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A Simple Guide to Celebrating Hobbit Day

Kick off your shoes, chow down on some mushrooms, and whip out the sparklers: it’s time to celebrate Hobbit Day and Tolkien Week. Though there are some discrepancies between the Shire and Gregorian calendars, Hobbit Day – the birthday of both Bilbo and Frodo Baggins – has been celebrated on September 22nd since 1978 and is the kickoff to Tolkien Week.

Many schools, bookstores, and libraries observe the date as a way to focus on Tolkien’s work and pique the interest of new fans, but here at Quirk, we love a good party.

Posted by Jennifer Morell

Ten Excellent YA Chica Lit Novels To Read During Hispanic Heritage Month

Just as the rise of “chick lit” is often credited to Helen Fielding’s debut Bridget Jones’s Diary, the birth of “chica lit” is said to swell from Alisa Valdes’ debut megahit The Dirty Girls Social Club. And if you haven’t guessed already, essentially the genre is a segment of women’s fiction that features a Latina protagonist, and it has a young adult counterpart.
Hispanic Heritage Month kicks off on September 15th (don’t ask me why it starts in the middle of the month), and if you haven’t delved into the world of chica lit, then let me introduce you.

Posted by Diana R. Wallach

Happy Birthday Roald Dahl… Have a Cookie

It’s possible your childhood wasn’t complete without treasured books such as Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and James and the Giant Peach. The master behind these slightly twisted tales, Roald Dahl, would have been a whopping 97 years old on September 13th, and who wouldn’t love a delectable cookie on their birthday?

In honor of Dahl and his dark side (Curious? Dahl didn’t just turn Violet Beauregarde into a giant blueberry … check out My Uncle Oswald) here are boozy bourbon peach cookies, perfect for nibbling along with your afternoon tea, just the way Dahl may have done on his birthday.

Posted by Melissa Ward

Four Unique Ways To Show Off Your Love of Books

If you love it, show it. And I’m not just talking about people, although if you haven’t called your mom today and told her you love her, go ahead and do so.

I love books, I have since I was a kid. So much so that even when people are discussing a book I have no interest in reading, I still love to see their passion for reading. Thanks to the Internet we can now easily share our passions, show our love and get inspired by others love proclamations.

Here are people creatively showing their love for books along with items you can purchase to show yours.

Posted by Jamie Canaves

Craft-A-Thon Summer Roundup!

Here are a few highlights from the Summer Craft-a-thon!

Posted by Sarah Goldschadt

The Cutest of Cthulhus (And Why You Should Fear Them)

Many of us are familiar with H. P. Lovecraft’s infamous literary abhorrence of nature: the cosmic entity known to many as Cthulhu. A behemoth cursed with a writhing mass of facial tentacles and wings upon its colossal back, this Eldritch abomination first emerged to haunt the modern man in Lovecraft’s short story, “The Call of Cthulhu.”

Though slumbering deep beneath the Pacific Ocean within the cursed city of R’lyeh, this creature has slithered his way into popular culture through countless retellings, imagery, and iconography.

Perhaps the most terrifying manifestation of this pitiless monstrosity comes to us in its most unassuming form: something I like to call The Cult of Cutethulhu. Fuzzy, cuddly, and adorably practical, the snuggly visage of Cthulhu will find his way into your heart… And then devour you from within.

Take a look at some of the most spine-chilling artifacts that have infiltrated our hearts and souls:

Plush CthulhuStart indoctrinating your offspring with Eldritch abominations from an early age!

Hello Cthulhu: Cthulhu and Hello Kitty are the perfect duo to take over and consume the world: who could say no to those adorably kawaii proportions?

Knit CthulhuPromoting arts and crafts from Hell! Bonus: Knitting needles double as weaponry upon completion of your woolen horror.

Cthulhu SlippersThese slippers are guaranteed to comfortably lead you to your doom.

Cthulhu MittensKeep the blood of your enemies off your hands with these adorkable mittens!

Cthulhu EarringsThese atrociously precious accessories might whisper Eldritch incantations into your ears, consuming what is left of your sanity and self-awareness.

Cthulhu PurseThe perfect storage unit for your knives, scimitars, throwing stars, brass knuckles, bullwhip, etc. Extra pocket for hand sanitizer and a bleach pen (getting those ichor and blood stains out can be so tricky!).

Julia McCarthy has been known to atomically assemble into a girl with a face and hair when in the presence of other beings. When not corporeally hampered, she enjoys reading, writing, editing, and producing educational software for children’s publishing. She hopes to move to the sovereign island country of Niue to spend her autumn days using Pokemon-themed currency and taking advantage of the free Wi-Fi.

Posted by Julia McCarthy