diff --git a/superfluous-parentheses.asd b/superfluous-parentheses.asd
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7d76916
--- /dev/null
+++ b/superfluous-parentheses.asd
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+;;;; superfluous-parentheses.asd
+;;;; system definition file
+
+(defsystem "superfluous-parentheses"
+  :description "Syntactic sugar to allow [] and {} in place of normal parentheses."
+  :version "1.0"
+  :author "keith"
+  :homepage "https://bytes.keithhacks.cyou/keith/superfluous-parentheses"
+  :license "Public Domain/CC0"
+  :components ((:file "superfluous-parentheses")))
diff --git a/superfluous-parentheses.lisp b/superfluous-parentheses.lisp
index 94ca42f..f0592d1 100644
--- a/superfluous-parentheses.lisp
+++ b/superfluous-parentheses.lisp
@@ -4,53 +4,41 @@
   (:use common-lisp))
 (in-package superfluous-parentheses)
 
+(define-condition simple-reader-error (simple-condition reader-error)
+  ())
+
 (defun read-bracketed-list (stream begin-char)
   (let* ((end-char (cond ((char= begin-char #\[) #\])
                          ((char= begin-char #\{) #\})
-                         (t (error "Invalid bracket ~S" begin-char))))
+                         (t (error 'simple-reader-error
+                                   :stream stream
+                                   :format-control "Invalid bracket ~S"
+                                   :format-arguments (list begin-char)))))
          (list-body (loop for next-char = (peek-char t stream t nil t)
                           until (or (char= next-char end-char) (char= next-char #\.))
                           collect (read stream t nil t)))
          (last-char (read-char stream t nil t))) ;; discard the last peeked character
     (cond ((char= last-char end-char) list-body)
           ((char= last-char #\.)
+           (unless list-body
+             (error 'simple-reader-error
+                    :stream stream
+                    :format-control "Nothing before . in list."
+                    :format-arguments nil))
            ;; set the CDR of the list
            (rplacd (last list-body) (read stream t nil t))
            ;; skip past whitespace
            (peek-char t stream t nil t)
            (unless (char= (read-char stream t nil t) end-char)
-             (error "Too many objects after . in list."))
+             (error 'simple-reader-error
+                    :stream stream
+                    :format-control "Multiple objects after . in list."
+                    :format-arguments nil))
            list-body)
-          (t (error "Expected ~S or . but got ~S" end-char last-char)))))
-
-#|
-(declaim (special *cdr-value* *end-char*))
-
-(defun read-bracketed-dot (stream char)
-  (declare (ignore char))
-  (let ((tail (read-delimited-list *end-char* stream t)))
-    (when (> (length tail) 1)
-      (error "Too many objects following . in list."))
-    (when (< (length tail) 1)
-      (error "Nothing appears after . in list."))
-    (setf *cdr-value* (car tail)))
-  ;; put the closing bracket back, then return nothing
-  (unread-char *end-char* stream)
-  (values))
-
-(defun read-bracketed-list (stream begin-char)
-  (let ((*end-char* (cond ((char= begin-char #\[) #\])
-                          ((char= begin-char #\{) #\})
-                          (t (error "Invalid bracket ~S" begin-char))))
-        (*cdr-value* nil)
-        (*readtable* (copy-readtable)))
-    (set-macro-character #\. #'read-bracketed-dot t)
-    (let ((list-body (read-delimited-list *end-char* stream t)))
-      (when (and *cdr-value* (not list-body))
-        (error "Nothing appears before . in list."))
-      (rplacd (last list-body) *cdr-value*)
-      list-body)))
-|#
+          (t (error 'simple-reader-error
+                    :stream stream
+                    :format-control "Expected ~S or ., but got ~S."
+                    :format-arguments (list end-char last-char))))))
 
 (set-macro-character #\[ #'read-bracketed-list)
 (set-macro-character #\] (get-macro-character #\)))