Category Archives: Writing

Dance Macabre

Posted on October 31, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

 La portentosa vida de la muerte (The Prodigious Life of Death) by Joaquín Bolaños, is a late 18th century Mexican novel that stars Death as a female protagonist ( la muerte in Spanish is a feminine noun).  The story begins in the Garden … Continue reading →

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Stephen King Inspired

Posted on October 25, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

I’m a huge fan of the always wacky art work by the brilliant Brazilian artist and illustrator who goes by the name Butcher Billy. These seasonally appropriate pulp fiction and horror inspired faux book covers are a treat. Here’s what … Continue reading →

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Monsters In Philadelphia

Posted on October 13, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

With Frankenstein and Dracula, Mary Shelley and Bram Stoker created two of history’s most memorable monsters. Two hundred years after Frankenstein was published, pages from Mary Shelley’s manuscript will make their only appearance in the United States, to be displayed for the first … Continue reading →

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A Village After Dark

Posted on October 6, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

This year’s Nobel prize for literature was announced yesterday. I don’t usually pay much attention to these types of awards, but I really thought that this would be Margaret Atwood’s year. Still, even though I was surprised by the selection … Continue reading →

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Fun With Kafka

Posted on October 5, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

If you are a regular reader of TBTP, you know that I’m a big fan of London-based cartoonist and illustrator Tom Gauld. Along with his weekly comic strips in the Guardian and the New Scientist, Gauld’s work regularly appears in … Continue reading →

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Bookstore Hopes

Posted on September 30, 2017 by Brian D. Butler
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Resist Much, Obey Little

Posted on September 27, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

In recognition of Banned Books Week, here are some quotes from surprising literary works that have been banned or censored over the years.

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Words Have Power

Posted on September 22, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

Libraries, booksellers, publishers, schools, writers’ groups, and other organizations in North America are gearing up to mark Banned Books Week 2017, which runs from September 24 to the 30th. Many bookshops and libraries have gotten a jump on the upcoming … Continue reading →

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Go Ask Alice

Posted on September 20, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland and Through The Looking Glass, by Lewis Carroll with illustrations by A.H. Watson, Collins 1939.

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Bench Press

Posted on September 16, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

Poland’s Zaczytani Foundation recently completed the installation of a series of benches modeled on open books. The colorful seating, which can be found in the center of Warsaw, Gdansk, Kracow, Poznan, and Wroclaw, references works by famous Polish writers, such … Continue reading →

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