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Contest is over! Thanks!

Five Days of Quirkmas continues! Just because my whiskey glass is empty in this picture, doesn't mean yours has to be! Our next giveaway features a library of all our boozy books, perfect for those of you who want to master the ultimate New Year's Eve cocktail.

Field Guide to Cocktails by Rob Chirico: More than TWO HUNDRED recipes for tried and true libations, as well as a bunch of recipes and pairing suggestions.

Old Man Drinks by Rob Schnakenberg: Old-Fashioneds, Sidecars, Clover Clubs, Rusty Nails, Hot Toddys, Monte Carlos… there are sixty classic drinks in here that your grandfather would love.

The Perfect Drink for Every Occasion by Duane Swierczynski: Reprinted in the Spring, this classic Quirk title comes packed with 151 cocktails that are, as the reading line says, perfect for every occasion. 

Stuff Every Man Should Know by Brett Cohen: No, this isn't a cocktail book, but Brett dishes out tips on how to make cocktails, shotgun a beer, open a bottle of beer without an opener, and more.

Booze Cakes by Krystina Castella & Terry Lee Stone: Buy too much booze over the holidays? Bake it into cakes. 

How can you enter? Leave a comment about your favorite drink. I'll pick one of you at random and mail you this boozy book pack. Make sure you leave an email address, so I'll be able to get a hold of you. Good luck!

Contest is over! Thanks!

Today's Five Days of Quirkmas giveaway is a Snowed in Survival Kit… aka, all of our crafting books. Spend those chilly Winter days huddled up working on crafts with your friends, family, and potentially, your cat!

Microcrafts by Alicia Kachmar, Katie Hatz, & Margaret McGuire: A celebration of all-that-is-small, Microcrafts dishes out 25 projects no larger than a spool of thread. Micropapercrafting, microsewing, microcrochet, and even microgardening… there are lots of super cute tiny projects in here.

Witch Craft by Alicia Katchmar & Margaret McGuire: Lots of spooky-yet-adorable projects fill Witch Craft, from marshmallow skulls to plush poison apples.

The Museum of Kitchy Stitches by Stichy McYarnpants: Well, this isn't really a craft book. It's a showcase of hilarious stitched up projects.

Creepy Cute Crochet by Christen Haden: Love amigurumi? Adore monsters? Perfect. You want this book. Creepy Cute Crochet contains more than 20 patterns for zombies, ninjas, Vikings, vampires, aliens, robots and more. 

Knitted Icons by Carol Meldrum: Not happy with just crafting famous monsters? How about famous people?

Crafting With Cat Hair by Amy Hirschman & Kaori Tsutaya: This hilarious, strange, and rather cute craft book will show you how to make projects using your cat's fur. Buttons, portraits, cat toys, picture frames… plenty of projects that you and your cat can make. Together.

How can you enter? Just leave a comment telling us about your favorite crafting activity. Are you a knitter? Crocheter? Papercrafter? Let us know. I'll select one of you at random and send you a package full of books, as well as some sample crafts we've got around the office. Don't forget to leave your email address! I'll need to get a hold of you somehow, right?

Here at Quirk, we love creating unique, innovative books.

And since it IS December, the magical time of year when blogs everywhere are banging out Best Of Lists (David at Largeheartedboy has a great roundup of them), we decided to write up our own. I polled the office and asked for innovative book picks. Whether it was the writing, the design, the illustration, or the packaging, as long as the book caught our eye in some special way, it got featured below.

Have your own picks? I bet you do! Leave them in the comments. We could use some good reads (and inspiration!) for 2012.

Contest Closed!

Next up in the FIve Days of Quirkmas giveaway… a chance to win all our titles coming out in January 2012! Books from the future!

Taft 2012 by Jason Heller: The hilarious, Rip Van Winkle-esque story of William Howard Taft, who awakens in our time just in time for the primaries.

The Thorn & the Blossom by Theodora Goss: One enchanting romance, two lovers keeping secrets, and a uniquely crafted book that binds their stories forever. You've never seen a book like this one. Seriously. Check out the video that demonstrates how it works.  Neat, right?

Ten Tea Parties by Joseph Cummins: Yeah yeah, you know all about the Boston Tea Party. But what about the nine others? You can learn about those in this book.

The Onion Presents: Love, Sex, & Other Natural Disasters: A hilarious collection of some of The Onion's funniest stories about high-school sweethearts, college hook-ups, dating disasters, weddings, divorces, and more.

How can you enter? Just leave a comment about what book interests you the most and why. Be sure to include your email address, so I'll be able to contact you. I'll choose one of you at random at the end of the week, and you'll get the whole bundle, including a handsome Taft 2012 poster and pin!

Contest is Closed!

Well Quirk fans, the holidays are here. And as we get ready to close up shop for the Winter, I'm going to run one giveaway a day up until we leave on break this Friday. So… welcome to Five Days of Quirkmas.

First up? A whole bunch of Smarts Co. card games.

Now, Quirk didn't make these cute games. We distributed them a few years ago, and we still have some around the office. Nicely packaged and cleverly designed, these quiz games dish out trivia on an array of subjects, and I've got copies of Sex Smarts, Wine Smarts, Baby Smarts, Paris Smarts, Chocolate Smarts and Coffee Smarts up for grabs. Each comes with 60 to 100 question and answer cards, a score pad, and a handy little guide on whatever topic the game covers.

How can you enter to win one? Just leave a comment (feel free to mention which game you'd prefer) or tweet this post while mentioning @quirkbooks. I'll select ten of you at random at the end of the week. Be sure to leave your email address in the comments, or I won't be able to contact you.

Check back tomorrow for another giveaway! Happy Holidays!

A few weeks ago, Neil Gaiman made a hilarious appearance on an episode of the Simpsons (pictured above, and as of this post, you can still watch it on Hulu). When Homer and his Ocean’s 11-esque assembled crew decide to team up and write a Young Adult novel, Gaiman jumps in to help make it happen. Unfortunately, the publisher tries to alter the story, and the gang of would-be-novelists (and a multiple award winning one) plan a heist to get it back and put the original in stores.

Quote of the episode? Gaiman exclaiming “I’ve heisted my way to the bestseller list once again. And the most brilliant part is… I don’t even know how to read!” Well, either that or Homer hoping they remember to “put in enough steampunk. Whatever that is.”

Anyhow, the episode got me thinking about other awesome authors cameos I’ve caught on the Simpsons. Lisa being dismissed by Amy Tan, Alan Moore with rippling muscles, Michael Chabon and Jonathan Franzen getting into a fight… ah, so many brilliant moments. I’ve rounded up my Top 10 here (in no particular order), though there are certainly many more. If I missed a favorite of yours, leave it in the comments!

Image via the Lisa Simpson Book Club Tumblr

1. Amy Tan: The celebrated author of The Joy Luck Club makes an appearance in the ‘Insane Clown Poppy’ episode, speaking at the Springfield Festival of Books.

Lisa tries to compliment Tan on her work, to which Tan hilariously responds “no, no, that’s not what I meant at all. I can’t believe how wrong you got it. Just sit down, I’m embarrassed for both of us.”

Stephen King also makes an appearance in this episode, cackling madly about a supposedly non-horror title he’s hard at work on.

2. Thomas Pynchon: This notoriously reclusive author actually made TWO appearances on the Simpsons. He pops up in the episodes Diatribe of a Mad Housewife (clip above), in which Marge writes a romance novel and he “provides” a quote, and All’s Fair in Oven War.

3. J.K. Rowling: I won’t lie to you, Quirk fans. I didn’t get into Harry Potter until fairly recently, when Broetry author Brian McGackin threatened not to speak to me until I read the entire series. I’m about halfway through Order of the Phoenix as of this posting, and thankfully, Brian and I are on speaking terms once again.

As a result though, this is probably my favorite author appearance on the Simpsons. I rediscovered it while looking up author cameos, and thanks to Brian, I can finally appreciate how funny it is.