Author Archives: Brian D. Butler

Stages of the reader

Posted on May 6, 2025 by Brian D. Butler
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Editor Librarian Bookseller

Posted on May 5, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

 

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Octavia Butler : Positive Obsession

Posted on May 4, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

I have been an enormous fan of the visionary writing of Octavia E. Butler for decades. The American science fiction writer won numerous awards for her works, including Hugo, Locus, and Nebula awards. In 1995, Butler became the first science-fiction writer to receive a MacArthur … Continue reading →

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the act of walking

Posted on May 3, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

 

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Tourists get blamed for everything now

Posted on May 2, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

Japan is selling off its national emergency rice reserve for the first time since 1995 because prices have doubled, and they are blaming tourist visitors for eating too much rice. France 24 reports that record numbers of visitors are partly to … Continue reading →

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“We are all living in Orwell’s world now”

Posted on May 1, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

“We are all living in Orwell’s world now” – The New York Times, 29 March The Orwell Festival is returning to Bloomsbury, London, this month with an interesting line-up of events exploring some of the urgent themes and questions arising from … Continue reading →

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Heaven and Hell

Posted on April 30, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

“Report on Heaven and Hell” by Silvina Ocampo translation by Edith Grossman Heaven and Hell, like the great auction galleries, have heaps of objects accumulated in their passageways, objects that will not surprise anyone because they are the same things … Continue reading →

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The Boat

Posted on April 29, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

“The Boat” by Robert Walser translated by Tom Whalen I think I’ve written this scene before, but I’ll write it once again. In a boat, midway upon the lake, sit a man and woman. High above in the dark sky … Continue reading →

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Last Frontier

Posted on April 28, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

I’ve only visited Alaska one time, but the memories of that two week trip remain vivid. It’s impossible to describe the vastness and majesty of Alaska, however the short tilt-shift video below offers a taste of the state’s beauty and … Continue reading →

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Tokyo: Thin is in

Posted on April 27, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

Looking for hotels in Tokyo, I ran across the 9-story Rakuragu hotel which squeezes in an ultra-narrow site in the Nihonbashi district of Tokyo. Located near the iconic Tokyo Station, the skinny hotel has just 14 rooms, its design prioritizes outdoor … Continue reading →

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