The tenth anniversary of the One Book, One Chicago program rings in with a Saul Bellow classic. more ›

We find that after doing scads of last-minute shopping, the best way to ensure "Peace on Earth, Good Will Toward Men" is to avoid the general public altogether. So one of our favorite parts of Christmastime involves shutting ourselves off from the outside world and gorging on movies. This time of year there's plenty of stuff to watch on Ye Old Yule Tube. TCM is getting into the Santa act by presenting "Sweet Home Chicago," a lineup of five films that starts airing tonight. more ›

The first storm of the winter season has passed. Here’s how it came down, by the numbers: About 400 flights canceled at O’Hare and Midway; those not canceled delayed 40 to 60 minutes. Wind gusts up to 45 m.p.h. Up to a quarter-inch of ice in some places. One death reported in Wisconsin, in a weather-related traffic accident. 100,000 customers without power across northern Illinois, mostly in the west and northwest suburbs. About 15,000 are... more ›

Oh, look, it's time for another sensationalist story about the internet. Let's see... sexual predators on the web? Nah, that's too played out. We know: Hate speech! Let's get to it. Trib says: "It might come as a surprise to the soldiers who defeated fascism in World War II, but the United States has become a refuge for Nazism and other brands of extremism over the last decade. On the Internet, that is." We say:... more ›

If you were looking for some new books to cuddle up with for the oncoming winter, the Chicago Book Festival is here to help. There's an events booklet available at libraries and bookstores and a PDF online. Much of the information is on readings in the city that happen anyway, but we are excited about the extra discussions for this fall's One Book, One Chicago, Arthur Miller's The Crucible, which we haven't read since high... more ›

But Northwestern Writer-in-Residence Stuart Dybek isn't. The lucky Pilsen native received "the call" yesterday informing him that he was named a 2007 MacArthur Fellow, aka "genius grant" recipient; the fellowship comes with a $500,000 prize that Dybek can use for whatever he likes, no strings attached. "I think 'stunned' is not too strong a word to use. It came so out of the blue," Dybek told the Trib. "They do this stuff with such perfect... more ›

There are a few ways to know for sure that spring is coming. One way is to watch the people of Chicago come out from their interiors — eyes blink in the sunlight, unsure of how to handle pristine sunshine. Pasty, sallow faces look carefully upwards, fearful that the sun might suddenly hide again. They step tentatively forward, holding tightly to the remnants of winter: a glove that has lost its mate, or a threadbare Bears hat that refuses to be lost. They stretch and croon, and tears of relief splash and combine with the salty white marble pattern left by owners of condos, but not of dogs. Their tears will wash away with the first summer rain. Wow, pardon our waxing poetic, we can't help it, it's in the air. We should move on before we start writing haiku.... more ›

The Ravinia Festival summer schedule has been released, a consolation prize for those of us who couldn’t score cheap Lollapalooza passes. Online ticket sales begin April 19 and won’t require multiple browser windows and copious amounts of prayer. True to form, the 2007 schedule offers much to satisfy the 45-55 year old demographic: the Beach Boys, Doobie Brothers, Steve Miller, and that ABBA tribute band return. Programmers share Perry Farrell’s fondness for the 90s, booking... more ›

It’s no secret Chicagoist likes to drink. As a result, we’ve had to pay some consequences. Stumbling through bars, down dark streets and into cabs, we’ve been known to lose a cell phone (or three). We know the frustration of trying to replacing the thing (insurance is a must!), not to mention the royal pain of recovering the phone numbers. more ›

Today the “One Book, One Chicago” book was announced, and honestly; this is the most excitement we’ve seen come out of the Harold Washington Library in a long time. more ›

We’ve all taken demeaning jobs to help pay the bills. (Don’t get us started on the number of times we dressed up as cartoon animals for children’s birthday parties.) One Chicago man figured he could get some work in the porn industry and keep it on the down low. Unfortunately, he discovered that not everyone in the porn industry is forthright and true. Also, the Easter Bunny isn’t real. A man going by the name... more ›

The Museum, Libraries and Archives Council asked librarians all around the country, what are the books you have to read before you die? Topping the list is "To Kill a Mockingbird" also on the list is "A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich" by Alexander Solzenhitsyn, our One Book, One Chicago book for Spring. We've read sixteen of the thirty books, check out the link and see how many you have to go before... more ›

We love to see people on the El all reading the same book. It’s a great conversation starter and it’s even more fun when it’s part of the Chicago Public Library’s One Book, One Chicago program. On February 15, CPL announced the tenth book in the program, "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich" by Alexander Solzhenitsyn. What’s extra cool about this pick is that we will partner up with readers in our sister... more ›

James Frey discovered the glare of the Oprah’s Book Club spotlight isn’t always wine and roses. But Elie Wiesel and his haunting memoir Night, which Oprah selected for the next Book Club reading, isn’t likely to see the same fate. Wiesel's chilling account of life in a Nazi concentration camp and subsequent aftermath has stood up to 50 years of scrutiny. And anyone who suggests the Nobel Peace Prize winner embellished his story risks becoming... more ›

Stuart Dybek, Author more ›

The Chicago Public Library yesterday announced the 9th selection for One Book, One Chicago: Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. We admit to feeling a thrill when we heard the news--an excuse not only to reread Pride and Prejudice, but to watch the positively dreamy Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy in the epic A&E movie adaptation. And again in Bridget Jones's Diary. Swoon. more ›

The title pretty much says it all, folks. Enter here for your chance to win a whopping 3 swell books from Picador. The free shipping alone is worth the win--and you get books! Nice, solid, long books that you really won't want to end. You have until 3 PM today. Winners only will be notified by email. You need not win a contest, though, to see authors James McManus, Stuart Dybek, and Jeffrey Eugenides... more ›

If you like holiday celebrations but can do without your neighbors’ steady stream of homemade firecrackers, head up to Ravinia this Saturday to celebrate “Don Quixote Day.” Professor Anne Cruz of the University of Miami will be on hand to discuss Cervantes’ seminal novel followed by a discussion of Richard Strauss’ own Don Quixote, the focus of Ravinia’s “One Score, One Chicago” initiative. That night, Chicago favorite bass-baritone Samuel Ramey returns to Highland Park for... more ›

Mayor Daley advised his book club followers yesterday to go forth and read en masse Walter Van Tilburg Clark’s classic 1940 Western saga The Ox-Bow Incident as the eighth in the city’s “One Book, One Chicago” exercise. more ›

, was made we weren't really expecting much. We mean the city was picking a book that would appeal to a mass audience.. how good could it be? We went out last Wednesday and bought the book and were really surprised. It was great. So good that we finished it in just 4 days. Go Chicagoist! more ›

School's just around the corner, and that means book reports. For everybody. Yes, even you. more ›