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Covers from Jane Austen to Cover

Last week on Northanger Abbey, friends became less trustworthy, crushes were deepened, and oafish behaviour was endured. What fresh hijinks will our heroine encounter in the bustling metropolis of Bath? We shall soon see!

When I was a kid, I read A Wizard of Earthsea, and I read The Hobbit, and I read The Great Brain, and The Saturdays, and From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, and I read Judy Blume, and I read pretty much everything I could get my hands on, from Choose Your Own Adventure to the Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom novelization, but there is only one book that I look back and am truly thankful for. It’s the book that saved me, the book that made me who I am today, the book that turned me into a writer. It is, of course, Famous Monsters of Filmland’s Star Wars Spectacular.

It's getting cold outside, and the Christmas season is almost upon us (or it already is upon us, if you've been to your local Target lately). People do all sort of crazy things around the holidays, and every family and/or friend group has That Guy. You know who I'm talking about–the one who thinks it's a good idea to reenact the scene from A Christmas Story.

So one minute you're all laughing at what a great joke this is going to be, and the next, your friend or cousin or brother or whoever has gotten their tongue stuck to a cold metal pole. Never fear! The Worst-Case Scenario Handbook: Holidays has a way to fix this.

Halloween is over, but the Old Ones won’t sleep for long. You never know when they’re going to burst out from the shadows, from a closet…or from inside your pie!

Ever since California-based artist Sandy Yoo created a dangerously delicious pie last year, I have yearned to attack this food decoration project. Finally, the time has come! Dear Reader, I must reveal the horrific details of this most dreadfully supercool endeavor, so that you can make your own Piethulhu (did you see what I did there?).

What You’ll Need:

–    Enough pie dough for two 9-inch pie crusts 
–    Pecan pie filling (I used my favorite recipe from Joy of Cooking)
–    Rolling pin
–    Knife
–    Extra pecans

I’m a recipe-follower, so your first step is to find your favorite pecan pie recipe. NOTE: Since it’s all about the crust decoration, you can Cthulhu-ize any type of pie, from Chess to Cherry. I was in the mood for pecan pie, so that’s the way I went. Just hold on to a couple of the berries or nuts you’re using for the filling; you’ll need these for the eyes.

Prep the bottom crust in a greased 9-inch pie pan, and add the pie filling. Set aside. Roll out the second pie crust, nice and thin. 

Begin by making the tentacles. Using a knife (it doesn’t have to be sharp), cut 8-12 tentacles out of the rolled-out pie dough. A good way to do this is to cut one side straight, one side curvy.

We all have one.

That reader whose tastes can never be truly satisfied because they’re holding a candle for Jane Austen. They’re mourning the unfinished Sanditon, they’re saving their pennies to visit Winchester. They celebrate Jane’s birthday every year on Tumblr and are the first to tell you about rumored adaptations of Austen’s work.

Don’t you think they deserve a present that mirrors their devotion? In addition to Jane Austen Cover to Cover? Here are a few solid recs.

Quiet by Susan Cain…

Man, for the longest time I struggled with being "shy." I pushed myself to speak up in meetings; when I was single, I made myself go out to loud bars; and generally did things that I disliked—all in the name of being social and to fit in.

But this book gave me so much insight into myself—it was truly a gift, because I felt as though the book had been written just for me. I'm an introvert, and it reminded me that that's OK. I can go be social, but I also have to balance it out with quiet time.