Welcome to the Lillian Review of Books!
Reintroducing myself for the new year
Over the holidays I gained a handful of new subscribers, and I’d like to formally greet and thank everyone (103 people!) who has inexplicably decided that they care what I have to say about books.
The Lillian Review of Books is something between a reading log and a collection of personal essays. The project of this publication is to interrogate and sharpen the contours of taste that I’ve honed through a lifetime of cultural consumption. I believe in the Western Canon, the concept of canons generally, and the value of a shared cultural idiom. Most of all, I believe that art should make you feel something, intensely. I know when I like something, and my greatest pleasure is turning someone on to an under-appreciated cult classic.
Although a systematic reading of the Great Books of Western civilization is a noble pursuit that could easily occupy whole lifetimes, The Lillian Review of Books documents a more chaotic journey. I spend my time reading and writing about an eclectic mix of classics and science fiction. Recently, this has mostly (but not entirely) meant reading classics of Jewish American literature and New Wave science fiction. I believe that science fiction (or speculative fiction, the term preferred by Harlan Ellison and Robert Heinlein) has as much to offer its readers as so-called ‘literary fiction.’ My reviews are conversational and personal, and occasionally indulge in vulgarity or over-sharing—I intend them to be a slightly more organized version of hearing me rant or rave about a book at a dinner party after 2 to 3 drinks.
In addition to bi-weekly-ish book reviews, I publish a monthly roundup of recommendations—a series I call Rec Center—that go beyond books. There I recommend TV, movies, recipes, podcasts, art, music, or anything else that catches my fancy in a given month. In addition to being an unrepentant snob about literature, movies, and music, I’m an obsessive foodie, so do take note of my food recommendations.
Who Is This Lillian, And Why Should We Trust Her?
I was born and raised in (near) Chicago, the last great American city (according to Norman Mailer). Ethnically, I’m Korean, Chinese, and German (Alsatian) Jewish—heritages that haunt my reading lists and book reviews. I spent one semester at St. John’s College in Annapolis before earning a B.A. in Classics (heavy focus on Greek) from the University of Chicago. I also pursued significant coursework in mathematics, physics, and computational neuroscience, and if I ever win the lottery I’ll return to school for a series of degrees in those fields, for fun.
I was a community radio DJ at 88.5fm WHPK, “the Pride of the South Side”, for five years during and after college. At first, I played mostly rock and punk, but after a year I transitioned to Folk format and hosted The Folk Show for four years, with an emphasis on country blues, raw gospel, and old-timey Appalachian music—think field recordings, Harry Smith, and Allen Lomax, not Bob Dylan/Joni Mitchell folk revival music. I kept a foot in the rock/alt world, though, interning at Drag City and Carrot Top Records in Chicago during college.
I moved to Washington, DC for an internship at Smithsonian Folkways Recordings after college and have lived in the area ever since. After my internship, I began a career in scholarly publishing. I handled the peer review process at non-profit science publishers, most recently at the National Academy of Sciences. There, I managed a team of editorial coordinators for the flagship journal the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). After seven years in the scholarly publishing industry, in late 2024 I quit my job at PNAS to take a sabbatical to focus on writing.
Primarily, that means the first draft of the speculative fiction novel I’m finishing up (The Handmaid’s Tale x The Moon is a Harsh Mistress x Mr. Sammler’s Planet), but also a planned Korean War historical novel, a short story collection, and this Substack. Previously, I’ve written and published a handful of short stories, links to which can be found here.
Highlights of Previous Posts
If this publication seems like your cup of tea, check out some of my previously published reviews, below. Find the full collection of Rec Center posts here. Full archives are available here.
I know I sound like an elitist asshole above (and I kind of am), but I am truly humbled that you have decided to subscribe and apparently care about what I have to say about these old, untrendy books. If you know any other weirdos who might appreciate my hyper-niche musings, please do share this with them so I can expand my audience and further inflate my ego.
For next week, I’m working on a review of Sirius (1944) by Olaf Stapledon—one of the best books I read in the final days of 2024. It’s a quiet, philosophical, speculative novel about a super-intelligent sheepdog struggling to find his place in the world. Kind of like Flowers For Algernon, but with a dog. Bring the tissues.
Well, you have a fascinating track record/resume/wild ass ride. Might I offer this little waltz with Charlie D?? as an introductory salvo??
https://substack.com/@johnnogowski2/note/c-85241258?r=7pf7u&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=notes-share-action
The Lillian Review of Books is HIGH on my (tiny) list of must-read items. She does more than review books - she takes you inside them, and puts them a unique cultural context. If all reading were this pleasurable, this would be a nation of fanatic readers.