Jason Pettus's Blog, page 6

Book Review: "The Year of Needy Girls," by Patricia A. Smith

The Year of Needy Girls By Patricia A. Smith Kaylie Jones Books / Akashic Books Reviewed by Jason Pettus I'm usually a big fan of Brooklyn-based Akashic Books, and have enjoyed nearly every novel they've sent us over the last half-decade of our relationship with them; and that's what made it a much bigger surprise than normal to read their latest, The Year of Needy Girls by New England author Patricia A. Smith (not to be confused with New England slam poet Patricia Smith), and realize that i...

Book Review: "Listen, Liberal" by Thomas Frank

(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 18 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.) Listen, Liberal: Or, What Ever Happened to the Party of the People? By Thomas Frank Metropolitan Books / Henr...

American Odd: Henry Darger: Art and Selected Writings, by Michael Bonesteel

A look at peculiar institutions, oddball literary experiments, and reckless rugged individualists. A celebration of American non-conformity. Henry Darger: Art and Selected Writings By Michael Bonesteel Rizzoli (2001) Review by Karl Wolff American Odd returns to Chicago for another visionary individual who penned a massive work with an oddball cosmology. In this case it is the reclusive artist and writer Henry Darger (1892 - 1973). Several books have been written about Darger, but I chose Mic...

Book Review: "How I Became a North Korean," by Krys Lee

(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.) How I Became a North Korean By Krys Lee Viking Reviewed by Chris Schahfer As is sometimes the case, I wanted...

Book Review: "Joe Gould's Teeth" by Jill Lepore

(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 18 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.) Joe Gould's Teeth By Jill Lepore Alfred A. Knopf / Penguin Random House Reviewed by Jason Pettus Joe Gould's...

Book Review: "Nicotine," by Nell Zink

(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.) Nicotine: A Novel By Nell Zink Ecco Reviewed by Chris Schahfer If nothing else, Nell Zink has certainly stake...

First Time Around: "Player Piano," by Kurt Vonnegut

(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.) Player Piano By Kurt Vonnegut Charles Scribner's Sons, 1952 Reviewed by Chris Schahfer You'll forgive me a li...

Book Review: "The Divine Madness of Philip K. Dick," by Kyle Arnold

(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.) The Divine Madness of Philip K. Dick By Kyle Arnold Oxford University Press Reviewed by Chris Schahfer I find...

Book Review: "Billy and the Cloneasaurus," by Stephen Kozeniewski

(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 18 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.) Billy and the Cloneasaurus By Stephen Kozeniewski Severed Press Reviewed by Karl Wolff With its title based...

Tales from the Completist: "Clumsy" by Jeffrey Brown

(Just like anyone else who is a lover of great books, we at CCLaP find ourselves sometimes with a desire to become a "completist" of certain authors; that is, to have read every book that author has ever written. This series of essays chronicles that attempt. Don't forget, a list of all the other books reviewed as part of this series can be found on CCLaP's main book review page.) Clumsy (2003) By Jeffrey Brown Top Shelf Reviewed by Jason Pettus The Chicago Public Library recently entered a...