Frances Dinkelspiel, host of the Ghost Word blog, checks out the new San Francisco Chronicle Book Review and sez “I must pronounce it a success.”

The Chronicle’s editors reduced the size of the section to save printing costs, but it has the unintended consequence of making the review feel more intimate and cohesive. Editor Oscar Villalon has taken the opportunity to introduce some fun, bright features to the review, like a literary cartoon drawn by Lisa Brown, a children’s book author and the wife of Daniel Handler, and a section called “Blurbs.”

Keep reading here.

In an earlier entry, Frances shares a few lit tidbits from around the Bay Area, noting that Handler, a.k.a Lemony Snicket, and author Andrew Sean Greer “dressed up in tuxedos and served martinis and cheese balls to Amy Sedaris at a recent talk at City Arts and Lectures” and that Cody’s bookstore is moving to a new location (”Not a bad move, me thinks.”)