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So apparently March 20th is National Proposal Day. It’s also the first day of Spring. And while I’m unsure if anyone actually goes out of their way to propose on that date, it is a fun excuse to write a little something about proposals. Specifically, the bookish sort.

From webcomics to comic books, hollowed-out library books to self-published picture books, these six wonderfully unique and clever marriage proposals are guaranteed to make you a little misty.

Grab a box of tissues and check them out.

The Comic Book Marriage Proposal: When David Salomon’s girlfriend said she was in love with comics, that’s when he first realized he was in love with her. So when it was time to propose to his girlfriend, Jen, he enlisted the help of his talented friends, had them create a comic book about their relationship. The cover is a tribute to her favorite comic, Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane.

I love how terribly nervous David looks at the 2:25 mark, while Jen is flipping through the book. He explains each of the (nine) pages to their group of friends, telling stories from their relationship… and it is incredibly sweet. Try not to cry when she fills in “yes” at the end. Try.

The Children’s Book Proposal: R.M. Massimo created A Prince is a Prince No Matter How Odd, a childrens’ picture book, to propose to his wife in Barnes & Noble. He acted as though the book had been published, convinced the booksellers to put it on their shelves, and had her read it.

Massimo went ahead and self published the book afterward, and you can pick it up via Xlibris.

Harry Potter Marriage Proposal: Reddit user Trehlo hollowed out a copy of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince and placed his future-wife’s engagement ring inside. Excellent chapter choice.

St. Patrick’s Day and March always brings out the Irish in most of us. While you’re planning to break out the Leprechaun hats, hang the plastic shamrocks, and join the parade, you’re going to have a great time whipping up this marvelous potato soup with slivers of corned beef.

The beauty of this recipe is in its ease. It’s incredibly quick to prepare and the ingredients are easily accessible. Once you put it all together, this potato soup will fill you up with its rich flavors and hearty texture. Top it off with generous amounts of corned beef and sprinkle some cheese. Stir, slurp and enjoy!

Et tu, Brute?

The Ides of March. That notorious date when Julius Caesar was killed, stabbed 23 times in the Roman Senate by Roman senators. Amongst the traitors was one of his closest friends, Marcus Junius Brutus.

Today, we honor some of our favorite literary backstabbers, those who, much like Brutus, betrayed characters near and dear to them. While Brutus’ actions changed the world and course of history, the actions of these literary characters alter and ultimately drive their respective stories.

But we’ve barely even scratched the surface. Have some picks you’d like to include? Leave them in the comments.

WARNING: Lots of spoilers to follow for Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, the Hunger Games, etc.

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Tover Je Eigen Ster, a Dutch bookshop in Spakenburg, Holland, recently put up a wonderful window display to promote Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. Roughly translated, the bookshop's name means Perform Magic to Get Your Own Star.

You'll note the title on the Dutch bookcover, De Bijzondere Kinderen Van Mevrouw Peregrine. This roughly translates to The Special Children of Miss Peregrine.

We'd like to thank the bookshop's owner, Alice van Tamelen, for creating such a beautiful display. Check out the rest of the photos of her shop below.

Today is National Potato Chip Day. Hey! Stop rolling your eyes and muttering there’s a holiday for everything. Potato chips are awesome. According to Punchbowl, 1.2 billion pounds of potato chips are devoured each year in the United States alone, proving that this food demands your respect. So honor potato chips properly. Put them on a sandwich.

In honor of the holiday (and my favorite snack), I’ve posted a recipe from Susan Russo’s Encyclopedia of Sandwiches, the Potato Chip Sandwich. Read on, enjoy, and make sure you say hi to Susan on Twitter and visit her fantastic blog.

Something might be wrong in the baking world today. Bakery shelves are stacked high with the trendiest dessert, filled or flavored or “kissed” with the latest popular ingredient, and hidden under a crazy design. These are delicious and fun to look at, but somewhere along the line, we have to ask ourselves, “Where is the cake?”

Look friends, birthdays happen and nothing hits the spot like a good old-fashioned sugar-eggs-flour-butter birthday cake. Every decent baker should have a good cake recipe as his or her trump card. If someone tells you they don’t agree, they’ve never had a from scratch birthday cake, and since you are reading this, it is now your responsibility to make them the birthday cake of all birthday cakes—Yellow Cake.

Yellow cake is a cake Ron Swanson from Parks & Recreation would appreciate. It’s no nonsense, has a couple ingredients, and tastes like cake. Let’s remember that on a birthday, it should be ok to indulge. This cake requires a couple more eggs and some more butter than most which gives it a rich taste while keeping the texture airy and moist. Paired with a simple fudgy frosting, which can be whipped together in a food processor, yellow cake is a marriage of kid birthday party nostalgia and adult sophistication. Adding touches like neon dinosaur shaped nonpareils (a friend of mine picked these up for me at Home Goods) or an assortment of colorful jimmies makes the decoration even more fun.

In my experience, if you show up to a birthday with a messy, handmade cake, you’ll be forgiven of faults and suddenly attract many more friends.