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[source: Warner Brothers Entertainment]

Ocean’s Eight came out last month and we were pumped. Well, we’d be even more excited if there were more than, um, eight women in the crew, but that feeling is subdued every time we watch that gorgeous trailer. So, while this isn’t an Ocean’s Fourteen situation – or even a complete reboot of Ocean’s Eleven – we appreciated the gesture and were first in line at the theater opening weekend. But it got us thinking: In our dream Hollywood, what heist movies would we give an all-female reboot?

[source: Universal Pictures]

The Sting (1973)

In The Sting, Paul Newman and Robert Redford play two con men hell-bent on outsmarting a 1936 mob boss. It’s a classic heist movie set during the Depression and we’d be surprised if reboot isn’t already being kicked around. Our version would update the script, setting it in the Chicago of today. Marisa Tomei and Constance Wu would play the Paul Newman and Robert Redford analogs, respectively, and “the sting” would be taking down a corrupt local politician.

[source: Gramercy Pictures]

The Usual Suspects (1995)

We’re eager to replace Kevin Spacey’s entire cannon and The Usual Suspects is an excellent place to start. In this neo-noir heist movie, Verbal (Kevin Spacey) recounts via interrogation the events leading up to a horrific shootout aboard a boat. The inciting incident of this massacre was a police lineup that brought together, as if randomly, five conmen. In our reboot of The Usual Suspects, Samira Wiley would play Verbal, with Rachel Brosnahan, Jameela Jamil, Tiya Sircar, and Tessa Thompson rounding out the suspects.

[source: Warner Brothers Entertainment]

Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

In Dog Day Afternoon, Sal (John Cazale) and Sonny (Al Pacino) attempt to rob First Brooklyn Savings Bank to pay for a loved one’s surgery. But the plot turns out to be a complete bust; Sal and Sonny arrived after the daily cash pickup and there’s nothing to steal. The whole thing quickly turns into a media circus and while any other screenwriter would take advantage of the inherent comedy, Frank Pierson decided instead to dive into the humanity of these one-time criminals. In our version, the Sonny character would be played by Hannah Simone, with Gina Rodriquez as Sal.

[source: Universal Pictures]

The Fast and the Furious (2001)

The Fast and the Furious franchise lives large in our cultural zeitgeist, but in case you’ve been living in a bunker for the last sixteen years, here’s the gist: Brian O’Connor, a Los Angeles police officer, must decide where his loyalty truly lies when he’s sent undercover to destroy a street racing gang. Imagine how badass it would be to see an all-female street racing gang on the big screen! We’re thinking Lucy Liu in the Vin Diesel role, natch, with Lupita Nyong’o as the undercover police officer and Mackenzie Davis, America Ferrera, Awkwafina, and Hana Mae Lee rounding out the crew.

[source: Warner Brothers]

Saturday, July 7 is World Chocolate Day and we have cocoa and sugar on the brain. To celebrate this (totally valid, completely real) holiday, we’re looking back at some of our favorite chocoholics in pop culture – with a literary bent! Would you expect anything less?

[source: The Geffen Film Company]

In the movie Beetlejuice, newly ghosted Barbara and Adam received the Handbook for the Recently Deceased, a guide for those beginning their post-livelihood. Little of the handbook is discussed in the film—Adam has trouble reading it, but then, he thinks the title is Handbook for the Recently Diseased. Goth teen Lydia has no problem paging through it, so the problem may be more with Adam than the book itself. Judge for yourself, with these excerpts:

[source: original author photo]

Moving. Decluttering. Massive spontaneous bookshelf collapse. All are good reasons to consider re-homing some well-loved books. But where should those books go? It’s not like you can summon a magical book dragon to whisk them away to an enchanted library (though, if you have connections like that, tweet us the deets at @quirkbooks). Here are some wonderful ways to share your used books that are fun for you and benefit the community.

An UFO is an unidentified flying object, which could mean many things other than a vessel carrying visitors from space, but we still plan to spend World UFO Day imagining not-quite-human possibilities with the little readers in our lives. When you hear alien, your mind might automatically imagine stereotypical “little green men,” but these picture books show that extraterrestrial life comes in all shapes, sizes, and circumstances – science fiction, but with undeniable timely relevance. In each selection, you’ll find aliens with much in common with humans, from a love of cupcakes to homesickness. Imagination sparked, craft your own alien and spacecraft (handy tutorial linked below)!

[source: by Pexels on Pixabay]

“Great beach reading for the summer!”

“Be sure to toss this new title in your beach bag – next to the sunglasses and SPF 50!”

“The perfect paperback for poolside sunbathing!”

Ever feel like summer reading means you have to head to the beach and the rays to get your reading done?