This is the archive page for the category [Literature]; below you should see headlines and summaries of all entries found here on the subject. Click the appropriate link at each to read the entire entry.

The CCLaP 100: "The Three Musketeers," by Alexandre Dumas | March 12, 2010
Today in the "CCLaP 100" series of classics essays: Alexandre Dumas' 1844 "The Three Musketeers," the very definition of a swashbuckling adventure. Classic or not? Click through for my opinion. | Read entire entry

Gwendolyn Glover's "TwitLit" poster is now available | March 12, 2010
Thanks again to everyone at Twitter this week who got to follow along in real time with CCLaP's latest "TwitLit" story, "Cat" by Gwendolyn Glover; here as promised is the downloadable PDF poster version for those who didn't get to do so. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Big Rewind," by Nathan Rabin | March 11, 2010
Today's book: The personal memoir "The Big Rewind" by "AV Club" head writer Nathan Rabin, a book with all the dysfunction of an Augusten Burroughs story, but all the humor you'd expect from an employee of The Onion. | Read entire entry

Gwendolyn Glover's "TwitLit" story starts today! | March 10, 2010
All right! The latest project in CCLaP's experimental story series, "TwitLit," starts later this morning; it's the 20-part "Cat" by local author Gwendolyn Glover. Click through for the details and direct links. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Ayatollah Begs to Differ," by Hooman Majd | March 9, 2010
Today's book: Hooman Majd's "The Ayatollah Begs to Differ," not just a fantastic guide to the old Persian Empire and the modern Iran it became, but also a funny and insightful travelogue about a clueless Westerner getting convinced to do outrageous things. | Read entire entry

Obsession of the moment: Criminal Class Press | March 8, 2010
Today's obsession: The new Chicago dark-lit small publisher Criminal Class Press. Click through for more. | Read entire entry

Today at the kid-lit blog: Twilight! Twilight! Freakin' Twilight! | March 3, 2010
Today I posted another of my occasional kid-lit reviews that I thought CCLaP's adult audience might find interesting too; in this case, that freaking "Twilight" book by that Stephanie Freaking Meyer. Guess what? I didn't think it was that bad! | Read entire entry

Breaking news: Ben Tanzer's book no longer sucks! | March 1, 2010
Good news! The EPUB version of Ben Tanzer's story collection for CCLaP, "Repetition Patterns," has been enhanced for better reading on e-ink devices! And better news -- it's available for purchase at Amazon too! Click through for the details and links! | Read entire entry

Josh Spilker's TwitLit poster is now available | February 26, 2010
Thanks for following along this week with CCLaP's latest "TwitLit" story, "Angels" by Josh Spilker! For those who didn't get a chance to check it out through Twitter, here as promised is a free high-quality PDF poster version for your downloading pleasure. | Read entire entry

Your micro-review roundup: 26 February 2010 | February 26, 2010
Today, small reviews of four recent books: Charles Schulz's "The Complete Peanuts: 1965-1966," Patrick Wensink's bizarro story collection "Sex Dungeon for Sale!," Nick Harkaway's disappointing "The Gone-Away World," and Philip Roth's latest, "The Humbling." | Read entire entry

Book review: "Under the Dome," by Stephen King | February 25, 2010
Today's book: Stephen King's 2009 psychological thriller and Bush critique "Under the Dome," being called by many the best novel of his entire 40-year career. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Some Things That Meant the World to Me," by Joshua Mohr | February 23, 2010
Today's book: Joshua Mohr's brilliantly dark literary debut "Some Things That Meant the World to Me," perhaps best described as "Charles Bukowski meets Haruki Murakami." | Read entire entry

The new TwitLit story starts today! | February 23, 2010
Happy day! The latest story in the new CCLaP series "TwitLit," Josh Spilker's "Angels," starts over at Twitter in just a few minutes. Click through for all the details, or simply visit twitter.com/cclapcenter to start reading it right now. | Read entire entry

CCLaP Podcast 50: Author Kyle Beachy | February 22, 2010
Today on the podcast: It's my recent 45-minute talk with local writer Kyle Beachy, author of the 2009 national sleeper hit "The Slide." | Read entire entry

Book review: "How I Became a Famous Novelist," by Steve Hely | February 16, 2010
Today's book: The truly brilliant metafictional comedy "How I Became a Famous Novelist," by former Letterman writer and Emmy nominee Steve Hely. | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "Frankenstein," by Mary Shelley | February 12, 2010
Today in the "CCLaP 100" series of classics essays: Mary Shelley's 1818 "Frankenstein," not only the first mad-scientist novel in history but a harbinger of the Romantic Age just around the corner. Classic or not? Click through for my opinion. | Read entire entry

Poster version of "Jack & Jill" now available | February 12, 2010
Thanks to everyone who followed along live this week with CCLaP's first serial publishing project, JA Tyler's "Jack & Jill;" and for those who didn't get a chance to do so, a downloadable poster version of the entire story is now available. Click through for more. | Read entire entry

Your micro-review roundup: 11 February 2010 | February 11, 2010
Today, short reviews of three books recently read here: Jack Ortved's "The Simpsons: An Uncensored, Unauthorized History," Andrew Zornoza's fantastic little art book "Where I Stay," and Sandy Prindle's so-so legal thriller, "The Sins of Tarrant County." | Read entire entry

CCLaP's first TwitLit story starts today! | February 10, 2010
All right! CCLaP's new story series, the Twitter-based "TwitLit," starts later this morning with JA Tyler's "Jack & Jill." Click through for the details, as well as instructions on how you too can follow along in real time. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Quiet War," by Paul McAuley | February 8, 2010
Today's book: Paul McAuley's 2008 space opera "The Quiet War," a perfect example of how genre pastiches are simultaneously delightful to fans of that genre and infuriating to those who aren't. | Read entire entry

Today at the kid-lit blog: A little Judy Blume, anyone? | February 4, 2010
I now run another blog just for kid-lit reviews, which I mention only occasionally at CCLaP whenever there's a title that might be of interest to grown-ups; today, for example, it's a look at my adult re-reading of 1971's "Then Again, Maybe I Won't," by Gen-X hero Judy Blume. | Read entire entry

Your micro-review roundup: 2 February 2010 | February 2, 2010
Today, small reviews of three recent nonfiction titles: Doug Taylor's "There Never Was a Better Time: Toronto's Yesterdays," Robert Ferguson's "The Vikings: A History," and the art book "Animals and Objects In and Out of Water: Posters by Jay Ryan." | Read entire entry

Announcing "TwitLit," CCLaP's new story series | February 1, 2010
Happy day! CCLaP has started a new project! It's the center's first-ever story series, in fact, originally published serially at Twitter and then as printable posters at the site. Click through for a lot more. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Cursed," by Jeremy Shipp | January 29, 2010
Today's book, the inventive and witty alt-horror tale "Cursed," by genre veteran and Stoker Award nominee Jeremy Shipp. | Read entire entry

And did I mention that I'm reviewing children's literature now too? | January 28, 2010
Yes, the wild rumors are true -- I have recently started up a new blog just for reviews of children's literature (anywhere from third-grade to high-school level), essentially my research into trying to become a kid-lit author myself. Click through for much more. | Read entire entry

Your micro-review roundup: 25 January 2010 | January 25, 2010
Small reviews of four books recently received here at CCLaP, including Lance Carbuncle's gonzo actioner "Grundish & Askew," Kathleen Norris' "Acedia and Me," Len Belter's "Is Being Pro-Choice a Sin?," and crazy airport tract "The Christ is NOT a Person," by JC Tefft. | Read entire entry

Product review: BookSwim.com | January 22, 2010
Today, a critical review of the "Netflix for books" service BookSwim.com, of which I tried out a guest membership last autumn. Verdict: meh. | Read entire entry

Tales from the Completist: The "Oz" books, by L. Frank Baum | January 20, 2010
Today, a special look at all 14 "Oz" books written by series creator L. Frank Baum (all published between 1900 and 1919), not just a critical look at the books' quality but also a Wikipedia-style guide to his life and how it influenced the titles. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Year of the Flood," by Margaret Atwood | January 18, 2010
Today's book: Margaret Atwood's "The Year of the Flood," a post-apocalyptic feminist thriller which doubles as a pointed criticism of the Bush years, and which also serves as a sequel of sorts to her 2003 "Oryx and Crake." | Read entire entry

Field report: Chicago Tribune's Algren cocktail party | January 18, 2010
Today, photos and a report from a recent cocktail party thrown by the Chicago Tribune, unofficially celebrating their annual Nelson Algren Award but not having anything officially to do with it. | Read entire entry

"The Year In Books 2009" eBook is now available! | January 8, 2010
Happy day! The free downloadable eBook version of CCLaP's "Year In Books 2009" report is here! Available for laserprinters, Kindles, Sony Readers, iPhones and more! Click through for the direct download links! | Read entire entry

The Year In Books 2009: The CCLaP Guilty Pleasure Awards | January 7, 2010
It's the final part of CCLaP's week-long look back at the best books reviewed in 2009; today is the much anticipated CCLaP Guilty Pleasure Awards, or a look at my seven favorite genre novels and comic books of last year. | Read entire entry

The Year In Books 2009: Best Experimental Novels | January 6, 2010
Today, it's part 3 of CCLaP's week-long look at the best books of 2009, this time concentrating on my eight favorite experimental novels of last year. | Read entire entry

The Year In Books 2009: Worth a Second Look | January 5, 2010
Today, part 2 of CCLaP's week-long look back at the books of 2009, this time highlighting nine titles that may have not been the highest scorers of the year, but are well worth taking a look at again anyway. | Read entire entry

The Year In Books 2009: Best of the Best | January 4, 2010
Today, part 1 of CCLaP's look back at the 90 books reviewed here in 2009, this time concentrating on the nine titles with the highest scores out of them all. | Read entire entry

The Year In Books 2009: An introduction | January 1, 2010
It's time for CCLaP's annual best-of essay series, "The Year in Books 2009!" Today, an introduction and sneak preview to the four-part report. | Read entire entry

Product review: Sony Reader PRS-600 "Touch Edition" | January 1, 2010
Today, my review of the Sony PRS-600 eBook reader, which I recently received for Christmas, including lots and lots of photos of the device in action. | Read entire entry

Your micro-review roundup: 31 December 2009 | December 31, 2009
CCLaP's last four book reviews of 2009, including Erik Larson's "The Devil in the White City," Chuck Palahniuk's "Pygmy," the general-interest nonfiction guide "The Joy of Chemistry," and Jon Clinch's brilliant Sam Shepardization of Mark Twain, "Finn." | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "Democracy in America," by Alexis de Tocqueville | December 29, 2009
Today in the "CCLaP 100" classics essay series: Alexis de Tocqueville's 1831 "Democracy in America," the first modern sophisticated analysis of the US government's structure ever written. Is it a classic or not? Click through for my opinion. | Read entire entry

Field report: Chicago Public Library mini-branch at Water Tower | December 28, 2009
Today, a field report with photos from the Chicago Public Library's new "mini-branch," inside the Chicago Visitor Center at the tourist-friendly Water Tower, carrying around 300 bestsellers and designed to boost awareness of the entire CPL system. | Read entire entry

Book review: "A Naked Singularity," by Sergio De La Pava | December 8, 2009
Today's book: The self-published yet deceptively brilliant Pynchon-meets-Richard-Price crime noir "A Naked Singularity" by Sergio De La Pava, the very definition of an overlooked literary gem. | Read entire entry

Field report: CCLaP 2009 royalty payout party | December 7, 2009
The center's social gathering last weekend, to celebrate CCLaP's first two published authors receiving their first $100 in royalties, ended up going well. Click through for the details and lots of photos. | Read entire entry

New Chicago lit journal's first release party is tomorrow | December 7, 2009
The first release party of a new Chicago literary journal, "Two With Water," is tomorrow at indie-rock hangout the Empty Bottle. Click through for all the details. | Read entire entry

Don't forget tomorrow's party! | December 4, 2009
Don't forget, Chicagoans, CCLaP's latest social event is tomorrow night! Click through for all the details. | Read entire entry

Personal essay: "Genteel literature and the tricky nature of artistic movements." | December 4, 2009
A recent mention during some research to an entire artistic movement I had never heard of before -- the supposedly popular "Genteel" writers of the early 20th century -- has had me doing a lot of reading and serious thinking this week. Here, a write-up of those thoughts. | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "Winesburg, Ohio," by Sherwood Anderson | December 1, 2009
Today in the "CCLaP 100" series of classics essays: Sherwood Anderson's 1919 "Winesburg, Ohio," the first-ever modern "story cycle" which influenced everyone from Steinbeck to Sam Shepard. Classic or not? Click through for my conclusion. | Read entire entry

CCLaP's throwing a party, and you're invited! | November 30, 2009
CCLaP's throwing a party! It's this Saturday! In Chicago! Click through for all the details! | Read entire entry

Book review: "From the Notebooks of Dr. Brain," by Minister Faust | November 19, 2009
Today's book: The disappointing postmodernist superhero comedy "From the Notebooks of Dr. Brain," by Minister Faust. | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "Jane Eyre," by Charlotte Bronte | November 18, 2009
Today in the "CCLaP 100" series of classics essays: Charlotte Bronte's 1847 "Jane Eyre," considered by many to be not only the prototypical Victorian novel but also the greatest love story of all time. Is it a classic or not? Click through for my opinion. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Boneshaker," by Cherie Priest | November 16, 2009
Today's book: Cherie Priest's glorious new "Boneshaker," the Victoriana-meets-zombie tale which might possibly be the best steampunk novel ever written. | Read entire entry

Book review: The "Forever Twilight" series, by Peter Crowther | November 12, 2009
Today's books: The first two volumes of the "Forever Twilight" series by Peter Crowther, owner of horror press PS Publishing, which unfortunately prove that the skills that make one a great book editor do not necessarily automatically make them a great author too. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Israel vs. Utopia," by Joel Schalit | November 9, 2009
Today's book: The brilliant essay collection "Israel vs. Utopia," in which Middle East journalist Joel Schalit attempts to explain the many complex political issues regarding Israel and Judaism to us clueless "Seinfeld" watching Americans. | Read entire entry

Sally Weigel interviewed at Orange Alert; and did I mention CCLaP's next party? | November 5, 2009
CCLaP author Sally Weigel was recently interviewed over at "What to Wear During an Orange Alert," which I wanted to mention; and while I was on the subject, I thought I'd mention as well CCLaP's next party, a "royalty payout" party doubling as my Chicago homecoming. Click through for more on both subjects. | Read entire entry

Your micro-review roundup: 4 November 2009 | November 4, 2009
Today, short reviews of three recently read books: The fantastic "After the Prophet" by Lesley Hazleton, the so-so "The Black Heart" by Patrick O'Leary, and the unreadable trainwreck "The Fortress of Solitude" by Jonathan Lethem. | Read entire entry

Personal essay: Guess what? I'm writing a new novel. | November 2, 2009
Guess what? I've decided to participate in Nanowrimo ("National Novel Writing Month") this year, not for commercial reasons but to keep myself humble as a book critic instead. Click through for a personal essay explaining much more on the subject. | Read entire entry

CCLaP's newest book is here! | November 2, 2009
Happy day! CCLaP's newest original book is available for download! It's none other, in fact, than the first bound volume of the popular "CCLaP 100" series of classics essays; click through for more details, and instructions on how to download this free book yourself. | Read entire entry

Tales From the Completist: "Desolation Road," by Ian McDonald | October 30, 2009
Today's book: The 1988 science-fiction classic "Desolation Road" by Ian McDonald, equally combining elements of "The Martian Chronicles" with "One Hundred Years of Solitude." | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "Treasure Island," by Robert Louis Stevenson | October 29, 2009
Today in the "CCLaP 100" series of classics essays: Robert Louis Stevenson's 1883 ultimate pirate tale, "Treasure Island." Is it a timeless literary classic or not? Click through for my opinion. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Conquering Venus," by Collin Kelley | October 28, 2009
Today's book: Celebrated gay poet Collin Kelley's debut novel "Conquering Venus," strong on plot (a magical realism tale about lost loves and new connections during a random trip to Paris), but unfortunately weak on characterization. | Read entire entry

Obsession of the moment: David Eric Tomlinson | October 23, 2009
Today's obsession: Dallas author David Eric Tomlinson, whose clean yet text-heavy website is worth studying by all those other blogging, Twittering, self-publishing writers out there. | Read entire entry

Your microreview roundup: 22 October 2009 | October 22, 2009
Today, short reviews of two recent books: the nonfiction guide "Classics for Pleasure" by Pulitzer winner Michael Dirda, and ho-hum horror novella "R.I.P." by Terry Lamsley. | Read entire entry

Tales from the Completist: "The Yiddish Policemen's Union," by Michael Chabon | October 21, 2009
Today's book: The endlessly inventive 2006 alternate history tale "The Yiddish Policemen's Union" by Michael Chabon, imagining what the world would be like if the world's Jews ended up settling in Alaska after WW2 instead of Israel. | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "Sister Carrie," by Theodore Dreiser | October 19, 2009
Today in the "CCLaP 100" series of classics essays: the controversial 1900 Modernist harbinger "Sister Carrie," by Chicagoan Theodore Dreiser. Is it a timeless classic or not? Click through for my opinion. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Alice Fantastic," by Maggie Estep | October 14, 2009
Today's review: "Alice Fantastic" by Maggie Estep, not her usual ironic tale of hipsters but rather a sincere look what happens to them when they become washed-up middle-agers. | Read entire entry

"Too Young to Fall Asleep" reaches 500 downloads | October 13, 2009
Huzzah! CCLaP's newest original book, Sally Weigel's "Too Young to Fall Asleep," had its 500th download yesterday! Click through for all the details. | Read entire entry

Obsession of the moment: Antikörper / Antibodies | October 12, 2009
One of my friends in Germany, experimental poet Dirk Huelstrunk, has a new book out, in preparation for his second US tour coming this fall. Click through for a lot more about both. | Read entire entry

Your micro-review roundup: 9 October 2009 | October 9, 2009
Today, mini-reviews of three books recently sent to the center: The contemporary fiction collection "Bad Monkey" by Curtis Smith, the fantasy collection "Eyes Like Sky and Coal and Moonlight" by Cat Rambo, and funny/dark erotic memoir "Neurotica" by Elva Maxine Beach. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Prince of Storms" by Kay Kenyon and "Starship: Flagship" by Mike Resnick | October 7, 2009
Today, a special double review of two science-fiction novels -- Kay Kenyon's "Prince of Storms" and Mike Resnick's "Starship: Flagship" -- along with general thoughts about the challenges inherent in starting a genre series halfway through. | Read entire entry

Farewell, Uptown Writers Space | October 6, 2009
Sad news in the Chicago literary community this week: Uptown Writers Space, an experiment in providing a "home away from home" for local authors, has sadly closed its doors. Click through for more details. | Read entire entry

Guess who received a free copy of Bolano's "2666?" | October 6, 2009
That's right, it's me! Click through for why I'm so excited by this, who ended up giving it to me, and why it's going to take me two months to make it through this 900-page freaking saga. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Babylonian Trilogy," by Sebastien Doubinsky | September 29, 2009
Today's book: The European New Weird tale "The Babylonian Trilogy" by Sebastien Doubinsky, three connected noir novellas set in an alternate-Earth version of New York. | Read entire entry

Huzzah! "Asleep" now has a Facebook group! | September 28, 2009
Happy day: As of two weeks since its release, CCLaP's latest book, the youth/war novella "Too Young to Fall Asleep" by Sally Weigel, has been downloaded 300 times! To celebrate, Sally has started up an official Facebook group for the book; click through for all the details and to join the group yourself. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Blue," by JD Riso | September 25, 2009
Today's book: JD Riso's remarkably great dark-erotic tale "Blue," masterfully combining both the enticing and horrific aspects of the stripping industry into a complex and gripping whole. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Swimming Inside the Sun," by David Zweig | September 24, 2009
Today's book: Musician David Zweig's literary debut "Swimming Inside the Sun," a novel so ridiculously bad that it actually become offensive by the end. | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "The Call of the Wild," by Jack London | September 22, 2009
Today in the CCLaP 100: The 1903 children's tale "The Call of the Wild," by Jack London. Is it a classic or not? Click through for my opinion and the reasons why. | Read entire entry

Yowza! 180 "Asleep" downloads in its first week! | September 21, 2009
It's been a week since the release of CCLaP's latest original book, Sally Weigel's "Too Young to Fall Asleep," and I have a surprise to report -- it's been downloaded over 180 times now, almost twice as much as the center's previous book has been downloaded in an entire year. Click through for all the details! | Read entire entry

Your micro-review roundup: 18 September 2009 | September 18, 2009
Today, three small reviews of recently read books I found only so-so: Ron Malfi's crime drama "Shamrock Alley," Paul Bens' magical-realist "Kelland," and Ben Bova's science-fiction story collection "The Sam Gunn Omnibus." | Read entire entry

Why I signed "Too Young to Fall Asleep:" An Apologia. | September 15, 2009
It's Sally Weigel Day at the CCLaP website! In this entry, I write an "Apologia" (a purposely all-positive critical essay) on the reasons I ended up signing Sally's novella "Too Young to Fall Asleep" in the first place, and why I'm positive that she is destined to become a major force in the American arts. | Read entire entry

It's Sally Weigel Day at the CCLaP website! | September 14, 2009
It's Sally Weigel Day at the CCLaP website! And that of course means only one thing -- that Sally's new novella, "Too Young to Fall Asleep," is finally available to the public. Click through for a lot more, including links to the book itself and all the supplemental information about it being published online today. | Read entire entry

Sally Weigel: The CCLaP Interview | September 14, 2009
It's Sally Weigel Day at the CCLaP website! And as part of promoting her new novella, "Too Young to Fall Asleep," I recently 'sat down' with Sally virtually over Google Chat, for a lengthy interview regarding writing, this book and more. Click through for the entire thing. | Read entire entry

Passing the torch: Ben Tanzer on Sally Weigel | September 14, 2009
It's Sally Weigel Day at the CCLaP website! In this entry, I asked Ben Tanzer (author of CCLaP's previous original book) to weigh in with a few words about Weigel and her new novella, "Too Young to Fall Asleep." Click through to see what he had to say. | Read entire entry

Too Young to Fall Asleep: Your comments wanted! | September 14, 2009
It's Sally Weigel Day at the CCLaP website! And as part of releasing her new novella, "Too Young to Fall Asleep," I'm of course interested in hearing your own opinion of the book. Click through to leave a comment, as well as for the link to the book's listing at popular social network Goodreads.com. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Ruins," by Achy Obejas | September 10, 2009
Today's book: Achy Obejas' fantastic but surprisingly dark "Ruins," which takes an unflinching look at the downfall of Cuba in the wake of the Soviet Union's collapse. | Read entire entry

Personal essay: Where do litbloggers find their books? | September 9, 2009
A question recently left in a comment by a reader inspired me to write a whole essay today: Just how do litbloggers obtain the books they review, anyway? Click through for my own answer, as well as my advice to other aspiring bloggers. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Mind Gone Astray," by Wayne Kallio | September 7, 2009
Today's book: The only so-so schizophrenia memoir "Mind Gone Astray," by Wayne Kallio. | Read entire entry

Book review: "River of Gods" and "Cyberabad Days," by Ian McDonald | September 3, 2009
Today's review: The groundbreaking India-set 2004 science-fiction saga "River of Gods" by Ian McDonald, plus the 2009 companion volume "Cyberabad Days." | Read entire entry

CCLaP's new book has a release date! Proofers still needed! | August 31, 2009
CCLaP's newest original book, Sally Weigel's youth/war novella "Too Young to Fall Asleep," finally has an official release date! Oh, and we're still looking for proofreaders too! Click through for all the details! | Read entire entry

Orange Alert Press announces its newest book | August 24, 2009
My friend Jason Behrends at the Chicago-based Orange Alert Press has just announced their latest original book, an experimental project called "Prose. Poems. A Novel." by Atlanta author Jamie Iredell. Click through for the details, plus a reminder of CCLaP's own upcoming original book, finally coming out in just a few weeks from now. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Arcade of Cruelty," by Joseph Larkin | August 20, 2009
Today's book: "Arcade of Cruelty," a greatest-hits collection from long-suffering misanthrope and underground comics artist Joseph Larkin. | Read entire entry

Your micro-review roundup: 28 July 2009 | July 28, 2009
Today, small reviews of four recent titles I've read, including Jill Jonnes' NPR-worthy history book "Eiffel's Tower," the love letter to literature "Ex Libris" by Anne Fadiman, the academic novella "Disquiet" by Julia Leigh, and Christian relationship guide "How to Keep the Woman You Have," by F.G. Walters. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Saturn's Children," by Charles Stross | July 24, 2009
Today's book: The fantastic Asimov "Robot" homage/unauthorized sequel and 2009 Hugo nominee "Saturn's Children," by hot-and-cold genre veteran Charles Stross. | Read entire entry

Eddie Wright helps start new co-op publishing venture | July 20, 2009
I heard recently from self-publisher Eddie Wright, whose "Broken Bulbs" was favorably reviewed here earlier this year, on a new "publishing confederation" he has helped found, started by Henry Baum of the Self-Publishing Review. Click through for the details. | Read entire entry

Project review: "Personal Effects: Dark Art," by J.C. Hutchins and Jordan Weisman | July 17, 2009
Today's book: The surprisingly disappointing "alternative reality" cross-media story "Personal Effects: Dark Art," by the usually reliable genre veteran JC Hutchins and ARG pioneer Jordan Weisman. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Painting and the City," by Robert Freeman Wexler | July 14, 2009
Today's book: The New-York-based 'thinking person's steampunk' tale "The Painting and the City," by the much respected but under-appreciated 'New Weird' veteran Robert Freeman Wexler. | Read entire entry

Your micro-review roundup: 10 July 2009 | July 10, 2009
Today, small reviews of four recent books I read: The Iranian graphic-novel memoir "Persepolis" by Marjane Satrapi; the surprisingly powerful Alzheimer's memoir "Released to the Angels" by Marilynn Garzione; the so-so genre exercise "The Ringmaster," by M.A. William; and the surprisingly awful "Downtown Owl" by famed Generation X memoirist Chuck Klosterman. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Descartes' Bones," by Russell Shorto | July 9, 2009
Today's book: The fascinating new "narrative nonfiction" book "Descartes' Bones," looking at the history behind this Enlightenment philosopher's long-missing skull, and by extension humanity's relationship with science in the 400 years since the Renaissance. | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "The Age of Innocence," by Edith Wharton | July 8, 2009
Today's book in the CCLaP 100: Edith Wharton's 1920 "The Age of Innocence," which ingeniously combines a nostalgic look at upper-class Victorian New York with the contemporary angst of early Modernism. Classic or not? Click through for my opinion. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Dust and Shadow," by Lyndsay Faye | July 7, 2009
Today's book: The spectacular bringing-together of Sherlock Holmes and Jack The Ripper, Lyndsay Faye's steampunkish literary debut "Dust and Shadow." | Read entire entry

Algren at 100: Never Come Morning | July 6, 2009
Today, part 2 of the essay series I'm doing here at the site this year, examining in detail the ouevre of controversial Chicago author Nelson Algren on the occasion of his 100th birthday. Here, a look at his second novel, the cultishly popular 1942 down-and-out tale "Never Come Morning." | Read entire entry

Book review: "Moral Clarity," by Susan Neiman | June 29, 2009
Today's book: The smart and sober primer on Enlightenment philosophy and where it all went wrong with the Bush administration, Susan Neiman's "Moral Clarity: A Guide for Grown-Up Idealists." | Read entire entry

Personal essay: The CCLaP music library reaches 500 songs. | June 29, 2009
Today, a special essay on the occasion of my 500th free legal song download since opening CCLaP, looking in detail about what this says about the arts in the early 2000s and what it says about culture in general. A companion piece to episode 42 of the CCLaP Podcast, also being posted today. | Read entire entry

Algren at 100: Somebody in Boots | June 18, 2009
Today, part 1 of the special 14-part essay series I'm doing this summer, looking in detail at nearly the entire ouevre of controversial Chicago author Nelson Algren, on the occasion of his 100th birthday. Here, a look at his very first book, the 1935 communist apologia "Somebody in Boots." | Read entire entry

Tales from the Completist: "The Ghost Writer," by Philip Roth | June 17, 2009
Today's book: 1979's "The Ghost Writer" by Philip Roth, part 1 of his remarkable 9-book autobiographical "Zuckerman" series over the decades, examining not just this Jewish-American's life but the history of postmodernism as well. | Read entire entry

Your micro-review roundup: 15 June 2009 | June 15, 2009
Today, a roundup of four recent books I didn't have much to say about: Kelly Simmons' "Standing Still," Gilbert Hernandez's "Palomar: The Heartbreak Soup Stories," Thomas Foster's "How to Read Novels Like a Professor," and Alvin Granowsky's "Teacher Accused." | Read entire entry

Tales from the Completist: "The Man Who Melted," by Jack Dann | June 12, 2009
Today, a look back at Jack Dann's 1984 trippy sci-fi classic "The Man Who Melted," reissued recently by Pyr in honor of its 25th anniversary. | Read entire entry

Algren at 100: An introduction | June 10, 2009
Announcing CCLaP's summer reading project for 2009, "Algren at 100," whereby I read for the first time nearly the entire ouevre of this controversial 20th-century Chicago author, on the occasion of his 100th birthday. Today, an introduction to Algren and the series. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The President's Pianist," by George Manos | June 9, 2009
Today's book: The great little memoir "The President's Pianist" by George Manos, an overview of this Washington musician's entire career but with an emphasis on the years he played for President Harry Truman in the 1940s and '50s. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Perforated Heart," by Eric Bogosian | June 8, 2009
Today's book: Eric Bogosian's look at a bitter has-been fiftyish writer, and the crazy punk rocker he used to be in 1970s New York, the brilliant new novel "Perforated Heart." | Read entire entry

Your micro-review roundup: 4 June 2009 | June 4, 2009
A roundup of my latest "micro-reviews," concerning books that I didn't have full-length essays for, including Eddie Campbell's "The Black Diamond Detective Agency," David Carr's "The Night of the Gun," Dr. Cornelia Franz's "Common Sense Pediatrics," and Ron Riales' "Red Moon: Looming of the New World Order." | Read entire entry

Book review (part 2): "Anathem," by Neal Stephenson | June 2, 2009
Today, it's the second half of my special two-part look at Neal Stephenson's massive, intellectually dense new novel, the science-meets-religion saga "Anathem." In this half, a look at the ultra-complex plotline that makes up the book's actual manuscript. | Read entire entry

Book review (part 1): "Anathem," by Neal Stephenson | June 1, 2009
Today, part 1 of my special two-part look at Neal Stephenson's massive and intellectually dense new "Anathem," which attempts no less than to completely redefine the very relationship between religion and science. Today, a detailed look at the thousand-page novel's ultra-complicated backstory and mythology. | Read entire entry

The Best of CCLaP: "Shining at the Bottom of the Sea," by Stephen Marche | May 29, 2009
This week I'm finally reading Neal Stephenson's massive new "Anathem," but that means no new book reviews for awhile; instead I'm reprinting older reviews this week of books I love, for those who may have originally missed them. Today: "Shining at the Bottom of the Sea," Stephen Marche's endlessly clever fake history of a former British island colony that never actually existed. | Read entire entry

The Best of CCLaP: "Jamestown," by Matthew Sharpe | May 28, 2009
I'm finally reading Neal Stephenson's massive new "Anathem" this week, but that means no new book reviews for awhile; instead, I'm reprinting a series of older reviews concerning books I love, for those who may have originally missed them. Today, Matthew Sharpe's endlessly witty postmodern take on the Jamestown legend from the early 1600s, simply entitled "Jamestown." | Read entire entry

The Best of CCLaP: "The Possibility of an Island," by Michel Houellebecq | May 27, 2009
I'm making my way this week through Neal Stephenson's massive new "Anathem," so won't have new book reviews ready for awhile; I'm instead spending the week reprinting the best of CCLaP's older reviews, for new readers who might have originally missed them. Today: The brilliant but highly offensive "The Possibility of an Island," by celebrated French humanity-hater Michel Houellebecq. | Read entire entry

The Best of CCLaP: "World War Z," by Max Brooks | May 26, 2009
I'm reading the thousand-page "Anathem" by Neal Stephenson this week, so won't have new book reviews ready until next week: instead I'm presenting a series of older reviews new readers may have missed. Today: The mind-bogglingly great attack on George Bush and Hurricane Katrina, Max Brooks' "World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War." | Read entire entry

Jeremy Shipp is selling his new story collection as a subscription service | May 21, 2009
CCLaP friend and alt-horror veteran Jeremy Shipp wrote recently about his new story collection, "Bizarro Bytes," and its unique pricing scheme: It's sold as a subscription service instead of a bound book, where a dollar a month gets you an eBook story per month via email. Click through for all the details. | Read entire entry

Book(s) review: The "Quantum Gravity" series, by Justina Robson | May 19, 2009
Today's review: The three-book ribald "urban fantasy" series "Quantum Gravity," the latest titles by British New Wave pioneer Justina Robson. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Great Perhaps," by Joe Meno | May 15, 2009
Today's book: "The Great Perhaps," the highly anticipated major-press debut of Chicago literary wunderkind Joe Meno. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Elk's Run," by Joshua Hale Fialkov | May 12, 2009
Today's book: The violent speculative 2007 graphic novel "Elk's Run," by Joshua Hale Fialkov. | Read entire entry

CCLaP Podcast 39: Gapers Block's Andrew Huff | May 11, 2009
Today on the podcast: It's my talk with next-wave journalist and serial entrepreneur Andrew Huff, best known as the founder of popular local arts-and-entertainment website GapersBlock.com. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Nobody Move," by Denis Johnson | May 7, 2009
Today's book: The nearly perfect pulp-fiction exercise "Nobody Move," by 2007 National Book Award winner Denis Johnson ("Jesus' Son," "Tree of Smoke"). | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "Heart of Darkness," by Joseph Conrad | May 5, 2009
Today's book: The 1902 novella "Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad, known mostly these days as the source material for Francis Ford Coppola's modern remake "Apocalypse Now." Is it a classic? Click through for my opinion. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Blankety Blank," by D. Harlan Wilson | May 1, 2009
Today's book: The 2008 dark suburban bizarro comedy "Blankety Blank," by D. Harlan Wilson. | Read entire entry

Tales from the Completist: "The Nulapeiron Sequence," by John Meaney | April 28, 2009
Today's review: The early-2000s science-fiction epic "The Nulapeiron Sequence" ("Paradox," "Context" and "Resolution"), by British New Wave author John Meaney. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Gypsy In My Soul," by Christine Harris | April 21, 2009
Today's book: The only so-so "fictionalized memoir" concerning the plight of the Romanies during the Holocaust, Christine Harris' "The Gypsy In My Soul." | Read entire entry

Tales from the Completist: "Silver Screen," by Justina Robson | April 16, 2009
Today's review: The 1999 "Accelerated Age"-style science-fiction classic "Silver Screen," by Justina Robson. | Read entire entry

Your micro-review roundup: 14 April 2009 | April 14, 2009
Today, quick reviews of four recent not-so-good self-published books: Dayton Alverson's "Race to the Sea;" James J. Collins' "Nuclear Nightmare;" William Bicket's "One Man in a Million;" and Bryan Roscoe's "Majestic Restoration." | Read entire entry

CCLaP Podcast 37: Author Charles Blackstone | April 13, 2009
Today on the podcast: An hour-long talk with local author, editor, and sometimes public-radio contributor Charles Blackstone. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Slide," by Kyle Beachy | April 8, 2009
Today's book: "The Slide," the major-press literary debut of Chicagoan Kyle Beachy, which today becomes only the fourth book in CCLaP's history to receive a perfect 10. Click through to find out why. | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "The Art of War," by Sun Tzu | April 7, 2009
Today's book: The ancient Chinese military guide and surprisingly apt corporate business book "The Art of War," written by Taoist military commander Sun Tzu around 500 BC. Is it a classic? Click through for my thoughts on the matter. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Murderland: h8," by Garrett Cook | April 2, 2009
Today's book: The only so-so alt-horror novel "Murderland: h8," by Garrett Cook. | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "Madame Bovary," by Gustave Flaubert | March 31, 2009
Today's book under review: The 1857 dark suburban satire and deep character study "Madame Bovary" by Gustave Flaubert, considered by many to be one of the best novels ever written. Classic or not? Click through for my opinion. | Read entire entry

Metapost: {mud luscious} calls 'Repetition Patterns' a "graceful, subtle" delight | March 29, 2009
Great news: Author JA Taylor this weekend got a chance to review CCLaP's first original book, last fall's story collection "Repetition Patterns" by Ben Tanzer...and he liked it. A lot. Click through for all the details. | Read entire entry

Tales from the Completist: "Just A Geek," by Wil Wheaton | March 26, 2009
Today's book: The 2004 personal memoir "Just A Geek," by celebrated child-actor turned respected writer Wil Wheaton. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Sardinian Silver," by A. Colin Wright | March 25, 2009
Today's book: The fictionalized memoir "Sardinian Silver," by retired baby boomer A. Colin Wright, a Graham-Greenesque look at Wright's youth spent on the Mediterranean island. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Broken Bulbs," by Eddie Wright | March 24, 2009
Today's book: The experimental "body horror" novella "Broken Bulbs," the literary debut of American author Eddie Wright. | Read entire entry

CCLaP Podcast 35: Time Out's Jonathan Messinger | March 23, 2009
Today on the podcast: It's my long-awaited interview with "Time Out" Books editor Jonathan Messinger, who also happens to be the co-founder of Featherproof Press, the host of the Dollar Store reading series, and a published author himself. | Read entire entry

Book review: "End of the Century," by Chris Roberson | March 20, 2009
Today: The thoroughly genreriffic "tri-history tale" (part medieval, part steampunk, part contemporary) "End of the Century," by Texas science-fiction author Chris Roberson. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Himalayan Passage," by Jean Smith | March 17, 2009
Today's book: The delightful historical novel "Himalayan Passage" by American Buddhist Jean Smith, reimagining the actual Akbar reign of India's Mughal Empire as a rousing adventure tale and love story. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Katka," by Stephen Meier | March 10, 2009
Today's book: The Prague-set contemporary pulp-fiction novella "Katka," the literary debut of Las Vegas author Stephen Meier. | Read entire entry

Book review: "You: Or, The Invention of Memory," by Jonathan Baumbach | March 9, 2009
Today's book review: The semi-autobiographical "You: Or, The Invention of Memory," by celebrated academe Jonathan Baumbach, an artsy mess that some will love and some will despise. | Read entire entry

Tales from the Completist: "Revolutionary Road," by Richard Yates | March 2, 2009
Today, it's another in the occasional series of reviews I do for much older books, in an attempt to get "caught up" with an important writer. Here, Richard Yates' early-postmodernist classic "Revolutionary Road," recently made into an Oscar-nominated film starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio. | Read entire entry

The Ben Tanzer virtual tour wrap-up; and have I mentioned CCLaP's next book yet? | March 2, 2009
Happy! Sad! The two-week "virtual book tour" by Chicago author Ben Tanzer, in support of his CCLaP book "Repetition Patterns," is finally over. Here, a wrap-up, including links again to all the guest entries, official numbers for the tour, and the first announcement of CCLaP's next original book, coming this summer. | Read entire entry

It's day thirteen of the Ben Tanzer virtual book tour | February 28, 2009
It's day thirteen of CCLaP's latest artistic experiment, a two-week "virtual book tour" being conducted by Chicago author Ben Tanzer. Here, Ben officially ends the tour at the blog of JA Tyler, author and founder of lit organization "mud luscious." | Read entire entry

It's day twelve of the Ben Tanzer virtual book tour | February 27, 2009
It's day twelve of CCLaP's latest artistic experiment, a two-week "virtual book tour" being conducted by Chicago author Ben Tanzer. Today, Ben stops by the blog of fellow author and CCLaP friend S. Craig Runfroe, for a guest essay regarding the topic of self-marketing. | Read entire entry

It's another internet postcard from the virtual-touring Ben Tanzer! | February 26, 2009
Hey hey, it's another internet postcard from the virtual book-touring Ben Tanzer! Seems that Ben had an electronic run-in with Perez Hilton lately, was given a personal assistant over at Orange Alert, and is still whining about a lack of per diem. Whine whine whine, you writers, that's all you ever do! | Read entire entry

Book review: "Taj Mahal," by Diana and Michael Preston | February 26, 2009
Today's book: The nicely done NPR-style general overview of India's late Moghul Empire and its greatest remnant, Diana and Michael Prestons' "Taj Mahal: Passion and Genius at the Heart of the Moghul Empire." | Read entire entry

It's day eleven of the Ben Tanzer virtual book tour | February 26, 2009
It's day eleven of CCLaP's newest artistic experiment, a two-week "virtual book tour" by Chicago author Ben Tanzer. Today, Ben stops by the blog of fellow Chicago author and former RAGAD runner Nick Ostdick. | Read entire entry

It's day ten of the Ben Tanzer virtual book tour | February 25, 2009
It's day ten of CCLaP's latest artistic experiment, a two-week "virtual book tour" being conducted by Chicago author Ben Tanzer. Today Ben sits down for a chat with California writer Jason Riley, author of "Until the Clouds Are Empty." | Read entire entry

"Repetition Patterns" now available for iPhones and Kindles | February 24, 2009
Great news to announce today: Ben Tanzer's "Repetition Patterns," the first original book by CCLaP Publishing, is now available not only for the Amazon Kindle 2 but in two different versions for Apple iPhones. Click through for all the details. | Read entire entry

It's day nine of the Ben Tanzer virtual book tour | February 24, 2009
It's day nine of CCLaP's newest experiment, a two-week "virtual book tour" being conducted by Chicago author Ben Tanzer. Today, Ben lands at the offices of one of the only legitimate journalism outlets of the tour, the Chicago Literary Examiner. | Read entire entry

CCLaP Podcast 33b: Author John Domini | February 24, 2009
Today on the podcast: It's part two of my recent talk with American author and Pulitzer nominee John Domini. | Read entire entry

CCLaP Podcast 33a: Author John Domini | February 23, 2009
Today on the podcast: It's part one of my recent talk with American author and Pulitzer nominee John Domini. | Read entire entry

It's day eight of the Ben Tanzer virtual book tour | February 23, 2009
It's day eight of CCLaP's latest artistic experiment, a two-week "virtual book tour" being conducted by Chicago author Ben Tanzer. Today, Ben stops by the blog of fellow Chicago author Amy Guth, where the two create the very first video interview of the entire tour. | Read entire entry

It's day six of the Ben Tanzer virtual book tour | February 21, 2009
Huzzah! It's day six of CCLaP's newest experiment, a two-week virtual book tour being conducted by Chicago author Ben Tanzer. Today Ben visits Montana author Michael FitzGerald (Radiant Days), where the two discuss marathons, kids, the difference between a 'writer' and an 'author,' and a lot more. | Read entire entry

Virtual postcard! Ben Tanzer visits the "Land of the LOLCats" | February 20, 2009
We're just wrapping up week one of Ben Tanzer's virtual book tour; and what do you know, we finally received his first virtual postcard from the road! Here, Ben tells us about his various travails across the information superhighway, and lets us know that the Land of LOLCats didn't have him laughing at all. | Read entire entry

Personal essay: First thoughts on CCLaP's coming "wikicloud" experiment | February 19, 2009
Today, I present my first thoughts on CCLaP's newest bizarre weekend creative project idea for smartypants middle-agers; I'm reading a thousand Wikipedia entries on the subject of the 19th Century, and tracking the results in a dynamic "mind-map" graphic format. Here, an essay on why that is, and what I've already learned just a few weeks into the process. | Read entire entry

It's day four of the Ben Tanzer virtual book tour | February 19, 2009
It's day four of CCLaP's latest experiment, a two-week virtual book tour by Chicago author Ben Tanzer. Today, Ben lands at the pop-culture journal "What To Wear During An Orange Alert," where he's interviewed by fellow author Pete Anderson (PeteLit.com). | Read entire entry

Book review: "A Tomb on the Periphery," by John Domini | February 18, 2009
Today's book: The dense and appealing crime thriller "A Tomb on the Periphery," book 2 of award-winning novelist John Domini's ideologically-linked "Naples Trilogy." | Read entire entry

It's day three of the Ben Tanzer virtual book tour | February 18, 2009
It's day three of CCLaP's latest artistic experiment, a two-week "virtual book tour" by Chicago author Ben Tanzer, in support of his CCLaP original book "Repetition Patterns." Today, Ben stops by the blog of author and "decomP" editor-in-chief Jason Jordan. | Read entire entry

It's day two of the Ben Tanzer virtual book tour | February 17, 2009
It's day two of CCLaP's newest experiment, a two-week "virtual book tour" by Chicago author Ben Tanzer. Today he's over at the blog of fellow Chicago author Elizabeth Crane, being interviewed on a variety of funny subjects; click through for the direct link to the finished entry. | Read entire entry

It's day one of the Ben Tanzer virtual book tour! | February 16, 2009
It's the official kickoff today of Ben Tanzer's virtual book tour, in support of the CCLaP original book "Repetition Patterns." Today, Ben finds himself at Chicago literary website PeteLit.com, where he turns in a guest essay that's "pure prose gold." | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "Tarzan of the Apes," by Edgar Rice Burroughs | February 12, 2009
Today's book: The Edwardian-Age genre-actioner "Tarzan of the Apes," by laborer-turned-author Edgar Rice Burroughs. Is it still a literary classic? Click through for my opinion on the subject, and the reasons why I came to that decision. | Read entire entry

Personal essay: How Ready Is Ready? | February 11, 2009
Today, it's another in a series of regular guest essays I do for the HarperCollinsUK website Authonomy.com, on various aspects of the writing and selling process. Here -- just when do you know that a book is "finished" and ready to be shopped around to begin with? | Read entire entry

Book review: "Commonwealth," by Joey Goebel | February 10, 2009
Today's book: The surprisingly awful political satire "Commonwealth," by the otherwise highly regarded Joey Goebel. | Read entire entry

Announcing the CCLaP "Repetition Patterns" 2009 virtual book tour | February 9, 2009
Happy day! CCLaP announces its next weirdo fun project, a 12-day "virtual book tour" supporting the original book "Repetition Patterns," by local author Ben Tanzer. So what's a virtual book tour? And how can you become a virtual groupie? Click through for all the details! | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Contract: A Life for a Life," by Joseph Kutrzeba | February 9, 2009
Today's book: The surprisingly great Holocaust memoir "The Contract: A Life for a Life," by Jew-turned-Catholic Joseph Kutrzeba, setting itself off from so many other similar books by its willingness to embrace the now-forgotten moral ambiguity of those times. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Attachment," by m.e. Jabbour | January 30, 2009
Today's book: The "antivillain" dysfunctional character drama "Attachment" by m.e. Jabbour, above-average for what it is but a book that will still appeal to only a limited audience. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Africa: A Photographic Safari," by Carlyle Thompson | January 28, 2009
Today's book: The only so-so travel journal "Africa: A Photographic Safari," by Carlyle Thompson. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Muffy: or A Transmigration of Selves," by ST Gulik | January 27, 2009
Today's book: The radically erotic sex-and-gore comedy "Muffy: or A Transmigration of Selves," by ST Gulik. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Master of Ceremonies," by David Henry Sterry | January 26, 2009
Today's book: The only so-so memoir of notorious '70s male-stripclub Chippendales, David Henry Sterry's "Master of Ceremonies." | Read entire entry

Book review: "End Credits," by AF Rützy | January 23, 2009
Today's review: The only so-so absurdist comedy about corporate culture, "End Credits" by AF Rützy. | Read entire entry

Personal essay: Reining It In -- Summaries and synopses | January 21, 2009
Today, it's yet another of the guest essays I've been writing this fall and winter for the HarperCollinsUK website, specifically for their ongoing literary experiment "authonomy:" here, advice on writing half-page summaries, full chapter outlines and more. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Voyeurs of Death," by Shaun Jeffrey | January 14, 2009
Today's review: The genreriffic horror-story collection "Voyeurs of Death," by British author Shaun Jeffrey. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Earthquake ID," by John Domini | January 9, 2009
Today's book: The fantastically written Italy-set dense character study "Earthquake ID," by multiple award-winning academic author John Domini. | Read entire entry

Announcing CCLaP's new microblog -- the "CCLAPocracy" | January 6, 2009
Announcing the latest online experiment from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography: The center's own Twitter-style microblog, in which readers debate recent reviews, announce local artistic events, post goofy personal updates and more. Today, all the details. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Monastery Ridge," by Henry West | January 5, 2009
Today's book: The surprisingly great fictionalized Korean War memoir "Monastery Ridge," by actual Korean vet and forty-year Silicon-Valley lawyer Henry West. | Read entire entry

CCLaP's newest eBook, "The Year In Books 2008," is here | January 2, 2009
CCLaP's third "white paper," minor publications that gather up longer material first published here at the site, is finally here; it's a collection of the four-part "Year In Books 2008" report that's been running here all week. Today, every bit of information you need about the book and how to download a free copy. | Read entire entry

The Year In Books 2008: The CCLaP Guilty Pleasure Awards | January 1, 2009
It's the fourth and final report from this 2008's Year In Books report, the awarding of the coveted CCLaP Guilty Pleasure Awards; these are titles I ended up slavishly loving like the fanboy I am, but for one rational reason or another I probably shouldn't have. Yay, my favorite books of all! | Read entire entry

The Year In Books 2008: Best experimental | December 31, 2008
It's part three of the four-part CCLaP look at 2008's reviewed books, being posted here all week; today, eight of the best experimental or cutting-edge books to be originally reviewed here over the last twelve months. | Read entire entry

The Year In Books 2008: Worth a second look | December 30, 2008
It's part two of the four-part report I've been filing here this week, looking back at the forty most interesting books reviewed here at CCLaP in 2008. Today, ten books that are worth checking out again, sometimes phenomenal titles that nonetheless will only appeal to a limited audience. | Read entire entry

The Year In Books 2008: Best of the best | December 29, 2008
It's part one of CCLaP's four-part look at the year in books for 2008, being published throughout this week. Today, the ten highest-rated books of the year, of the 83 contemporary titles that were reviewed. | Read entire entry

The CCLaP Year In Books 2008 | December 28, 2008
It's here! It's here! It's CCLaP's look back at the 83 contemporary books reviewed here this year, highlighting slowly over the week almost 40 of them again, grouped into themes each day and with brand-new micro-reviews of them all. Here, the roundup and main index. | Read entire entry

Book review: "A Map of Home," by Randa Jarrar | December 22, 2008
Today's book: The sweet yet awfully stereotypical Middle East coming-of-age tale "A Map of Home," by Palestinian-American Randa Jarrar. | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "Northanger Abbey," by Jane Austen | December 19, 2008
Today's book under review: Jane Austen's chick-lit forerunner "Northanger Abbey," written in 1798 but not published until 1818. Is it a classic? Click through for my verdict and the reasons why. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Ibiza Virgin," by Jennifer Eric | December 18, 2008
Today's book: The oddly organized "Ibiza Virgin" by Jennifer Eric, partly a practical travel guide to this club-heavy Mediterranean tourist destination, partly a memoir of a disastrous summer internship she had there in the mid-2000s. | Read entire entry

Tales from the Completist: "Ghostwritten," by David Mitchell | December 17, 2008
Today's book: 1999's "Ghostwritten," the first novel by British expat David Mitchell, now considered by many a decade later to be one of the finest contemporary surrealist authors around. What did I think of this early book? Click through to find out. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Zerostrata," by Andersen Prunty | December 17, 2008
Today's book: The short and delightful absurdist tale "Zerostrata," by mid-career Ohio author Andersen Prunty. | Read entire entry

Announcing CCLaP's newest book: "The Great iPod Indie Rock Challenge of 2008." | December 16, 2008
Today, I'm happy to announce CCLaP's third book, the second in its "White Paper" series, minor reprints of longer material that original ran at the site; in this case, a new collection of the four essays that originally chronicled the "Great iPod Indie Rock Challenge of 2008," in which I dared my lazy middle-aged self to get all my sad old '80s and '90s rocks off my little 1-gig iPod Shuffle and replaced with brand-new music by brand-new bands as quickly as possible. | Read entire entry

The Great iPod Indie Rock Challenge of 2008: A wrap-up. | December 16, 2008
(UPDATE, DECEMBER 2008: All four essays in this series are now available as a free downloadable eBook, for those who are interested.) Well, so here we finally are, at the end of the Great iPod Indie-Rock Challenge of 2008;... | Read entire entry

Personal essay: Grinding the gears -- the mechanics of language. | December 12, 2008
Today, it's another reprint of a guest essay I recently wrote for "authonomy," the cutting-edge online literature experiment from HarperCollins UK; this time I write on the mechanics of language, things like grammar and paragraph structure, and various issues related to publishing that these subjects bring up. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Gargoyle," by Andrew Davidson | December 10, 2008
Today: The much-hyped, badly disappointing, centuries-spanning supernatural romantic thriller "The Gargoyle," by first-time novelist Andrew Davidson. Wow, what a stinker. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "The Canon," by Natalie Angier | December 9, 2008
Today's review: Natalie Angier's surprisingly disappointing "The Canon," in which she asks a series of scientists what the most important basic lessons about their profession are, hampered throughout by an overly cute, badly written style of "magazine journalism." | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Tearing Down the Wall of Sound," by Mick Brown | December 9, 2008
Today's review: The 2007 Phil Spector biography "Tearing Down the Wall of Sound" by journalist Mick Brown, surprisingly ho-hum for a tale of a gun-toting rock-icon recluse. | Read entire entry

Audrey Niffenegger will be chatting next week online with the Toronto Public Library | December 9, 2008
Cool news today from our friends at the Toronto Public Library; next week they'll be sponsoring a live online chat and interview with Chicago author Audrey Niffenegger ("The Time Traveler's Wife"), and the public is invited to follow along in real time. Click through for all the details. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Sunshine Estates: Rx for Rosedale," by Lynn Shirey | December 8, 2008
Today's book: The gentle yet smart retirement-community crime-thriller comedy "Sunshine Estates: Rx for Rosedale," by self-publishing author Lynn Shirey. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Psychological Methods To Sell Should Be Destroyed," by Robert Freeman Wexler | December 4, 2008
Today's book: The mostly fantastic absurdist/surrealist story collection "Psychological Methods To Sell Should Be Destroyed," from veteran "New Weird" author Robert Freeman Wexler. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Will You Love Me Tomorrow," by Danny Gillan | December 3, 2008
Today's book: The unfortunately behemoth indie-rock saga "Will You Love Me Tomorrow," by British author Danny Gillan. | Read entire entry

People have been saying some nice things about "Repetition Patterns" | November 28, 2008
Now that it's Thanksgiving week here in the US and I'm taking a break from major site updates, I thought it'd be a good time to mention some of the nice things people have recently started saying about CCLaP's first original book, Ben Tanzer's "Repetition Patterns." Click through for all the details. | Read entire entry

Personal essay: How to critique -- a not-at-all definitive guide | November 25, 2008
Today, it's a reprint of my latest guest essay for the experimental literature site Authonomy.com, run by the mainstream publishing company HarperCollins. This essay: some common-sense advice on writing better book reviews and critiques. | Read entire entry

Announcing CCLaP's newest book: "Yet More Interestingness: The 2008 Election." | November 24, 2008
Happy day: Today marks the beginning of CCLaP's new "white paper" series, minor publications that simply collect and reprint material originally published at the website. Here, the first in the series, collecting nearly 400 bookmarks to "interesting things" concerning the 2008 US Presidential election. | Read entire entry

Book review: "All About Lulu," by Jonathan Evison | November 20, 2008
Today's book: The plaintive quirky '90s-set coming-of-age tale "All About Lulu," by first-time novelist Jonathan Evison. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Still Life with Psychotic Squirrel," by CB Smith | November 19, 2008
Today's book: The blog-like collection of personal essays "Still Life with Psychotic Squirrel," by CB Smith. | Read entire entry

Your micro-review roundup: 12 November 2008 | November 12, 2008
Today, more small reviews of books I've recently read in my life, including Jeremy Shipp's "Sheep and Wolves," Kathryn Harrison's "Envy," Beth Fehlbaum's "Courage in Patience," and Gilbert Hernandez's "Chance in Hell." | Read entire entry

Your micro-review roundup: 10 November 2008 | November 10, 2008
Today, a round-up of small reviews from books I've recently read, including Philip Roth's "The Plot Against America," Hideo Okuda's "Lala Pipo," Lawrence Bush's "Waiting for God," Nick Tosches' "In the Hand of Dante," and Stephen Prothero's "Religious Literacy." | Read entire entry

Personal essay: Show Not Tell -- a horror story. | November 3, 2008
Today, my second writing-based guest contribution to the "authonomy" blog, sponsored by the publishing company HarperCollins UK, which they've graciously allowed me to reprint at CCLaP. Here: How much exposition is too much exposition? And how do you best get rid of it? | Read entire entry

"Repetition Patterns" is throwing a release party! Er, kinda! | October 31, 2008
Great news -- looks like CCLaP will be throwing an official release party next week for it's first-ever original book, Ben Tanzer's "Repetition Patterns." Even better, we're saving money by "piggybacking" to the existing event "Reading Under the Influence," which was already planning on featuring Ben at their next show. Click through for all the details. | Read entire entry

It's Ben Tanzer Day at CCLaP! | October 27, 2008
Happy day! It's the official release day of CCLaP's first-ever original book, the story cycle "Repetition Patterns" by local author Ben Tanzer. Here, a little reminder of the fact, and an explanation for all the supplemental "Patterns" entries you're seeing at the blog today too. | Read entire entry

CCLaP Podcast Extra: Ben Tanzer's "Life As He Had Known It" | October 27, 2008
Today on the podcast: A special edition! Please enjoy this spoken-word version of the Ben Tanzer story "Life As He Had Known It," from CCLaP's new book "Repetition Patterns." Performed by Jason Pettus, CCLaP's executive director. | Read entire entry

Oh, and could any Sony Reader downloaders please send some photos? | October 27, 2008
Oh, and yet another note about CCLaP's new book, "Repetition Patterns" by Ben Tanzer: that if any of you end up downloading and installing the Sony Reader version, I'm hoping you'll take some photos of the experience and share them with us. Here, the reasons why, and also the reasons why this book is not available for the Amazon Kindle. | Read entire entry

CCLaP Podcast 28: Author Ben Tanzer | October 27, 2008
Today on the CCLaP Podcast: A new interview with local author Ben Tanzer, chatting exclusively about his new book "Repetition Patterns," which happens to be CCLaP's first-ever original publication as well. | Read entire entry

"Repetition Patterns:" Official critique/opinion page | October 27, 2008
The official blog entry tracking all things said (both good and bad) about the book "Repetition Patterns," by Ben Tanzer. Have you own opinions to share? By all means, leave them as a comment at this entry! | Read entire entry

All about "Repetition Patterns'" Creative Commons license | October 27, 2008
Today, as part of Ben Tanzer Day here at CCLaP, in celebration of the organization's very first original book, a detailed look at the Creative Commons license under which "Repetition Patterns" has been released, and what that exactly gives you as a reader permission to do and not do. | Read entire entry

Curious about what's coming next from CCLaP Publishing? | October 27, 2008
With all this talk today about CCLaP's first original book, Ben Tanzer's "Repetition Patterns," are you curious about what the organization's next book is going to be? Here, the official announcement, with a release date of Christmas 2008. | Read entire entry

Personal essay: Regarding the iPod as personal mainstream adult-contemp radio station. | October 24, 2008
Today: We've officially reached the three-quarters mark of the Great iPod Indie-Rock Challenge of 2008 (in which I as a middle-ager am trying to replace all my sad old '80s college-rock with brand-new contemporary music). Here, a tenth-month report. | Read entire entry

One week until "Repetition Patterns!" Er, wanna be a proofreader? | October 20, 2008
It's official -- exactly one week to go before the release of CCLaP's first-ever original book, the "story cycle" "Repetition Patterns" by local author Ben Tanzer. Here, details, a plea for volunteer proofreaders, and a look at the brand new Chuck Klosterman ripoff...er, front cover. | Read entire entry

Personal essay: The fine art of the book pitch. | October 16, 2008
Today, the first in a new series of guest articles I've started writing for publishing company HarperCollins; in this case, how to best write one of those maddening 25-word "elevator pitches" for your unsigned novel. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Passenger," by Ronald Malfi | October 3, 2008
Today's book: The moody, minimalist, "New Weird" horror tale "Passenger," by Ronald Malfi. | Read entire entry

Obesssion of the moment: Douglas Rushkoff at Boing Boing | October 2, 2008
Today's obsession: The deliriously great guest-entries this week at pop-culture journal Boing Boing, from futurist and professor and author and philosopher Douglas Rushkoff. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet," by Joanne Proulx | September 29, 2008
Today's book: The midwestern heavy-metal magical-realism coming-of-age tale "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet," by hipster short-story writer and first-time novelist Joanne Proulx. | Read entire entry

Obsession of the moment: Newsless.org | September 29, 2008
Today's obsession: The new "future of journalism" blog Newsless.org, started and run by a fascinating academic fellow at the Unviersity of Missouri "J School" named Matt Thompson. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Heart of a Cult," by Lena Phoenix | September 15, 2008
Today's book: "The Heart of a Cult," Lena Phoenix's fascinating fictional look at the radical edges of the New Age community, and how it is that so many otherwise rational and intelligent people can fall prey to cultlike behavior and brainwashing. | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "Beloved," by Toni Morrison | September 12, 2008
Today's book: 1987's "Beloved" by Toni Morrison, a powerful tale of the post-Civil-War black female experience, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the catalyst for a new golden age of "minority fiction." Is it a classic? Click through for my thoughts on the matter. | Read entire entry

Obsession of the moment: Authonomy | September 11, 2008
Remember HBO's "Project Greenlight?" Where a bunch of unpublished screenwriters all uploaded their scripts to a website, then argued and argued until one finally won and was produced? Ever wonder why a publishing company has never tried that for unpublished novels? Wonder no more. | Read entire entry

Field report: Ben Tanzer book release party | September 10, 2008
Chicago author Ben Tanzer has a new novel out; and last weekend was the official release party for it, held at the DvA Gallery in Lincoln Park. Here, a small report from the party, as well as some photos. | Read entire entry

Book review: "MultiReal," by David Louis Edelman | September 5, 2008
Today's book: David Louis Edelman's "MultiReal," part 2 of the massive science-fiction epic trilogy "Jump 225," part 1 of which I reviewed here at CCLaP last year. | Read entire entry

Your micro-review roundup: 2 September 2008 | September 2, 2008
Today, four very short review of some recent books I've read, including Linda Medley's "Castle Waiting," Daniel Grandbois' "Unlucky Lucky Days," Chip Kidd's "The Learners" and Roger Rosenblatt's "Beet." | Read entire entry

Book review: "Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster," by Dana Thomas | August 25, 2008
Today's book: "Deluxe," by veteran fashion journalist Dana Thomas, showing exactly how the so-called "luxury industry" changed from a handcrafted, elitist service into a mass-produced, overmarketed commodity during the '80s, '90s and '00s. | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "The Sound and the Fury," by William Faulkner | August 22, 2008
Today's book: The 1929 Modernist classic "The Sound and the Fury" by William Faulkner, also one of the first novels to establish the subgenre "Southern Gothic." is it a classic? Click through for my opinion. | Read entire entry

Let's Talk About Them Again: "Radiant Days," by Michael FitzGerald | August 20, 2008
Today, the start of a new essay series here at CCLaP, where I occasionally look back at great books already reviewed here that still deserve your attention. Today's pick, the phenomenal 2007 Graham-Greene-like expat novel "Radiant Days," by Michael FitzGerald. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Lost Episodes of Beatie Scareli," by Ginnetta Correli | August 19, 2008
Today's book: The darkly comic, slightly surrealist coming-of-age tale "The Lost Episodes of Beatie Scareli," by self-published first-time novelist Ginnetta Correli. | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "Gulliver's Travels," by Jonathan Swift | August 18, 2008
Today's book: The 1726 English political satire "Gulliver's Travels," by part-time politician and smartypants author Jonathan Swift. Is it a classic? Click through for my opinion on the matter. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Pisstown Chaos," by David Ohle | August 14, 2008
Today's book: The wry, post-apocalyptic black comedy (what, ANOTHER one?) "The Pisstown Chaos," by post-apocalyptic black-comedy veteran David Ohle. It's...eh, it's okay; click through for more. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Running with Scissors" and "A Wolf at the Table," by Augusten Burroughs | August 12, 2008
Today's book(s): Both the oldest and newest "nonfiction memoirs" by gay Generation X new-wave journalist Augusten Burroughs, 2002's "Running with Scissors" and 2008's "A Wolf at the Table." Click through for my extended thoughts. | Read entire entry

Thanks for the free book, LibraryThing! | August 12, 2008
Cool news in the mail today: After months and months of applying, I finally hit the jackpot over in the "Early Reviewers" (i.e. free books) section of literary social network LibraryThing.com. Click through for the details, as well as to see which book I got. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Faith Between Us," by Peter Bebergal and Scott Korb | August 11, 2008
Today's book: The 2007 nonfictional "The Faith Between Us" by Peter Bebergal and Scott Korb, in which a pair of hipster doofuses and already-published authors with hidden traditional religious beliefs (one Catholic, one Jewish) discuss the daily struggles of such a life. | Read entire entry

In which I respond to the reader question, "What do you think of 9/11 Fiction?" | August 10, 2008
I've been adding a lot of simple scores to books over at Goodreads.com recently; and that inspired someone to ask me what I think of Don DeLillo's September-11th novel "Underworld." Today, my surprisingly complicated answer. | Read entire entry

Personal essay: Gadzooks! I added 600 new book ratings at Goodreads this weekend! | August 10, 2008
Some interesting news for my fellow book nerds: I've decided to start profoundly expanding my personal library listed at social network Goodreads, and started by rating 600 old books this weekend while watching the Olympics. Click through for the reasons why. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Nazi Literature in the Americas," by Roberto Bolaño | August 8, 2008
Today's book: "Nazi Literature in the Americans," by late Chilean author and smartypants Roberto Bolaño, originally published in Spanish in 1996 but in English just this year (2008). | Read entire entry

Ben Tanzer's new book is out! All right! | August 8, 2008
Good news from the Chicago arts: CCLaP friend Ben Tanzer's new novel is out, and another friend of CCLaP published it! Click through for all the details. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Snuff," by Chuck Palahniuk | August 6, 2008
Today's book: The filthy, filthy, filthy, filthy, filthy, filthy, filthy, filthy 2008 novel "Snuff," by Chuck Palahniuk. Don't say I didn't warn you! | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "Tropic of Cancer," by Henry Miller | August 4, 2008
Today's book: Henry Miller's drunken, filthy examination of Paris' post-WWI bohemian community, 1934's "Tropic of Cancer." Is it a classic? Click through for my thoughts on the matter. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "The Execution of Sherlock Holmes," by Donald Thomas | August 1, 2008
Today's review: The 2007 "comfort-food" project "The Execution of Sherlock Holmes," a brand-new collection of five stories that are specifically meant to read exactly like Arthur Conan Doyle's original ones from a century ago. | Read entire entry

Oh Lord, it's time again for the Booker Prize | July 30, 2008
That's right; it's time yet again for the Man Booker Prize, celebrating the best literature from the British Commonwealth and Ireland in the last year. The 2008 longlist was just announced -- click through to see it, as well as to read about CCLaP's plans for reviewing these books. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Gradisil," by Adam Roberts | July 29, 2008
Today's book: Adam Roberts' astounding fake history of the coming private settlement of space, "Gradisil," the last of the eight award-nominated science-fiction novels I am taking a look at this month at CCLaP. | Read entire entry

Your micro-review roundup: 28 July 2008 | July 28, 2008
Small little micro-reviews of some recent projects, including the books "1421" and "1434" by Gavin Menzies, "The Great Neighborhood Book" by Jay Walljasper, "Liverpool 800" edited by John Belchem, and the 1954 movie "The Caine Mutiny." | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Resurrectionist," by Jack O'Connell | July 25, 2008
Today's book: The 2008 cult hit and "Hollywood Surrealist" tale "The Resurrectionist," by Jack O'Connell...and I don't mean anything good by that term, either. Click through for more. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Rollback," by Robert J Sawyer | July 21, 2008
Today's book: The Hugo-nominated 2007 near-future tale "Rollback," by industry veteran Robert J Sawyer. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Born Standing Up," by Steve Martin | July 18, 2008
Today's book: "Born Standing Up," Steve Martin's memoirs of his old '70s stand-up comedian years, a time in his life he barely ever discusses in public anymore. It's FASCINATING. | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "Candida," by George Bernard Shaw | July 17, 2008
Today's book: the 1898 stage-play and comedy of manners "Candida," by astute social observer George Bernard Shaw. Is it a classic? Click through for my thoughts and opinion on the matter. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Last Colony," by John Scalzi | July 15, 2008
Today's book: The latest 2008 Hugo nominee to be reviewed here, the old-skool grand space opera "The Last Colony" by John Scalzi. How does it compare to the other nominees? Click through for my thoughts. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Hats & Eyeglasses," by Martha Frankel | July 14, 2008
Today: The so-so personal memoir "Hats & Eyeglasses," by former "Details" columnist and entertainment journalist Martha Frankel, which is supposedly about gambling addiction but isn't really about gambling addiction. Click through for more on what I mean. | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "The Left Hand of Darkness," by Ursula K Le Guin | July 13, 2008
Today's book: Ursula K Le Guin's 1969 "The Left Hand of Darkness," as important to the history of science-fiction as it is to feminist literature, coming in the middle of the youthful countercultural movement. Is it a classic? Click through for my thoughts and opinions. | Read entire entry

Your micro-review roundup: 12 July 2008 | July 12, 2008
Tiny little reviews of four books and movies, being posted on a weekend, including Patricia Wood's "Lottery," Anthony Lappe and Dan Goldman's "Shooting War," Marvel Comics' "The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born," and the truly awful 1997 TV-movie version of "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea." | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "New Monasticism," by Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove | July 3, 2008
Today's review: The misleadingly-titled "New Monasticism" by Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, a guide not really to modern monk-like behavior but rather traditional liberal activism. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Nova Swing," by M John Harrison | July 2, 2008
Today's book: "Nova Swing" by M John Harrison, the trippy and cutting-edge science-fiction novel that won the 2008 Philip K Dick Award, precisely honoring trippy and cutting-edge science-fiction. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "RenGen," by Patricia Martin | June 30, 2008
Today's review: The 2007 business book "RenGen" by Patricia Martin, arguing that the US is on the brink of a major new cultural renaissance, and that business owners could do themselves some good by anticipating and planning for it. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Ten-Cent Plague," by David Hajdu | June 26, 2008
Today's book: David Hajdu's "The Ten-Cent Plague," a detailed and fascinating look at the 1950s comic-book scare in the United States, featuring a ton of new interviews with the people originally involved. | Read entire entry

Dueling Chicago lit events tonight! Choking...from all the...hyperlinks... | June 26, 2008
Two major literary events are happening tonight in Chicago -- the Fixx reading series and the newest release party for THE2NDHAND. Here, details on both, with enough hyperlinks to choke a horse. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Brasyl," by Ian McDonald | June 25, 2008
Today: The 2007 Hugo-nominated "Brasyl" by Ian McDonald, a thrilling science-fiction adventure set within the steamy third-world milieu of Rio de Janeiro. | Read entire entry

Personal essay: Here's why I'm dropping the "Too Awful To Finish" series. | June 24, 2008
A recent accusation of bad criticism here, along with an interesting reaction by CCLaP's readers, has had me thinking a lot this week about fairness, critical responsibility, and the hipster douchebags I hate so much. Today, the conclusions I came to. | Read entire entry

Your micro-review roundup: 23 June 2008 | June 23, 2008
Today, little tiny reviews of three recent movies and books, none of which I liked enough to bother writing a full review. Includes Lettie Teague's "Educating Peter," as well as the movies "Spun," "Notes on a Scandal," and "Diary of the Dead." | Read entire entry

Wanna see CCLaP review a specific book? Check out our new wish list! | June 20, 2008
Yes, it's true; due to popular demand, I am now listing online the various books that CCLaP will be reading and reviewing soon; and it's over at Amazon too, in the form of a wish list, so that you can help get me review copies if you feel like assisting a broke critic. | Read entire entry

Book review: "American Transcendentalism: A History," by Philip Gura | June 17, 2008
Today's book: 2007's astoundingly great "American Transcendentalism: A History," a tight and finally clear look at this bizarre early-1800s burp in American history, by culture and lit professor Philip Gura. | Read entire entry

Your micro-review roundup: 16 June 2008 | June 16, 2008
Tiny little reviews of four books I recently didn't have the chance to finish, including Kate Christensen's "Great Man," Benjamin Wiker's "Ten Books That Screwed Up the World," Sean Williams' "Saturn Returns," and Jon Armstrong's "Grey." | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Words of Every Song," by Liz Moore | June 12, 2008
Today's book: The surprisingly great and emotional look at the music industry, 2007's fictional "The Words of Every Song" by real-life indie-rocker Liz Moore. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Three Novellas for a Novel," by Carl Shuker | June 10, 2008
Today's book: The dense, trippy, experimental "Three Novellas for a Novel," a Radiohead-style "pay what you want" eBook by award-winning New Zealander Carl Shuker. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Prisoners in Paradise," by Akmal Shebl | June 6, 2008
Today's book: The self-published 2008 supernatural thriller "Prisoners in Paradise," by Akmal Shebl, a book which brings up all kinds of issues about self-publishing that I've been meaning to talk about. Today, I talk about them. | Read entire entry

Book Versus Movie: The 39 Steps | June 4, 2008
Today's review: the proto-spy thriller "The 39 Steps," both the original 1915 novella by John Buchan and the 1935 movie adaptation by the young Alfred Hitchcock. How do they compare? Click through for my thoughts! | Read entire entry

Book review: "All Shall Be Well...," by Tod Wodicka | June 3, 2008
Today's book: The masterfully funny and sad satire of cranky academic eggheads, Tod Wodicka's debut novel "All Shall Be Well; and All Shall Be Well; and All Manner of Things Shall Be Well." | Read entire entry

Tales from the Completist: "The Historian," by Elizabeth Kostova | May 28, 2008
Today's book: The 2005 modern vampire tale and runaway bestseller "The Historian," by Elizabeth Kostova. | Read entire entry

CCLaP Podcast 24: Author Cory Doctorow | May 27, 2008
Today on the podcast: A one-hour talk with a personal hero of mine, Cory Doctorow, a popular and award-winning novelist as well as one of the four editors of Boing Boing, currently acknowledged by most as the most popular blog on the planet. | Read entire entry

Field report: Pilcrow Literary Festival | May 26, 2008
Today, a field report from the highly entertaining Pilcrow Literary Festival, which just pulled off its first successful year here in Chicago last weekend. Click through for photos and an analysis of what went right. | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "A Farewell to Arms," by Ernest Hemingway | May 23, 2008
Today's book: The 1929 Modernist look at World War One, Ernest Hemingway's "A Farewell to Arms." Is it a classic? Click through for my opinion, and the reasons why I argue it. | Read entire entry

CCLaP Podcast 23: Author Amy Güth | May 19, 2008
Today on the podcast: A one-hour talk with Chicago author Amy Güth, founder of the new Pilcrow Literary Festival. | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "Middlesex," by Jeffrey Eugenides | May 17, 2008
Today's book: The 2002 Greek-American quirky family saga (and trippy hermaphrodite tale) "Middlesex," by Jeffrey Eugenides. Is it a classic? Click through for my thoughts on the matter. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "The Gravedigger's Daughter," by Joyce Carol Oates | May 12, 2008
Today's review: The supremely disappointing 2007 novel "The Gravedigger's Daughter," by revered academic author Joyce Carol Oates. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Heart-Shaped Box," by Joe Hill | May 8, 2008
Today's review: The surprise 2007 bestseller "Heart-Shaped Box," the debut novel of horror writer Joe Hill, not nearly as good a book as I thought it was going to be. Click through for the details. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Day of Empire," by Amy Chua | May 7, 2008
Today's book: The historical and political "Day of Empire" by futurist and law professor Amy Chua, which argues that all world-dominant societies throughout history share a freakishly small amount of traits, both during their ascendancies and their falls. Click through for more. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Somnambulist," by Jonathan Barnes | May 6, 2008
Today: The pretty good new steampunk novel "The Somnambulist," by British book critic Jonathan Barnes, along with some extended thoughts on what exactly steampunk is, and what the difference is between so-called genre fiction and mainstream. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Bringing Home the Birkin," by Michael Tonello | May 5, 2008
Today's book: The dazzling 2008 memoir "Bringing Home the Birkin," detailing one witty young man's globetrotting adventures buying up the notoriously scarce handbags and then reselling them on eBay for an insane markup. What a great book; click through for the reasons why. | Read entire entry

Your micro-review roundup: 3 May 2008 | May 3, 2008
A round-up of little tiny reviews for the last week or two, including four books and four movies. Click through for a lot more. | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "The Island of Dr Moreau," by HG Wells | May 2, 2008
Today's book: The surprisingly exciting and disgusting 1896 medical thriller "The Island of Dr Moreau," by science-fiction godfather HG Wells. Is it a classic? Click through for my thoughts on the subject. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Gathering," by Anne Enright | April 29, 2008
Today's book: Anne Enright's "The Gathering," winner of the 2007 Booker Prize. Did it deserve it? As the reader of six of last year's nominees, I definitely have some thoughts on the matter; click through for the details. | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "Mrs Dalloway," by Virginia Woolf | April 28, 2008
Today's book: The 1925 Modernist experimental masterpiece "Mrs Dalloway," by feminist icon Virginia Woolf. Is it a classic? Click through for my opinion and reasons. | Read entire entry

Literago and I both declare: "You will never see 'Chicago Lit 100' lists at our sites" | April 24, 2008
So have you heard about this "Brooklyn Lit 100" list that has everyone so up in arms? It inspired Eugenia Williamson of Literago to declare that they will never do a similar Chicago list; I thought this was a good idea, so have decided to declare it too. Click through for more! | Read entire entry

Book Versus Movie: "From Hell" | April 22, 2008
Today, the first in an irregular series of essays here at CCLaP -- a review of both the book and movie versions of the "Jack The Ripper" conspiracy tale "From Hell," the 1999 book by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell, the 2001 movie by The Hughes Brothers. | Read entire entry

CCLaP Podcast 22: Author Nick Ostdick | April 21, 2008
Today on the CCLaP Podcast: A 45-minute talk with Chicago author, small publisher and event organizer Nick Ostdick (RAGAD, "Sunbeams and Cigarettes"). | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "Dracula," by Bram Stoker | April 19, 2008
Today's book: The 1897 Victorian horror novel "Dracula" by Bram Stoker, which single-handedly established the now overwhelmingly known vampire genre. Is it a classic? Click through for my thoughts and opinion. | Read entire entry

Your micro-review roundup: 13 April 2008 | April 13, 2008
One-paragraph reviews of five movies and two novels, none of them interesting enough to warrant full critical reviews of their own. Includes "The Name of the Rose," "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea," "Closer," "Zeroville," "Beautiful Children," "The Illusionist" and "Funny Games." | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "The Gods Themselves," by Isaac Asimov | April 11, 2008
Today's book: the 1972 Hugo and Nebula winner "The Gods Themselves," by Golden-Age science-fiction author Isaac Asimov. Is it a classic? Click through for my thoughts. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Black Hole," by Charles Burns | April 9, 2008
Today's review: The 2005 epic graphic-novel "Black Hole," by comics veteran and "Believer" cover artist Charles Burns. | Read entire entry

Tales From the Completist: "The Long Goodbye," by Raymond Chandler | April 8, 2008
Today's book: the brilliant 1953 detective novel "The Long Goodbye" by Raymond Chandler, which happens to be this spring's choice for the "One Book One Chicago" program. | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "The Republic," by Plato | April 4, 2008
Today's book: Plato's "The Republic" from approximately 360 BC, the book that single-handedly defined the way most of our modern Western governments currently work. Is it a classic still worth reading today? Click through for my thoughts. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Trip," by Mick MacO | April 3, 2008
Today's review: The self-published 2008 European confessional travelogue "Trip," by Irish graphic designer living in Germany "Mick MacO." | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Now And Forever," by Ray Bradbury | April 2, 2008
Today's review: "Now And Forever," a collection of two brand-new (2007) novellas by genre legend Ray Bradbury. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Gum Thief," by Douglas Coupland | March 31, 2008
Today's book: 2007's dark and sad "The Gum Thief," the latest by legendary hipster novelist Douglas Coupland ("Generation X," "Microserfs"). | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "Washington Square," by Henry James | March 28, 2008
Today's book: The slim 1880 "slice of life" story "Washington Square," by realist-fiction master Henry James. Is it a classic? Click through for my thoughts on the subject. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Boy Detective Fails," by Joe Meno | March 27, 2008
Today's book: The brilliantly unique 2006 modern fairytale "The Boy Detective Fails," by Chicago cult favorite Joe Meno. | Read entire entry

Obsession of the moment: "The Reprover/Le Réprobateur" | March 27, 2008
Today's obsession: The witty, experimental hyperfiction project "The Reprover/Le Réprobateur," by French artist and CCLaP reader François Coulon. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Via Dolorosa," by Ronald Malfi | March 26, 2008
Today's book: The minimalist, atmospheric horror story "Via Dolorosa," by experimental writer Ronald Malfi. | Read entire entry

Scott Sigler's first traditional book comes out in a few days | March 26, 2008
Today, some news from an acquaintance of mine, author and "podbook" wunderkind Scott Sigler; that his very first traditional paper novel, a technothriller called "Infected," is finally being released in a few days. Click through for a lot more. | Read entire entry

Book review: "World War Z," by Max Brooks | March 25, 2008
Today's book: The surprisingly brilliant fake oral history of a zombie apocalyptic war, "World War Z," by the surprisingly intelligent and serious Max Brooks (son of comedy veteran Mel Brooks). | Read entire entry

If CCLaP laid out a new classic book, which would you rather see? | March 23, 2008
I'm thinking of doing a new layout of an obscure "classic" book, one of the titles I'll be reviewing later this year as part of the CCLaP 100 essays, in a variety of formats for free download and hopefully a little publicity for the center. But which book should I do? Click through for the choices and to vote in CCLaP's online poll. | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "The Catcher in the Rye," by JD Salinger | March 21, 2008
Today's book: 1951's "The Catcher in the Rye" by JD Salinger, which fans claim single-handedly kicked off the entire genre now known as "Confessional Young Adult." Is it a classic, though? Click through for my thoughts. | Read entire entry

Obsession of the moment: Google Docs as mobile eText reader | March 17, 2008
Today, a simple "lifehack" to share -- how I use the free online webapp "Google Docs" as a surprisingly good eBook reader for my mobile device. | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea," by Jules Verne | March 14, 2008
Today's book: 1870's prototypical science-fiction tale "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" by Jules Verne, inspiration behind a million young boys' adventuring fantasies for a century and a half. Classic? No? Click through for my opinion. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Shakespeare: The World as Stage," by Bill Bryson | March 13, 2008
Today's review: The delightful 2007 slim and accessible guide to William Shakespeare, travel writer Bill Bryson's "Shakespeare: The World as Stage." | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "The Name of the Rose," by Umberto Eco | March 11, 2008
Today's book: The brilliant 1980 Medieval murder mystery / deceptively complex meditation on semiotics "The Name of the Rose," by Italian history professor and postmodernist Umberto Eco. Is it a classic? Click through for my opinion, and the reasons why. | Read entire entry

Personal essay: Regarding the "magic middle" of the independent arts. | March 5, 2008
For those who don't know, creative guru Kevin Kelly published a fascinating article this week, positing that it's easier than ever for independent artists to make a working living. Today, my thoughts on the essay, and what it has to do with Dave Sifry's theory of the blogosphere's "magic middle." | Read entire entry

Holy crap, the new Chicago Public Library website looks great! | March 5, 2008
Wow, the Chicago Public Library system overhauled its website this week -- and it's freaking great! Click through for all the details, as well as copious links. | Read entire entry

Too awful to finish: "Engleby," by Sebastian Faulks | March 3, 2008
Today's book under trial: The virtually plotless 2007 novel "Engleby," by Sebastian Faulks. Ugh, this book drove me crazy; click through for the reasons why. | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer," by Mark Twain | February 29, 2008
Today's book: the 1876 "American Pastoral" novel "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer," a fictionalized small-town childhood memoir by political satirist Mark Twain. Is it a classic? Click through for my opinion and comments. | Read entire entry

Surprise bestseller "Beautiful Children" is free online for next two days | February 28, 2008
Interesting news from Random House today: that for a very short period of time, they will be giving away completely free PDF copies of surprise bestseller "Beautiful Children" by Charles Bock, no strings attached. Click through for the details and links. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Matala," by Craig Holden | February 26, 2008
Today's review: The slim and problem-filled 2007 noir thriller "Matala," by genre serf Craig Holden, picked up completely randomly at my neighborhood library a few weeks ago. | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: The Ripley Trilogy, by Patricia Highsmith | February 25, 2008
Today's review: The crime-fiction trilogy revolving around Tom Ripley (1955-1972), by Patricia Highsmith. Smartly-done genre pieces that helped defined the industry, or true classics that you should read before you die? Click through for my opinion. | Read entire entry

New basement distro is looking for your used classics | February 25, 2008
Today, news of a new used-book distribution company in the St. Louis area called "sticks and stones," started up by my friend Michael Franklin, and how they are in need of your used classics. Click through for a lot more. | Read entire entry

CCLaP Podcast 20: 37signals' Jason Fried | February 19, 2008
Today on the CCLaP Podcast: An interview with tech guru and gentleman philosopher Jason Fried, one of the founders of highly popular Chicago software company 37signals. | Read entire entry

Another "Literary Death Match" coming to San Francisco soon | February 18, 2008
A little news today from CCLaP friend Todd Zuniga; that his magazine "Opium" is holding their sixth "Literary Death Match" soon in San Francisco. Click through for all the details! | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Clown Girl," by Monica Drake | February 15, 2008
Today's review: The cultishly popular 2006 novel "Clown Girl," an inventive metaphor about corporate life and the debut novel of Monica Drake, which sadly enough I just didn't care for. | Read entire entry

Tales from the Completist: "The Solitudes," by John Crowley | February 13, 2008
Today's book: The cultishly loved trippy academic 1987 fantasy novel "The Solitudes" by John Crowley, part 1 of the massively complicated saga "AEgypt." | Read entire entry

Toronto Public Library hosting "Michael Redhill month" online | February 12, 2008
Today, some interesting news to share from the Toronto Public Library; their online discussion club, Book Buzz, is this month featuring Michael Redhill of "Consolation" (a well-regarded Booker nominee), including lots of supplemental information. Click through for more! | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "The Man Who Was Thursday," by GK Chesterton | February 8, 2008
Today's book: The 1908 detective tale/absurdist comedy "The Man Who Was Thursday," by quirky ahead-of-his-time genre master and Modernism precursor GK Chesterton. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Abstinence Teacher," by Tom Perrotta | February 7, 2008
Today's book: The surprisingly disappointing 2007 novel "The Abstinence Teacher" by Tom Perrotta, a fuzzy and unfocused copy of his much better "Little Children." | Read entire entry

And speaking of classics... | February 5, 2008
Hey, thanks for all the nice emails and comments so far regarding the CCLaP 100 list! In fact, so many readers have been sending their own recommendations for online guides to the classics, I thought I'd finally collect them into a public entry for all of you as well. Click through as always for the details. | Read entire entry

Chicago Women In Publishing is having an interesting panel soon | February 5, 2008
A little news today from CCLaP friend Chris Benevich of MediaBistro; that the group Chicago Women In Publishing will be holding an interesting panel discussion soon, regarding how to best negotiate contracts when you're a freelancer. Click through for the details! | Read entire entry

Book review: "Bridge of Sighs," by Richard Russo | February 4, 2008
Today's book: The slow-moving 2007 small-town epic "Bridge of Sighs," by former Pulitzer winner Richard Russo ("Empire Falls"). | Read entire entry

Field report: The Fixx reading series | February 1, 2008
Today, photos and a write-up from my recent attendance of The Fixx reading series, a monthly event here in Chicago hosted by author and raconteur Amy Güth. This particular month featured Scott Korb and Peter Bebergal, co-authors of the book of essays "The Faith Between Us." | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Almost Moon," by Alice Sebold | January 24, 2008
Today's book: The delightfully twisted thriller about senile monsters and insane daughters, Alice Sebold's "The Almost Moon." | Read entire entry

Jeremy Shipp's "Vacation" snags a surprise Stoker nomination | January 23, 2008
Just a little news about a book that was recently featured here; that the trippy alt-horror novel "Vacation" by Jeremy Shipp has picked up a surprise "First Novel" nomination for the Stoker Awards, which usually honors traditional horror. | Read entire entry

Book review: "by George," by Wesley Stace | January 21, 2008
Today's book: The surprisingly epic tale of a British family of stage performers, the brilliant "by George" by Wesley Stace (aka musician John Wesley Harding). | Read entire entry

Field report: RAGAD #5 release party | January 21, 2008
Today, a report and photographs from the release party for issue 5 of Chicago literary magazine RAGAD, run by CCLaP friend and reader Nick Ostdick. | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "The Great Gatsby," by F Scott Fitzgerald | January 18, 2008
Today's book: The 1925 stunning look at the Jazz Age, "The Great Gatsby" by F Scott Fitzgerald, the book that inspired the term "Great American Novel" in the first place. Is it a classic? Click through for my own opinion, now that I've finally read it myself. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Night Climbers," by Ivo Stourton | January 17, 2008
Today's book: The surprisingly smart intellectual/airport thriller "The Night Climbers," by first-time British novelist Ivo Stourton. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Halting State," by Charles Stross | January 15, 2008
Today's book: The unexpectedly disappointing MMO thriller "Halting State," by the usually-great science-fiction author Charles Stross. | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "House of the Seven Gables," by Nathaniel Hawthorne | January 14, 2008
Today's book: The 1851 horror-story prototype "House of the Seven Gables," by American Romantic master Nathaniel Hawthorne ("The Scarlet Letter"). Does it deserve the "classic" label? Click through for my opinion, now that I've finally read it myself. | Read entire entry

Obsession of the moment: Protagonize.com | January 10, 2008
Today's obsession: The collaborative "Choose Your Own Adventure" style literary website, Protagonize.com. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Petropolis," by Anya Ulinich | January 8, 2008
Today's book: The delightfully black, blackly delightful Russian immigrant tale Petropolis, by Russian-American snarky intellectual Anya Ulinich. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Vacation," by Jeremy Shipp | January 4, 2008
Today's book: The delightfully strange "Vacation" by Jeremy Shipp, about as great as "weird literature" gets. | Read entire entry

The CCLaP 100: "Great Expectations," by Charles Dickens | January 4, 2008
Today's book: The 1861 Victorian social drama "Great Expectations," by Charles Dickens. Is it truly a classic? Click through for my opinion, now that I've read it myself. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Crooked Little Vein," by Warren Ellis | January 2, 2008
Today's book: The darkly hilarious look at America's very real fringe underbelly, "Crooked Little Vein," the first novel by transgressive comics veteran Warren Ellis. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "The Bird is a Raven," by Benjamin Lebert | January 2, 2008
Today's review: The mostly disappointing 2005 "The Bird is a Raven," the latest "novel" (read: barely a novella) from German literary wunderkind Benjamin Lebert ("Crazy"). | Read entire entry

Personal essay: The Year in Books, 2007 | December 31, 2007
Today, CCLaP's look at the year in books for 2007; not a look at the entire industry, of course, but rather the 50 or so books I personally got to read and review this year, including new synopses of the ones I found the best. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Three Fallen Women," by Amy Güth | December 27, 2007
Today's book: The black-as-coal look at three middle-agers recovering from breakdowns, Chicago author Amy Güth's frustrating but rewarding "Three Fallen Women." | Read entire entry

Congratulations to Nathan Rabin and his "Year of Flops" | December 27, 2007
Today, a small fan entry about a group that usually gets nothing but criticism, the 800-pound indie gorilla The Onion; specifically, an entry about how much I loved Nathan Rabin's essay series "My Year of Flops," which is just about to end its remarkable run. | Read entire entry

Obsession of the moment: Afterworld | December 21, 2007
Today's obsession: The new online "vertical science-fiction project" Afterworld, which not only uses multiple media to tell its story but also to distribute its content. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Jezebel: The Untold Story of the Bible's Harlot Queen," by Lesley Hazleton | December 20, 2007
Today's book: The fascinating but instantly controversial "Jezebel: The Untold Story of the Bible's Harlot Queen," by Hebrew scholar and Middle East journalist Lesley Hazleton. | Read entire entry

CCLaP Podcast 19: Author Ben Tanzer | December 18, 2007
Today's episode: An interview with Chicago writer Ben Tanzer, author of the coming-of-age novel "Lucky Man," specifically on the trials and tribulations of being a working day-to-day artist in a large Midwestern city. | Read entire entry

The Ridiculously Long Guide to CCLaP's 10-Point Scoring System | December 17, 2007
I'm putting together CCLaP first-ever top-ten list of the year right now, and realized something important recently -- that I've never really explained how the 10-point scoring system here works. Today, the ridiculously long and overwritten guide. | Read entire entry

Tales from the Completist: "Hairstyles of the Damned," by Joe Meno | December 17, 2007
Today's book: "Hairstyles of the Damned," the 2004 fictionalized memoir of growing up punk on Chicago's southwest side in the 1980s and '90s, by Columbia College professor Joe Meno. | Read entire entry

Book review: "A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers," by Xiaolu Guo | December 11, 2007
Today's book: The delightfully romantic "A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers," a look at an Asian immigrant's first year in the West, by Orange Prize nominee Xiaolu Guo. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Whole," by John Reed | December 7, 2007
Today's book: The trippy, experimental, definitely-not-for-everyone "The Whole," by John Reed. | Read entire entry

Book review: "No one belongs here more than you.," by Miranda July | December 6, 2007
Today's book: The story collection "No one belongs here more than you.," by multi-faceted independent artist Miranda July. | Read entire entry

Obsession of the moment: Monitor Mix | December 5, 2007
Today's obsession: The new National Public Radio blog "Monitor Mix," written by former Sleater-Kinney guitarist and current "ThunderAnt" comedian Carrie Brownstein. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Tree of Smoke," by Denis Johnson | December 5, 2007
Today's book: The Vietnam saga "Tree of Smoke" by Denis Johnson, winner of this year's National Book Award. | Read entire entry

Personal essay: Announcing the CCLaP 100 | December 3, 2007
Announcing a new project: A list of 100 so-called "classic" books, all of which I'll be hopefully reading and writing essays about over the next two years. Here today, the master list, as well as the reasons why I decided to put it together. | Read entire entry

So did I not mention CCLaP's upcoming publishing program? | December 1, 2007
An offhanded remark at the website last Friday, followed by two dozen emails from frazzled writers and editors in 48 hours, makes me realize: I never really have explained CCLaP's upcoming publishing plans. Today, all the details. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Lucky Man," by Ben Tanzer | November 30, 2007
Today's book: The great although relentlessly dark coming-of-age tale "Lucky Man," the debut novel of Chicago writer Ben Tanzer. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Road," by Cormac McCarthy | November 16, 2007
Today's book: The Pulitzer-winning "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy, only the second book of 2007 to receive a perfect score here at CCLaP. | Read entire entry

Obsession of the moment: LostAtEMinor.com | November 16, 2007
Today's obsession: The highly addictive pop-culture journal LostAtEMinor.com. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Shining at the Bottom of the Sea," by Stephen Marche | November 15, 2007
Today's review: The brilliant "Shining at the Bottom of the Sea" by Stephen Marche, a comprehensive literary history of a country in the British Commonwealth that doesn't actually exist. | Read entire entry

Too awful to finish: "New Bedlam," by Bill Flanagan | November 14, 2007
Today, the borderline-offensive novel about annoying television executives, "New Bedlam," by real-life MTV executive Bill Flanagan. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "The Black Sun," by James Twining | November 14, 2007
Today, the 2007 hidden secret Nazi gold action adventure potboiler "Black Sun," by James Twining. | Read entire entry

Book review: "After Dark," by Haruki Murakami | November 5, 2007
Today's book: The surprisingly accessible "After Dark," the latest novel by the amazing Haruki Murakami. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Grand Avenues," by Scott Berg | November 2, 2007
Today's book: The excellent and intelligent look at the founding of Washington DC, historian Scott Berg's "Grand Avenues." | Read entire entry

CCLaP Podcast 14: Author Elizabeth Crane | October 22, 2007
Today's episode: A half-hour conversation with Chicago writer Elizabeth Crane, author of the story collections "When the Messenger is Hot" and "All This Heavenly Glory." | Read entire entry

Tales from the Completist: "The Eyre Affair," by Jasper Fforde | October 19, 2007
Today's book: The delightful and outlandishly inventive speculative novel "The Eyre Affair," by witty British author Jasper Fforde. | Read entire entry

Personal essay: Nathaniel Hawthorne, DailyLit, and the Penny Dreadful 2.0. | October 15, 2007
I started reading the classic Hawthorne proto-horror novel "House of the Seven Gables" today, in my case through a cool free online service called DailyLit. Today, some thoughts inspired by the process, as well as the possible future of online serial publishing. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Chess Machine," by Robert Lohr | October 12, 2007
Today's book: The delightful steampunk/historial-fiction action-adventure hybrid "The Chess Machine," by German author Robert Lohr, unbelievably enough based on a true story on top of everything else. | Read entire entry

National Book Award nominees are announced | October 10, 2007
They're here -- the nominees for the 2007 National Book Award have just been announced. Click through for all the details. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Growing Up Moffett," by Sarah Moffett | October 9, 2007
Today's book: The Christian-heavy cancer-coping personal memoir "Growing Up Moffett," by Washington DC attorney Sarah Moffett. | Read entire entry

CCLaP Podcast 13: Reading Under the Influence | October 8, 2007
Today's episode: An eight-minute video report from the fun monthly drunken Chicago literary event "Reading Under the Influence." | Read entire entry

Tales from the Completist: "Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom," by Cory Doctorow | October 5, 2007
Today's book: The brilliant first novel by science-fiction author and political activist Cory Doctorow, 2003's gonzo sci-fi tale "Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom." | Read entire entry

Obsession of the moment: Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! | October 4, 2007
Today's obsession: The National Public Radio humorous game show "Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!," which I'm probably the last intellectual in America to actually learn about. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Kitchen," by Banana Yoshimoto | October 1, 2007
Today's review: The delightful contemporary Japanese tale "Kitchen," by postmodernist author Banana Yoshimoto. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Interview with the Vampire," by Anne Rice | October 1, 2007
Today's review: The Southern Gothic dark erotic vampire tale that started them all, 1976's "Interview with the Vampire" by Anne Rice. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Lolita," by Vladimir Nabokov | October 1, 2007
Today's review: The classic 1955 tale of forbidden lust and American strip malls, "Lolita" by Vladimir Nabokov. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes," by Arthur Conan Doyle | October 1, 2007
Today's review: The classic beginning example of detective fiction, "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" by Arthur Conan Doyle, first published in book form in 1892. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Atlas Shrugged," by Ayn Rand | October 1, 2007
Today's review: The 1957 Objectivist classic "Atlas Shrugged," by Ayn Rand. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Something Wicked This Way Comes," by Ray Bradbury | October 1, 2007
Today's review: The creepy 1962 dark fantasy tale "Something Wicked This Way Comes," by Ray Bradbury, which in our modern times doubles as a great story about a lost bucolic rural time in American history as well. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Foundation," by Isaac Asimov | October 1, 2007
Today's review: The 1951 science-fiction novel "Foundation" by Isaac Asimov, the start of what many consider the greatest SF series in the history of the genre. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Dune," by Frank Herbert | October 1, 2007
Today's review: The groundbreaking 1965 science-fiction classic "Dune," by Frank Herbert. | Read entire entry

Book review: "On Chesil Beach," by Ian McEwan | September 26, 2007
Today's book: The delicate "On Chesil Beach" by Ian McEwan, considered by many to be the favorite among this year's Booker Prize nominees. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Consolation," by Michael Redhill | September 25, 2007
Today's book: The Toronto-based family drama / historical tale "Consolation," by Michael Redhill, also a nominee for the 2007 Booker Prize. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Welsh Girl," by Peter Ho Davies | September 24, 2007
Today's book: The World War II British love story (and 2007 Booker nominee) "The Welsh Girl," by Peter Ho Davies. | Read entire entry

Personal essay: Where to start when you know no one and nothing. | September 17, 2007
A reader email this weekend gets me thinking on my past; specifically, what advice I have to artists just starting out, and who have just moved to big cities where they know no one and nothing about how that "scene" works. Today, I share that advice. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Reluctant Fundamentalist," by Mohsin Hamid | September 12, 2007
Today's book: The terrorist black comedy and 2007 Booker Prize nominee "The Reluctant Fundamantalist," by Mohsin Hamid. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Mister Pip," by Lloyd Jones | September 11, 2007
Today's book: The 2007 Booker Prize nominee "Mister Pip," by New Zealander Lloyd Jones. | Read entire entry

CCLaP Podcast 11: Uptown Writers Space | September 10, 2007
Today on the CCLaP Podcast: An interview with Julie Saltzman and Susan Karp, co-founders of the Uptown Writers Space in my Chicago neighborhood, along with an "audio tour" of the facilities supplemented with still photos. Click through to listen and see for yourself. | Read entire entry

CCLaP Podcast 10: PursueThePassion.com's Brett Farmiloe | September 4, 2007
Today's episode: A talk with Brett Farmiloe, founder of the intriguing creativity/business website PursueThePassion.com. | Read entire entry

The latest "One Book, One Chicago" pick is announced | August 31, 2007
And it's none other than Arthur Miller's "The Crucible," the 1953 scathing indictment of the McCarthy communist witch-hunt going on at the time. Click through for more on the book, on this interesting Chicago arts program, and what exactly will be going on in the city this fall because of it. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Exception," by Christian Jungersen | August 30, 2007
Today: The controversial look at fascist behavior within a Danish ultra-liberal office, Christian Jungersen's "The Exception." | Read entire entry

GoodReads database hits 5 million books | August 30, 2007
Good news for literary social network GoodReads.com; they recently had their five millionth book added by a user to their central database. More in today's entry, plus some thoughts on the elusive nature of literary-social-network competition. | Read entire entry

Obsession of the moment: BookSwim.com | August 27, 2007
Today's obsession: New "Netflix for books" service BookSwim.com. Pay a flat fee per month, check out a certain amount of books, which are shipped for free and which you can ship back for free. Good service? Bad? Check this entry's comments for more! | Read entire entry

Book review: "Right Livelihoods," by Rick Moody | August 17, 2007
Today's book: The novella collection "Right Livelihoods," by indie-press sex symbol Rick Moody. | Read entire entry

Book review: "dermaphoria," by Craig Clevenger | August 16, 2007
Today's book: The trippy, cutting-edge experiment in fantastical literature, Craig Clevenger's "dermaphoria." | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Uses of Enchantment," by Heidi Julavits | August 9, 2007
Today: The delightfully twisted and surprisingly complex tale of a repressed New England teenage girl in the 1980s, Heidi Julavits' "The Uses of Enchantment." | Read entire entry

Too awful to finish: "The Traveler," by John Twelve Hawks | August 7, 2007
Today's book: The truly excruciating science-fiction thriller and "Matrix" ripoff "The Traveler," by the anonymous author who goes by the moniker "John Twelve Hawks" in public. Yeah, I'd hide my name too, if I were the one to write this stinker. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Dissident," by Nell Freudenberger | August 2, 2007
Today's book: The unfortunately awful cross-cultural comedy of manners "The Dissident," the first novel by award-winning short-story writer Nell Freudenberger. | Read entire entry

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a new Poet Laureate | August 2, 2007
And it's Charles Simic, as a matter of fact, a Surrealist poet originally from the former Yugoslavia, currently the co-Poetry Editor of the Paris Review. Click through for all the details. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "The Giant's House," by Elizabeth McCracken | August 1, 2007
Today's review: The 1996 novel "The Giant's House," by Elizabeth McCracken. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Me and Kev," by Simon Black | August 1, 2007
Today's review: The 1993 novel "Me and Kev," by Simon Black. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Independence Day," by Richard Ford | August 1, 2007
Today's review: The 1996 Pulitzer-winning novel "Independence Day," by Richard Ford. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "The Redneck Manifesto," by Jim Goad | August 1, 2007
Today's review: The 1997 book of controversial race and class essays, "The Redneck Manifesto" by Jim Goad. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "The Neal Pollack Anthology of American Literature," by Neal Pollack | August 1, 2007
Today's review: The 2002 humor book "The Neal Pollack Anthology of American Literature," by Neal Pollack. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Shock Treatment," by Karen Finley | August 1, 2007
Today's review: The 1990 book of essays and poetry "Shock Treatment," by Karen Finley. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Layover," by Lisa Zeidner | August 1, 2007
Today's review: The 2000 erotic thriller "Layover," by Lisa Zeidner. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Exquisite Corpse," by Poppy Z Brite | August 1, 2007
Today's review: The 1997 darkly erotic novel "Exquisite Corpse," by Poppy Z Brite. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Lords of Chaos," by Michael Moynihan and Didrik Soderlind | August 1, 2007
Today's review: The 1998 nonfiction look at the Scandinavian death-metal scene, "Lords of Chaos." | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Lucky Wander Boy," by DB Weiss | August 1, 2007
Today's review: The 2003 novel "Lucky Wander Boy" by DB Weiss. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Barrel Fever," by David Sedaris | August 1, 2007
Today's review: The 1995 humorous story collection "Barrel Fever," by David Sedaris. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Vox," by Nicholson Baker | August 1, 2007
Today's review: The 1993 novel "Vox" by Nicholson Baker. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "The Fermata," by Nicholson Baker | August 1, 2007
Today's review: The 1995 novel "The Fermata," by Nicholson Baker. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Exposure," by Kathryn Harrison | August 1, 2007
Today's review: The 1994 novel "Exposure" by Kathryn Harrison. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "The Loving Dominant," by John Warren | August 1, 2007
Today's review: the 2000 nonfiction guide to the BDSM community, "The Loving Dominant" by John Warren. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Blue Highways," by William Least Heat-Moon | August 1, 2007
Today's review: the 1980 nonfiction book "Blue Highways," by William Least Heat-Moon. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "The Passionate Mistakes and Intricate Corruption of One Girl in America," by Michelle Tea | August 1, 2007
Today's review: the 1998 novel "The Passionate Mistakes and Intricate Corruption of One Girl in America," by Michelle Tea. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Valencia," by Michelle Tea | August 1, 2007
Today's review: the 2000 novel "Valencia" by Michelle Tea. | Read entire entry

Robert Olen Butler: "The Squid and the Whale" comes to life | August 1, 2007
Today, some wonderfully crazy gossip -- that not only are pretentious academic novelists Robert Olen Butler and Elizabeth Dewberry getting a divorce, but that Butler wrote an insane email to his grad students explaining the reasons, something worthy of the fictional movie "The Squid and the Whale" which I reviewed here last week. Click through for the details! | Read entire entry

Why yes, I DID illegally download the new Harry Potter book this morning. | July 31, 2007
Did you hear? There's already an illegal electronic copy of the final Harry Potter book out there...and it's ridiculously easy to find and download, too. Today, lots more details concerning the subject. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Radiant Days," by Michael FitzGerald | July 30, 2007
Today's book: The terrific "Radiant Days" by Michael FitzGerald, an unflinching look at the last days of the American Empire, told through the tale of a San Francisco Dot Commer stuck in the Balkans during its 1990s civil war. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Infoquake," by David Louis Edelman | July 26, 2007
Today's book: The trippy science-fiction novel "Infoquake," the first novel and surprise sleeper hit by Washington-DC web developer David Louis Edelman. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Rant," by Chuck Palahniuk | July 24, 2007
Today's book: The trippy rabies authoritarianism science-fiction cautionary tale "Rant: An Oral Biography of Buster Casey," by "Fight Club" author Chuck Palahniuk. | Read entire entry

Obsession of the moment: Vermin on the Mount | July 24, 2007
Today's obsession: The Los Angeles literary showcase "Vermin on the Mount," organized by award-winning writer Jim Ruland in the heart of LA's Chinatown. | Read entire entry

CCLaP Podcast 05: Greater Wealth Productions | July 23, 2007
Today: A five and a half minute interview with GW Welsh of the multimedia production company Greater Wealth, shot at a recent fundraiser at Lakeview's Spot6 nightclub. Also includes footage of Chicago writer Kate Cullen, Indiana cartoonist Andrew Dimitt, and Georgia band The North And South, plus the visual artwork of "Corey." | Read entire entry

Ladies and gentlemen, meet Amazon's #1 reviewer | July 20, 2007
Simon Owens of Bloggasm has a great entry up right now, on the number-one most prolific book reviewer at Amazon; a woman named Harriet Klauser, who has published a whopping 12,000 book reviews in the last seven years. Click through for the details. | Read entire entry

Tales From the Completist: "Drop City," by TC Boyle | July 18, 2007
Today's book: The 2003 hippie commune parody "Drop City," by popular and award-winning novelist TC Boyle. | Read entire entry

Too awful to finish: "You Don't Love Me Yet," by Jonathan Lethem | July 18, 2007
Today's guilty party: The snotty indie-rock nightmare "You Don't Love Me Yet," by the normally much-better Jonathan Lethem. Ooh, what a stinker this was! | Read entire entry

CCLaP Podcast 04: The Harold Washington Library Center | July 16, 2007
Today's episode: A four-minute video tour of the Harold Washington Library Center -- not only the central branch of the entire Chicago Public Library system, but also the largest public library on the planet according to the Guinness Book of World Records. | Read entire entry

Obsession of the moment: Ken Levine | July 16, 2007
Today's obsession: Veteran television screenwriter Ken Levine (M*A*S*H, Cheers, Frasier), who maintains a great daily blog about the "Hollywood machine." | Read entire entry

Book review: "Jamestown," by Matthew Sharpe | July 12, 2007
Today: The insanely great post-apocalyptic black comedy "Jamestown," by Matthew Sharpe, which by the way is the best novel I've read yet this year. | Read entire entry

CCLaP files its 50th book review | July 10, 2007
Interesting news to report today: that I recently filed my 50th book review online, in my newish role as executive director of CCLaP. Click through for more, and to learn where the majority of these reviews can be found; it's not actually this website, believe it or not. | Read entire entry

CCLaP Podcast 03: The Dollar Store Show's Jonathan Messinger | July 9, 2007
Today's episode: A four-minute video interview with Jonathan Messinger -- host of the monthly literary event "The Dollar Store Show," co-founder of small press Featherproof, and Books Editor of "Time Out: Chicago." | Read entire entry

Obsession of the moment: The Elm Creek Quilts saga | July 9, 2007
Today's obsession: The author-led media empire "Elm Creek Quilts," by Madison-based Jennifer Chiaverini. Click through to see all the ways this quilting lover has turned an accidental success into a full-time living. | Read entire entry

Obsession of the moment: Small Dogs Press | July 6, 2007
Today's obsession: Self-publisher Susan Sabo of Small Dogs Press, who has sadly decided to pack things in; but not before offering to send off the remainder of her inventory for free to anyone who wants a copy. Click through for all the details. | Read entire entry

Book review: "God is a Woman," by Ian Coburn | July 5, 2007
Today's book: The tragically comic faux dating guide "God is a Woman," by Chicago stand-up comedian Ian Coburn. | Read entire entry

Obsession of the moment: Tim Goodman | July 5, 2007
Today's obsession: Tim Goodman, television critic for the San Francisco Chronicle. | Read entire entry

Litblogger? Penguin would like to send you a free book, please. | July 5, 2007
Today, some very exciting news from British imprint Penguin Classics: that they're not only starting a new website featuring reviews of all 1,200 titles in their catalog, but that they're sending out free books to any litblogger who'd like to participate. Click through for all the details. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The End As I Know It," by Kevin Shay | July 3, 2007
Today's book: The hilarious Y2K nostalgia novel "The End As I Know It," by former McSweeney's editor Kevin Shay. | Read entire entry

Obsession of the moment: The Chicago Library adult summer reading program | July 3, 2007
Today's obsession: the Chicago Public Library system's new summer reading program for adults, the first year in the library's history it's tried such a thing. | Read entire entry

Too awful to finish: "The Pesthouse," by Jim Crace | June 29, 2007
Today's book to be too awful to finish: the grandly pretentious and overwritten post-apocalyptic dystopian novel "The Pesthouse," by award-winning author Jim Crace. | Read entire entry

Obsession of the moment: QuickMuse | June 28, 2007
Today's obsession: The cutting-edge website QuickMuse, which literally records poets composing new poems in real time, so that you can watch the creative process yourself later. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Special Topics in Calamity Physics," by Marisha Pessl | June 27, 2007
Today's book: the gifted-child murder-mystery "Special Topics in Calamity Physics," by Marisha Pessl. | Read entire entry

CCLaP Podcast 01: Literago launch party | June 25, 2007
Welcome to the new CCLaP Podcast! Today, episode 1: a two-minute video report from the recent launch party for Chicago literary website Literago.org. | Read entire entry

Obsession of the moment: Jessica Smith | June 25, 2007
Today's obsession: East-coast conceptual poet and self-publisher Jessica Smith. | Read entire entry

Obsession of the moment: YesButNoButYes | June 22, 2007
Today's obsession: The smartly-written pop-culture blog "YesButNoButYes." | Read entire entry

Book review: "Soon I Will Be Invincible," by Austin Grossman | June 21, 2007
Today's book: The witty postmodern superhero comedy "Soon I Will Be Invincible," by Bay-area debut author Austin Grossman. Or, hmm, is that gritty postmodern superhero drama? | Read entire entry

Chicago litblogger? The Sun-Times would like to hear from you, please. | June 21, 2007
I caught an interview with Chicago Sun-Times Books editor Cheryl Reed today, where she makes an interesting confesson: that she wants to hire more Chicago reviewers, but can't find any Chicago reviewers. Litbloggers, click through for all the details. | Read entire entry

Lifehacker has a bunch of computer hacks for book lovers | June 20, 2007
Productivity website Lifehacker has a great entry up today, featuring a dozen pieces of software, browser extensions and more that all have something to do with books. Click through for the link. | Read entire entry

Obsession of the moment: The Millions | June 19, 2007
Today's obsession: The already well-known (in certain circles) literary-criticism blog "The Millions." | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Slynx," by Tatyana Tolstaya | June 18, 2007
Today's book: The darkly funny Russian science-fiction fairy tale "The Slynx," by Tatyana Tolstaya. | Read entire entry

Obsession of the moment: Cross-Media Entertainment | June 18, 2007
Today's obsession: Christy Dena's "Cross-Media Entertainment" blog, which takes an intellectual look each day at the various ways entertainment projects are hopping across different mediums and formats. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Possibility of an Island," by Michel Houellebecq | June 14, 2007
Today's book: The ultra-dark dystopian science-fiction tale/snarky autobiography "The Possibility of an Island," by controversial French author Michel Houellebecq. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Plan of Chicago: Daniel Burnham and the Remaking of the American City," by Carl Smith | June 13, 2007
Today's book: Historian Carl Smith's "The Plan of Chicago: Daniel Burnham and the Remaking of the American City," a detailed look at the architect and city planner's original 1909 post-fire plan for the city, as well as the current conditions that went into its making. | Read entire entry

Don't forget, the new Bookforum is online and free | June 12, 2007
Just a reminder, that the venerable paper publication "Bookforum" is now making the entirety of their content available for free online. Click through for more, and a link to the latest issue. | Read entire entry

Book review: "HP Lovecraft: Against the World, Against Life," by Michel Houellebecq | June 11, 2007
Today's book: The extended literary essay/love letter "HP Lovecraft: Against the World, Against Life," by controversial French author Michel Houellebecq. | Read entire entry

Obsession of the moment: David Louis Edelman revisits "Lord of the Rings" | June 11, 2007
Today's obsession: Science-fiction author and Campbell Award nominee David Louis Edelman, who at his blog this week revisits the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy in book form for the first time since seeing the Peter Jackson film versions. | Read entire entry

Book review: "Little Children," by Tom Perrotta | June 9, 2007
Today's book review: The scathing suburban indictment "Little Children" by Tom Perrotta, made into an Oscar-nominated movie starring Kate Winslet. | Read entire entry

More about the Printers Row Book Fair, and CCLaP's first social event! | June 8, 2007
It's official -- CCLaP is throwing its first social event at tomorrow's Printer Row Book Fair! Read this entry for all the details. | Read entire entry

"Out of the Book:" Is this the future of book promotion? | June 8, 2007
Portland's "The Phoenix" let me know today about an ambitious new plan by Powell's Books to promote various titles at their stores. Called Out of the Book, it's an attempt to supplement or sometimes completely replace the traditional author... | Read entire entry

Book review: "Virtual Worlds: Rewiring Your Emotional Future," by Jack Myers with Jerry Weinstein | June 6, 2007
Today, a review of the non-fiction book "Virtual Worlds: Rewiring Your Emotional Future," by noted media columnists Jack Myers and Jerry Weinstein. | Read entire entry

Book review: "The Raw Shark Texts," by Steven Hall | June 4, 2007
Today, a review of the genre-crossing fantastical novel "The Raw Shark Texts," by Steven Hall. | Read entire entry

Mini-reviews: Master list | April 15, 2007
The master list of all mini-reviews (books and movies) found at the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography. | Read entire entry