Category Archives: Books

“Hope”

Posted on December 10, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

 Happy Birthday Emily Dickinson   “Hope” is the thing with feathers BY EMILY DICKINSON “Hope” is the thing with feathers – That perches in the soul – And sings the tune without the words – And never stops – at all … Continue reading →

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Last Lines

Posted on December 9, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

He loved Big Brother. –George Orwell, 1984 (1949) ⇔ Before reaching the final line, however, he had already understood that he would never leave that room, for it was foreseen that the city of mirrors (or mirages) would be wiped … Continue reading →

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Huxley feared that what we love will ruin us.

Posted on December 8, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

  “What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one. Orwell feared those who would … Continue reading →

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Bookshops come in all sizes

Posted on December 7, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

A few years ago I posted a story about the smallest indie bookshop in New Zealand, which is most definitely the littlest bookstore that I’ve ever found. You can revisit The Twizel Bookshop right here. But ‘The Exceedingly Tiny Bookshop’ featured in … Continue reading →

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Thank a pirate for guacamole

Posted on December 4, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

Born in England in 1651, William Dampier embarked on a life of piracy in 1679 in Mexico’s Bay of Campeche after a number of unsuccessful early jobs. He changed his fortunes by joining the rapidly growing field of high seas … Continue reading →

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Thank you for waiting

Posted on December 3, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

Thank You for Waiting by Simon Armitage Thank you for waiting. At this moment in time, we’d like to invite First Class passengers only to board the aircraft. Thank you for waiting. We now extend our invitation to Exclusive, Superior, Privilege … Continue reading →

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Devil’s Dictionary

Posted on December 2, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

Yesterday’s post on the dictionary word of the year reminded me of a recent book listing for the enduringly popular satirical book The Devil’s Dictionary by Ambrose Bierce. Bierce was one of America’s most popular humorists, journalists, and short story writers … Continue reading →

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How Odd

Posted on December 1, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

The 2023 Diagram Prize for the Oddest Book Title of the Year shortlist is out and it’s a doozy. As tradition demands, the winner is in your hands as the shortlist goes to a public vote on The Bookseller website here. The … Continue reading →

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What’s The Word

Posted on November 30, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

“Authentic” was chosen as the 2023 word of the year by the Merriam-Webster dictionary, coming in as the most-looked-up words in the dictionary’s 500,000 entries, the company said in a press release. “Although clearly a desirable quality, authentic is hard to define … Continue reading →

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A Boat

Posted on November 28, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

A Boat O beautiful was the werewolf in his evil forest. We took him to the carnival and he started crying when he saw the Ferris wheel. Electric green and red tears flowed down his furry cheeks. He looked like … Continue reading →

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