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There’s nothing funnier than a good dramatic reading. It’s an art (I’m using the term loosely) that all literary-minded people can appreciate. Sometimes a book (or a song or a poem) is written so horribly that it needs to be analyzed, with special attention given to every sentence, every word, every thought. While the writing may not be all that spectacular, the performers are certainly talented. I don’t know how any of the following can get through a dramatic reading without bursting into laughter. Props to them.

Here’s a compilation of the best dramatic readings the Internet has to offer.

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Media–whether in the form of books, movies, tv, plays, lithographs, or what have you–has been creating unrealistic expectations of human awesomeness for centuries. You don’t think that people were slavering over Romeo in Shakespeare’s time*? And for good reason: made-up guys are just better on paper (talk about storybook romance!) So, forget real-life dudes. Imagine happy days with the following fictional fellows!

I have learned that there are cake people, and there are frosting people.

Throughout the first two seasons of Downton Abbey, we often saw the family and staff of Downton crafting. While Cora and Lavinia were seen creating elegant pieces in the sitting room, embroidery hoops and knitting needles were present in the staff quarters as well.

Though Cora’s dedication to embroidery may have dwindled in the third season, ours has not, with plenty of Downton inspired pieces popping up online. From knit-a-longs that post clues with each new episode, to an intricate “Grantham Arms” bookmark, here are some Downton Abbey inspired crafts to help tide you over between episodes.

Clockwise from right:

1. Dowager Cross Stitch Pattern from Book Pilgrim

2. Christmas at Downton yarn

3. Downton Embroidery Patterns of the Crawley sisters and Matthew Crawley

4. Reenact Mary and Matthew’s wedding with this Downton Clothespin Doll Kit from Regency Austentation –

5. Grantham Arms Cross Stitch bookmark

6. Downton Alphabet Cross Stitch Sampler

William Shakespeare was born today in 1564… maybe. Here’s the truth: we know he died on April 23, 1616 and we know he was baptized on April 26, 1564. Those facts are enough for most of Shakespeare’s biographers, who have decided that his birth and death on the same day of the year is, as Han Solo once said of Luke’s being born and dying (or about to die) on Tatooine, “convenient.” So April 23rd is the day that bookends Shakespeare’s life; he died on (or near) his 52nd birthday.

My love affair with William Shakespeare began in 1991. My brother was a senior in high school, reading Hamlet in his English class. I was a precocious eighth grader eager to emulate my brother, who was four years older but infinitely cooler than I was. On a trip to the Oregon coast, my family stopped at our favorite book store (a glorified flea market), where I bought my first volume of Shakespeare: a worn red copy of Hamlet that looked really, really old. It is from a Scottish publisher — Blackie & Son, Ltd. in Glasgow — with no copyright date.

With National Pretzel Day (April 26) fast approaching, I have no choice but to celebrate; the Philadelphian in me requires it! I’m clearly not alone: Philly loves their pretzels so much that we apparently eat 12 times the national average.

Pretzels have a long history in Pennsylvania, dating back to the 18^th century when the Pennsylvania Dutch introduced soft pretzels to the region. National Pretzel Day was actually instituted in 2003 by none other than Ed Rendell to celebrate the importance of pretzels in Pennsylvania. Although the area is better known for their soft pretzels, legend has it that a Pennsylvania baker “invented” hard pretzels when he accidently left the pretzels in too long. Hard pretzels were also first commercially available from Pennsylvania’s own Sturgis Pretzel House in 1851.

So what better way to celebrate National Pretzel Day than to incorporate them into a delicious dinner recipe? I used Sourdough pretzels in this recipe adapted from Country Living to make another Philadelphia favorite: Fried Chicken! This Pretzel-Crusted “Fried” Chicken is actually baked, but the pretzel crust gives the chicken a nice crunch without deep frying.