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The year is almost over, and 2020 has been, well, a doozy. While we're choosing to look ahead and plan our reading lists for the new year, we want to take a moment to look back at some memorable books from recent years—with a twist. Check out these emoji covers designed by Molly Murphy, Quirk designer extraordinaire!

December 31 is Make Up Your Mind Day, so of course we’re thinking about classic Choose Your Own Adventure novels, the Give Yourself Goosebumps series, and our very own interactive romance novel: My Lady’s Choosing by Kitty Curran and Larissa Zageris. We love the thrill of making a choice in our reading experience, completely altering the course of the novel – or at least feeling like we have that kind of control. But what if we had the power to change the course of some of our favorite classic novels, simply by making a different choice? Imagine what a wild reading experience that would be.

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It’s time for the longest night of the year in a year that has felt like a long cold night in and of itself. So what to do in the dark? Traditionally, solstice celebrations are common in any culture where the weather gets cold, and most have the same basic idea: get warm, get inside (ideally with a nice fire, good food, and some excellent booze), and keep your inner light burning until the sun comes up.

Some pagan traditions keep a candle or fire light through the night, with celebrants awake to watch over it, carrying the light through the long night, and there are ways to capture the spirit of this old tradition (without the fire hazard). Instead, set up some soft lighting, and as the sun goes down at 4pm, snuggle up with a good book. What better way to spend a long night than sitting up till sunrise with a page-turner?

If you’re anything like us, you’ve been counting down until the release of Bridgerton (aka Christmas day) since the release of that very steamy trailer. And sure, we have to wait just a little while longer. And yes, it will feel like an eternity. But there’s always an incredible romance novel or two – or five! – that you can read to make the wait just a little bit easier. Here are some of our favorites. 

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'Tis that time of year to bake some delicious gingerbread! Before you pull out the gum drops and candy canes to make a ho hum traditional gingerbread house, why not mix it up a bit? Let’s think outside the box and go big this year! What better way than recreating your favorite fictional house out of gingerbread? 

Need some ideas? We have you covered with this list of what you’ll need.

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The holidays are cancelled, and so are in-person classes in most of the country. It’s going to be a long winter, with many parents also working from home. So how can you keep children from misbehaving?

It used to be enough to tell them St. Nick was watching, so unless they wanted a stocking full of coal, they better shape up. That threat won’t cut it this year, when they know damn well Santa Claus’s gift-giving is likely to be curbed by your governor’s COVID restrictions.

Thankfully, our European brothers and sisters have you covered. They’ve had many more centuries of experience when it comes to keeping kids in line. Especially around Christmas. Here are seven terrifying characters drawn from European folklore that will have your children thinking twice about misbehaving this December.