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As Planting Season Kicks Off, Start With Tomato & Basil

 
Beautiful photo via Bonnie Plants
 
It’s the time of the year again that you are inundated with reminders that it is time to spend time in your garden. You don’t even need to go to a home improvement store or nursery to be told “You need to plant to be like everyone else”—heck, they even sell plants and mulch at the grocery store and gas station.
 
Some of you may get excited about this reminder to use your green thumb, while others…may get extremely anxious because they kill every plant they’ve ever owned.
 
I’m here to tell you: It. Is. Okay.

Posted by Sara Rosenstock

Literary Events in Philadelphia This Week: June 29th – July 5th

 
Photo via Visit Philly
 
Philly is still reading and putting together exciting happenings for readers like you. Whatever plans you might have for celebrating the birth of our nation, don’t let them interfere with any of these upcoming events:
 
The Philly Feminist Zine Fest will still be going strong on Sunday, June 29th. Get out to Philly Soapbox, Wooden Shoe or Yell Gallery for some exciting workshops and panels.
 
Also on the 29th, the Rosenbach Museum and Library is offering a hands-on tour of some artifacts that remain from the writing of Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
 
On Monday, June 30th at the Free Library of Philadelphia, romance novelists Megan Hart, Sara Humphreys and Geri Krotow will be reading from new books and discussing the craft of romance.
 
Thursday, July 3rd is the first Thursday of July, which means Jus’ Words is hosting another biweekly open poetry slam, emceed by Shyster and E the Poet-Emcee.
 
Finally, at Tattooed Mom on Saturday, July 5th, True Skateboarding Magazine is premiering its fourth video, Sol, featuring Ryan Chaney, Stephen Kellogg, Tyrone Olson, Jacob Sandin, and Barak Ban-Zino.
 
This weekly event roundup is brought to you by Quirk Books and APIARY Magazine. Check in every Friday to find literary events happening in your area throughout the week.

Posted by Stephen Piccarella

How to be Awesome at Giving Book Recommendations In Four Simple Steps

Image via Tumblr

It can be really hard to get friends to want to read your favorite book. With these 4 steps, you’ll not only learn how to spin your favorite book, but also how to make genuine recommendations your friends will love!

Posted by Margaret Dunham

Some of Monty Python’s Best Literary Sketches

I remember one of my high school English teachers being horrified that only two of us had heard of John Cleese, and with the greatness known as Monty Python, who can blame her?

Known primarily for Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and probably just for being funny and British in general, the legendary sketch troupe is responsible for popularizing many comedic styles and creating groundbreaking sketches, including several for the bookish, grammar-appreciating, literature enthusiasts among us.

And now, for something completely different, head to YouTube and sit back and enjoy five of Monty Python’s best literature- and English- related sketches.

1. Agatha Christie: You know this one will be good because Inspector Tiger (“Tiger?” “Where?!”) spends the first minute of the sketch trying to figure out the correct way to say that nobody can leave the room. The rest of the sketch unravels into police officers and inspectors with weird names trying to solve a murder that might not have even happened. There’s no specific mention of Agatha in the sketch, but the whodunit premise is definitely a tip of the hat to one of the queens of mystery.

2. Literary Football: Basically a football (the British version, so, soccer) postgame show that’s described with the most intricate language ever, this sketch features an interviewer who makes every move in a football game sound like it’s coming straight from a grad student’s thesis paper…to go along with the slightly less highbrow responses he receives from the player he’s talking to.

3. The Man Who Talks in Anagrams and The Man Who Speaks Only the Ends of Words: I listed these two together because they’re each less than two minutes, but they both show just how awesome the members of Monty Python are at wordplay, enunciation, and twisting language around to get a pretty hysterical result.

4. A Book at Bedtime: In a matter of two and a half minutes, several members of Monty Python show how even though it can be challenging at first, it’s ultimately really fun to spend some time reading before bed, especially if you’re reading with friends.

5. Romanes Eunt Domus: This one’s my personal favorite out of this list, and also one of my favorite Python bits in general. From Monty Python’s Life of Brian, this scene shows what happens when a centurion catches Brian defacing Pontius Pilate’s palace with an anti-Roman phrase. And without giving anything away, it’s probably the last thing someone would expect, but also the most excellent.

Posted by Allison Racicot

Worst-Case Wednesday: How to Play Out of a Water Trap

Many mishaps can occur on the golf course. Your golf cart breaks down. You hit the ball into a tree. Or sometimes, you get a little too into the game, maybe loosen your aim a little too much and you hit the ball square into a water trap. It happens to everyone, right? Right?

To fix it and still make your shot without just stepping in blindly, let The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Golf tell you how it’s done:

Posted by Marissa Stern

The Return of the Blog Tour: Where to find The Jedi Doth Return on the Internet This Month!

 
Hark! Hark! A new book approacheth! We're verily excited for Ian Doescher's The Jedi Doth Return, and to celebrate, we've lined up a whole host of guest posts on some truly excellent book blogs. Find out what and where Ian will be stopping by below the jump!
 

Posted by Blair Thornburgh