Category Archives: Books

The Rights of the Reader

Posted on April 8, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

I recently stumbled upon this English translation of the 1992 French bestseller, Comme Un Roman, with illustrations by Quentin Blake. It’s a book about reading and the power of books by a celebrated author and former teacher, and much of it … Continue reading →

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How to organize a home library

Posted on April 7, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

 

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The first duty of the novelist is to entertain.

Posted on April 5, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

“The first duty of the novelist is to entertain. It is a moral duty. People who read your books are sick, sad, traveling, in the hospital waiting room while someone is dying. Books are written by the alone for the … Continue reading →

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April 4th, 1984

Posted on April 4, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER theyll shoot me I dont care theyll shoot me in the back of the neck I dont care down with … Continue reading →

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An odd place for a lighthouse

Posted on April 3, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

It’s always a treat to stumble upon an engaging short story and doubly so to discover a prize-winning work. The VS Pritchett Short Story Prize for 2022 was recently awarded to Kaliane Bradley’s genre-bending story Doggerland. Simultaneously humorous and creepy, the story … Continue reading →

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Decoding the Heavens

Posted on April 1, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

“The Astronomicum Caesareum (1540) by the German mathematician, astronomer and cartographer Petrus Apianus was used by the privileged – including the Holy Roman emperor Charles V, who commissioned it, and the Tudor king Henry VIII – to find guidance, knowledge and fate in the stars. … Continue reading →

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March Elegy

Posted on March 31, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

March Elegy by Anna Akhmatova  

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Story Typology

Posted on March 30, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

The Two Types of Stories: Expanded Edition For the NY Times Book Review. For more comics on all things literary, check out Grant Snider’s book I WILL JUDGE YOU BY YOUR BOOKSHELF.  

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We Wear the Mask

Posted on March 22, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

We wear the mask NB: If the video fails to launch please click here. We wear the mask that grins and lies. It shades our cheeks and hides our eyes. This debt we pay to human guile With torn and … Continue reading →

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Monday, Monday, can’t trust that day

Posted on March 20, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

Film studio “Animācijas Brigāde” is a stop motion puppet animation film studio, producing puppet films and commercials. Working in classic stop motion technique, the Riga-based studio was founded in 1966 by a puppet film and theater director Arnolds Burovs and since … Continue reading →

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