Category Archives: Books

Bookstore Tourism : Paris

Posted on March 20, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

The Anti Public Library is a blend of record shop and book store combined with a bar set in Paris’ always hip Le Marais district. Created by artist Henri Levy, founder and creative director of the avant-garde brand Enfants Riches … Continue reading →

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How could they leave it out

Posted on March 18, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

Last week, the Atlantic magazine published a list of great American novels — 136 of them. I’m embarrassed to say that I’ve only read 60 or so novels on the list. However, when I took a closer look at the … Continue reading →

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Random but not ephemeral

Posted on March 14, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

I have had the good fortune to have visited Iceland many times over the years, but I still get flummoxed sometimes by the country’s strict naming system.  The Mystery of the Icelandic Naming Committee. The Amsterdam-based artist Frankey brings a playful twist … Continue reading →

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It is no secret

Posted on March 13, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

It is no secret. All power is one in source and end, I think. Tears and distances, stars and candles, water and wind and wizardry, the craft in a man’s hand and the wisdom in a tree’s root: they all … Continue reading →

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Just wait, to see what’s going to happen.

Posted on March 7, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

  Raymond Carver’s “At Least” I want to get up early one more morning, before sunrise. Before the birds, even. I want to throw cold water on my face and be at my work table when the sky lightens and … Continue reading →

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Reader in Residence

Posted on March 6, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

Perelandra Bookshop, Fort Collins, Colo., is offering a reader-in-residence program that, unlike more traditional artist-in-residence or writer-in-residence programs, does not require anything “except show up to the bookstore a couple of times per week and read,” the Coloradoan reported. “I think the residence paralleled … Continue reading →

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Jane Austen : Revolutionary

Posted on March 5, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

I never thought that the English novelist Jane Austen was a revolutionary, but what do I know. In the video below, Evan Puschak explains, with examples, what free indirect speech is, why Austen employed it, and why it was so … Continue reading →

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Paris: the joy of reading

Posted on March 4, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

The famous Parisian department store Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche is hosting two gigantic figures that celebrate the joy of reading and books. The celebrated editor Sarah Andelman, of Just an Idea Books, and artist Jean Jullien teamed up to create the … Continue reading →

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Dracula for laughs

Posted on March 3, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

I don’t care what some critics had to say about Francis Ford Coppala’s 1992 version of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. I thoroughly enjoyed the Grand Guigol meets Expressionist take on the iconic vampire tale. Sadly, I missed the 2022 theatrical re-release for the … Continue reading →

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On the Edge of Alchemy

Posted on March 1, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

I was intrigued by the wonderful collage animation (below) created by Stacey Steers. The 20 minute film presents a unique approach to collage animation by combining backgrounds, objects and creatures taken from engraved illustrations with characters lifted from early cinema. … Continue reading →

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