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Spring is the perfect time for a picnic in the park. Like any food event, the company you keep is what makes a picnic as delightful as can be. The structure of a picnic has a certain je ne sais quoi that makes it more casual and intimate than a fancy dinner party. It’s the perfect time to dive into someone’s brain and learn more about them than is probably necessary.

For these reasons, I’ve chosen six of the perfect literary characters to bring with you on a picnic. (If they were real people, of course.)

1. Albus Dumbledore (Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling): There’s no way I would miss this opportunity. Dumbledore is smart. He has years of knowledge tucked away inside his mind (and even more memories stored elsewhere). A picnic date with Dumbledore would be like meeting with a mentor.

He’d also bring some delicious snacks from the wizarding world, ‘cause we all know Dumblore is all about his sweets.

2. Holly Golightly (Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote): Holly may be a little scattered, but a picnic date with her would certainly be entertaining. I may do nothing but sit and listen to her talk, all the while shaking my head with disbelief, but it’d be an afternoon to remember.

She walks a fine line between endearing and annoying, but at least she’d be content with a simple bagel for lunch with a side of coffee.

3. Jay Gatsby (The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald): It’s a well-known fact that Jay Gatsby can throw a party, but what about a picnic? I’d leave the planning up to him. I can picture it now: a lavish picnic blanket, a catered lunch from only the finest of restaurants, and a bottle of expensive champagne.

The champagne is a vital ingredient: a constant buzz will be necessary to survive Gatsby’s therapy-like rambling about the ups and downs of life.

4. The Mad Hatter (Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll): I can’t begin to imagine the nonsense that would result from having a picnic with the Mad Hatter. Tea and sandwiches cut into four small triangles are the obvious choice for food, and I assume half the conversation would actually be rhymes recited in song-song voices.

I also expect a fabulous hat.

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5. Holden Caulfield (The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger): I can’t lie: I’d choose Holden as a picnic partner solely for the chance to shut him up. Am I the only person who finds Holden insufferable? I’d probably let him whine for a little while before abandoning him completely. Or pushing him into a lake.

6. Matilda Wormwood (Matilda by Roald Dahl): As a book lover myself, a picnic with Matilda would be the perfect chance to learn about every book I need to read that I have yet to find myself. That girl reads like a champion. There’d also be very little work on my part, since Matilda can set up and put away all the food and supplies with a look in her eyes.

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Maria Vicente is an associate literary agent at P.S. Literary Agency. She likes books, coffee, design, & magic. You can find her on Twitter (@MsMariaVicente) or her blog, ibelieveinstory.com.

I love a good dystopian novel as much as the next member of the target 18-25 year old female who reads upwards of 50 books per year demographic, but I’m also a skeptic. Frankly, it takes me a Golden-Gate-sized suspension of disbelief to buy some of these “kill all the kids” and “let’s all wear tunics” scenarios.

Yes, the government’s probably evil, but they’re also not that organized (I mean, just look at how long it takes them to crank out census data every decade. Do you really think they’re going to force everyone to Sorting-Hat themselves into Factions? Think of the paperwork!)

With that in mind, I’ve come up with some realistic, low-stakes dystopian situations for the near future. The next hit series could be here! But probably not!

Set phasers to… sweet Kindle deal? Is that a thing on phasers? Probably not. Whatever.

Today only, Night of the Living Trekkies by Sam Stall and Kevin David Anderson is on sale as a Kindle Daily Deal for $1.99! So go pick up this thrilling zombie story, set during a Star Trek convention. 

And just in case you missed it, check out the amazing trailer. We were really proud of this one. 

A good poem, they say, trips off the tongue. What they don't say is what kind of shoes it's wearing to do so.

NEVER FEAR: in honor of National Poetry Month, we're playing Cinderella and pairing up the rhythmic units of meter with their appropriate poetic footwear. Every poetic foot (for example, the iamb, of Shakespearean pentameter fame: duh DUH) has its own stylistic flavor, and now it's got a stylish shoe to match.

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With April finally here, and the sun (slightly) starting to make a re-appearance, the winter season may finally be behind us. Great news, right? Totally. Except when you remember that warm weather = no more bulky coats and sweaters = time to drag all your shorts and swimsuits out of the closet.

If the thought of having to go anywhere near a pool within the next few months makes you wish for snow again, fear not. With help from The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Life, we have solutions for all your gym worries so you can hit up the exercise machines with confidence and be ready for the beaches that await you.

Disclaimer: this article may also serve to make all of your excuses for not going to the gym irrelevant, so read on with caution.