Essays, Fiction, Lists, Lit

Return of the Revenge of the Featured Creatures Massacre IV: Chicago Area Horror Writers Share Horror Recommendations

Once again, it’s time for me to slip out of my TCR Lit Editor role and into my Crypt-Keeper robe. In celebration of Samhain, I contacted several Chicago-area horror writers […]

Dan Kelly /
Chicago history, Children's books, Essays, Fiction, Lists, Lit, Nonfiction, Reviews

2022 in Review: A Lit Retrospective

What was 2022 like in the world of Chicago, Illinois, and Midwest letters? I’ve asked the Lit section writers to share their favorite reviews and stories of the past year. […]

Dan Kelly /
Fiction, Lists, Lit

Son of Featured Creatures: Chicago Horror Writers and Artists Share Their Favorite Chicago Horror Creators

Unless you’re an easily frightened tourist, Chicago is rarely considered a hotbed of horror. But as Third Coast Review has pointed out before, our town has a distinguished pedigree in […]

Dan Kelly /
Comics and Graphic Novels, Fiction, Interviews, Lists, Lit

Featured Creatures: Chicago Horror Writers and Artists Share Their Favorite (or Un-favorite) Scary Stories

Chicago and horror may not seem synonymous, but the city and surrounding area have produced a bevy of creators of chilling art and hair-raising tales. Author Ray Bradbury hailed from […]

Dan Kelly /
Essays, Fiction, Lists, Lit, Uncategorized

Long Reads Are Lonnnnnnnnnnnnng—Extra-Long Books for the Serious Social Isolationist

Third Coast Review writer Patrick T. Reardon recently published a fine piece in praise of tackling extra-long reads during the social isolation era. For those who’ve completed all the popular […]

Dan Kelly /
Lists, Lit

Bored in Quarantine?: Eight Great Comics and the Local Comic Stores That Sell Them

As people across Chicago quarantine themselves to curb the spread of COVID-19, they realize there are only so many episodes of Tiger King to binge on. For those seeking other […]

Adam Prestigiacomo /
Essays, Fiction, Lists, Lit, Reviews

The 10 Best Books about Chicago—and One Clunker

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Many very good and even great books have been written about Chicago, and, based on my half century of writing about the city, here are the 10 that, at the […]

Patrick T. Reardon /
Essays, Fiction, Lists, Lit

An Ongoing Graveyard Shift: Selling Books in Chicago in a Plague Year

Even in the best of times, bookstores have it rough. Just last year the American Booksellers Association reported American bookstore sales were down by 7.6 percent from 2018, sales sliding […]

Dan Kelly /
Lists, Lit

Reading in the Face of Death—Book Suggestions for Self-Isolation

Too many books, not enough time—it’s the eternal struggle of the book lover. Unfortunately, nature and society have conspired to ensure we all shelter in place, self-quarantine, isolate, and otherwise […]

Dan Kelly /
Essays, Lists, Lit

Long Books for the Long Hours Ahead

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It’s pretty clear now that my wife Cathy and I—both over that red-alarm age of 60—are going to be spending basically all our time in our home for what could […]

Patrick T. Reardon /
Events, Fiction, Interviews, Lists, Lit, Live lit events, Poetry, Reviews

A Literary Look Back at 2019

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The Third Coast Review Lit Department had a very full year, with new writers Patrick T. Reardon, Terry Galvan, and Carr Harkrader joining us and sharing their impeccable insights. Reardon […]

Dan Kelly /
Fiction, Film, Lists, Lit

Third Ghost Reviews—A Collection of Horrifying Fictional Memories

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Hey! Remember that one particularly scary thing? You know… That terrifying tale you read or heard as a kid. That creepy commercial that came on late one night. That bit […]

Dan Kelly /