Unabridged Books Recommends

I’m running a bit behind today, so I apologize that you didn’t have a post to enjoy with your coffee (or were you relieved?).

But I wanted to post another round of book recommendations courtesy of the fine folks at Unabridged Books, a Chicago institution for decades (holy cow!).  If you’ve already read one of these, let us know what you think in the comments section.  And don’t forget to stop in and say hello to the knowledgeable reviewers at Unabridged Books.  Cheerio. Unabridged Books.  3251 N. Broadway.  773-883-9119

Cheever by Blake Bailey

It must have been no easy feat for Blake Bailey to corral a life that struggled to not be constrained within borders. But in this tome Bailey reconstructs an identity of Cheever that he kept hidden for almost the entirety of his life. Bailey seems possessed, at times, with Cheever’s signature wit and intelligence to craft sentences that play. 

 There is no shortage of information in this biography as Bailey had access to everything. EVERYTHING. Bailey never judges Cheever for his choices: his legendary alcoholism, his hidden homosexuality, the emotional abuse of his children, and his seeming struggle with suburban hypocrisy.

  Bailey reveals not the how’s of Cheever’s writing, but the deep seated why’s. Updike, as was his want, is revelatory:

”  “How lonely and unnatural man is and how deep and well-concealed are his confusions,”  No wonder Cheever’s fiction is slighted in academia while Fitzgerald’s collegiate romanticism is assigned.”

   The biography is long and at a few rare times tedious, but it is always a compelling read and a deep insight into a man that will hopefully explode into relevancy again.

Stefan loved this book.

The Lost City of Z by David Grann

Grann has written the rare book that succeeds both as a compelling first-person narrative and a fascinating historical tale about one of the last great explorers: Percy Fawcett, from his obsession with a legendary lost city to his disappearance in the Amazon jungle, to the many failed attempts to find him. Gripping. Informative. Surprising.

Robert most highly recommends.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith

Oh, do not doubt the power of this book. It will change your life one zombie infestation in polite 19th century English society at a time. Here are some choice quotes:  “A few of the guests, who had the misfortune of being too near the windows, were seized and feasted on at once,” “The creatures were crawling on their hands and knees, biting into ripe heads of cauliflower, which they mistaken for stray brains.”

This is more than a daft reference. This is the actual text of P&P sandwiched between a zombie horde. Do the Bennets have what it takes to survive genteel British society; for Elizabeth to fall in love with Mr. Darcy; for England to ever be the same again?!

Yeah, you need this book. If not for the hilarious wood-cut inspired illustration then for the Reading Group Guide at the very end.  Many worlds of thanks to Seth Grahame-Smith. A+

A giant sized book deserves a giant size photo

Andy Warhol “Giant Size” Normal Size

First published as a back-breaking 15 pound “Giant” book it has now been reduced to a manageable eight pounds. Still present are the gorgeous layouts and spot on reproductions. The book starts with a fantastic and illuminating essay by Dave Hickey about Warhol’s humble beginnings in industrial Pittsburgh, and what a layout of what would become Warhol’s genre mocking style.

Most of this book’s massive content was mined from little seen archival material, and documentary footage, and is the only book that delves into the entire history of Warhol. This is less a coffee table and more a coffee table book that is easier to enjoy if not as massive as the original.

Thanks guys.  Remember to visit Unabridged Books.  Make a day of it browsing up and down Broadway in East Lakeview.  There are a number of interesting small businesses, including clothing stores, home decor shops (including my new favorite Haystack), restaurants and as is often the case in neighborhoods inhabited by young recent college grads, hair and nail salons.

Unabridged Books.  3251 N. Broadway.  773-883-9119