Category Archives: Books

“We are all living in Orwell’s world now”

Posted on May 1, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

“We are all living in Orwell’s world now” – The New York Times, 29 March The Orwell Festival is returning to Bloomsbury, London, this month with an interesting line-up of events exploring some of the urgent themes and questions arising from … Continue reading →

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The Boat

Posted on April 29, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

“The Boat” by Robert Walser translated by Tom Whalen I think I’ve written this scene before, but I’ll write it once again. In a boat, midway upon the lake, sit a man and woman. High above in the dark sky … Continue reading →

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Remarkable Library

Posted on April 26, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

The Netherlands is known for some extraordinary libraries. Among the many beautiful libraries repurposed from historical buildings is the remarkable De Petrus in Vught. The St. Pieter catholic church in Vught was built between 1881 and 1884 to replace a … Continue reading →

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We nearly missed it

Posted on April 25, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

April is National Poetry Month. Waka, or Japanese poetry, flourished in the court culture of the 6th to the 14th century in Japan. One of the well-known waka poets of this period was Ono no Komachi (小野 小町, c. 825 … Continue reading →

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Community Spirit

Posted on April 24, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

A big shout out to TBTP follower Linda T. who took time out from packing for a 14 hour flight to let me know about this heartwarming story. On April 13, a 300-strong volunteer book brigade helped Serendipity Books, Chelsea, Mich., move … Continue reading →

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Little Free Penguins

Posted on April 23, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

The UK’s largest book publisher has announced plans to install dozens of mini-libraries across the country as part of its 90th birthday celebrations. The project from Penguin Books will see 90 ‘Little Book Stops’ installed across the UK, with online … Continue reading →

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More Indie Bookstore Celebrations

Posted on April 22, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

Canadian independent booksellers are celebrating Independent Bookstore Day, a tradition that began in 2018 with the first Canadian Independent Bookstore Day that has aligned with the U.S. version since then. CIBD developed from Authors for Indies Day, which began in … Continue reading →

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Celebrate Indie Bookstores

Posted on April 21, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

Nearly 1,500 bookstores across the U.S., the most ever, will participate in the 12th annual Independent Bookstore Day, which takes place Saturday, April 26. The stores will celebrate with a variety of creative, welcoming events, merchandise, food & drink, merriment, and … Continue reading →

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Found in translation

Posted on April 19, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

I am usually ambivalent about literary prizes, although like a good hypocrite I mine the lists for reading suggestions. Somehow I missed the announcement for this year’s International Booker Prize and was surprised to discover that I had read three … Continue reading →

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Tout le monde aime la Tour Eiffel

Posted on April 18, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

I’m always chuffed to run across a copy book that I sold many years ago in a random blog post. in this case, the book in question is Les Tours Eiffel de Robert Delaunay : poèmes inédits / [Guillaume] Apollinaire. … Continue reading →

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