Quirk Books

Guest post from The League of Regrettable Superheroes author, Jon Morris. 

Somebody--I think it was Aquaman--once noted that criminals are a cowardly and superstitious lot. Which is why so many superheroes prey upon crooks’ apparent fear of the mysterious and supernatural. And let's face it, when shopping for frightening guises, a hero could do worse than flip through Mother Goose and the Brothers Grimm for inspiration, what with all those wolves and bears and diabetes-inducing candy houses. Here are a few crimefighters from The League of Regrettable Superheroes who apparantly drew on fairy tales and other fantastic literature for their personas...to varying degrees of success.

Mother Hubbard: Rather than a traditional cape-and-muscles-type superhero, the cackling, wizened Mother Hubbard was a straight-up witch of the old-fashioned variety. She came complete with pointy hat, flying broom, and a penchant for speaking in nursery rhymes. Alerted to evil by a series of startling physical alarms—her blood boils, her hair curls, her bones creak, and possibly her corns throb—Mother Hubbard divided her time between typical comic book villains (eg. vicious Nazi agents) and terrifying menaces out of a Goya painting (e.g. baby-eating ogres and cruel gnomes who pried the eyes out of children’s heads with crowbars while they slept). Not for the faint-of-heart was Mother Hubbard, but she got the job done.

The Mad Hatter: Is there anything more “mad” than wearing a hat on your chest instead of your head? At the very least, it suggests a less than devoted relationship with sanity, which may be one reason why the heroic Hatter named himself after the Lewis Carroll creation. Certainly the character's lavender bodysuit, with what appears to be rabbit-skin briefs, boots, and gloves (not to mention cape), imply he's got a screw loose. AND he chose, on occasion, to threaten crooks in forced doggerel (though he wasn't as dedicated a rhymer as Mother Hubbard). If all that wasn't enough to convince his foes that this guy might be at least a little off-kilter, at least they'd be baffled long enough for a sucker punch to the jaw.

The Vagabond Prince: Sort of prince and pauper all in one character, greeting card writer Ned Oaks was the impoverished secret heir to a swath of prime urban real estate. As is so often the case, he coped with this turn of events by creating a costumed crimefighter persona, donning togs more appropriate for a marching band than busting crooks. Along with his sidekicks Chief Justice and The Jester, The Prince enjoyed a colorful but brief career confounding criminals with pseudo-Arthurian and cod-Shakespearean blathering. (The Prince: "Odds Bodkins!" The Jester: "Faithless Varlet!" Chief Justice: "Aw, wet potato chips!")

The Black Dwarf: Whether this diminutive do-gooder was inspired by an eighth crony of Grumpy and co., or by Walter Scott’s 19^th century novel of the same name, is up in the air. The one thing that isn’t up in the air is The Black Dwarf himself. Crimebuster and ex-all-American athlete Shorty Wilson stands only about five feet off the ground on a good day, but that doesn’t make him any less deadly an adversary of crime. (It doesn't make him a dwarf either, but "The Black Short Guy" lacks pizzaz.) Armed with a pair of twin automatics, garbed in a cloak and a gaucho cap, and backed by cadre of ex-crooks (like munitions expert Nitro, wall-crawling Human Fly, and Shorty’s ominously-named girlfriend Arsenic), The Black Dwarf made short work of evildoers a twice his size. And he never whistled while he worked.

Maybe at the moment everyone is a bit too busy trying to stay alive to get through any reading challenges but I like to think Alison would force everyone to make time for book club. Or maybe Helena has dreamt the whole thing. Either way here’s an imagined Orphan Black Book Club with each character’s book selection for their designated month.

Sarah Manning decides to start the graphic novel iZombie, loving the idea of a zombie with enough heart to pick already deceased victims for brain consumption—but she doesn’t tell anyone that. She just shrugs and says, “I like zombies.”

Alison Hendrix, being the overachiever, is adamant about choosing two books: Gone Girl so she can force Donnie to read it; Martha Stewart’s Encyclopedia of Crafts (the group responds with severe eye rolls) because she wants to spend more time in her craft room.

Felix Dawkins thinks they can be doing better things with their time, including partying or painting, but comes for Sarah. He decides on The Picture of Dorian Gray (suggested by Mrs. S who knows he never read it in school when he was supposed to) figuring anything set in London and listed under Horror can’t be too terrible.

Helena pulls from her jacket a “borrowed” copy (Don’t steal books!) of The Cookie Dough Lover’s Cookbook because she wants her seestras to make the recipes so she can eat them. Mmmmm sugar.

Cosima Niehaus selects Signal to Noise. While her analytical brain doesn’t believe in magic she likes the idea of escaping into a coming of age story filled with love, music and yes, some magic.

Rachel Duncan has secretly read and reread Katherine Stone’s romance novels for years and selects her favorite The Cinderella Hour. But  she pretends to do so as a joke because no one can know her secret. No one!

Donnie Hendrix—dragged by Alison and not allowed to count the evening as a date night—picksReady Player One, wanting an adventure that at least has the possibility of a huge payday at the end.

Delphine Cormier selects The Rosie Project, wanting to read about a geneticist in search of love. She’s hoping Cosima will want to share a copy.

At the end of every book club meeting, after Helena has eaten all the snacks and everyone is done arguing and discussing books, there is always a dance party.

Great storytellers create worlds for readers to escape within. Sometimes these worlds contain multiple layers, and you may find yourself in a story within a story. In some cases, we’re talking anentire book inside of the one you’re reading. (Yo dawg, we heard you liked books, etc.) Here are seven great examples:

S. – J.J. Abrams and Doug Dorst

The book itself is Ship of Theseus, the final work by V.M. Straka, a fictional political, prolific, and enigmatic author. The experience of reading S. is so much more. The book comes stuffed with odds and ends: letters, postcards, photos, even a decoder ring. Dive into the text and you’ll see multicolored notes in the margins: a correspondence between Jennifer and Eric, two academics who are analyzing the text while getting to know each other through the annotations. While trying to decipher the true identity of Straka and the secrets within his novel, the duo’s own story unfolds in the margins, resulting in a complex, singular reading experience.

The Blind Assassin – Margaret Atwood

Set in the 1930s and ‘40s, Atwood’s Booker Prize-winning novel contains many layers and threads for a reader to untangle. The story begins with Iris narrating the death of her sister Laura, who drove off a bridge. Then it shifts to Laura’s posthumously published novel (titled The Blind Assassin), in which two lovers meet in secret and collaborate on a science fiction novel. The third section returns to Iris, and various events leading up to her sister’s death. The book is one great literary jigsaw puzzle, with seemingly disconnected pieces all falling into place within the final chapters.

The Neverending Story – Michael Ende

Have you ever read a story you loved so much, you wished you could become part of it? That’s exactly what happens to Bastian in The Neverending Story when he finds a mysterious book and becomes thoroughly engrossed in it while hiding in his school’s attic. As he reads of Atreyu’s heroic quest to save his dying world Fantastica and its Childlike Empress, Bastian eventually discovers that he himself is a character in the book. You may have watched the 1984 adaptation (haven’t we all wished we could ride Falkor the Luckdragon at some point in our childhood?), but the beloved movie is only loosely based on this novel, with the book continuing the story long after the events in the film.

If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler – Italo Calvino

The premise of Calvino’­s novel seems simple enough: a reader tries to read a book. In fact, the main character is “you,” the reader. It gets more complicated from there. Each chapter has two sections: the first is written in second person and deals with the process of reading and the life events in the reader’s life; the second is the opening chapter of a new book the reader discovers. The first chapters of each separate novel connect the narrative of the main story, but in the end, the multiple interruptions, interpretations, and hidden means could be considered an ode to reading itself. 

House of Leaves – Mark Z. Danielewski

One day L.A. tattoo shop apprentice Johnny Truant discovers notes to a manuscript, The Navidson Record, which his mysterious neighbor Zampano left behind after his death. As Johnny organizes and deciphers the notes, an account emerges of the Navidson family and their unusual house, which takes on supernatural properties like internal dimensions that don’t match external ones and the appearance of mysterious doors and hallways. Through footnotes, shifting narratives, spiraling text and other inventive techniques, the reader travels with Will Navidson through the strange dimensions of his house and with Johnny through the shadowy corners of his mind, each man navigating his own disorienting, treacherous path. Reading this novel is the literary equivalent of exploring a maze; prepare yourself to get lost in its dark twists and turns.

Cloud Atlas – David Mitchell

Structured as six novellas in one—each with its own vastly different time, setting, tone, and genre—Mitchell’s ambitious tome really is a series of nesting dolls in story form. From a futuristic Korean society, to 1970s San Francisco, to Belgium in 1931, to a post-apocalyptic South Pacific island, the tales presented seem too disparate to have any connecting thread, yet each one fits into the other in unexpected and dazzling ways. Some of the narratives may be more challenging to read than others depending on your literary proclivities, but whether you marvel at its structure or the stories themselves, rest assured that you’ve never taken a multifaceted literary journey like this one.

Pale Fire – Vladimir Nabokov

Decades before contemporary novelists played with unusual storytelling structures came this novel by one of literature’s great voices. Nabokov’s postmodern work is a 999-line poem by fictional author John Shade, with a forward and extensive commentary by fictional academic (and Shade’s deranged neighbor) Charles Kinbote. The dual narrative becomes a darkly comic mystery as the poem’s origin and interpretation are manipulated within Kinbote’s footnotes. Kinbote is an unreliable narrator and we wouldn’t have it any other way as the story unfolds through a labyrinth of clever syntax and sly puns within its metafictional construct. Nabakov was a wordsmith unlike any other and many consider this to be his greatest work, even as Lolita remains his most popular.

The last week of April marks National Karaoke Week. If you love karaoke as much as I do, there’s no denying how fun it is to feel like a rock star, if only for a few minutes. And if you don’t have a microphone handy, you can still rock out with these books. Hey ho, let’s go!

The Wishbones by Tom Perotta

Dave Raymond is 31, lives with his parents, and plays with a New Jersey wedding band, The Wishbones. Do his dreams of rock stardom keep him from growing up? You bet. Does he propose to his long-time girlfriend anyway, in the hopes of maturing? He sure does. Will this novel keep you entertained with its hilarious misadventures? Count on it.

The Commitments by Roddy Doyle

When you think of soul music, you may not think of Dublin, but Jimmy Rabitte is determined to change that. Never mind that the ragtag bunch of Ireland’s working class comprising The Commitments don’t all have musical talent… or even get along. This funny, feisty book will have you rooting for “Dublin’s hardest working band.”

A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan

Where there’s rock ‘n’ roll, there’s often dysfunction. Egan’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel illustrates that beautifully as its interconnecting stories follow a group connected to the music industry. There’s Bennie, an aging record exec that ingests gold dust, his kleptomaniac assistant Sasha, and an array of equally colorful characters who try fight time and remain relevant in a world youth is king and the song is over before you know it.

The Anomalies by Joey Goebel

You wouldn’t expect to find an 80-year-old, an eight-year-old, a war vet, a wheelchair-bound Satanist, and a guy from the ghetto in the same band, but you’d be wrong. Because these Kentucky misfits are ready to rock. Goebel’s takes this odd bunch on an irreverent journey beyond stereotypes and cynicism, where shared non-conformity results in a pursuit of a collective musical dream.

I’m With The Band: Confessions of a Groupie by Pamela Des Barres

If there’s anyone who lived by the “sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll” motto, it’s Des Barres. She has no qualms about calling herself a groupie, or about detailing her adventures in the 60’s and 70’s as a flower child gone wild. She’s also not afraid to kiss and tell, with juicy stories involving numerous rock legends including Elvis Presley, Jim Morrison, Mick Jagger, and Jimmy Page.

The Ground Beneath Her Feet by Salman Rushdie

When your book inspires a song of the same name by one of the biggest rock bands in the world (U2), you know you’re doing something right. Rushdie’s novel, a take on the Orpheus and Eurydice tale, has dashes of magical realism and sci-fi, and rewrites decades of pop culture. The story follows two men and their love for the same woman, but the backdrop is an alternate history of rock and roll from the 1950s to the 1990s.

Don’t Sleep With Your Drummer by Jenny Sincero

28-year-old Jenny Troianni quits her job in advertising to become a rock goddess. Should be simple enough, right? Of course not. But that’s what makes this novel, written in journal format with additional “Notes to Self” such a fun read. Get ready to cheer for Jenny through her big dreams and bad choices in this quirky tale of the music industry roller coaster.

Turn Around Bright Eyes: The Rituals and Love of Karaoke by Rob Sheffield

This rock journalist’s memoir follows him as a young widower finding solace in the arms of karaoke. He offers a cultural history on the kitschy pastime, many anecdotes of his own karaoke outings, and an offbeat take on music as a force of salvation. If you’ve never been swept up in the power of karaoke, this book may inspire you to get behind the mic. At the very least it’s sure to make you smile, and get a song or two stuck in your head.

We’re really excited to be publishing Sam Maggs’s first book, The Fangirl’s Guide to the Galaxy.  And not just because she appreciates the film Pacific Rim and understands when we say we have a “drift compatible” author / publisher relationship.

Although that is certainly part of it.

There’s a lot planned for this book’s debut. We released an epic poster at New York Comic Con (that subsequently took on a life of its own on Tumblr); we revealed the cover on The Nerdist; we’re putting together a blog tour; and Sam is busy lining up epic appearances at conventions throughout Canada and here in the States.

But what about YOU? Well, we’ve put together a pre-order campaign, just for you Sam Maggs fans out there. Read on to find out how you can get signed bookplates, limited signed posters, and other awesome Fangirl swag.

NOTE FOR ALL PRE-ORDER-ERS: To enter, email a photo or a screenshot of your receipt to marketing@quirkbooks.com with the subject line "Fangirl Pre-order." Make sure you send us your shipping address with your entry!

Also tweet #FangirlGuide to unlock some of the higher levels.

This campaign is open to US and Canada only. 

FIRST TIER: THE SIGNED BOOKPLATE

Fangirl Level: Squee!, Status: OPEN, UNLIMITED (Until Pub Date)

EVERYONE WHO ENTERS WINS THIS!

Want to get a signed bookplate to place in your brand new, shiny copy of The Fangirl’s Guide to the Galaxy? Pre-order a copy, email marketing@quirkbooks.com with a screenshot of your receipt and the subject line "Fangirl Pre-order" and you'll receive a free, signed bookplate from Sam Maggs to sticker inside of your book!

On Twitter? Tell your friends you pre-ordered by using the hashtag #FangirlGuide! The more pre-orders that roll in, the more perks get unlocked!  

SECOND TIER: LIMITED FANGIRL BUTTON PACK

Fangirl Level: I Ship It, Status: LOCKED, 50 Packs Available!

UNLOCKS AT 25 PRE-ORDERS

A button pack of fangirl terminology, custom curated by Sam Maggs! These buttons read "I'm The Doctor, Not A Companion!" Each pack comes with five buttons.

Once open, the first 50 pre-order-ers will get a button pack, as well as a signed bookplate. Email marketing@quirkbooks.com with a screenshot of your receipt and the subject line "Fangirl Pre-order," and keep tweeting with the hashtag #FangirlGuide! There are more perks to unlock!

THIRD TIER: LIMITED SIGNED POSTER

Fangirl Level: ZOMG!, Status: LOCKED, 200 Available!

UNLOCKS AT 50 PRE-ORDERS

Want a copy of The Fangirl’s Guide to the Galaxy poster, which features Sam Maggs’s Fangirl Manifesto on it? This poster took off on Tumblr, went quickly at New York Comic Con, and we’ve got a few left just for you!

The first 200 pre-orders to email a photo or a screenshot of their receipt to marketing@quirkbooks.com with the subject line "Fangirl Pre-order" will receive a free, limited signed poster from Sam Maggs. And again, keep tweeting with that hashtag, you guys, Let’s unlock these bigger perks.

FOURTH & FINAL TIER: THE WONDER WOMAN

Fangirl Level: EPIC, Status: LOCKED, 1 Available

UNLOCKS AT 500 TWEETS WITH THE #FANGIRLGUIDE HASHTAG

THE FINAL LEVEL! One lucky pre-order-er will score a special Fangirl’s Convention Survival Kit, curated by Sam Maggs. Inside, you’ll find everything pictured below. You’ll also get a pin pack, bookplate, and a signed poster.

Contents of the Fangirl’s Convention Survival Kit include: Strong Female Character Tote Bag, water bottle, poster tube, Cards Against Humanity, colorful Sharpies, sewing kit, hand sanitizer, hand moisturizer, and lip balm!

So come on, start sending us your entries! Email a photo or a screenshot of your receipt to marketing@quirkbooks.com with your shipping address, and the subject line "Fangirl Pre-order." And don't forget to tweet with the hashtag #FangirlGuide.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The campaign ends on April 7! Pre-order now--there are only 4 days left!

The prequels are upon us! Over the next few months, Ian Doescher’s epic William Shakespeare’s Star Wars trilogy will become even more epic, as Phantom of Menace, The Clone Army Attacketh, and Tragedy of the Sith’s Revenge hit bookstores everywhere.

Today, we’re launching the pre-order campaign for Phantom of Menace, due out April 7th. You’ll have a chance to get a free signed bookplate from Ian Doescher, and the opportunity to win all kinds of awesome swag, including posters and custom written sonnets! Note, the campaign is open to US and Canada only. 

Read on!

FIRST TIER: THE SIGNED BOOKPLATE

Jedi Level: Youngling, Status: OPEN, UNLIMITED (Until Pub Date)

Want a signed bookplate for your copy of Phantom of Menace? If you pre-order a copy and emailmarketing@quirkbooks.com a screenshot or photo of your receipt, you’ll receive a free, signed bookplate from Ian Doescher to sticker inside of your book!

On Twitter? Tell your friends you pre-ordered, and use the hashtag #PhantomOfMenace!

SECOND TIER: THE CLONE ARMY ATTACKETH POSTER PACK

Jedi Level: Padawan, Status: LOCKED, 100 Posters Available!

We created some gorgeous posters to promote the second prequel, The Clone Army Attacketh! These will be given away at events like New York Comic Con. Now’s your chance to score one of these!

This perk unlocks once we hit 50 pre-orders.

Once open, the first 100 pre-order-ers will get a poster as well as their signed bookplate. Email your receipt to marketing@quirkbooks.com  

THIRD TIER: FRAMED, SIGNED POSTER

Jedi Level: Knight, Status: LOCKED, 5 Available!

While the second tier’s posters come folded and in an envelope (but don’t worry, we’ll be careful, we’re collectors ourselves!), this particular perk is a FRAMED, SIGNED POSTER from Ian! Maybe he’ll even write a little verse on it, just for you. Knowing him, that’s almost a certainty.

Once we’ve hit 100 pre-orders, this tier will unlock. Once unlocked, five random pre-order-ers will win a framed 14x24 poster, signed by Ian. We’ll email the winners on pub date.

Winners will be selected at random using Random.org in our spreadsheets.

FOURTH TIER: SIGNED TRILOGY BOXSET

Jedi Level: Master, Status: LOCKED, 5 Available

At last, you’re a Master Jedi. Congrats. At this tier, five lucky pre-order-ers will get a signed boxset of the William Shakespeare’s Star Wars trilogy!

This pre-order perk unlocks once we hit 200 pre-orders. After that, five lucky pre-order-ers will get a signed boxset, as well as bookplate and poster.  We’ll let you know on the book’s publication date, when the pre-order campaign ends.

FIFTH TIER: CUSTOM SONNET FROM IAN DOESCHER

Jedi Level: Luke, Status: LOCKED, 3 Available

You’ve reached the final tier! Once we’ve hit 500 pre-orders, we’ll unlock this level!

At this level, three very lucky random pre-order-ers will score a special custom written sonnet from Ian Doescher about a topic of your choosing! He’ll sign it in your book, or on a sheet of paper that you can frame. Up to you. We’ll work with you and Ian to get the sonnet sent your way. 

Leslie Knope is perfect. She’s smart, passionate, intensely loyal, a binder-making aficionado, caring, resourceful, honest, a gift-giving master, and driven to make Pawnee the best place to live for its residents. If Amy Poehler is even a tenth of her character—minus the Jerry/Terry/Larry/Garry bullying—I want to be her friend so we can eat waffles while discussing her favorite books.

While Parks & Recreation may have wrapped up its final season, I'm busy re-watching the older episodes. And as any fan of the show will tell you, Leslie Knope and her colleagues love their books, no matter how fake (well, except for one, kinda) they might be. Let's take a look at some of the titles that have appeared over the course of the show's run.

So let’s start with two books written by Leslie. One is about a waffle so it’s obviously amazing. Possibly delicious.

Parks and Recreations s4e21 “Bus Tour”

Leslie wrote and published Groffle, The Awful Waffle. I just need to know if the book comes with a plate of waffles, bacon, and a syrup river or if I need to supply my own? Oh, and does it come with a bib because as I’m sure Andy will agree, syrup has a mind of it’s own and that mind likes to drip on your clothes.

Parks and Recreations s4e3 “Born & Raised”

"I wrote a book. The first historical guide to Pawnee. I wrote it as a reference for myself, but then, my campaign advisors said we should make it a big, wide release. So we had people contribute, we added pictures, and we removed a lot of my poems and emotional ramblings and pictures of unicorns, and here it is!” Even Ron is willing to read it, "Usually, I only read nautical novels and my own personal manifestos, but I'm proud to make this exception.” Now that’s an endorsement!

A made up book for the show... that you can actually buy Pawnee: The Greatest Town in America.

Parks and Recreations s4e3 “Born & Raised”

Desperate for her book to get a Joan Callamezzo’s book club sticker (sorry, Oprah) Leslie reveals a previous selection, The Time Traveler’s Optometrist. She claims it’s “unreadable” but I don’t know, it sounds a bit like Encino Man meets King Lear if you swap truth-blindness for love-blindness. Okay, I’m reaching but if a book sounds truly terrible it makes me curious enough to kinda want to read it.

Parks and Recreations s6e7 “Fluoride”

Chris Traeger reveals some hilarious parenting books in Season 6. Are You Gonna Crawl My Way, I’d Like to Solve the Puzzle of Parenting, and Rad Dads.

Parks and Recreations s7e2 “Ron and Jammy”

Leslie would never add Joan’s book to her book club. But April would. She loves train-wreck Joan so much she hopes she’s her real mom. If it has a lot of chandelier-swinging-washing-machine-riding dating stories I’m with April and would like a copy please.

Parks and Recreations s7e5 “Gryzzlbox”

Two words: Joe. Biden.

Parks and Recreations s5e14 “Leslie and Ben”

BONUS PICK: Step aside Leslie-written books and anything by Joe Biden. This might not be readable, but this dress Ann Perkins made has to get an honorable mention.

---

What were some of your favorite bookish moments in Parks & Rec? Share them in the comments!

It's almost time to say goodbye (forever--I'm not ready) to Glee, the show we all love (or, as is probably more appropriate, love to hate). I've spent too much time thinking about the literary preferences of our favorite Glee characters, and below I'm sharing what books I think rest on the nightstands of the singing misfits.

Finn Hudson | The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien: I don't think Finn owned many books in his younger days, but he most likely took this one out of the library once (he was grounded and the Lima Public Library was the only place he was allowed to go) and never returned it.

Rachel Berry | Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli: Tired of being an outcast, Rachel discovered this book in middle school and has kept it close to her heart ever since.

Kurt Hummel | Studio Saint-Ex by Ania Szado: This book has all of Kurt's favorite things--the fashion industry, the French language, and romantic love affairs. 

Santana Lopez | Rat Queens by Kurtis J. Wiebe: There is no way Santana doesn't own a volume called Sass & Sorcery. She is absolutely interested in unapologetically badass women.

Sam Evans | The Geek's Guide to Dating by Eric Smith: Sam's adorable and all, but he really needs some help when it comes to relationships. This book is his bible.

Tina Cohen-Chang | Through the Woods by Emily Carroll: I firmly believe that Tina's goth phase was a sign that she loves everything horror. Tina also has difficulty dealing with reality, so this collection of stories is her perfect escape.

Noah Puckerman (aka Puck) | The Twelve-Fingered Boy by John Hornor Jacobs: So this book was probably given to Puck by a really cool, hip, and intelligent English teacher. He read it. He liked it. He went out and secretly bought himself a copy so he could read it again.

Sue Sylvester | The Soul of It All by Michael Bolton: For some reason, Sue is completely obsessed with Bolton and has told the entire world that he's the father of her baby. There's no doubt in my mind that she has memorized every word of this book.

Brittany S. Pierce | The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman: Like many, Brittany read this when she was a child. Unlike many, Brittany's super intelligence allowed her to understand even the most complicated concepts in the book. She loves the adventure, but she also loves how much the book makes her think. 

Blaine Anderson | The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon: Dalton Academy expects a lot from its students, so there's no doubt in my mind that Blaine was raised on literary fiction. He likes this one because he sort of has a thing for superheroes (see photo above).

Will Schuester | If You Give A Mouse A Cookie by Laura J Numeroff: There was a time when Will ate a cookie every lunch hour. Now that he has a kid at home, this is his picture book of choice.

Quinn Fabray | How to Build a Girl by Caitlin Moran: Remember when Quinn went through her punk phase? She'd definitely love this book.

Mike Chang | The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky: This book is shy and philosophical, just like Mike. 

Mercedes Jones | Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling: Mercedes most likely adores Mindy Kaling and has highlighted every sentence in this book. She can't wait for Kaling's next book to come out this year.

Emma Pillsbury (or maybe Schuester...did she change her name?) | The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin: Emma is 100% the type to read this book. You know it.

Artie Abrams | Sex Criminals by Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky: The humor in this comic is the perfect fit for Artie. 

Kitty Wilde | To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han: Kitty is definitely that cool girl at school that goes home and updates her YA book blog. Jenny Han is probably her favorite author. 

Do you agree or disagree with my headcanon? Do you have any recommendations for characters I've missed (solely for time constraints, by the way--there are many characters I love not on this list)?

Let me know in the comments!

It's easy to assume famous writers were recognized as geniuses in their own time. A classic now is a classic then is a classic always, right? Not so. In fact, sometimes the authors themselves died firstand went to their graves with no idea about their impending cultural and literary prominence. Here are few examples you might not have expected!

Samuel Pepys: “Who?” is possibly the first thing you said on this entry, and I don't blame you. Samuel Pepys (pronounced PEEPS) didn't pen any of the great novels you've pored through, on your own or in school. He didn't fight in any great battles, he didn't unify a nation or have an exciting political career. Hell, he didn't even murder a lot of people in an interesting way.

But... he kept a diary.

For ten years, beginning on January 1^st 1660, Pepys began chronicling his day to day life as a naval administrator in London. His entries weren't always long or detailed, but they were extremely regular, providing a remarkable day-by-day window into life in 1600s London. This is a helluvaperiod to be chronicling, being both the Restoration era, the time of the Great Plague of London,and the Great Fire of London. After ten years, he stopped keeping it reliably. He continued to live his life. Eventually, he died, in 1703. The diary itself wasn't published until the 1800s, when it became popular and the important historical document it is now understood to be.

Important though it is... it's also a lot of fun. We always read about the great figures in history, but the simple fact is, Samuel Pepys is kind of a tool. From the diary, we encounter what feels like a boring person in an exciting period of history, mainly just complaining about things or talking about his day in the most boring way possible. Also, his wife has had it up to here with his shit – justifiably so – and this becomes a recurring theme throughout the diary. Because, as I mentioned... he was a tool. It's amazing fun to read. And if you don't want to read all ten years at once, why not subscribe to the Samuel Pepys Twitter Account and have him grumbling his way through the 1600s right there in your feed. He fits in remarkably well. He was a blogger and tweeter well before the rest of us, our Mister Pepys.

Emily Dickinson: You probably know who Emily Dickinson is (and if you don't: she was an American poet, and she's pretty famous. Get with the program!). But you perhaps don't know is her publishing history, or utter lack thereof, which is a poignant and fascinating story. In her lifetime, Emily Dickinson published one or two poems. Total. She doesn't seem to have been happy with something about publishing, or appearing in print perhaps, and declined to publish further after that. A few of her poems appeared in newspapers anonymously, and it is presumed they were published without her knowledge by her only actual audience, her family and friends. She was an intensely private, shy person, all her life.

But after Dickinson's death, her sister Lavinia discovered almost 1800 poems of Emily's, all unpublished. She had never stopped writing and had been a remarkable and prolific talent... but she simply did the work, then kept the writing carefully shelved in her rooms. Nobody seemed to know about them. She left no instructions, upon her death, for what to do with them.

The story of how they came to be published is a long and interesting one, but it fascinates me how irrelevant it all was to Emily Dickinson herself. The writing was the thing, and she didn't seem to care beyond that. It wasn't that she failed to publish and gain acclaim within her lifetime. She just didn't seem to want to, or even try for it.

(Also, random trivia for you: quite a lot of Emily Dickinson's poems can be sung to the tune of “The Yellow Rose of Texas”. Make of this what you will.)

Herman Melville: Both Samuel Pepys and Emily Dickinson wrote their works for themselves, and that seems to have been it. Not so for Herman Melville, though. His writerly aspirations are much more familiar to us. He was writing and publishing and he wanted to succeed. And more than that... he was succeeding. For a little while.

His first two books were Typee: A Peep at Polynesian Life, which was an instant bestseller, and its follow-up Omoo: A Narrative of Adventures in the South Seas, which also did extremely well. The problem is, when he followed these popular “look at these weird foreigners! Look at my adventures at sea” stories with other, different works...the public responded with no particular interest. He had been pigeonholed into writing adventures at the high seas.

So he began work, eventually, on a book called Moby Dick, or, The Whale. It was meant to be a nice normal sized novel about an obsessed Captain Ahab hunting the White Whale, and we follow long in the stead of a man named Ishmael. You know the story. As he wrote, however, the book ballooned wildly from a slim volume of sea adventure into the gigantic tome we know today. He was obsessive about writing it, certain he was onto something brilliant, and the book completely ran away from him. (And you can tell. Studying Moby Dick is funny and interesting. There are way too manycharacters than there should be sailors on that boat, for one thing. And there is a strange character who turns up a couple of times who was clearly meant to be the book's main character, from the descriptions. Once, we describe him in awe-inspired detail. Ages later, he is mentioned againbecause he died earlier off-page.)

Moby Dick was a disaster. It was too big and too weird for everyone. The reading public hated it immediately. Critics considered the public's hatred of it, nodded, then dogpiled their own loathing on top of it. It just could not have been a bigger failure for Melville.

He kept trying to write, but Moby Dick had sunk him. His further writings did nothing much. By 1876, all of his books were out of print. Eventually, he retired and began working, taking up a customs job and turning to booze. At the end of his life, decades on, there was some small interest in him again, but that fizzled out when he went and died. And that was that, until the 1920s, when an interest in Melville began to slowly come to life.

You know the result of that revival now, of course. Moby Dick lives on as a classic. The idea of Ahab and the white whale are ingrained into our pop culture, well known even to people who have never glimpsed that big weird (wonderful) book.

The moral of these stories? Cheer up about that rejection letter, buddy! Maybe decades after you're dead you'll be recognized as a genius! Look, I'm trying to be positive here. 

According to the Chinese Zodiac, 2015 is the Year of the Goat. The Chinese Zodiac has a twelve-year cycle where an animal has been designated to each year. The Year of the Goat is the eighth year of this cycle.

Fun fact: Authors Doris Lessing, Iris Murdoch, and Alice Munro were born in the year of the Goat. So were Toni Morrison and John le Carré.

It is said that the year of one’s birth sign can be unlucky. So, for those born in the Year of the Goat, 2015 might turn out to be a tough year. But don’t worry. Each Chinese Zodiac animal comes with its own set of lucky numbers, colors, directions, and months. Based on what is lucky for Goats, we have selected some books to read until the Year of the Monkey takes over in 2016.

Lucky Numbers: 2 and 7.

The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien: The Two Towers is the second book in J.R.R. Tolkien’s trilogy The Lord of the Rings. What could be luckier than the second book in a trilogy that also has the number two in its title?

A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon Jones: Marlon Jones’ novel A Brief History of Seven Killings was named as one of the top ten books of 2014 by The New York Times. The novel is a tale that follows a group of unscrupulous characters over the course of thirty years, from the streets of Kingston in Jamaica to New York City and back.

Lucky Colors: Brown, Red, and Purple.

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson: Winner of multiple awards, critically acclaimed Brown Girl Dreaming is a memoir in verse, telling the story of Jacqueline Woodson’s childhood during the civil rights era.

Red: My Uncensored Life in Rock by Sammy Hagar: In his autobiography Red: My Uncensored Life in Rock, singer Sammy Hagar gives the inside scoop on Van Halen, alien encounters, and making a fortune on tequila.

Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: Set in Nigeria, Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a novel about the life of a family in which the father rules with an iron fist in the name of religion. During the upheaval caused by a military coup, sister and brother Kambili and Jaja are sent away to live with relatives. After encountering a way of life different from their own, conflicts escalate when the family is reunited.

Lucky Direction: North.

North: The New Nordic Cuisine of Iceland by Gunnar Karl Gíslason and Jody Eddy: Equal parts recipe book and culinary odyssey, North: The New Nordic Cuisine of Iceland by chefs Gunnar Karl Gíslason and Jody Eddy takes the reader on a foodie adventure through the land of volcanoes, glaciers, and geysers.

Lucky Months: August and November.

August: Osage County by Tracy Letts: Critically acclaimed and a success on Broadway, the play August: Osage County by Tracy Letts places the dysfunctional family under the microscope. In addition to being released in book form, the play was adapted, in 2013, into a movie where Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, and Juliette Lewis went head to head.

November by Gustave Flaubert: November by Gustave Flaubert is an intimate novel about a young man and a prostitute who find each other while searching for love and companionship.

The Book of the Year in the Year of the Goat

The Men Who Stare at Goats by Jon Ronson: The Men Who Stare at Goats by Jon Ronson is a book about the U.S. Army’s experiments with the paranormal. The book’s title comes from the psychological experiment of attemtping to kill goats by staring at them. I have chosen The Men Who Stare at Goats as the book of the year, not only because of its title, but also because Ronson was born in the Year of the Goat (1967). 

(Is that right? Did I use “bae” right, trendmongers and #coolteenz of the internet? Please LMK!!)

Being in love is grand! The initial infatuation, the late nights together, the way the pages whisper when you turn them...really, the best long-term relationship in life is the one you have with books. 

Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to treat the special ~tome-one~ in your life to some stylish bookish accessories. Whether it’s a new bookmark, a decadent slipcover, or a nifty ex libris plate to stake your claim, pick up a treat for your every BFFL (book-friend-for-life) this February 14. Need something shipped last minute? You can scope out the Quirk Zazzle store. 

Metal Feather Bookmark, $14

This elegant avian-inspired placeholder from ChusCraft will make your book feel fancy and feathered.

Crocheted Red Rose Bookmark, $14.50

Spoil your book love with this elegant symbol of True Love from CreacionesSusana.

Candy Hearts Magnetic Bookmark, $10

Or clip your page in place with this SO FINE bookmark from BookInz.

Tweed Book Cover, $38.46

Keep that special book cozy and warm in the February gloom with this perky pink slipcover fromWhimsyWooDesigns.

Leather Book Cover, $46

Or get extra-elegant with this sumptuous leather case from PandJLeatherWorks.

Vintage Valentine Bookplates, $16.95 for 24

Let the world know that book is YOURS with one of these sweet stick-ons from Oiseaux.

Book Weight in “Notting Hill,” $10

For those romantic dinners with you and your book, this handy, hefty gadget fromMyRainyDayDesigns helps your reading stay put.

“LOVE” bookends, $64

Treat your faves and keep them snug with these bookends by DesignAtelierArticle.

Heart bookends, $59

Or corral your collection with these dainty pink <3s from MapleShadeKids.

Rustic love bookends, $35

OR try this pair, complete with sweet nothings, from BlessingandLight.

Hello, hello Miss Peregrine fans!

For the last week we’ve been keeping a secret but can finally reveal exciting news.

Ransom Riggs’s follow-up to Hollow City: The Second Novel of Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children has a title and we're in love.

Drumroll, please!

Library of Souls: The Third Novel of Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children

Entertainment Weekly revealed the title on February 6 and they have an exclusive first look at an excerpt from the book along with some vintage photography that you may find. Head on over and check it out!*

Library of Souls goes on sale on September 22, 2015 and is available for preorder.

While you’re waiting for the third book, continue to visit QuirkBooks.com and follow Ransom Riggs on Twitter (@ransomriggs) for more information, giveaways, and reveals.

And if you loved Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children and haven’t read Hollow City yet, be sure to pick up a paperback edition on February 24, 2015.

*Spoiler Alert: Ransom Riggs warns that if you haven't finished Hollow City then you should hold off on reading the excerpt for Library of Souls.

Ways To Ask Someone to Be Your Bookish Valentine

“Is love an art? Then it requires knowledge and effort.” 
― Erich Fromm, The Art of Loving

Valentine’s Day may be the most bookish of holidays. Think about it. What other holiday encourages people memorize Byron, compare each other to a summer’s day, or sweat over the syntax of a note scrawled on a Pokemon themed card pack from CVS? (Who wouldn’t want to spend the Eevee-ning with you?)

February 14th gained its modern day romantic roots from the Father of English Literature during the High Middle Ages. Geoffrey Chaucer didn't only tell bawdy tales and write poetry about mating birds, but also encouraged a bit of courtly love that evolved into the flowers, chocolates, and little notes we're all familiar with today.

So, if the above quote is to be believed, where better to gain knowledge and bond with someone special than over a book? Stories not only help us discover ourselves, but learn a little about each other. Who hasn’t evaluated a potential love interest based on a furtive glance at their bookshelf? 

In honor of its literary roots, here are some ways to ask that special someone to be your bookish Valentine. 

Slip a note into the book they’re reading

Simple but effective. Be sly. Ask to see the book that they’re reading and use some sleight of hand to slip in a little note with check boxes for “yes,” “no,” or “maybe.” If you’re in a pinch, place the note into your own book, feign illiteracy, and ask them to read a passage you’re “struggling” with. 

If you really want to be smooth, make copies of your note and put them in all of your books. Then ask your potential Valentine to pick one, any one. It’s like a magic trick that never fails to amaze. 

Carve out an old book to hold chocolates

How dare ye desecrate a sacred tome?! All is fair in love and homemade V-day gifts.

Hollow out those pages in the name of romance and confectionery delights. Combined with the previous suggestion, your special someone can start collecting the whole romantic series.

Note on the photo: Don’t be a jerk and use a library book.

Make a dozen paper roses from pages of their favorite novel

A bit of personal handiwork never goes unappreciated on Valentine’s Day. Download a pattern from the internet, quick draw that glue gun from its holster, and get crafting. 

Again, you have my permission to desecrate a book in the name of love. Just, don’t destroy THEIR copy.

Track down their favorite author and ask them to sign a book with a special V-Day message

This one takes a bit of long-term planning and a whole lot of luck, but if it works, you have a bona-fide Valentine’s Day miracle sure to get you a peck on the cheek. Just make sure the note the author leaves doesn’t sound like THEY’RE asking out your prospective Valentine’s Day companion. Things might get a bit awkward.

Are they a fan of detective novels? Give them a series of clues to find their way to their femme/homme fatale

Just, take it easy on the red herrings. An easy riddle to lead them to the location of their secret admirer works wonder. Maybe circle words on a page to get your riddle across. Avoid the whole letters-cut-from-a-magazine approach since it might send the wrong sort of message.

K.I.S.S. (keep it simple stupid) so they can solve the mystery and reward you with a real smooch.

Dress like a character from their favorite romance novel cover and serenade them at their window (e.g., Fabio singing Mmmmm Bop)

For this you’re going to need:

1. A low cut shirt (this applies to both men and women)

2. High velocity fan

3. Long hair or a wig to flow in the wind created by aforementioned fan

4. Musical instrument/boombox

5. An ocean of confidence and no shame whatsoever It’s also imperative you pick the right song. If they don’t like it, you may end up like Fabio and get hit in the face with a high velocity goose.

A long coat and ghetto blaster are your last resort. Castle backdrop is optional.

With a little courage, knowledge, and effort, you’ll tumble into that romantic ravine with your Valentine whispering “As you wish.”

If they say “Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya; you killed my father; prepare to die,” no amount of paper roses and dewey decimal sorted chocolates is going to save you.

I don't think we've ever had a BookLikes giveaway month this epic before. Seriously. So many books. Too many books? Possibly. 

Here's what you can enter to win on BookLikes this month. 

* Hollow City by Ransom Riggs (Until February 15th!)

* The Fangirl's Guide to the Galaxy by Sam Maggs

* Summer Cocktails by Maria del mar Sacasa

* Find Momo Coast to Coast by Andrew Knapp

* Manhattan Mayhem (Sampler) by Mary Higgins Clark

* Nick & Tesla's Special Effects Spectacular by Steve Hockensmith & Science Bob

Go forth, and good luck! 

When it comes to reading during the Superbowl, we are pros here at the Quirk HQ. Our own Blair Thornburgh dished out some handy tips last year. 

But what if you actually want to get into football, like all your pals at the Superbowl party you've been dragged to? The crew over at Ninja Essays whipped up this great NFL Reads Infographic, which we've embeded below. Lots of great books worth checking out!