Monthly Archives: August 2023

Who Made That

Posted on August 31, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

Many years ago, as I was watching one of my all time favorite films Pulp Fiction, I noticed that many of the charcters were smoking a peculiar brand of cigarette called Red Apple. For a moment I wondered who created the prop packaging and … Continue reading →

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Once upon a time there were two brothers.

Posted on August 30, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

THE HISTORY OF MY LIFE John Ashbery Once upon a time there were two brothers. Then there was only one: myself. I grew up very fast, before learning to drive, even. There was I: a stinking adult. I thought of … Continue reading →

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Working through the TBR pile

Posted on August 29, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

 

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Lou Reed meets Edgar Allan Poe

Posted on August 28, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

I have long been a fan of the late great Lou Reed, but I only recently discovered that he created an updated version of the iconic poem The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe. In 2003, he  set Poe’s most famous stories and … Continue reading →

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Take That Trip

Posted on August 27, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

It’s hard to believe that the inimitable Anthony Bourdain has been gone for five years. Unlike most folks, I discovered his writing through his first novel Bone in the Throat in the early 1990s and not via his culinary or … Continue reading →

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Utopia 14

Posted on August 26, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

I was today years old when I learned that Kurt Vonnegut’s 1952 novel Player Piano was re-released in a paperback edition as Utopia 14 in 1954. Player Piano is the first novel by  Vonnegut, in it he depicts a dystopia of automation partly inspired by the author’s time … Continue reading →

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Diminished Galleries

Posted on August 25, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

DIMINISHED GALLERIES Keith Waldrop 1932-2023 too old for vision I must settle for dreams specific forms of cloud (body surrounded by body) every sensation con- ceals a dream fresco figurine sculpture in low relief (a motor halo a mental blue) … Continue reading →

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Do the Philly Crawl

Posted on August 24, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

Dozens of indie bookshops in Philadelphia, Pa., are taking part this Saturday, August 26, in the first-ever Philly Bookstore Crawl, Philly Voice reported. The bookstore crawl will feature appearances from local authors, discounts, giveaways, and plenty of special activities. Iffy Books, for example, … Continue reading →

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feel the onward rushing power of the train

Posted on August 23, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

 

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Modern Classics Revived

Posted on August 22, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

I was happily surprised to learn that Penguin Modern Classics has revived its crime and espionage series with titles by the likes of Josephine Tey,  John le Carré, Len Deighton and Chester Himes, published with an updated version of their … Continue reading →

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