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Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching- a cheerless, depressing holiday with no other way to make it through except to drink copious amounts of alcohol and have a pillow handy for crying or screaming purposes.

Just kidding!

Well, kind of.

For some, any date is better than no date on February 14th, and the despairing moments days before this holiday can lead to impetuous attempts to find a date… any date. If you are so lucky to find a date at the last minute, be aware! Dates are in such high demand during this holiday that sometimes you have to take extra care to KEEP your date – at any moment, some desperate fool may try to swoop in and nab your date out from under your nose. Valentine’s Day can be brutal, to say the least.

Never fear! Shake off those feelings of dread, because the Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Dating and Sex has the answer to this problem.

Not knowing is the worst. As someone who is brand new to this whole ‘creating life’ business, I have found that pregnancy is not all baby-showers and name books. Yes there was that initial burst of unbelievable excitement (“I did WHAT?”) but then, as the reality sets in, there is a lot of waiting. A lot.

This is not necessarily a bad thing. In our age of instantaneous gratification, there is something to be said for waiting for something, especially when that something is going to be the light of your life.

So we wait. Like many other parents-to-be we go through the ups and downs together. I’ve learned quickly that crackers and ginger ale are no longer just food items, but essential medicine to have on-hand at all times. I’ve learned that there are going to be nights where my wife will be awake from four to six, and other days where she will want to go to bed around 7pm. After having taken a nap.

Mint Julep, Photo by Robert S. Donovan

Cocktail recipes and drink suggestions, inspired by our favorite pieces of literature! Sip away whilst reading a great piece of writing. Just don’t drink too much. We’d like you to remember it later.

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Gimlet photo by Michael Korcuska

Gimlet & Raymond Chandler’s Mystery Novels: Philip Marlowe, the primary character in Raymond Chandler’s mystery novels, helped to cement the classic noir archetype of the hard drinkin’ detective. In The Long Goodbye, Marlowe spends an awful lot of time drinking gin gimlets with his new buddy, Terry Lennox. According to Lennox, “‘What they call a gimlet is just some lime or lemon juice and gin with a dash of sugar and bitters. A real gimlet is half gin and half Rose’s Lime Juice and nothing else. It beats martinis hollow.”

And so:

2 oz Gin

2 oz Rose’s Lime Juice

Be a totally badass detective and get wrapped up in all kinds of crazy, violent, and convoluted conspiracies involving sexy women with guns and even more alcohol.

If you’re a bibliophile, you love books, plain and simple. You probably have more than you know what to do with (or have space for), but you always acquire more. You have yellowed old classics and brand-new glossy New York Times bestsellers. But now you’re looking for something more unique to round out your book collection, maybe something vintage, or something that reminds you of your childhood.

Today, Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice celebrates its 200th anniversary.

As Quirk fans know, we sure to do love Jane Austen here at the HQ, what with our mashups like Pride & Prejudice & Zombies and Sense & Sensibility & Sea Monsters. To celebrate, we’ve got some giveaways on our Facebook, the interactive eBook App for Pride & Prejudice & Zombies is free (today’s the last day!), and I’ve got this cute excerpt from the Jane Austen Handbook on letter writing.

Why letter writing?

Letters play an important part in Pride & Prejudice (ie: the letter Darcy writes to Elizabeth and Jane’s letter about Lydia running off with Wichkham) and a lot of other Austen books.

So read on, and learn how to write and prepare a proper, Jane Austen era note. Enjoy!

When you’re the host of a get-together, there’s nothing more reassuring than to know you’ve got a ginormously gorgeous baked ham ready to be the centerpiece of the table.

Your guests will not be able to resist the sweet glaze that flavors each spectacular, succulent slice of this ham. Make it ahead, bake it while you’re wrapping presents or writing cards. And when you’re ready to serve, put it beside other entrees, the bread basket and wine.

This ham’s versatility is the best part. If there are leftovers, you can have some flavorful ham sandwiches, sides, salads or whatever ham heaven your heart desires.