The Review Lab

Take a break from watching your heating bills rise and check out Gino Orlandi's glowing review of Michael S.A. Graziano's latest novel The Divine Farce. If you're feeling a little less "literary genius" and a little more "life in the gutter," reviewer Michelle Pretorius gives Peter Plate's Elegy Written On a Crowded Street a sharp eye and a fair assessment. Meet all of the Helen Phillipses in Christopher Marnach's review of And Yet They Were Happy. Stay warm, enjoy the reviews and have a great holiday season!

It's summertime in the city, and we're dropping a special miniature issue of the Review Lab! In this issue, we bring you Pete Nichols' hilarious review of Jacob Ritari's Taroko Gorge and Derek Johnson's look at Gary Laderman's examination of faith in popular culture Sacred Matters: Celebrity Worship, Sexual Ecstasies, the Living Dead, and Other Signs of Religious Life in the United States. Enjoy!

Just in time for the nicer weather, the Spring Issue of the Review Lab is here! In this issue, we bring you five new reviews of books ranging from Jennifer Egan's much-lauded A Visit from the Goon Squad to Jefferson Cowie's exploration of "the last days of the working class," Stayin' Alive. Also, Review Lab editor Daniel Duffy interviewed Chicago publishing impresario J.C. Gabel about the founding of Stop Smiling magazine, their transition into small press book publishing, and their new project, The Chicagoan. Enjoy!