →

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Tornadoes, the stars, and eternity

Posted on March 19, 2020 by smellincoffee

I aim to minimize the amount of un-commented-on books in 2020, so here follows some housekeeping! Back in February,  I read Braving the Elements: The Stormy History of American Weather.  It opened with the importance of climate to the various … Continue reading →

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Isaac’s Storm

Posted on September 10, 2017 by smellincoffee

Isaac’s Storm: A Man, A Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History© 1999 Erik Larson336 pages First news from Galveston just received by train that could get no closer to the bay shore than 6 mi  where the prairie was … Continue reading →

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This week at the library: Little Ice Age, and Bernard Cornwell

Posted on January 23, 2013 by smellincoffee

Last night I finished Battleflag, third in the Nathaniel Starbuck series. Seeing as I just finished and commented on Copperhead, posting extensive thoughts on Battleflag seemed redundant. Nate is still the son of a Boston abolitionist preacher fighting for the south … Continue reading →

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