Don't worry. I'm not going to suggest a Sex-and-the-City type novel or a 18th century romance for my top picks for February. Instead I thought I would take a realistic approach to the month of love. The lead character in Hilma Wolitzer's An Available Man isn't a 30-something single woman or a man who just can't…
What’s a B-Movie, Anyway?
Every year, nerds descend on Northwestern University in Chicago to watch B-movies for 24 hours. Like subjects of the show Mystery Science Theater 3000, they cope with watching terrible movies by wisecracking about on-screen events. But why are so many people willing to lose sleep and smell so bad? And what exactly *is* a B-movie, anyway? Ed Wood: A lot…
Love Songs for the Doomed
When I was in high school, this boy I knew made an amazing mix tape full of goth-y, brooding love songs for his then-girlfriend. I think she dumped him. I may have swooned and then asked for a copy of the mix tape for myself. He never did ask me out (HIS LOSS), but I…
Detroit to Birmingham by Way of 1963
When I came across the book The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis, the title struck me as odd. It was like something you would scribble on the back of a photograph or at the very least a rather complex title for a children’s book. However, this story of an African American family has stayed…
Most Popular Books of 2013
New Year's Day is well behind us now, and we've gathered statistics to compile our most popular books of 2013. The rankings reflect the most checkouts and hold requests during calendar year 2013, regardless of when the books were published. Chicago's own Gillian Flynn tops the adult fiction list with Gone Girl. The dark thriller about a…
GenreList: Reboot, Remake Review
This time on GenreList: Reboot or Remake? Every year, Hollywood seems to be revisiting old classics and revising them into new material, some inventing stories whole cloth. This week, I'm going over what you should expect when you pull a remake off the shelf…
The End of the World As We Know It
There's no better way to spend a sleepless night than by contemplating the fall of civilization. I'm not the only person who thinks like this. There are swarms of people out there cataloging the decline of things, ranging from humanity to America to whatever catches your fancy. Here are a few of my favorites from recent years. The Great Degeneration is a…
Cookbooks to Inspire You in the Kitchen
Now that the holidays are over and we're in the long stretch of frigid and snowy winter doldrums, I'm spending considerable time in the kitchen trying out the new kitchen gadgets I got for Christmas and experimenting with different techniques, seasonal ingredients, and herbs, spices and aromatics. More often than not, I need a little inspiration before I…
Bathing: Technology That Changed Chicago
Today almost every living space in Chicago contains bathing facilities. Indeed they are required by the Municipal Code. It hasn’t always been that way. Early in the city’s history bathing was difficult, time consuming and, according to The Dirt on Clean, of dubious social propriety. Running water did not exist. Bathing facilities were limited to…
Home Workouts That Work
You're determined to keep your 2014 resolution to make it to the gym five times a week. But your car is still stuck under a pile of frozen snow from two weeks ago. So get some cardio: Walk to your local library and pick up a workout DVD. The best DVD I've found is Jillian Michaels' Ripped…
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