Author Archives: Brian D. Butler

It Explains So Much

“Neglect” by Joy Williams from 99 Stories of God The Lord was asked if He believed in reincarnation. I do, He said. It explains so much. What does it explain, Sir? someone asked. On your last Fourth of July festivities, I … Continue reading

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A good book and a chilled Sancerre

 

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In my dreams the world would come alive

In my dreams the world would come alive, becoming so captivatingly majestic, free and ethereal, that afterwards it would be oppressive to breathe the dust of this painted life. But then I have long since grown accustomed to the thought … Continue reading

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Watching the Detectives

“Detective Novel” by Robert Walser translated by Tom Whalen HE PRETENDED to possess technical expertise. Anyway, the title seemed quite brilliant. I resolved to learn more and started reading him, but he left much to be desired. Both he and … Continue reading

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Extreme Cartography

Mercator Extreme is a fun tool that you can use to choose any point on Earth as the pole and then view the resulting ultra-distorted Mercator map.

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Nobody can explain a dragon

So these are reports of my explorations and discoveries: tales from Earthsea for those who have liked or think they might like the place, and who are willing to accept these hypotheses: things change: authors and wizards are not always … Continue reading

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Travel Cats

I love cats and I love train stations, so the silly, but fun website BahnhofsKatzen is just my cup of coffee. This site is a well-maintained resource documenting stray cats at train stations around the world, but primarily in mainland … Continue reading

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Who reads what where

If you believe the main stream media reports, it would seem that folks across the United States have given up on reading and spend all of their time glued to a mobile phone. But those of us in the book … Continue reading

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The gods wait to delight in you

Charles Bukowski // “Your life is your life. Don’t let it be clubbed into dank submission. Be on the watch. There are ways out. There is light somewhere. It may not be much light but it beats the darkness. Be … Continue reading

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The Wizard is 125

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was published on this date in 1900. It is the first novel in the Oz series of books. A Kansas farm girl named Dorothy ends up in the magical Land of Oz after she and her pet dog Toto are swept away from their … Continue reading

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