About a ne{o}lit book club

The neo{o}lit book club is a Northeast Ohio Literature book club.

Sound dowdy? Not in the least! Book clubs are an awesome way to unwind with food, wine/mixed drink/beer, music, and, most of all, engaging and fun conversation.

Whatever your age (we feel our books are best geared to 24-40 year-olds), gender, race, or ethnic background, expose yourself to some of the best (and, more than likely, some of the worst) contemporary fiction out there today. We are seeking books that delve into controversial, provocative topics, but not at the expense of exquisite prose or humor.

We expect everyone who joins will share our passion, not only for reading, but discussing, criticizing, and sharing anecdotes and reflections that are brought to mind through the story. Nonetheless, discussions occur in a casual setting, with no strict agenda. If we occasionally get off-topic, we'll be none the worse for it, I'm sure.

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Following are some sites offering book reviews of quality, modern literature:

- Bookslut: A Chicago and Austin-based e-Zine with interviews, reviews, opinion columns, and a great blog keeping you up to-to-date on literary news.

- Boldtype: A monthly, email-based book review--each issue offers 5-7 books based on a common theme. I recommend checking out all the Flavorpill productions.

- Kirkus Reviews: The authority for reviews of pre-published books. Considered an industry standard, subscriptions are astronomical, but a limited number of reviews are offered free and updated regularly.

- McSweeney's: Edited by Dave Eggers (author of A Heart-Breaking Work of Staggering Genius), this quarterly, print "concern" has gained a veritable cult following. The very cutting edge of hilarious, off-the-wall, witty, and intelligent writing. Sometimes hard to wrap one's head around, but always entertaining.

- MobyLives: Dennis Loy Johnson has earned a great deal of respect with his online magazine offering news and commentary about the literary world. Also, check out his Melville House Publishing for politically-chargedfiction and non-fiction.

- Powell's Review-a-Day: Offering just that of both fiction and non-fiction works in the form of reprints from a number of print sources, sent directly to your inbox, if you so desire.

- New York Times Book Review: A mainstream standard.

- The Atlantic Monthly: Another standard for serious literary connoiseurs.

- Maud Newton's Blog: Offering literary news, commentary, and political rants.

- Atomic Books: A fabulous, Maryland-based bookstore offering an online store chock full of fringe culture publications.