Category Archives: Writing

we shall have cast our reformation to the winds

Posted on January 1, 2024 by Brian D. Butler

From Mark Twain’s January 1st, 1863 column in the Territorial Enterprise: Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual. Yesterday, everybody smoked his last cigar, took … Continue reading →

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Saved for the very end

Posted on December 31, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

Reading Rhythms is not a book club. It’s a reading party. Read with friends to curated music. “It’s my party and I’ll read if I want to. What a super concept; I hope that it spreads. Ernest Hemingway only used 59 … Continue reading →

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but then you read

Posted on December 30, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

“You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read,” James Baldwin  BOOKS by Hermann Hesse All the books of the world will not bring you happiness, but build a secret … Continue reading →

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Are these really the best books of 2023

Posted on December 29, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

Every year at this time we are inundated with “Best Books of the Year” lists. I’ll admit that I scroll through the lists in search of reading recommendations and guidance. So, here’s a long list of lists for our perusal … Continue reading →

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What do Mickey Mouse and D.H. Lawrence have in common

Posted on December 28, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

On January 1, 2024, thousands of copyrighted works from 1928 will enter the US public domain, along with sound recordings from 1923. They will be free for all to copy, share, and build upon. This year’s highlights include Lady Chatterley’s Lover by … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Books, Film, History, movies, Music, Theater, USA, Writing | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

It was a strange time in America.

Posted on December 26, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

What are you going to do with 390 photographs of Christmas trees ? by Richard Brautigan I don’t know. But it seemed the thing to do in that first week in January 1964, and I got two other people to … Continue reading →

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“Twas the night before Christmas”

Posted on December 24, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

In 2006 Bob Dylan surprised the listeners to his satellite radio show, Theme Time Radio Hour, with a reading of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. The poem first appeared in print on December 23, 1823.  No author was cited for the work then called A … Continue reading →

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Gift Algorithm

Posted on December 23, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

 

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Is this one of the most beautiful books ever published

Posted on December 22, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

Frequently cited as one of the most beautiful books ever published, the Kelmscott Chaucer is now available as an online resource allowing booklovers to digitally explore the iconic volume. Created by independent researcher, writer and educator Dr Michael John Goodman, … Continue reading →

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The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus

Posted on December 19, 2023 by Brian D. Butler

Much like his supernatural hero counterpart Superman, Santa Claus was discovered as an abandoned infant. That is, according to The Life and Adventures Of Santa Claus by author of The Wizard of Oz, L. Frank Baum. With its elaborations and much added … Continue reading →

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