Category Archives: USA

Not your usual guidebook for NYC

Posted on November 28, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

Filmmaker and social media maven Nicolas Heller, also known as New York Nico, boasts more than a million people followers on his eponymous Instagram account where he chronicles the characters of New York City. Heller platforms ordinary New Yorkers along … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Art, Books, Maps, Public Transport, Restaurants, Tourism, Uncategorized, USA | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Odd doesn’t begin to cover these titles

Posted on November 23, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

The shortlist has been unveiled for the 2024 Bookseller‘s Diagram Prize for the Oddest Book Title of the Year. The annual prize was conceived in 1978 by Trevor Bounford and Bruce Robertson, co-founders of publishing solutions firm the Diagram Group, as … Continue reading →

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Meanwhile, back in soulless America

Posted on November 22, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

YOU WOULD HAVE THOUGHT John Ashbery Meanwhile, back in soulless America, people are having fun as usual. A bird visits a birdbath. A young girl takes a refresher course in polyhistory. My mega-units are straining at the leash of spring. … Continue reading →

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It’s Not Even Close

Posted on November 21, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

 

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Bookstore Tourism: Portlandia

Posted on November 18, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

It’s always good news to discover that a new indie bookshop has opened in the U.S.. But it’s great news when it turns out to be a travel bookstore. Even if you can’t get to Portland, Oregon IRL, you can … Continue reading →

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Bookstore Lover on the Road

Posted on November 14, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

Bob Manson is a retired teacher from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He’s also a superfan of independent bookstores. So much so that he has now visited over 600 of them across the country. At each one, he talks with the owners … Continue reading →

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Forget Dystopia

Posted on November 7, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

Thinking about all of the dystopian speculative fiction that I’ve been binging on in recent years, I am reminded of the great Ray Bradbury’s imagining of a more positive future for humanity. The 1984 short story The Toynbee Convector tells the … Continue reading →

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Banned In the USA

Posted on November 5, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

Banned In The USA isn’t a classic Springsteen tune, but instead it’s the newly released report from PEN America  documenting  public school book bans for the full 2023-2024 school year. The report records 10,046 instances of books banned nationwide, a … Continue reading →

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As the human village prepares for its fate

Posted on November 4, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

Tom Clark  

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Happy Halloween

Posted on October 31, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

A few years ago, I spent a very happy Halloween in Taupo, New Zealand. The charming lakeside town is sadly overlooked by many foreign visitors to the country. Along with stunning natural beauty, the community is surprisingly welcoming to tourists. … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Europe, Tourism, USA | Tagged , | 1 Comment