Category Archives: Uncategorized

Summer Reading

Posted on August 3, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

President Barack Obama has released his summer reading list. On social media, he wrote, “It’s that time of year again: here are some of the books I’ve enjoyed this summer. If you’ve read any good ones, let me know!…. And … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Long, Long List

Posted on August 2, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

The 13-title longlist for the £50,000 (about $66,485) 2026 Booker Prize has been released and includes authors representing seven countries and three continents. A shortlist will be announced September 22, with the authors each receiving £2,500 (about $3,325). The winner will be … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Be Kind, Please Rewind

Posted on August 1, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

Inspired by Little Free Libraries, public boxes and mini-houses where people can donate or borrow books, Free Blockbuster allows folks to exchange films in a similar spirit. The organization — which was founded in Los Angeles in 2019 by Brian Morrison, a … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

“Luceros y Penumbras” (Starlight and Shadows)

Posted on July 30, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

With original art created by Los Angeles artist and printmaker Daniel González, paper engineering by Matthew Reinhart, and full scale engineering and fabrication by Goodnight & Co., this ambitious feat of scale and storytelling constructed in the Rotunda of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The old that is strong does not wither

Posted on July 29, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

It was on this date in 1954 that The Fellowship of the Ring, the first volume of J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic The Lord of the Rings, was published in the UK. Seventy-two years later, Tolkien’s masterpiece continues to captivate readers, inspire filmmakers, … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

What’s the day after overmorrow

Posted on July 28, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

   

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | Leave a comment

More Stuff You Want To See ?

Posted on July 27, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

Peter Guillam and his daughter have used the Claude LLM to create a tool for mapping characters’ journeys in novels, PlotLines. He writes about the process here. His other tools include a Hansard search and a map of redundant churches. “You’d see massive glacier … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Sunday, Sundry Sunday

Posted on July 26, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

By the time the weekend rolls around, I always seem to have dozens of new websites and stories bookmarked. Some I manage to return to and some just get eventually deleted. Any road, here are some of this week’s survivors. … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Novelists opening bookshops is a thing

Posted on July 25, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

Joining a growing list of authors who have recently gotten into the book biz, novelist Matt Haig, whose bestselling books include The Midnight Library and Reasons to Stay Alive, will be launching the Golden Bookshop later this year in the Seven Dials neighborhood of Brighton, England, … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Pindakaasvloer Redux

Posted on July 24, 2026 by Brian D. Butler

In honor of Dutch conceptual artist Wim T. Schippers, who passed away in June, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen has brought back his most famous work, the peanut butter floor. Schippers was known for his silly and absurdist artworks, as well … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment