Jason Pettus's Blog, page 33

Book Review: "God Help the Child" by Toni Morrison

(CCLaP is dedicated to reviewing as many contemporary books as possible, including self-published volumes; click here to learn how to submit your own book for possible review, although be warned that it needs to have been published within the last 12 months to be considered. For the complete list of all books reviewed here, as well as the next books scheduled to be read, click here.) God Help the Child By Toni Morrison Albert A. Knopf, Inc. Reviewed by Chris Schahfer I was thoroughly satisfi...

Say hello to CCLaP's newest book, Joseph G. Peterson's "Twilight of the Idiots!"

It's the middle of the month, which means it's time for another new original book from CCLaP! This month I'm extremely proud to announce the release of the story collection Twilight of the Idiots by local author Joseph G. Peterson, the second of two books we're publishing this year based on short stories that originally ran in our weekly electronic magazine, the CCLaP Weekender. Joe's a well-loved veteran of the Chicago literary community, with a series of popular and award-winning full-leng...

The CCLaP Weekender for May 15th is here!

It's Friday, which means it's time for the newest issue of the Pushcart-Prize-nominated CCLaP Weekender! This week's issue features a new original piece of fiction by Joseph G. Peterson; a photography feature by Melissa Jean Birckhead; and a look at the next seven days of literary events happening all across the city. The PDF is completely free to download, using the links below, or can be viewed online in its "flippable" form at Issuu.com (or just use the embedded version above, if your pa...

American Odd: "History of Joseph Smith by His Mother," by Lucy Mack Smith

History of Joseph Smith by His Mother by Lucy Mack Smith Bookcraft (1979) Review by Karl Wolff History of Joseph Smith by His mother is one of the oddest books in the history of American religious literature. Joseph Smith, Jr. was the Prophet, Seer, and Revelator of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Latter-day Saints (LDS) are also known by their nickname, "The Mormons." In the History of Joseph Smith, we get the biography of Prophet Joseph as told by his mother. Beginning...

Book Review: "Gutshot" by Amelia Gray

(CCLaP is dedicated to reviewing as many contemporary books as possible, including self-published volumes; click here to learn how to submit your own book for possible review, although be warned that it needs to have been published within the last 12 months to be considered. For the complete list of all books reviewed here, as well as the next books scheduled to be read, click here.) Gutshot is great, but it deserves the "not for everyone" tag. The same is true of everything Amelia Gray writ...

Stalking the Behemoth: "Gravity's Rainbow," by Thomas Pynchon

Gravity's Rainbow By Thomas Pynchon, 1973 Reviewed by Chris Schahfer If you ask the literary community, Gravity's Rainbow is among the major literary events of the twentieth century. It's the postmodern or at minimum post-World War II answer to Joyce. The book's shadow might be longer than anything else with the "postmodern" label. The one with hundreds of characters and absurdly long sentences and mind-boggling tonal shifts, the one that's been labeled "unreadable" and "pretentious" and "ob...

The CCLaP Weekender for May 8th is here!

It's Friday, which means it's time for the newest issue of the Pushcart-Prize-nominated CCLaP Weekender! This week's issue features a new original piece of fiction by Oliver Zarandi; a photography feature by Heather Killion; and a look at the next seven days of literary events happening all across the city. The PDF is completely free to download, using the links below, or can be viewed online in its "flippable" form at Issuu.com (or just use the embedded version above, if your particular de...

CCLaP Rare: "The Custom of the Country" by Edith Wharton (1913), 1st Edition 1st Printing

(CCLaP is now selling rare and unusual books through the main website, shipped to customers through USPS Priority Mail and with full refunds always guaranteed. To see the latest full list of volumes for sale, please click here). The Custom of the Country By Edith Wharton (1913) First Edition, First Printing DESCRIPTION: Although academes have been acknowledging former high-society queen Edith Wharton ever since her own youth (among other accolades, she was the very first woman to win...

CCLaP Rare: "The Beast in Me and Other Animals" by James Thurber (1948), 1st Edition 1st Printing

(CCLaP is now selling rare and unusual books through the main website, shipped to customers through USPS Priority Mail and with full refunds always guaranteed. To see the latest full list of volumes for sale, please click here). The Beast in Me and Other Animals By James Thurber (1948) First Edition, First Printing DESCRIPTION: We can all agree that the serious "important" writers of any age hold an special spot in helping us understand that age and what it was all about; but what abo...

The CCLaP Weekender for May 1st is here!

It's Friday, which means it's time for the newest issue of the Pushcart-Prize-nominated CCLaP Weekender! This week's issue features a new original piece of fiction by Chicago author Joseph G. Peterson; a photography feature by the Bulgarian team RobotsOnFilm; and a look at the next seven days of literary events happening all across the city. The PDF is completely free to download, using the links below, or can be viewed online in its "flippable" form at Issuu.com (or just use the embedded v...