Monthly Archives: October 2025

Who is stronger than death

Posted on October 31, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

Examination at the Womb-Door by Ted Hughes Who owns those scrawny little feet?    Death. Who owns this bristly scorched-looking face?    Death. Who owns these still-working lungs?    Death. Who owns this utility coat of muscles?    Death. Who … Continue reading →

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Spooky reading

Posted on October 30, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

And, oh, my God, my God, pity me! He placed his reeking lips upon my throat! … How long this horrible thing lasted I know not; but it seemed that a long time must have passed before he took his foul, awful, … Continue reading →

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illumination comes to our rescue

Posted on October 29, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

“But sometimes illumination comes to our rescue at the very moment when all seems lost; we have knocked at every door and they open on nothing until, at last, we stumble unconsciously against the only one through which we can … Continue reading →

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Halloween is nigh

Posted on October 28, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

 

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Book Hero

Posted on October 26, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

Over the years I have found myself doing minor repairs and restorations on books in my own collection and occasionally on books that I have sold. None of the projects compares to the amazing work of Japanese artisan and book … Continue reading →

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On The Road

Posted on October 25, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

An unknown unpublished story by Jack Kerouac, which has been called “a lost chapter of the On the Road saga” has been discovered after being hidden in the files of an assassinated Mafia crime boss for at least 40 years. … Continue reading →

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Tubular Bells

Posted on October 24, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

In Aarhus, Denmark, the main public library in the city frequently resonates with the sound of a giant tubular bell called Gongen. The bell rings multiple times a day for a heartwarming reason. Atlas Obscura explains that the ringing of the … Continue reading →

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Japan’s coffee jones

Posted on October 23, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

During a recent trip to Japan I was pleasantly surprised by many things. As a coffee geek, I was happy to discover that vending machine canned coffee is actually good throughout the country. But what I didn’t expect to find … Continue reading →

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The problem with despair

Posted on October 22, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

“It may just be a refusal to take the counsel of despair. I think to admit despair and to revel in it — as many 20th- and 21st-century writers do — is an easy way out. Whenever I get really … Continue reading →

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America’s Book Club is Live

Posted on October 21, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

America’s Book Club, C-SPAN’s new primetime weekly series, debuted last Sunday, October 19, with an episode featuring John Grisham. The program airs at 6 p.m. and re-airs at 9 p.m. Eastern and Pacific. Hosted by author and interviewer David M. … Continue reading →

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