Category Archives: Writing

Ring In The New Year

Posted on January 1, 2022 by Brian D. Butler

The Chimes: A Goblin Story of Some Bells that Rang an Old Year Out and a New Year In, commonly referred to as The Chimes, is a novella written by Charles Dickens and first published in 1844, one year after A Christmas Carol. It … Continue reading →

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Before the Law stands a doorkeeper

Posted on December 30, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

Before the Law stands a doorkeeper. To this doorkeeper there comes a man from the country and prays for admittance to the Law. But the doorkeeper says that he cannot grant admittance at the moment. The man thinks it over … Continue reading →

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What Alice Found There

Posted on December 28, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

This week marks the 150th anniversary of the first publication of  Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There (also known as Alice Through the Looking-Glass or simply Through the Looking-Glass). Although First edition copies may indicate 1872 as the publication date, the book … Continue reading →

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Are they really the best

Posted on December 27, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

No doubt you have noticed the proliferation of Best Books of 2021 or Best Books of the Year lists that seem to be appearing all over the internet and in print periodicals. Every December, I take a deep dive into … Continue reading →

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the library is the place to go

Posted on December 26, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

“A library is many things. It’s a place to go, to get in out of the rain. It’s a place to go if you want to sit and think. But particularly it is a place where books live, and where … Continue reading →

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Many prophets have failed

Posted on December 23, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

 

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Winter With The Gulf Stream

Posted on December 21, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

Winter with the Gulf Stream                                                                        … Continue reading →

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The Floating Admiral and the Detection Club

Posted on December 17, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

First published in 1931, The Floating Admiral was a collaborative mystery novel with individual chapters written by the members of the Detection Club, including Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, G. K. Chesterton, Ronald Knox, Freeman Wills Crofts, Clemence Dane, and husband-and-wife … Continue reading →

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The forest knows where you are

Posted on December 14, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

 

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“It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen”

Posted on December 12, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

I was recently surprised and intrigued to read that the estate of George Orwell has approved a feminist retelling of Nineteen Eighty-Four, which reimagines the story from the perspective of Winston Smith’s lover Julia. In the iconic dystopian novel, Smith … Continue reading →

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