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 moment, I […]
The 10 Best Books about Chicago—and One Clunker
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 from 2018’s […]
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 hunker down […]
Long Books for the Long Hours Ahead
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 easily be […]
Book Smarts—An Interview with Pilsen Community Books’ New Owners
Until recently, Pilsen Community Books was operated by owners Mary Gibbons and Aaron Lippelt. Current part-owner Katharine Solheim shares what’s changing and what will stay the same at the shop. Pilsen Community […]
Interview: “Education should be the antithesis to genocide:” Gint Aras Reckons with the Burdens of History
Gint Aras (Karolis Gintaras Žukauskas) has been trapped on planet Earth since 1973. He is the author of two novels, Finding the Moon in Sugar (Infinity, 2009) and The Fugue, (Tortoise, 2016), and a […]
A Literary Look Back at 2019
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 looked into […]
Book Review—Binga: The Rise and Fall of Chicago’s First Black Banker
Binga: The Rise and Fall of Chicago’s First Black Banker By Don Hayner Northwestern University Press, 312 pages, $24.95 Reviewed by Patrick T. Reardon A hallmark of the black nationalism movement in […]
Third Ghost Reviews—A Collection of Horrifying Fictional Memories
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 of “extreme” […]
Book Review—Trust Exercise by Susan Choi
Trust Exercise Susan Choi Henry Holt and Co. If high school didn’t exist, writers would have to invent it. A writer’s job is to articulate what others feel; and what other time […]
“I Wanna Go on with That Next One Myself”: Up Jumped the Devil: The Real Life of Robert Johnson
Up Jumped the Devil: The Real Life of Robert Johnson By Bruce Conforth and Gayle Dean Wardlow Chicago Review Press Robert Johnson is a definitive legend, though the dead-at-27 bluesman would’ve preferred […]
From Fangirl to Philosopher: Julia Fine on Exploring Feminist Theory through Fairytales and Fiction
Interview conducted by contributing writer Terry Galvan Julia Fine is a recent graduate of Columbia College Chicago’s MFA program. She lives in Chicago with her husband and their son. Her critically acclaimed […]
