Book Reviews

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Your Weekly St. Louis Bestseller List

Here's your weekly St. Louis bestseller list for the week ending February 12, as compiled by the St. Louis Independent Booksellers Alliance and based on sales at Left Bank Books, Main Street Books, Pudd'nhead Books, Subterranean Books and Sue's News. It was a fine week on the bestseller list for St ... More >>

Your Weekly St. Louis Bestseller List

​Here's your weekly St. Louis bestseller list for the week ending October 30, as compiled by the St. Louis Independent Booksellers Alliance and based on sales at Left Bank Books, Main Street Books, Pudd'nhead Books, Subterranean Books and Sue's News. Unbelievable as it may sound, on this wee ... More >>

Your Weekly St. Louis Bestseller List

​Here's your weekly St. Louis bestseller list for the week ending October 23, as compiled by the St. Louis Independent Booksellers Alliance and based on sales at Left Bank Books, Main Street Books, Pudd'nhead Books, Subterranean Books and Sue's News. It's been a good week for St. Louisans -- ... More >>

The Inverted Forest -- New Novel by St. Louis Author John Dalton -- Hits Stores Today

St. Louis author John Dalton's second novel comes out today to advance praise from critics.​Somewhere in the next room, John Dalton's two daughters are watching Curious George cartoons as he explains his next project, a book that he frequently refers to as "strange and dark." It took the St. L ... More >>

Your Weekly St. Louis Bestseller List

​Here's your weekly St. Louis bestseller list for the week ending May 15, as compiled by the St. Louis Independent Booksellers Alliance and based on sales at Left Bank Books, Main Street Books, Pudd'nhead Books, Subterranean Books and Sue's News. George Vecsey was kind of a jerk when Daily R ... More >>

Your Weekly St. Louis Bestseller List

​Here's your weekly St. Louis bestseller list for the week ending April 10, as compiled by the St. Louis Independent Booksellers Alliance and based on sales at Left Bank Books, Main Street Books, Pudd'nhead Books, Subterranean Books, Sue's News and The Book House. Amazingly, there were some ... More >>

The History of Hawaii, Told in Plate Lunches

Hipster historian/author/NPR voice/Violet from The Incredibles Sarah Vowell has a new book, Unfamiliar Fishes, that hits bookstores March 22. The book explores the history of Hawaii, which Vowell previews in a trailer (since when do books have trailers?), filled with slides of Hawaiian plate lunches ... More >>

After the Loving

Hipster historian/author/NPR voice/Violet from The Incredibles Sarah Vowell has a new book, Unfamiliar Fishes, that hits bookstores March 22. The book explores the history of Hawaii, which Vowell previews in a trailer (since when do books have trailers?), filled with slides of Hawaiian plate lunches ... More >>

The Case For Charlie Chan

Hipster historian/author/NPR voice/Violet from The Incredibles Sarah Vowell has a new book, Unfamiliar Fishes, that hits bookstores March 22. The book explores the history of Hawaii, which Vowell previews in a trailer (since when do books have trailers?), filled with slides of Hawaiian plate lunches ... More >>

Lampoon Turns Back The Pages

Hipster historian/author/NPR voice/Violet from The Incredibles Sarah Vowell has a new book, Unfamiliar Fishes, that hits bookstores March 22. The book explores the history of Hawaii, which Vowell previews in a trailer (since when do books have trailers?), filled with slides of Hawaiian plate lunches ... More >>

Harold McGee Visits St. Louis Tuesday, 11.16

www.amazon.com​Few food books are as beloved and influential -- especially among chefs -- as On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee. Subtitled The Science and Lore of the Kitchen, the book explains, in utterly lucid prose, what foods actually are, chemically speaking, and why they behave why they do ... More >>

Even Oprah Must Concede That Franzen Reigns Supreme

​Even Queen Oprah must bow down to the overpowering literary force that is Freedom. Although she doesn't plan to reveal her new book club selection till tomorrow's show, the Associated Press reports that the Queen of Talk, like everyone else (except the Washington Post's Ron Charles) thinks Jo ... More >>

Gibson Guy

​Even Queen Oprah must bow down to the overpowering literary force that is Freedom. Although she doesn't plan to reveal her new book club selection till tomorrow's show, the Associated Press reports that the Queen of Talk, like everyone else (except the Washington Post's Ron Charles) thinks Jo ... More >>

All Eyes on Allen

​Even Queen Oprah must bow down to the overpowering literary force that is Freedom. Although she doesn't plan to reveal her new book club selection till tomorrow's show, the Associated Press reports that the Queen of Talk, like everyone else (except the Washington Post's Ron Charles) thinks Jo ... More >>

A Course Readjustment

​Even Queen Oprah must bow down to the overpowering literary force that is Freedom. Although she doesn't plan to reveal her new book club selection till tomorrow's show, the Associated Press reports that the Queen of Talk, like everyone else (except the Washington Post's Ron Charles) thinks Jo ... More >>

Jonathan Franzen Deserves the Freedom Hype

Every writer hates a winner. And so with Jonathan Franzen's new novel earning raves from just about everybody who matters in American letters, we've been subjected to the predictable envious backlash about how Franzen is overrated (and annoying), how middle-aged white guys get preferential treatment ... More >>

Forget Freedom (For Now): Other Books Are Just As Worthy

image via​Someday I'll read Freedom. I'm currently 113th on the waiting list at University City Library. Maybe Sarah will lend me her copy in an attempt to convert me to Freedom-dom. I suppose I could go out and buy a copy. But $28 is a pretty steep price to pay for a hardcover, especially for on ... More >>

Cool Treats and Reads

image via​Someday I'll read Freedom. I'm currently 113th on the waiting list at University City Library. Maybe Sarah will lend me her copy in an attempt to convert me to Freedom-dom. I suppose I could go out and buy a copy. But $28 is a pretty steep price to pay for a hardcover, especially for on ... More >>

That's Incredible, Hulk

image via​Someday I'll read Freedom. I'm currently 113th on the waiting list at University City Library. Maybe Sarah will lend me her copy in an attempt to convert me to Freedom-dom. I suppose I could go out and buy a copy. But $28 is a pretty steep price to pay for a hardcover, especially for on ... More >>

Spirits and Spirits

image via​Someday I'll read Freedom. I'm currently 113th on the waiting list at University City Library. Maybe Sarah will lend me her copy in an attempt to convert me to Freedom-dom. I suppose I could go out and buy a copy. But $28 is a pretty steep price to pay for a hardcover, especially for on ... More >>

Pearson in Person

image via​Someday I'll read Freedom. I'm currently 113th on the waiting list at University City Library. Maybe Sarah will lend me her copy in an attempt to convert me to Freedom-dom. I suppose I could go out and buy a copy. But $28 is a pretty steep price to pay for a hardcover, especially for on ... More >>

Pansy Division Frontman Jon Ginoli Gets Deflowered in St. Louis

On Tuesday, May 19, Pansy Division front man Jon Ginoli will be at Euclid Records and Left Bank Books, promoting his new book, Deflowered: My Life in Pansy Division. The one-time Lookout! Records band is known as much for its catchy pop-punk as it is for being the leaders of the "queercore" movement ... More >>

Augusten Burroughs

On Tuesday, May 19, Pansy Division front man Jon Ginoli will be at Euclid Records and Left Bank Books, promoting his new book, Deflowered: My Life in Pansy Division. The one-time Lookout! Records band is known as much for its catchy pop-punk as it is for being the leaders of the "queercore" movement ... More >>

Last Night: Kyle Beachy's Homecoming Slide

St. Louis native Kyle Beachy was warmly welcomed home last night at Left Bank Books in the Central West End, his presence due to the release of his debut novel, The Slide.Beachy is profiled in this week's issue of the RFT by writer Ben Westhoff. Read "St. Louis Serenade: Seven Years in the Making, ... More >>

President Jimmy Carter

St. Louis native Kyle Beachy was warmly welcomed home last night at Left Bank Books in the Central West End, his presence due to the release of his debut novel, The Slide.Beachy is profiled in this week's issue of the RFT by writer Ben Westhoff. Read "St. Louis Serenade: Seven Years in the Making, ... More >>

Take Notes, Mr. President

Advice from Albright

Party Like a Puritan

That ship has sailed

A Normal Gathering

It's time to face the paranormal

It Is What It Is

A Barry good time

It Is What It Is

A Barry good time

Red Any Good Books Lately?

Birds, bats and best games ever

State of the Union

It'll keep your attention

He Is Iron Man

And iron author, too

Fowler Play

And iron author, too

Stephen Merrill Block

And iron author, too

Alterman State of Mind

And iron author, too

Baker, Author Peter Reinhart at Companion

And iron author, too

Eileen Favorite

And iron author, too

Affairs of a Lady Novelist

And iron author, too

Thoughts on Michael Ruhlman's The Elements of Cooking

And iron author, too

Love Meno Tender

And iron author, too

100 Reasons to Love Ben

And iron author, too

Here's to You, Ms. Robinson

We love you more than you can know

Like a What?

We check out some "important" songs, mourn ODB and read some, um, crap

Best Urban Myth

How Dogtown Got Its Name

Alan's Nightmare

Time and again, novelist Alan Lightman challenges his readers

Remember the Volcano

Harper Barnes pens a long-overdue biography of one of St. Louis' most fascinating citizens

Ho, Sweet Ho

Peter Ho Davies, master of character-driven fiction, comes to town

The Talking Penis

Basic Instinct author crawls up Bill Clinton's pants and hangs on tight