2nd Annual Sweet Tooth- Charity Bake Sale Carnival, Chicago Urban Art Society, 2229 South Halsted Street, June 17, 6 p.m., $25 at the door more ›

If you’re feeling glum, alone and, well, um, old, this Valentine’s Day, you probably have only yourself and your own pickiness to blame says Lori Gottlieb, author of Marry Him: The Case of Settling for Mr. Good Enough. Before we ruin all the book’s secrets by giving away her words of wisdom, we’ll start by explaining where the title came from, which Gottlieb admits to not even liking because of the confusion it causes. She surveyed both men and women and asked if they would be satisfied with a partner who had 80 percent of the qualities of their ideal guy or gal. The majority of single women who responded said getting 80 percent of what they wanted in a partner would be "settling." The majority of single men said finding a woman with 80 percent of what they wanted would be "a catch." “People hear about settling and they think about lowering their standards,” said Gottlieb when we spoke with her last week. “But it’s really about raising your standards.” more ›

Tonight’s Essay Fiesta has arrived just in time for Howard Brown’s Lifeline Appeal. Since the reading series started one year ago, Essay Fiesta has been raising funds for Howard Brown Health Center, which provides health and social services for the LGBT community in Chicago. But earlier this month, Howard Brown CEO Jamal Edwards explained the center must raise $500,000 in 50 days in order to keep their doors open. more ›

The first of November marks the start of an international event in which thousands of writers around the world vow to do something kind of ridiculous: write a 50,000-word novel in one month. National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo, is rare in the creative world because it stresses quantity over quality: “Make no mistake: You will be writing a lot of crap,” the event’s website says. “And that's a good thing. By forcing yourself to write so intensely, you are giving yourself permission to make mistakes. To forgo the endless tweaking and editing and just create. To build without tearing down.” more ›

Catch up with the places to read and be seen on the literary scene with our rundown of local events centered around all things written. more ›

Catch up with the places to read and be seen on the literary scene with our rundown of local events centered around all things written. more ›

Larkin and her little business have come a long way since then. A manufacturer in Tennessee now produces bookthingys. There are a whole slew of different designs available, and all are adjustable for different sizes of books. The e-reader craze has also affected business - in a good way. Larkin introduced an e-book travel bag line earlier this year, which fit Kindles, Nooks, iPads and Netbooks. She sold out at Printers Row in June and is now selling them on her site. If you’re looking for a good way to carry and protect your iPad, “The Purse of Being a Wallflower” or “Fashionheit 451” might be a good fit. more ›

Running down a few of the great literary events going on around the city over the next couple of days. Check out more inside. more ›

Here's a trio of literary events - two happening tonight and one still a few months - that caught our attention. more ›

When Suzy Takacs opened The Book Cellar five and a half years ago, she knew she needed to do something different. "Everyone was doing books and coffee," she said. "Why not do books and wine?" And so at The Book Cellar, you can grab a book, perhaps one suggested by one of the many staff pick notes stuck to the shelves, and then enjoy it with a glass of wine in the bookstore's café. Books and wine are such a perfect combination that you'd never guess this is Takacs' first business venture. The former nurse practitioner got the idea to open a bookstore around the same time the Lincoln Square Chamber of Commerce got the idea of finding someone to open a bookstore. So Takacs found a space, read a lot of books about how to do it, and started attending trade shows. The Book Cellar has slowly, but steadily been growing since. Takacs knows it takes more than the surrounding community to keep the doors of her store open. The Book Cellar brings in people from across the city with its wide range of events, from author signings, to readings, to comedy performance, to book clubs. Takacs and her staff work hard to keep the store relevant in the ever-changing world of publishing. Soon, they'll be launching an e-commerce addition to their website to sell e-books. more ›

Book Cellar, 4736 North Lincoln Avenue, 7 p.m., free more ›

Hideout, 1354 W Wabansia Ave, 6:30 p.m., $5 donation more ›

We love to read and write, and not just our own posts here on the World Wide Webs. We’ve been working on our first novel for years. It’s a love story involving time-traveling unicorns and so far we have about 850 pages of it written, but we don’t know when we’ll get it published (fingers crossed!). As such, we have a soft spot in our heart for local writers who have been a tad more successful. Luckily we live in a city that gives us a chance to here these talented scribes read! more ›

If you're looking to add a little mystery to your holiday repertoire, this month's local author night at the Book Cellar is mysterious. The writers will be on hand after to sign books for last-minute presents and answer questions. more ›

Chicago has its fair share of witty literates, all vying to impress you, Dear Reader, with an outpouring of wit, candor, and originality. What with all the 'zines, blogs, and hipster rags about, the mountain of potential reading material is astounding. more ›

Of all the egregious things the city can do to property owners, from jacking property taxes to the current favorite, the misuse of TIFs, none seems more unfair and ripe for abuse as eminent domain. For the uninitiated, eminent domain allows the city government to seize ownership of private property, paying the owner whatever the city deems as "market value". It's supposed to be used for the "greater public good", such as the expansion... more ›

What started as Chicago actor and director David Blixt’s creative inquiry into the Capulet-Montague feud quickly became so much more. The Master of Verona, Blixt’s debut novel set in 14th Century Italy, explores Italian political life, conspiracy, the life of Dante, and the possible backstory for Romeo and Juliet. While directing the aforementioned Shakespeare play years ago, he found its all-consuming resolution fascinating and troublesome, hinting at but never revealing the source of the families’ feud. So started an intense exploration that took the author to the Newberry Library, the University of Michigan, and the villa Serego Alighieri in Verona. more ›

Ugh, finally: 28 aldermen are filing a petition to U.S. District Judge Joan Lefkow demanding the City release the names of the most-complained-about police officers. The Sun-Times's spot-on editorial is completely degraded by heinous illustration that accompanies it, from the same "artist" who also did yesterday's ricockulously bad Stroger drawing. The Book Cellar is hosting "Chicago’s Wittiest Women Writers" tonight. We deeply resent not being invited to participate, but cannot deny the wit of Stacey... more ›

We hope some of you got a chance to go to something at the Chicago Book Festival last week, but if not, here’s your chance. Our take on the second week: Jeffrey Toobin, CNN’s senior legal analyst, discusses and signs his newest book The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court, and maybe adds a few pointers for broke Chicagoists. Monday, Oct. 8, 6 p.m., Harold Washington Library, 400 S. State St., Cindy... more ›

Parents of Chicago, we know what you’ve been craving: a place to get a decent beer with friends and pick up a quality picture book for your child at the same time. Order your favorite Unibroue, pull up your stroller, and relax at Lincoln Square’s Book Cellar. This independent bookstore has our favorite children’s book selection in the city; they stock everything from board books about urban babies to favorites like Don’t Let the Pigeon... more ›

We’ve got a couple of great readings this week, so check them out, won’t you please? more ›

John McNally, author of “The Book of Ralph”, is a prolific writer. Originally a Southside Chicago native, McNally has written two novels; his short fiction has appeared in over 30 publications; he has edited five anthologies and has won countless awards and fellowships. more ›

We haven’t been to the Green Mill in ages. Not because we don’t like the Green Mill, but because at this late stage in our life-game, we cannot bear to stand in line, to stand inside a club, full of people standing. Also, Sunday night is show tunes night at Sidetrack, and we can usually snag a seat when someone gets up to sing “I’m Still Here” The thing we miss most at the Green... more ›

Chicagoist has long dreamed of quitting our day job to take long, sport-related road trips. Catching a baseball game in every major league ballpark in one summer, seeing a football game at each Big Ten stadium... Sadly, we've pretty much had to live vicariously through others who have made such trips. At least they often share those experiences in wonderful books. more ›

Chicagoist will be the first to admit that we often prefer a quiet night with a book or magazine over a rollicking party where we have to, like, interact with real people. We comfort ourselves with the notion that the partiers are missing out on our glorious literary knowledge, but might we be missing out on something ourselves? Well, for those of us book nerds who never get out, and those of you crazy party... more ›

, and we think this lady's pretty swell. Before writing poetry, Blinn had a successful career as an advertising copywriter, during which, she tells us: "My long-term goal was to eventually retire and write ‘for myself.’ Happily, enough, I’m doing just that." more ›