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You’ve opened your mouth. You don’t know why, but you’ve done it – you’re standing up, your glass is raised, and now you’re about to speak. If you’ve gotten to this point and find a black hole where all your inspiring ideas from five minutes ago used to be, don’t worry, plenty of us have been there before. Maybe you’ve become swept up in the sudden dynamic shift at the company party, and maybe you’re just drunk enough that you really must share your bubbling feelings with the rest of the room. Public speaking is not your forte, but here you are, and the room is quiet. Now what?

Avoid disaster. Instead of sitting back down in a haze of panic and embarrassment, use these handy tips from The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Work to make it through your speech like a pro. Who knows, maybe you can start adding public speaking to the list of skills on your resume!

It's a dream for many to take a road trip across America. Unfortunately, there are many reasons not to take a roadtrip this time of year.

1. It's freezing on the East Coast.

2. Gas isn't cheap.

3. Your personal hygiene will suffer.

4. Who the hell has time for a road trip anyway? We're not all Kerouac.

Instead, we've come up with a way for you to travel the country and remain comfy in your reading nook at home or the coffee shop down the street.

To begin, we'll be traveling from Washington to Utah – and through time. The following books cover the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries.

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Maria Vicente is a literary agent intern living in Ottawa, Canada. She likes coffee, books, snail mail, and magic. You can find her on Twitter (@MsMariaVicente) or check out her website (mariavicente.com)

Are you fed up with the current selection of Monopoly tokens? Have you tossed the board and its tiny hotels in frustration at the monotony of game play? Do you find yourself longing for a more fully diversified portfolio of silver movers?

I’ve seen the movie Groundhog Day about five times (which, given the repetitive nature of the storylines, feels more like fifty), but until this weekend, I’d never seen the real Groundhog Day. Now, after experiencing all the impatient waiting, sub-freezing temperatures, and rodent-related reveling of one of the weirdest traditions our country has to offer, I’ve discovered that—surprise!—movies aren’t like real life.

Here’s the lowdown on the facts and fictions of G-Day.

The Library of Congress’ Great Hall

February is Library Lover’s Month, a month intended to recognize the value of libraries country-wide. How better to celebrate this month than to spotlight several of the top libraries that exist around the country?