Category Archives: Books

Saturday Sundries

Posted on October 14, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

Every festive season needs a traditional story. Autumn is no exception to this rule, so here’s the annual retelling of It’s Decorative Gourd Season, Motherfuckers. “I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to get my hands on some … Continue reading →

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” I wish the world were ending tomorrow. “

Posted on October 13, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

Franz Kafka // I wish the world were ending tomorrow. Then I could take the next train, arrive at your doorstep…and say: ‘Come with me…we are going to love each other without scruples or fear or restraint. Because the world … Continue reading →

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A library implies an act of faith

Posted on October 12, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

Opened in 1897 as the Chicago Public Library, the Chicago Cultural Center is housed in a beautiful Beaux-Arts building designed by George Foster Shepley, and opened in 1897. While the center is famous for its stunning Tiffany stained-glass domes, it … Continue reading →

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I don’t need anything from here.

Posted on October 11, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

“I Don’t Need Anything from Here” by László Krasznahorkai translated by Ottilie Mulzet I would leave everything here: the valleys, the hills, the paths, and the jaybirds from the gardens, I would leave here the petcocks and the padres, heaven … Continue reading →

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The Invention of Fantasy

Posted on October 10, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

The Man Who Invented Fantasy All those wizards, ogres, and barely-clad elf queens in the bookstore? You have Lester del Rey to thank. by Dan Sinykin Lester del Rey wore 1950s-style horn-rimmed glasses, an unruly billy-goat beard, and his silver … Continue reading →

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thinking about burning the bookstore down

Posted on October 8, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

In the Bookstore By: Julia Vinograd I went down to the bookstore this evening and found myself in the poetry section. But for every thin book of poems there was a thick biography of the poet and an even thicker … Continue reading →

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Forthcoming memoir

Posted on October 7, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

 

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if on a winter’s night

Posted on October 3, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

As a life-long fan of Italo Calvino’s writing, I was very excited to discover this marvelous BBC audio adaptation of his post-modern classic If on a winter’s night a traveler .  Released On: 24 Sep 2023 Available for 22 days Relax. … Continue reading →

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Le Petit Prince

Posted on October 2, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

I don’t think that I would be going out on a limb to speculate that almost every one reading this post has at one time read the iconic Antoine de Saint-Exupéry novel The Little Prince. In my case, I read … Continue reading →

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Freedom to Read

Posted on October 1, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

I was recently asked by a TBTP follower from Europe if the issue of book banning in the United States was being overhyped in the press. Sadly, if anything the scourge of book bans, and even book burnings, is not … Continue reading →

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