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Halloween will soon be upon us, which means preparations for how to deal with all things supernatural are well under way. Since the world isn’t made up of Sam and Dean Winchesters, we here at Quirk are happy to help in any way we can. Specifically, this means breaking out our copy of The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Paranormal Edition.

There are many scenarios covered in the handbook, but Children of the Corn messed us up good, so here’s how to prevent your life from becoming a Stephen King story. And read on for a chance to win your own copy of the handbook for all of your paranormal-fighting needs!

Books: they're bigger on the inside! Sometimes literally. Book safes are cool-looking and very handy for hiding away your ~secret things~, but they're a bit of a pain to make (all that cutting and gluing!) Fortunately, some clever Etsy crafters have you covered. Click for our favorite picks!

(Above: Hollow book safe, The Coming Fury, $60, Secret Safe Books)

As I’m sure many of you lovely readers have noticed, the summer is over. For some of you this may mean a return to high school or college, or maybe starting a new internship. For others, it might just mean that it’s fifty degrees cooler and now we can finally go outside.

But the end of summer doesn’t only bring cool fall weather, it’s also the beginning of what I like to call Travel Envy Season. Ah yes, the time of year when your Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook feeds are filled with pictures of getaways and exertions to far off lands, to either escape the cold or check out the autumn foilage. 

Except instead of wishing I were in Vermont or Colorado, I develop an intense desire to visit Narnia or Hobbiton. This may sound shocking, but it is nearly impossible to find a plane ticket to Narnia.

If this problem sounds familiar to you, today is your lucky day. With my summer travels all but finished, I have decided to fill the void by compiling a list of the five (mostly) fictional places I would love to visit, and their real-life counterparts. Hopefully some of these vacation destinations will end up on all of our itineraries next year!

Tomorrow is National Read a Book Day! To celebrate, we had our good friend Mike Rogalski whip up this handy tutorial on how to read a book. Mike is also the author of Quirk's Masterpuppet Theater.

Enjoy! And be sure to check out Mike's design company, Eyewash. 

Get excited, Hello Kitty fans! Quirk Books author Michele Chen Chock is heading to the first-ever Hello Kitty Con on October 30th, to dish out her secrets on how to decorate your very own Hello Kitty cookies from her upcoming cookbook, The Hello Kitty Baking Book.

Planning to attend? Interested in learning how to decorate your own cookies? Act fast! There are a limited amount of seats in each workshop. Details below! 

Ah, early September. When the cicadas buzz like jukebox dancers at last call, the lattes all turn pumpkin, and the world gets back to business. In addition to enjoying great Philly readings, it's time to get register for workshops and literary good deeds for the year. Your bookish events for September 6-12.