Category Archives: Books

Fairy tales are about trouble

Posted on July 9, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

Fairy tales are about trouble, about getting into it and out of it, and trouble seems to be a necessary stage on the route of becoming. All the magic and glass mountains and pearls the size of houses and princesses … Continue reading →

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Birds of America

Posted on July 2, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

If you’re in Maine, you might want to check out First Fridays at Bowdoin College’s Special Collections Library. On the first Friday of every month, people gather together for a surprise. Some of them have even placed bets on the … Continue reading →

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Hope is a thing with feathers

Posted on June 29, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

“Hope” is the thing with feathers — That perches in the soul — And sings the tune without the words — And never stops — at all — And sweetest — in the Gale — is heard — And sore … Continue reading →

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Magic Bus

Posted on June 20, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

This summer, a powder blue double-decker bus is popping-up around England bringing books and a literacy campaign. But this bookmobile is unique; it’s also one woman’s personal project and traveling home.  Jam packed with books, plants, recycled furnishings, the big … Continue reading →

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Dysfunctional Book Club

Posted on June 15, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

Badd, Gramm-mar, a comedy series following a dysfunctional reading group in Los Angeles with a rotating cast of comedians that have colliding perspectives, will appear weekly on YouTube on Tuesdays, beginning June 30. The series was created by Matthew Medney, founder … Continue reading →

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Be a planet, not a meteor.

Posted on June 11, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

Advice to A Young Writer1. If possible, be Russian. And live in another country. Play chess. Be an active trader between languages. Carry precious metals from one to the other. Remind us of Stravinsky. Know the names of plants and … Continue reading →

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Remember when books used to be fun

Posted on May 21, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

 

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Book Machine

Posted on May 11, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

Frequent readers of TBTP know that I have a weird interest in vending machines that defies explanation. And, a book vending machine is my nerdy jam. So, Long Story Books, a new indie bookstore slated to open in late summer … Continue reading →

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Really Interesting (ok maybe interesting) stuff

Posted on May 9, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

Check the time with NYC Street Clock — telling the time using more than 20,000 Google Street View images found around NYC . I can be an infinite bore when it comes to giving travel advice. Over the years I’ve learned to … Continue reading →

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A rare literary find and more stuff you need to see

Posted on April 27, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

A papyrus of part of the Iliad has been discovered in a Roman-era tomb of mummies in Egypt. “The papyrus contains a passage from Book II of Homer’s Iliad, specifically the section known as the ‘Catalogue of Ships’…” from the … Continue reading →

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