The Boat

Posted on April 29, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

“The Boat”

by

Robert Walser

translated by Tom Whalen

I think I’ve written this scene before, but I’ll write it once again. In a boat, midway upon the lake, sit a man and woman. High above in the dark sky stands the moon. The night is still and warm, just right for this dreamy love adventure. Is the man in the boat an abductor? Is the woman the happy, enchanted victim? This we don’t know; we see only how they both kiss each other. The dark mountain lies like a giant on the glistening water. On the shore lies a castle or country house with a lighted window. No noise, no sound. Everything is wrapped in a black, sweet silence. The stars tremble high above in the sky and also upward from far below out of the sky which lies on the surface of the water. The water is the friend of the moon, it has pulled it down to itself, and now they kiss, the water and the moon, like boyfriend and girlfriend. The beautiful moon has sunk into the water like a daring young prince into a flood of peril. He is reflected in the water like a beautiful affectionate soul reflected in another love-thirsty soul. It’s marvelous how the moon resembles the lover drowned in pleasure, and how the water resembles the happy mistress hugging and embracing her kingly love. In the boat, the man and woman are completely still. A long kiss holds them captive. The oars lie lazily on the water. Are they happy, will they be happy, the two here in the boat, the two who kiss one another, the two upon whom the moon shines, the two who are in love?

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Last Frontier

Posted on April 28, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

I’ve only visited Alaska one time, but the memories of that two week trip remain vivid. It’s impossible to describe the vastness and majesty of Alaska, however the short tilt-shift video below offers a taste of the state’s beauty and scope.

 

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Tokyo: Thin is in

Posted on April 27, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

Looking for hotels in Tokyo, I ran across the 9-story Rakuragu hotel which squeezes in an ultra-narrow site in the Nihonbashi district of Tokyo. Located near the iconic Tokyo Station, the skinny hotel has just 14 rooms, its design prioritizes outdoor space through the arrangement of balconies that face different directions, capitalizing on the gaps between the neighboring buildings.

Kojima Shinya and Kojima Ayaka, of Tokyo and Shanghai-based studio Kooo Architects, have created this new urban hotel by taking the constraints of a tight space in the city center and turning them into a design opportunity. The layout, combined with the balconies, surprisingly offers more space than what you would typically find in a Tokyo hotel room.

While the hotel is located in a less touristy area, it has access to four metro stations within a less than 10 minute walk and some lesser known historic sites such as the Nihonbashi Bridge .

 

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Remarkable Library

Posted on April 26, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

The Netherlands is known for some extraordinary libraries. Among the many beautiful libraries repurposed from historical buildings is the remarkable De Petrus in Vught. The St. Pieter catholic church in Vught was built between 1881 and 1884 to replace a 14th century chapel. Today, the deconsecrated Neo-Romanesque church hosts a library, museum, bookshop, and community cultural center.

In 2005, the church was closed to the public due to falling debris from the roof. It was saved from demolition by a group of local business owners and concerned citizens, who in 2011 established a nonprofit dedicated to its preservation. In 2018, it reopened as DePetrus

 

 

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We nearly missed it

Posted on April 25, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

April is National Poetry Month.

Waka, or Japanese poetry, flourished in the court culture of the 6th to the 14th century in Japan. One of the well-known waka poets of this period was Ono no Komachi (小野 小町, c. 825 – c. 900). She was one of the Rokkasen (六歌仙, “six poetry immortals) of the early Heian period and was renowned for her unusual beauty. She also counts among the Thirty-six Poetry Immortals, but not much about her life is known for certain. Here’s one of her poems included as #9 in Fujiwara no Teika’s Ogura Hyakunin Isshu (百人一首), a classical Japanese anthology of one hundred Japanese waka by one hundred poets.

花の色はうつりにけりな
いたづらに
わが身世にふる
ながめせしまに

English Translation:
A life in vain.
My looks, talents faded
like these cherry blossoms
paling in the endless rains
that I gaze out upon, alone.

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Community Spirit

Posted on April 24, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

A big shout out to TBTP follower Linda T. who took time out from packing for a 14 hour flight to let me know about this heartwarming story. On April 13, a 300-strong volunteer book brigade helped Serendipity Books, Chelsea, Mich., move 9,100 books and hundreds of boxes in just under two hours.

Owner Michelle Tuplin told the Sun Times News: “I know the Chelsea community is strong, and Serendipity Books enjoys a central space in that community but to see what that means in action, to see people come together, to hear the laughter and the singing and the new conversations, to see friendships springing up as people chatted about the books they passed, it was a sight to behold for sure. Home is where we make it and Chelsea is our home.”

 

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Little Free Penguins

Posted on April 23, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

The UK’s largest book publisher has announced plans to install dozens of mini-libraries across the country as part of its 90th birthday celebrations.

The project from Penguin Books will see 90 ‘Little Book Stops’ installed across the UK, with online nominations now open to the public. The publisher teams up with US-based Little Free Library, which has installed more than 200,000 book exchange boxes around the world since 2009.

The 90 Little Book Stops will feature a bespoke Penguin design and be installed with an initial curation of children’s and adult books, specially selected to celebrate 90 years of Penguin publishing. A local steward will be appointed to maintain each Little Book Stop, which run on a ‘give a book, take a book’ concept and promote community-led book sharing.

The organisers are now seeking suggestions from the public as to where the Little Book Stops should be located. Individuals and organisations who would like one in their area, are encouraged to apply, and a wide range of locations, including unique and unusual options, will be considered.

Applicants will have to answer four key questions:

  1. Why is book access important at this location?
  2. How do you expect a Little Book Stop will change this community?
  3. How will you plan to look after the Little Book Stop as a steward?
  4. Does this Little Book Stop aim to celebrate a local individual or organisation that champions reading?

Applications are open until the 1st May and will be reviewed by a panel featuring staff from both Penguin and Little Free Library. Judges will be asked to look for applications that demonstrate the positive impact a Little Book Stop could have on the local community and why spreading the joy of reading is important to the person applying. The panel are also looking for a diversity of locations across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Last year, Penguin donated book vending machines to schools, including Linlithgow Academy, as part of the publisher’s Lit in Colour campaign.

Rebecca Sinclair, Chief Brand Officer at Penguin, said:

“Widening access to books is at the heart of Penguin’s origin story with the launch of the first ten Penguin paperbacks and shapes our mission today.  Books and reading are a wonderful way to build connections and create communities and we hope that our 90 Little Book Stops will enable that in the locations lucky enough to have one.  We’re excited to work with a community of stewards to connect books with readers and to champion the ongoing power of reading.”

Greig Metzger, Executive Director at Little Free Library said: “We are honoured to help celebrate Penguin’s 90th anniversary with the installation of 90 Little Book Stop boxes across the UK. We believe everyone has the right to read, and we hope these book-sharing boxes will build community, inspire readers, and expand book access where it is needed most. We look forward to welcoming these new locations to the global Little Free Library network.”

Those interested in nominating their local area for a Little Book Stop can find out more and apply via this link: https://www.penguin.co.uk/discover/campaigns/90-little-book-stops

via The Herald

 

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More Indie Bookstore Celebrations

Posted on April 22, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

Canadian independent booksellers are celebrating Independent Bookstore Day, a tradition that began in 2018 with the first Canadian Independent Bookstore Day that has aligned with the U.S. version since then. CIBD developed from Authors for Indies Day, which began in 2015.

More than 300 Canadian bookstores are participating this year and will offer a variety of celebratory activities that are similar to what’s being offered in the U.S., including customer giveaways, discounts, exclusive products, author events, and more.

Exclusive giveaways from publishers include “shop local” sticker sheets from Penguin Random House Canada, bookish zines from Biblioasis, World of Munsch sticker sheets from Scholastic Canada, Murdle: By the Book mystery activity booklets from Macmillan Publishers & Raincoast Books, CIBD chocolate bars from HarperCollins Canada, activity books, bookmarks, postcards, and more. (A few of the exclusives are offered by U.S. bookstores, too.)

This year’s celebration again features the Contest for Book Lovers, under which people who purchase books at a Canadian Independent Booksellers Association store on April 26 can enter a drawing; prizes include four C$200 (about US$140) gift cards and a grand prize C$1,000 (US$700) gift card to a bookstore of the winner’s choice. Each book purchased is worth one entry, and books written or illustrated by Canadians are worth double.

Canadian authors are as excited by and supportive of Canadian Independent Bookstore Day as booksellers and publishers, especially at a time when Canada’s neighbor to the south isn’t acting very neighborly. The Canadian Independent Booksellers Association highlighted “Authors Love Indies,” featuring Canadian authors expressing their appreciation for independent bookstores.

For example, Louise Penny wrote, “Canadian indies made my career. Without the support of independent bookshops, including Brome Lake Books in my own village, there’s no way there would be 18 Gamache books. That’s why it was the first thing I created in Three Pines. Myrna’s Bookshop. Beyond that, as a reader, it’s where I choose to spend time. Is there anything better than wandering the shelves of a Canadian independent bookstore?”

 Bookstore Day idea is growing beyond North America in a huge way. Booksellers from around the world have organized the Global Book Crawl, which will take place for the first time April 21-27 and include hundreds of stores on six continents. Organizers included Jessica Stockton Bagnulo, owner of Greenlight Bookstore and Yours Truly, Brooklyn.

Each city or region designs its own crawl. The countries with the most participating bookstores are Australia, Ireland, Switzerland, and the U.S. The areas in the United States that are part of Global Book Crawl include Atlanta, Ga., Brooklyn, N.Y., Cape Cod, Chequamegon Bay in Wisconsin, Louisville, Ky., Oklahoma City, Okla., Puget Sound in Washington, Queens, N.Y., San Gabriel Valley in California, and Washington, D.C.
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Celebrate Indie Bookstores

Posted on April 21, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

Nearly 1,500 bookstores across the U.S., the most ever, will participate in the 12th annual Independent Bookstore Day, which takes place Saturday, April 26. The stores will celebrate with a variety of creative, welcoming events, merchandise, food & drink, merriment, and more, all reenforcing connections between the stores and their communities.

As American Booksellers Association CEO Allison Hill puts it, “Independent Bookstore Day is one of my favorite days of the year. The collaboration between independent bookstores, the spirit of community with their customers, the support for small businesses, the celebration of books and authors and illustrators–these are the things I love about our industry year round but it’s nice to have a day to celebrate all that the indies represent in the world.”

Courtney Wallace, ABA’s marketing manager and Independent Bookstore Day program director, added, “Independent bookstores continue to elevate their creativity and community engagement, making this twelfth year of Independent Bookstore Day our biggest celebration yet. With many stores expanding their festivities beyond a single day, it’s clear that indie bookstores are vital hubs that bring people together and shape the heart of their communities.”

A map that shows participating bookstores and includes information about bookstore passport programs will appear soon on IndieBound.org.

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O Canada

Posted on April 20, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

 

It seems like an opportune moment to feature some classic Canadian travel posters. Stylish posters along with tourism  brochures were produced by Canadian Pacific for its network of railways, steamships, airlines, and hotels. They were generally well designed—and frequently quite fetching. This should come as no surprise considering the caliber of artists the company employed, although not all of CP’s artists were necessarily widely acclaimed. The company also hired artists who worked in near anonymity at the time, and about whom even less is known today.

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