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Ten Amazing Literary Names For Future Bookish Babies

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It's a truth universally acknowledged that most of us would much rather raise lovers than fighters. What better way to ensure this than to honor your favorite characters from some of history's most romantic literature?

Get inspired by our list of beloved authors, characters and muses who will surely win your affection throughout the ages. "What's in a name?" Juliet Capulet asked, to which we answer, "More than the usual suspects." Here are ten literary-inspired picks for baby bookworms.

Posted by Kim-Thao Nguyen

How to be Awesome at Giving Books as Gifts

 
 
I make it a personal mission to gift books to everyone for every occasion, even if the giftee doesn’t read on a regular basis. If you’re a bookish type of person like myself, chances are good that you like giving books as gifts too. Instead of listening to your friend’s pretend excitement — “Oh, this is perfect! Thank you so much!” — take the following five tips to heart. 

Posted by Maria Vicente

TWO IN A ROW: THE TRUE STORY OF X AND O

 

              

Tic-tac-toe. It’s a familiar game, and we all know the players: the X, the O, locked in an inevitable struggle for control of a 3 x 3 grid. But what’s at the route of their seemingly endless conflict? Is it a friendly rivalry, a long-term grudge, a bitter enmity…or something more complicated?

For the creation of Tic-Tac-Tome, the first-ever book that can play a game of tic-tac-toe, the two adversaries came together for their first major project since the revival of Hollywood Squares. This seemed like an ideal time to try and square their differences.

But even though these two characters sometimes stand in for hugs and kisses, their feelings about each other don’t by any means fit into neat little boxes.

Posted by Rick Chillot

Worst-Case Wednesday: How to Win a Sword Fight

Just because Game of Thrones finished its fourth season and won’t return to our TVs for only the gods know how long doesn’t mean it’s totally over.

Suppose you’re yearning for that excitement of watching one of the epic sword fights and that suspense of not knowing what’s going to happen, and you decide you want to have a sword fight of your own. Or, someone else is feeling this way and challenges you to a duel (you never know).

Whether you have a tiny poker like Arya Stark’s Needle or a big ol’ slab of Valyrian steel, you also have The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook to lead you to victory. And if all else fails, just remember to stick your opponent with the pointy end. Read on to find out how to win a sword fight:

Posted by Marissa Stern

Six Amazing Comics You’ve Probably Never Heard Of

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How many times have you decided to start watching a new television series, only to have it cancelled after a season—or worse, after a precious handful of episodes? The history of television is littered with series that were unfairly cut off at the knees: we all mourn Millennium, Crusade, Birds of Prey and, of course, Firefly. But how many of us can name an equally ill-fated comic series?

X-Men, Superman, and Batman, will go on forever, regardless if anyone actually reads them, and mid-list series like Teen Titans, Swamp Thing, and Young Avengers will stick around for a few good years. But some books seem to have the deck stacked against them from the get-go. Niche subjects and storylines can be successful, but for every SandmanBoneThe Walking Dead or even Hellblazer, there are scores of series that disappeared as fast as they arrived. These are titles that don't fit the “superhero” mold, or that buck even the most alternative of trends. These are the miniseries that never get collected as trade-paperback filler for quarter bins at Wizard World. 
 
Still, I can practically guarantee that every gone-too-soon series was someone's favorite. Commercial success or no, most of these books feature ideas that will intrigue you, writing that will make you think, and artwork that will dazzle and impress. With that in mind, I present six series, unfairly forgotten in the mists of most fanboys' minds but still quite worthy of admiration and investigation.

Posted by David Goodman

What if Dogs Wrote Classic Novels?

The greatest things in the world are, in no particular order, dogs and books. Groucho Marx put it best: "outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read."

But what if you could multiply the best-frienditude and put adorable canines in literature?! Or, as Xzibit would say, "Yo dawg, we heard you like dogs, so we put dogs in your book so you can dog while you dog. Dogs!" Here are six brilliant reimaginings of pup-ular novels.

Posted by Blair Thornburgh