Arts & Lit Archive
Novels About Drugs
By The Top 13 on March 11, 2010
The genre of drug fiction, as much as or perhaps more than any other genre, is known for its terrible writing and trite storytelling. Perhaps the problem is that so much of... more
Second City Alumni
By A.J. for The Top 13 on January 25, 2010
Late this past year, the legendary Second City comedy troupe celebrated its 50th anniversary in Chicago. After fifty years of laughing the heads off of thousands of... more
Adaptations
By Nicholas for The Top 13 on January 20, 2010
Ever since Cecil Hepworth adapted Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland for his 1903 film, aspiring screenwriters have looked toward literature for inspiration... more
Science Fiction Novels
By Wes for The Top 13 on January 12, 2010
Science Fiction. These two words can send even the most level-headed bibliophile to the nearest exit. Admittedly the genre is littered with offal, and regrettably, for... more
Novels of the Year
By The Top 13 on December 30, 2009
In a terrific year for the novel, The Top 13 struggled to whittle down our list to our standard baker's dozen. Ultimately, of course, we did it, and the resulting Top 13... more
Webcomics
By Nicholas for The Top 13 on December 29, 2009
In the past decade, webcomics have gone from the red-haired stepchild of syndicated newspaper strips to a serious way to make a living, not to mention one completely free... more
Readable Classics | Guest List by Paul Shirley
December 15, 2009
Before I was (vaguely) known for being a misanthropic basketball player, and long before I was (even more vaguely) known for being a music writer, I was a bookworm. The... more
Coming-of-Age Novels
By Nicholas for The Top 13 on December 09, 2009
The coming-of-age novel or "bildungsroman" could be the single most ubiquitous genre of modern literature. You may have read a number of The Top 13 throughout your... more