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The Founding Fathers of the American Revolution are pretty near and dear to our hearts. Even today, their names are invoked in political debates, philosophical discussions, and theological throwdowns. Now we’re looking to these revolutionaries to imagine what their reading tastes might look like 239 years after declaring independence from the British and then setting off some fireworks. That’s how it happened, right? Definitely fireworks. Especially the ones shaped like cowboy hats.

(image via Brian Morrell)

Whether you love board games, blogging, or fantastic debut novels, this week offers even more chances to have your best bookish day in New York City. Along with some fab literary events, we’ve also got you covered for food, drinks, and even some shopping. Make sure to tweet at us to let us know where you went.

(Image via latimesblog.latimes.com)

Long has the world believed that the kids at the rock shows could never be the same ones devouring books in their free time. Of course, "the world" is wrong about a lot of stuff, but they definitely missed the mark when it comes to smarts and songs. We've collected ten great pop and rock classics for your partying pleasure. Rock on and read on!

Every Wednesday, we offer advice and strategies to survive all of the most dire and urgent circumstances, as well as some of the more common scenarios we all deal with.

This week we've got an excerpt from The Worst-Case Scenario Almanac: Great Outdoors. Mad Max and Imperator Furiosa may live in a waterless desert, but that's no excuse for letting their beer get tepid! If only they had known these tricks for keeping beverages cool, maybe they could have just tipped back a few cold ones with Immortan Joe and talked out their issues. Well, probably not. At least you can beat that summer heat if you ever find yourself in the Sahara with a six-pack!

For the next few weeks, Pop Sonnets author Erik Didriksen will debut a weekly Shakespearean sonnet inspired by a classic summer jam. To kick the series off, we're taking it back to the '90s, when "New Kids on the Block had a bunch of hits…"  

image via jayorama.com

June is National Candy Month, and sure you could read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or some other candy-coated book, maybe even indulge in a chick lit novel with Necco hearts on the cover—and while those are both fine, bookish ways to mark the holiday, why not step it up this year and eat your favorite literary character?

Pez has been making candy in Austria since 1927. Its famous dispensers have been around since 1948, with Santa and Mickey making their monumental debuts in the 1950s. But these days, if you can name that cartoon character, you can find its Pez dispenser—from Tom and Jerry to Batman to Mulan to Monsters, Inc.

Some of those lovable candy-popping heads started as books. So below we honor those that have gone from the page to the Pez.