diff --git a/CouchDB.cabal b/CouchDB.cabal
--- a/CouchDB.cabal
+++ b/CouchDB.cabal
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 Name:           CouchDB
-Version:        0.8.0.4
+Version:        0.8.1.0
 Cabal-Version:	>= 1.2.4
 Copyright:      Copyright (c) 2008 Arjun Guha and Brendan Hickey
 License:        BSD3
@@ -19,8 +19,7 @@
   Hs-Source-Dirs:
     src
   Build-Depends:
-    base >= 3 && < 4, mtl, containers, network>=2.2.0.0, HTTP>=3001.1.3, 
-    json>=0.3.3, hslogger>=1.0.5
+    base, mtl, containers, network, HTTP>=3001.1.4, json>=0.3.3
   ghc-options:
     -fwarn-incomplete-patterns
   Extensions:     
diff --git a/Setup.lhs b/Setup.lhs
--- a/Setup.lhs
+++ b/Setup.lhs
@@ -1,8 +1,13 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env runhaskell
 > import Distribution.Simple
-> import qualified Data.List as L
-> import System.Directory
+> import System.Directory (setCurrentDirectory)
 > import System.Process (runCommand,waitForProcess)
 
 
-> main = defaultMainWithHooks simpleUserHooks
+> main = defaultMainWithHooks simpleUserHooks { runTests = tests }
+
+> tests _ _ _ _ = do
+>   setCurrentDirectory "src"
+>   h <- runCommand "/usr/bin/env runhaskell Database.CouchDB.Tests" 
+>   waitForProcess h
+>   return ()
diff --git a/src/Database/CouchDB.hs b/src/Database/CouchDB.hs
--- a/src/Database/CouchDB.hs
+++ b/src/Database/CouchDB.hs
@@ -32,7 +32,6 @@
   , queryViewKeys
   ) where
 
-import System.Log.Logger (errorM)
 import Database.CouchDB.HTTP
 import Control.Monad
 import Control.Monad.Trans (liftIO)
diff --git a/src/Database/CouchDB/HTTP.hs b/src/Database/CouchDB/HTTP.hs
--- a/src/Database/CouchDB/HTTP.hs
+++ b/src/Database/CouchDB/HTTP.hs
@@ -13,7 +13,6 @@
 
 import Data.IORef
 import Control.Concurrent
-import System.Log.Logger (errorM,debugM,infoM)
 import Network.TCP
 import Network.Stream
 import Network.HTTP
@@ -46,8 +45,7 @@
     m' conn'
 
   fail msg = CouchMonad $ \conn -> do
-    errorM "couchdb" msg
-    fail "internal error"   
+    fail $ "internal error: " ++ msg   
 
 instance MonadIO CouchMonad where
 
@@ -94,17 +92,12 @@
   let allHeaders = (makeHeaders (length body)) ++ headers 
   conn <- getConn
   let req = Request url method allHeaders body
-  liftIO $ debugM "couchdb.http" $ "Starting " ++ show req
   let retry 0 = do
-        liftIO $ errorM "couchdb.http" $ "request failed: " ++ show req
-        fail "server error"
+        fail $ "server error: " ++ show req
       retry n = do
         response <- liftIO $ sendHTTP conn req
         case response of
           Left err -> do
-            liftIO $ infoM "couchdb.http" $ "request failed; " ++ show n ++
-              " more tries left.  Error code:  " ++ show err ++ ", request: " ++
-              show req
             reopenConnection
             retry (n-1)
           Right val -> return val
diff --git a/src/Database/CouchDB/Unsafe.hs b/src/Database/CouchDB/Unsafe.hs
--- a/src/Database/CouchDB/Unsafe.hs
+++ b/src/Database/CouchDB/Unsafe.hs
@@ -23,15 +23,17 @@
   , queryViewKeys
   ) where
 
-import System.Log.Logger (errorM)
 import Database.CouchDB.HTTP
 import Control.Monad
 import Control.Monad.Trans (liftIO)
 import Data.Maybe (fromJust,mapMaybe)
 import Text.JSON
-
 import qualified Data.List as L
 
+assertJSObject :: JSValue -> CouchMonad JSValue
+assertJSObject v@(JSObject _) = return v
+assertJSObject o = fail $ "expected a JSON object; received: " ++ encode o
+
 couchResponse :: String -> [(String,JSValue)]
 couchResponse respBody = case decode respBody of
   Error s -> error s
@@ -63,8 +65,8 @@
             -- ^Returns 'Left' on a conflict.  Returns 'Right' with the
             -- revision number on success.
 newNamedDoc dbName docName body = do
-  r <- request (dbName ++ "/" ++ docName) [] PUT [] 
-               (encode $ showJSON body)
+  obj <- assertJSObject (showJSON body)
+  r <- request (dbName ++ "/" ++ docName) [] PUT [] (encode obj)
   case rspCode r of
     (2,0,1) -> do
       let result = couchResponse (rspBody r)
@@ -128,7 +130,8 @@
       -> a       -- ^document body
       -> CouchMonad (JSString,JSString) -- ^ id and rev of new document
 newDoc db doc = do
-  r <- request db [] POST [] (encode $ showJSON doc)
+  obj <- assertJSObject (showJSON doc)
+  r <- request db [] POST [] (encode obj)
   case rspCode r of
     (2,0,1) -> do
       let result = couchResponse (rspBody r)