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Quirk Books is linking up with The Broke and the Bookish for Top 10 Tuesday! This week we’re sharing our favorite fictional heroines… the kick-butt female types, not the drug. The internet told me that a heroine is “the principal female character in a story, play, film, etc.” That wasn’t good enough for me, so I searched online a little deeper (I just clicked the next link, but no one really needs to know that) and found a much better definition: “a woman of distinguished courage or ability, admired for her brave deeds and noble qualities.” Yes. That sounds good.

Here's an excerpt from Pure Vanilla: Irresistible Recipes and Essential Techniques by Shauna Sever! You can find this excerpt for free in our sampler, and you can download it here. 

Meringue nears the top of our list of Best Foods on the Entire Planet. It's so beautiful and delicious in its simplicity and serves as a backdrop for so many different flavors and add-ins. But, as purists, we find its angelic texture and melting sweetness ideal for showcasing pure vanilla flavor. It's a delicious treat that your darling will love.

It’s another busy week for book lovers in New York City! Brave the frigid temperatures and endless snow and ice to warm up at some of these amazing literary events.

This week offers a panel of brilliant women discussing all things geeky at Housing Works, a reading by National Book Award winner Phil Klay at WORD, several celebrations for debut authors, and another installment of Pete’s Reading Series. Best of all: every event featured this week is totally free.

It's easy to assume famous writers were recognized as geniuses in their own time. A classic now is a classic then is a classic always, right? Not so. In fact, sometimes the authors themselves died first and went to their graves with no idea about their impending cultural and literary prominence. Here are few examples you might not have expected!

While the Oscars always highlight adaptations of books with their Adapted Screenplay category, this year’s Original Screenplay selections feature something a little unusual. Birdman arrived last fall and built up some serious and unexpected hype by the year’s end, eventually earning nine Oscar nominations, tied only with The Grand Budapest Hotel for most nominations this year. And at its center is a well-loved short story, published over thirty years ago but never adapted for the big screen.

Birdman, co-written and directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, is not actually an adaptation – it’s an original work about an adaptation. The film portrays the struggles of a former Hollywood superstar named Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton) as he attempts to stage a theatrical version of Raymond Carver’s short story “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love” that he’s adapting, directing, and starring in himself. It is not going as well as he’d hoped.

In November of 2013, Quirk published Winter Cocktails, the debut cookbook from the uber talented duo of Maria Del Mar Sacasa and Tara Striano. Fast forward to 2015, and we're really thrilled to be publishing their followup. Summer Cocktails!

Full of drinks for warm sunny days and tasty snacks perfect for nibbling on the porch, it's a really fun book that will look PERFECT next to your copy of Winter Cocktails on the bookshelf. And I'm happy to give you all a little sneak peek at the book! 

First, here's a note from the book's editor, Tiffany Hill (@tiffanylhill):

I know, I know, it's 12 degrees outside and snowing. Shhh, let's talk about summer. When I got my advance copy of Maria del Mar Sacasa's Summer Cocktails, I knew there was only one proper way to celebrate: with a Salty Lime Soda. It's as good as it looks in Tara Striano's gorgeous cover photo–cool, bright, and refreshing. It would be perfect at a summer cocktail party. (And it wasn't bad in February.)

My favorite part of Summer Cocktails, though, is the collection of infusions, shrubs, and syrups featuring summer fruits and herbs. Picture a cocktail made with Rhubarb Syrup straight out of your garden. That snow will start melting any day now!

The book comes out in April! For now, enjoy some pics, and enter the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win one! You can also enter by telling us about your favorite summer cocktail in the comments. Three people will win! 

Interested in a review copy for your blog? Email Suzanne ([email protected]).