Our Blog

6 Ways Oprah’s Book Club Was Hard-Core As All Out

Oprah launched her famous book club in September 1996 with The Deep End of the Ocean by debut novelist Jacquelyn Mitchard. Since then, a sticker bearing this tastemaker’s name can ensure major book sales and placement on bestseller lists. All it took was Oprah Winfrey gushing about it.

When you look at the complete list, you can see how wide the range of her choices can be. But somehow, The Oprah Book Club has gotten a reputation for being “chick lit.” We think this rep does the list a major disservice, because her picks were actually a lot more bad-ass than that. Allow us to explain:

Posted by Kate McMurray

In A World Where Bill Murray Actually Took These Roles…

How do you become one of the most celebrated actors of your generation? Turn down the dud offers. But just for a blog post, imagine how the world might be different if Bill Murray had decided to take these roles. 

Posted by Kate McMurray

How-To Tuesday: DIY Bookish Curtain

It’s back-to-school season, and droves of students are heading to dorms around the world with books, school supplies, and living essentials to make their dorm rooms feel a little more like home. This month our How-to Tuesday posts will be all about how to use crafty projects to make over a dorm room – and all on a college student’s budget. 

Privacy is a luxury worth protecting in your average dorm room; with scholastic and social demands filling up the calendar, taking time to curl up with a good book is essential. Give yourself an added layer of reading privacy with a simple DIY bed canopy you can design and hang yourself (without giving your RA a heart attack).

Posted by Margaret Dunham

How to Prepare for Your Bill Murray Moment

The time will come. One day, when you least expect it, Bill Murray will step into your life. It might be in your home, or on the street, or in a karaoke room at four in the morning. Will you be ready for that moment? And what can you do to increase the odds of it happening sooner rather than later? From the pages of The Big Bad Book of Bill Murray, here are four tips for making sure your Bill Murray encounter goes as smoothly as possible.

Posted by Robert Schnakenberg

NFL Teams Reimagined as Novels

Clear eyes. Full hearts. Can't lose (my page in this book). 

With autumn comes crisp winds, seasonal hot beverages, and the fiery frenzy of football season. Now the realms of literature and NFL football don't collide often—one notable exception being the Baltimore Ravens, who are named after Edgar Allen Poe's famous poem. Inspired by this fact, we thought, what if it was the other way around? What if novels took their cues from NFL team names? Here's what happens when you bring novels and the NFL to the line of scrimmage: 

Posted by Quirk Books Staff

Quirk Corral: Nostalgia and Nom de Plumes

Here at Quirk, we’ve scoured the internet for the best bookish, geeky, and crafty links of the past week to help make your Monday a little brighter. Whether you desperately need a Star Wars inspired board game, or are dreaming about crafting a DIY backpack, we’ve got you covered.

Posted by Jennifer Morell