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You know, it’s not easy being a super hero. After all, if you’re not one of the big guns, you get either made fun of, ignored or mistaken for Green Lantern. The League of Regrettable Superheroes by Jon Morris, out this June from Quirk Books, highlights some of the lesser known characters (at least by mainstream audiences), but not all of those lesser known heroes are exactly forgotten. No, there are certainly characters that, given the creative team and direction, can shine no matter how silly or over-the-top they are. One of those characters is Squirrel Girl.

Created in 1992, Squirrel Girl is a bit of an anomaly in the Marvel Universe as easily one of the most powerful beings in the Marvel canon who happens to have one of the silliest gimmicks. This is the heroine who can take down a powerhouse villain like Thanos … with her squirrelly squirrel powers. And she’s a bit of a goofball.

As of January, Squirrel Girl has a brand new platform in The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl by Ryan North and Erica Henderson. It’s the story of Doreen Green, mild-mannered young woman who just enrolled in college who is definitely not a mammal-themed superhero. Of course in reality she is Squirrel Girl and in between getting used to college and making friends, she must battle the big bads of the Marvel Universe. As you do.

With two issues out so far, let me tell you why this book is definitely worth a read.

THE SECRET LIVES OF THE CIVIL WAR by Cormac O'Brien ($3.99)
Amazon Kindle / B&N Nook / iBookstore / Kobo

The author of Secret Lives of the U.S. Presidents and Secret Lives of the First Ladies is back with another bizarre look at history’s most celebrated personalities. With Secret Lives of the Civil War, Cormac O’Brien unearths a host of strange, little-known facts about Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, Ulysses S. Grant, Robert E. Lee, Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, and Harriet Tubman.

THE LITTLE GUIDE TO VINTAGE SHOPPING by Melody Fortier ($3.99)
Amazon Kindle / B&N Nook / iBookstore / Kobo

Vintage shopping offers couture quality at a fraction of the price. But how can you spot a Dior original in a rack full of LBDs? That’s where vintage dealer Melody Fortier comes in. Her Little Guide to Vintage Shopping demystifies the entire process so you’ll know what to look for, what to avoid, and what to pay.

Happy National Women’s History Month! Along with celebrating International Women’s Day on March 8, the entirety of March is a time to celebrate the cultural and historical impact of women in America. And this year’s theme is perfect for book lovers like us — Weaving the Stories of Women’s Lives.

Sometimes the stories of great women are overlooked (the past is called “his-story,” after all), and as a lifelong geek myself, I know that it can be tough being a woman who identifies as a geek. But we’re definitely not alone! From historical women who helped shape the face of science and math to modern geeky heroes who show us that it’s OK to just be ourselves, let’s highlight some of these amazing women — and these great books about them!

Gavin Francis, photo via bbc.com

So, chances are you're not in Antartica, but in January it feels cold enough that you could be there. If somehow, somewhere, you find yourself trapped in subzero temps, stay calm. The Worst-Case Scenario Almanac: The Great Outdoors has your back (and hopefully a steaming cup of hot chocolate).

Quirk Books is linking up with The Broke and the Bookish for Top 10 Tuesday! This week we’re talking about books from the past three years that were so fantastic and over-the-top amazing that they somehow made their way onto our “all-time favorite books” lists.

I am extremely selective when it comes to choosing which books are allowed on my “favorites” shelf. There sits great books that I have re-read multiple times and that only get better with age: Wicked by Gregory Maguire; Looking for Alaska by John Green; The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern; The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon; Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson; Of Bees and Mist by Erick Setiawan; The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler; The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter; etc. But there are a few books, published at some point in the past three years, that absolutely deserve a place on this shelf: