Tag Archives: week in review

Middle East Wrapup

Posted on December 21, 2016 by smellincoffee

Back in January I drew up a short list of five titles in early Islamic history, one which unexpectedly flared into a broader series on the middle east in general — and one with a strong Persian/Iranian bent. The original … Continue reading →

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Wrapping Up and Boldly Going

Posted on April 30, 2016 by smellincoffee

Read of England 2016 was by any reckoning a roaring success. Not only did I finish the Lord of the Rings trilogy. but I sampled a good variety of renown English authors from mid-March ’til yesterday. English ClassicsReturn of the … Continue reading →

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Midway (Maybe)

Posted on December 15, 2015 by smellincoffee

With the end of the year only a little over two weeks away, it’s high time for me to knock off that classic romance. I’ve had Emma checked out for weeks with little headway made, not that I’ve made a serious … Continue reading →

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This week: supercooled birds, President Palpatine, and people causing a ruckus

Posted on January 12, 2015 by smellincoffee

We’re off to a good start for 2015, opening the year up with Bernard Cornwell and two science entries, both of which (Lives of the Planets,  Winter World) will get comments as the week goes on. Yesterday at the library … Continue reading →

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This week: Christmas

Posted on December 23, 2014 by smellincoffee

With the fourth Sunday of Advent behind us, I suppose it is  liturgically safe to bid one and all a MERRY CHRISTMAS.  I work all of two days this week, the rest of the time being spent feeling somewhat sorry … Continue reading →

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This week: saints of war

Posted on December 2, 2014 by smellincoffee

Dear readers: What a week passed these last few days! In the United States, we celebrated Thanksgiving on Thursday, and therein followed three days of bedlam as people acted like chimpanzees descending on a pile of fruit for Black Friday … Continue reading →

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This week: fiction, the writing and reading of

Posted on November 17, 2014 by smellincoffee

Dear readers:             The past few weeks have been taken up with National Novel Writing Month, of course. I got off to a roaring start, 20,000  words in the first week, before slowing down to the recommended average of 1667 … Continue reading →

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NaNoWriMo 2014

Posted on October 27, 2014 by smellincoffee

It’s National Novel Writing Month again, and I’m once again tasking myself with the challenge of writing 50,000 words before November is out. The challenge starts on November 1st, of course.  I have an idea in mind that’s a quasi-fantasy … Continue reading →

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This week: airplanes with Jesus, Kurt Vonnegut, and Voltaire

Posted on September 29, 2014 by smellincoffee

            This past weekend I read through A Day with a Perfect Stranger, not a difficult task given that it’s less than 100 pages. A sequel to Dinner with a Perfect Stranger, which featured overworked businessman … Continue reading →

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This week: demon rum

Posted on August 11, 2014 by smellincoffee

This week I finally finished Huckleberry Finn, though I’m not sure why it’s generally ranked higher than Tom Sawyer.  Presumably its assumed merit comes from it dealing with more serious themes, as a boy on an adventure has to choose between … Continue reading →

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