"One Book, One Chicago" selects Raymond Chandler

The Chicago Tribune reported over the weekend that Raymond Chandler's The Long Goodbye has been selected for the Chicago Public Library's "One Book, One Chicago"  program, an effort to promote the reading and discussion of books by all the city's residents.

I like programs like this -- I like anything that encourages people to read more -- and I'm especially pleased to see a crime novel chosen. (And it also helps that this is my favorite Raymond Chandler book.) Chicago is a great town for crime fiction, which is one of the reasons I like writing for the Sun-Times so much.

There's more info over at The Outfit blog, along with a statement read by author Sean Chercover at the press conference announcing the selection. (Chercover is also quoted in the Trib piece.)

So everybody get to reading! If you haven't yet had the pleasure of reading Chandler, this is an excellent time to start.

Edit (3/17): I should note that the Sun-Times ran a piece on this as well. But they didn't quote Chercover. (Or "Chercove" as the Trib calls him.)

Comments

[Cameron Hughes]

I always thought Chandler was better than Hammet, but NOT better than Ross McDonald