Monthly Archives: April 2026

London in the 18th Century

Posted on April 7, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

I never tire of reading about Britain’s greatest city. London in the 18th Century by Wallace Crawford Snowden, revised and edited by Marie Clayton, offers a full reproduction of pioneering cartographer John Rocque’s 1746 An Exact Survey of the Cities of London and Westminster which provided … Continue reading →

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There is no i in Absence

Posted on April 6, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

Carol Shields — the American-born Canadian novelist who won a Pulitzer Prize for The Stone Diaries in 1995 — wrote a short story called “Absence” without using the letter I a single time. It appeared in her 2000 collection Dressing Up for the … Continue reading →

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Free Short Stories

Posted on April 5, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

The Library of Short Stories is a wonderful, and completely free, website dedicated to classic short stories. Offering a wide range of genres from around the world, the Library is the work of Melbourne based author and web developer Evan C. Lewis. Each story … Continue reading →

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Editor, Librarian, Bookseller

Posted on April 4, 2026 by Brian D. Butler
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Black Books

Posted on April 3, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

The National Association of Black Bookstores has declared April 7 National Black Bookstore Day, a national observance honoring the cultural, economic, and community impact of Black-owned bookstores across the U.S. The day also celebrates the late Georgia “Mother Rose” Peat West, founder of Underground … Continue reading →

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Library in the sky

Posted on April 2, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

High in the mountains of southwest Japan, above a small town, there is an unlikely library. Yusuhara, is known as the “town above the clouds” and the home the Kumo-no-Ue  Library, which was designed by the renowned architect Kengo Kuma. … Continue reading →

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When an airplane ticket only gets you a seat on a bus

Posted on April 1, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

Kennedy Woodard-Jones bought a plane ticket from American Airlines, went through TSA, lined up at her gate, and didn’t realize she was boarding a bus until it was on the highway. Her TikTok about it got 13 million views, according to … Continue reading →

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