Pocket-sized explorations of pop albums

This series dedicated to music books has persevered through the years [READER]( Last week I had the pleasure of talking to author, music journalist, and onetime Reader contributor [Erin Osmon]( about her new book on John Prine's self-titled debut. (Full disclosure: Erin is a friend of mine!) [Exile in Bookville]( the indie bookstore located in the Fine Arts Building, hosted the conversation, which was also the kickoff event for a series of talks about books published under the umbrella of Bloomsbury's 33 1/3 series. I've long been a fan of 33 1/3, whose pocket-sized explorations of pop albums have opened me up to unfamiliar musicians—and, more often, the people writing about those albums. The 33 1/3 series has published more than 150 volumes since debuting nearly 20 years ago, and its simple design and font is so familiar to me it feels like I know the whole series even when I've only read more than a couple dozen entries. I still get a twinge of excitement when they announce a new round of 33 1/3 books, in part because I am eager to learn what someone else may have to say about an album I'm familiar with or don't know well at all. It can be challenging to generate excitement for any sort of culture writing that isn't about a hot-button topic, so I admire that this series dedicated to music books has persevered through the years. I've been writing about music professionally for long enough that I've got several peers and friends who've landed proposals for 33 1/3 books—including the Reader's very own [Micco Caporale](. (Keep an eye out for her forthcoming book on Motley Crue's Shout at the Devil!) I would be lying if I said I hadn't daydreamed of writing such a book. I've definitely submitted proposals—the last one was about a one-man synth-punk band called Atom & His Package. Needless to say, I didn't get the gig, but my desire to write about Atom never went away; [I wrote about the band earlier this week for the Reader](. And I still daydream of finding a way to write a book about Atom . . . once I get through a few other projects. If you missed my conversation with Erin, you're in luck; Exile in Bookville [uploaded a recording]( of the livestream a few days ago. Be sure to read [Annie Howard's Reader piece]( on John Prine and Erin's book if you missed it when it ran in November. Sincerely, 🏆 Final voting for Best of Chicago has begun! Are you ready to vote for your faves? 📨 [Sign up for updates so you don’t miss out on celebrating the things you love]( in the city you love with the Reader! ["Digicore Hero dltzk Is So Online It Hurts,"]( by Cat Zhang (Pitchfork) ["Ode to Retirement Party,"]( by Hugo Reyes (Medium) ["How Meat Loaf Made a Cult Favorite: 'Paradise by the Dashboard Light,'"]( by Jeremy Gordon (New York Times) Nate Barksdale & Chong Wizard, [The Colors I've Never Seen]( Counter Control, [The World is Burning Up]( Foxtails, [Fawn]( Gabriel Bernini, [You Got Me]( ✨ [Now extended! Our exhibition at Newberry Library is open thru March 5!]( "The Chicago Reader at 50: A Half-Century of Revolutionary Storytelling" commemorates our anniversary through a multimedia display of stories, photographs, cartoons, and more. ✨ [Sammy Lawhorn might be the most widely recorded blues guitarist lost to time]( He had a busy career as a sideman—including almost a decade with Muddy Waters—but rarely led his own bands or cut his own records. by [Steve Krakow]( [The Moonwalker Cafe brings a rare and porky specialty from Guerrero to Monday Night Foodball]( Check out Arlene Luna’s menu for the Reader’s weekly chef pop-up series at the Kedzie Inn. by [Mike Sula]( [Issue of Jan 20 - Feb 2, 2022 Vol. 51, No.]( [Download Issue]( (PDF) [View this e-mail as a web page]( [@chicago_reader]( [/chicagoreader]( [@chicago_reader]( [Chicago Reader on LinkedIn]( [/chicagoreader]( [chicagoreader.com]( [Forward this e-mail to a friend](. Want to change how you receive these e-mails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](. Copyright © 2022 Chicago Reader, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Chicago Reader, 2930 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 102, Chicago, IL 60616