Who doesn’t love a Little Free Library

Posted on March 3, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

Here in the formerly free United States, bibliophiles of all ages love the Little Free Library movement, which started in 2009 when Todd H. Bol built the first Little Free Library in Hudson, Wisconsin, as a tribute to his mother.

I’m happy to report that the movement is still going strong and is bigger and better than ever. Since Bol built that first library in 2009, over 400 million books have been shared through Little Free Libraries in 128 countries! And next month, the movement is celebrating a milestone—the opening of the 200,000th Little Free Library!

Little Free Library is an nonprofit organization based in St. Paul Minnesota. On its website it explains that its mission is “to be a catalyst for building community, inspiring readers, and expanding book access for all through a global network of volunteer-led Little Free Library book-exchange boxes.”

 

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You couldn’t pay me to go there

Posted on March 2, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

After years of civil war and terrorist conflict that reduced its cultural treasures to rubble, Syria is taking steps to breathe new life into its tourism industry. The nation is focusing on restoring its rich heritage, aiming to attract history lovers and cultural explorers back to war-battered historic landmarks, including UNESCO World Heritage sites.

One of the most important restoration projects is focused on Palmyra, the ancient city that was once a jewel of the Silk Road. The site, known for its grand temples and Roman-era ruins, suffered extensive damage during the war, with many of its priceless artifacts looted or destroyed by Islamic terror groups.

With efforts now in place to rebuild and preserve what remains, local experts and interim officials are working toward reopening the site to international tourists eager to experience its storied past.

Another major restoration project is Crac des Chevaliers, a medieval Crusader castle that endured airstrikes and natural disasters during the conflict. Despite its damage, the site remains open to visitors, including local tourists and historians, as careful reconstruction continues.

Along with the reconstruction of historic sites, Syria is also making travel more accessible. In May last year, the country introduced an electronic visa system to simplify entry for foreign visitors. Government officials are optimistic that a combination of restored landmarks and easier travel procedures will help bring back international interest.

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More Than the Mona Lisa

Posted on March 1, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

In January, French President Emmanuel Macron announced a significant renovation plan for the Louvre, following concerns from the museum’s director about the building’s deteriorating condition. The project includes the creation of a new grand entrance and broader refurbishments across the historic site. Like most museum goers, I’m excited about the project. Every time that I’m in Paris I visit the Louvre and always discover something new.

The place is simply too enormous to comprehend on one visit, or indeed on ten visits. It has taken eight centuries for the complex to reach its current size, a process explained in under three minutes by the official video animation below.

 

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Book this Book Hotel

Posted on February 28, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

The good news in planning an upcoming trip to Tokyo was that I managed to snag a cushy hotel in Shinjuku for five nights entirely free with reward points. However, the bad news is that I won’t be staying at the amazing Book Hotel in Jimbocho. Located in the heart of Tokyo’s book store district, that has more than 200 bookshops, and just a minute from the Jimbocho metro station, this 32 room gem is a bibliophile’s dream.

When you enter the hotel, you’ll immediately see books lined up in the lobby. Each shelf is organized with its own different theme, with a wide variety of books gathered. There, you will find not only novels, essays, and other books, but also a manga section.

Books are arranged on each floor according to a concept, such as “Rush back to that time of youth,” “Think, think, think,” “Business books galore,” etc. The lineup carefully selected by the staff of Book Hotel Jimbocho range from that high profile new works to classics.

The hotel regularly holds events in collaboration with anime and manga, displaying reproductions of original artwork in guest rooms and providing related books, allowing guests to immerse themselves in the works.

Guests will want to try the Book Matching Service. Answer an online survey by 10 p.m. two days before your stay, and hotel staff will prepare books just for you based on your answers. There is also a Book Pairing service, where with a 500 yen additional fee on top of the cost of accommodation, they provide you with the book, a drink and snack that pair with the book. You may take this book home with you.

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Nothing New is something new

Posted on February 27, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

Earlier this month, the New Yorker magazine published its centennial issue, and in its pages readers will discover something extraordinary: a previously unknown Robert Frost poem. Frost’s biographer, Jay Parini, wrote an essay about the poem, saying it “was found in a retired educator’s home library by a family friend, a book dealer, following the educator’s death.”

“Nothing New,” a previously unpublished poem by Robert Frost, was originally inscribed inside a copy of Frost’s second collection of poetry, “North of Boston.” The book was found in a retired educator’s home library by a family friend, following the educator’s death. “It’s a good poem, short and aphoristic, from a period when Frost, writing at the height of his powers, had a special affection for poems of this kind: brief, rueful, tight, focussed,” Jay Parini writes. At the link in our bio, Parini surveys the poem, which has been published for the first time in The New Yorker’s Anniversary Issue.

 

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Banned in the USA

Posted on February 26, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

The map above comes from from PEN America, which tracks book bans and fights censorship in public schools and libraries across the country.

Here’s how they defined a ban:

PEN America defines a school book ban as any action taken against a book based on its content and as a result of parent or community challenges, administrative decisions, or in response to direct or threatened action by lawmakers or other governmental officials, that leads to a previously accessible book being either completely removed from availability to students, or where access to a book is restricted or diminished, either temporarily or permanently.

Most Commonly Banned Books

  1. Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
  2. Looking for Alaska by John Green
  3. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
  4. Sold by Patricia McCormick
  5. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
  6. Crank by Ellen Hopkins
  7. Identical by Ellen Hopkins
  8. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
  9. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
  10. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
  11. Tricks by Ellen Hopkins
  12. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
  13. Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas
  14. A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
  15. A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas
  16. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
  17. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
  18. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
  19. A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas

Other Findings

  • PEN America recorded 10,046 instances of book bans in the 2023-2024 school year.
  • In the 2023-2024 school year, PEN America counted book bans in 29 states and 220 public school districts, with Florida and Iowa leading in number of bans.
  • Of the most commonly banned books in the 2023-2024 school year, 44% featured people and characters of color and 39% featured LGBTQ+ people and characters.
  • Nearly 60% of these banned titles are written for young adult audiences, and depict topics young people confront in the real world, including grief and death, experiences with substance abuse, suicide, depression and mental health concerns, and sexual violence.

You can read the full report here.

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see the horror in the heart of farce

Posted on February 25, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

Ihr aber lernet, wie man sieht statt stiert
Und handelt, statt zu reden noch und noch.
So was hätt einmal fast die Welt regiert!
Die Völker wurden seiner Herr, jedoch
Dass keiner uns zu früh da triumphiert —
Der Schoß ist fruchtbar noch, aus dem das kroch.
If we could learn to look, instead of gawking,
We’d see the horror in the heart of farce.
If only we could act, instead of talking,
We wouldn’t always end up on our arse.
This is the thing that nearly had us mastered;
Don’t yet rejoice in his defeat, you men!
Although the world has stood up and stopped the bastard,
The bitch that bore him is in heat again.
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Creation Story

Posted on February 24, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

 

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come si dice?

Posted on February 23, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

James Trimble’s European word translator generates maps of Europe showing the word of your choice in the most common languages for each nation. It gets the job done nicely, though it only works for English words.

This page was inspired by the etymology maps by Bezbojnicul on reddit. It was built using D3, maps from Natural Earth, and the Google Translate API. The translations were retrieved around 2014, and unfortunately this page is not currently set up to get new translations. You can contribute a few pounds towards the web hosting costs for this site if you really want to! Contact James Trimble.

 

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Everyone Must Go

Posted on February 22, 2025 by Brian D. Butler

New Zealand’s tourism board might have been hoping to inspire a rush of visitors, but its latest slogan has inspired more groans than getaways. The campaign, titled Everyone Must Go, was launched with a budget of NZ$500,000 (US$285,000) aiming to draw Australian tourists across the Tasman with a sense of urgency.

Instead, the tagline has been widely mocked, with many saying it sounds more like a clearance sale than an invitation to explore.

The campaign, which promotes New Zealand’s natural beauty and attractions through radio and social media ads, has faced criticism from both political opponents and the public.

Some have taken issue with the phrasing, calling it tone-deaf given the country’s rising emigration rates. Labour Party tourism spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel likened it to a desperate sales pitch, while Green Party MP Celia Wade-Brown jokingly suggested it might be referencing the need for more public restrooms at popular tourist sites.

Tourism Minister Louise Upston has defended the slogan, arguing that it sends a clear message that New Zealand is “open for business” and eager to welcome visitors from across the ditch.

 

The timing of the campaign has also raised eyebrows. Official figures show that New Zealand recorded a net migration loss of 54,700 people in the past year, prompting some to draw ironic connections between the slogan and the number of locals choosing to leave.

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