Category Archives: Books

And the 2025 lists begin

Posted on December 11, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

The staff of the New York Times Book Review choose the year’s top fiction and nonfiction titles. “The envelope, please: After a full year spent reading hundreds of books and meeting regularly to bicker — er, converse — about their … Continue reading →

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Change, but start slowly

Posted on November 19, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

Change But start slowly, because direction is more important than speed. Sit in another chair, on the other side of the table. Later on, change tables. When you go out, try to walk on the other side of the street. … Continue reading →

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Dylan’s mind and other diversions

Posted on November 16, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

Can AI tell us anything meaningful about Bob Dylan’s songs? What was uncovered when computer scientist Prashant Garg  fed Dylan’s official discography from 1962 to 2012 into a large language model (LLM), building a network of the concepts and connections … Continue reading →

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Do Halloween like it’s 1920

Posted on October 14, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

I recently stumbled upon this fantastic vintage Halloween book filled with crafts, decoration ideas, DIY costumes, and more. The book is called Dennison’s Bogie Book for Halloween. It was written in 1920, but the activities and decorations inside can make … Continue reading →

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Top Secret

Posted on September 18, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

The 1984 action comedy Top Secret! contains an odd sequence set in a Swedish bookstore. Val Kilmer, Lucy Gutteridge, and Peter Cushing acted the entire scene backward, and the filmmakers then reversed this performance to produce a dreamlike atmosphere in which … Continue reading →

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Sometimes in a pickle is where to be

Posted on September 12, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

Over the years, I’ve discovered hundreds of used, secondhand and antiquarian bookshops, but none as unique as New York City’s Sweet Pickle Books.  The founder and owner Leigh Altshuler had always dreamed of opening her own bookstore, but the time never … Continue reading →

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The First Day

Posted on September 5, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

“On an otherwise unremarkable September morning, long before I learned to be ashamed of my mother, she takes my hand and we set off down New Jersey Avenue to begin my very first day of school.” –“The First Day” from Lost … Continue reading →

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Denmark is saving bookshops and inspiring readers

Posted on August 29, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

I was recently shocked to see many news stories about the dramatic decline in literacy in Denmark. Surveys have shown that reading skills of the nation’s children were in a steep decline. According to the New York Times, the Denmark’s … Continue reading →

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More words for booklovers

Posted on August 23, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

A big tip of the hat to TBTP subscriber Joe Coffee (not their real name) who sent this list of book and reading related terms to follow-up the recent post titled “Destroyer of Books”. My fav comes from the late, … Continue reading →

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Perfect Job

Posted on August 10, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

 

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