Blogs

Who says you have to buy chocolate for your Valentine?  We think books are as romantic as diamonds!  Grab a copy of Pride & Prejudice for your crush and watch them swoon.  The Time Traveler's Wife says "I love you" better than champagne.  And we would certainly fall head over heels for the person who picked up Pablo Neruda's Love Poems.  If you're looking for a romantic read beyond Fifty Shades of Gray, stop by for some excellent suggestions.  We love classics, cookbooks, and contemporary love stories!

"New Year's Day: Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions.  Next week

you can begin paving hell with them as usual."

--Mark Twain 

Do you make New Year's Resolutions?  We have one that we make every year: to read more books!  But collectively, we have several others.  Some of our staff wants to learn to like Sci-Fi.  Some of our staff wants to learn to read books that aren't Sci-Fi.  Some of us want to eat more vegetables, and some of us want to perfect our cookie baking.  If you want to start meditation, we have books for you.  If you want to learn British history, we have books for you.  If you want to sell your crafts on Etsy, we have books for you.  No matter what your goals are for 2015, we'd be happy to help you acheive them.  

City Lit is returning to our pre-holiday hours.  We will, however, be closing at 6pm on New Year's Eve, and will be closed on New Year's Day.  Happy 2015!

"One can never have enough socks," said Dumbledore.  "Another

Christmas has come and gone and I didn't get a single pair.  People

will insist on giving me books."

--Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone 

We confess: we buy books for Dumbledore, too.  If you're like us and prefer giving books, why not stop by City Lit?  We have loads of titles in store; we can special order most books for you (and have them in 2 or 3 days!); and we can recommend great reads for the most stubborn people on your shopping list.  Every bookseller here has personal favorites, and we have a gift guide containing all our favorite 2014 releases.  We've also enjoyed browsing this year's New York Times' 100 Notable Books.  Most of their favorites are in stock at City Lit, and we can share our own opinions about them, too!  Check out some of their favorites below (then stop by to see them in person):

After your Thanksgiving food coma comes Black Friday and Cyber Monday.  Don't forget the "holiday" inbetween: Small Business Saturday!  We've prepared our 2014 Gift Guide, and we're ready to steer you towards some awesome purchases.  We have books for everyone on your list.  Seriously.  Even that person who swears they don't read.  We also have staff picks all over the store, so you won't want for suggestions.  To give you a head start, here are some of our favorite titles from 2014.

We just got nominated for Time Out Chicago's "Love Chicago Awards," and we couldn't be more thrilled!  If you love City Lit, we'd love to have you vote for us!  It's very quick and clickable.  Promise.  If you visit the voting site, make sure to select "Northwest Side" as your neighborhood, and you'll find us listed under "Shops."  We wouldn't have received a nomination without your support, so we already feel like big winners!

Voting is open until November 11th.  Winners will be announced the week of December 4th.  Thanks for your love! 

If you've been in the store lately, you'll have seen our Halloween-themed table.  We have all our favorite creepy reads out on display.  In case you didn't see it, or haven't visited City Lit in awhile, we're posting some scary books on our website.  When you want to get the shivers, grab one of these titles and prepare to be spooked!

September 21st-27th is Banned Books Week: an annual event celebrating the freedom to read.  We're honoring intellectual freedom with our Banned Books Event on Friday, September 26th.  We've invited local authors Esme Codell, Beatriz Badikian-Gartler, Kathleen Larkin, and Deirdre Harrison to come by City Lit and read passages from their favorite banned books.  We'll also be showcasing local high school students who will read from banned books, and some live local music.

Banned Books Week is an important event, bringing attention to issues of censorship and freedom.  However, we encourage you to read banned books all year long!  Here are a few of our favorite frequently-challenged titles: 

As Summer stampedes to a close, we're already pining for outdoor festivals, reading a great book on the beach, and the hot, muggy Chicago air...well, maybe not that last one. But don't worry! Your friendly, neighborhood bookstore has you covered. Before you up and move to warm climates all year round, remember the one great thing that makes September worthwhile...NEW BOOKS! That's right. September releases have us all clammoring for Summer to up and end so we can get our hands on these amazing new titles. Here are just a few of the most anticipated unreleased or just released titles of the Fall. 

As most of our devoted followers know, we at City Lit Books try to provide the neighborhood with a wide array of bookclubs and (free) events. This week, join bookseller, Chelka, for her Chat 'n' Chew Bookclub!

For those of you who haven't attended, Chat 'n' Chew is all about food: reading about food, talking about food, and, of course, eating delicious, homemade, cookbook-centered food. This month, we'll be discussing a food blogger of your choosing. This could be your well-worn copy of Deb Perlman's Smitten Kitchen cookbook, Joy the Baker's cookbook, Angela Liddon's Oh She Glows Vegan cookbook, or anything else you've read, loved, and consumed!

This bookclub meets this thursday, August 28th at 6:30. So drop in with your favorite blogger cookbook and maybe a treat to share!

For a full list of our bookclubs, check out our Bookclub page!