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Zombies represent some of our scariest dreams—dying, destruction, invasion, an overall death of society as we know it. They are our collective nightmare. We fear them but we are obsessed with them because they make us question what we would do at the end of the world. Would we step up to the plate and come out guns blazing or would we cower and hide in our basement to try to wait it out? We consume zombie-themed media in the hopes we’ll find inspiration for our inevitable demise in the zombiepocalypse. Though this list could’ve been forever long, the following are some of the best when it comes to undead-ass-kicking inspiration.

Don your fake mustaches, read poetry, and have the biggest case of wanderlust possible. RLS, born November 13, 1850, was not only a talented and creative writer but an extensive traveler, drawing inspiration from around the world for his stories. He spent time in England, of course, but also traveled to France, New York, Hawaii, California, Somoa, and Belgium. If just talking about these beautiful places doesn’t ignite your wanderlust, here are some of the places RLS traveled that would make perfect vacation destinations.

[still from Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, 20th Century Fox]

Stephen King once said, in the original foreword to Night Shift, that “the great appeal of horror fiction…is that it serves as a rehearsal for our own deaths.” With Halloween around the corner, scary stories are everywhere – on TV, on the bookshelves at your local indie, under your bed – but why do we get so excited about stories that give us goosebumps that we turn into something resembling brain-hungry zombies?

Picking the perfect name for your furry friend can be a challenge. And when there's a challenge, what do we turn to? Good ol' literature. October is Adopt a Shelter Pet Month, so to celebrate, we are giving you nine dog and nine cat names inspired by books to help you figure out what to name that wonderful new pet you’re hopefully bringing home from the shelter!

[Photo by Pisit Heng on Unsplash]

Dictionary Day, October 16, is a day to celebrate Noah Webster's birthday—the Father of the American Dictionary. It's a day to learn a new word and increase your vocabulary, a day to say your favorite silly word aloud as many times as you want, and a day to see which words fictional characters probably love saying aloud.

[Still from Stranger Things, Netflix]

Chances are that sometime in the past couple of months, you’ve either binged or at least heard about Netflix’s original series, Stranger Things. And chances are if you’ve binged it, you’re a teeny bit obsessed with it and can’t wait for Season 2 to premiere. Here are 11 (get it?) books we think El would adore—and they'll help to hold you over until Season 2 of Stranger Things. Don't forget to eat all of El's favorite foods to really get you in the spirit.