Category Archives: USA

Best Bookstore of the Year

Posted on April 2, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

Literati Bookstore in Ann Arbor, Michigan has been named PW‘s Bookstore of the Year. Literati which opened in 2013 celebrated the store’s fifth anniversary last April.  Brooklyn transplant co-owners Hilary and Michael Gustafson posted on Facebook: “When we opened Literati we … Continue reading →

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Everything was beautiful, and nothing hurt

Posted on March 31, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

Today marks the 50th anniversary of the first publication of Kurt Vonnegut’s masterwork Slaughterhouse-Five. Part autobiographical, part science fiction, part satire, Slaughterhouse-Five was Vonnegut’s first bestseller and remains a revered literary classic of the 20th century. After the real-life Vonnegut … Continue reading →

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Perpetually Awaiting A Rebirth of Wonder

Posted on March 24, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

Today is the 100th birthday of America’s most loved living poet. If you spend any time at TBTP, you have by now likely noticed my fondness for Lawrence Ferlinghetti. In fact, the first poetry books that I bought were his A … Continue reading →

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You should have seen him go go go

Posted on March 21, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

It’s been more than five years since Lou Reed’s death, but the seminal 60s rock icon has not been forgotten in New York City. To celebrate what would have been his 77th birthday, the New York Public Library has opened … Continue reading →

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The Carrier of Ladders

Posted on March 17, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

This week the two-time Poet Laureat of the U.S. and two-time Pulitzer prizewinning poet W.S. Merwin died at the age of 91. One of America’s best known and loved writers, Merwin managed to weave themes of spirituality, politics, relationships, and … Continue reading →

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Free Books For Travelers

Posted on March 15, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

Hub City Books and the Hub City Writers Project in Sparatanburg, S.C., have launched Free Books for Travelers, a new community outreach project. Travelers passing through the Sparta Passenger Center are encouraged to take a free book along for the … Continue reading →

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Awful Books

Posted on March 13, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

One of my guilty pleasures is checking in periodically with this hilarious website dedicated to really terrible books. The Awful Library Books blog is the passion project of two professional librarians from the State of Michigan. Mary Kelly and Holly Hibner collect … Continue reading →

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Coast to Coast by Train and Plane

Posted on March 7, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

These days it takes about 5 hours to travel coast to coast across North America, but in 1929 the fastest route took at least 48 hours. This very cool map was given to passengers who traveled on Transcontinental Air Transport … Continue reading →

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Fool The Eye

Posted on March 5, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

I am always on the lookout for interesting book art. So, I was excited to stumble upon the amazing trompe l’oeil cover art work from Steve Wolfe. Using paper, linen, wood, paint, and ink Wolfe created fabulous copies of famous books that … Continue reading →

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The Wordless Novel

Posted on March 4, 2019 by Brian D. Butler

Created by artist Lynd Ward, God’s Man is the first American wordless novel. Published in 1929 by Jonathon Cape and Harrison Smith in New York, the book is an example of the wordless novel, a narrative genre made of only … Continue reading →

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