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Best Swaps in Literature and Pop Culture

If you were a fan of Geekerella, you’re going to love Ashley Poston’s latest contemporary fairy tale: The Princess and the Fangirl. Imogen Lovelace is a teenager with one mission: to save her favorite Starfield character, Princess Amara. She’s got the ExcelsiCon map memorized, the #SaveAmara hashtag trending, and so much merch to give away. But there’s one problem: Jessica Stone, the actress playing the role, wants nothing to do with the campaign. In fact, she’d rather her character remain dead. (Yikes!) This modern twist on The Prince and the Pauper got us thinking about our favorite swaps in pop culture — and the hijinks that have ensued.

Posted by Danielle Mohlman

Recommended Reading List While You Wait in Line to Vote

On Election Day, some people are lucky enough to have a flexible schedule – popping in and out to vote quickly during a quiet time or sorting out early voting. Yet for others, taking time out to vote requires proper preparations, like packing snacks, clearing an indefinite amount of time, and mentally preparing to wait. Bringing a book is key. We have some suggestions on books to bring with you, from escapism to books which demonstrate our democracy at its best.

Regardless of which book tickles your fancy, what matters is joining that line to exercise your right to vote and having a say in the country’s future. So get in line and read up!

Posted by Nick Beard

What’d I Miss? #Quirk4Ham

Hamilton: An American Musical has taken the world by storm. The music! The lyrics! The acting! The singing! The rapping! The story! The show was so good that I literally left the theater wondering if musicals have been forever ruined for me.

The show is historically accurate (mostly). And, if you are like me, you desperately want more. And, while I can’t offer you more songs, I can offer you more information and background—in the form of Quirk books. Read on to find out “What’d I miss?" Hint: We tell you what Thomas Jefferson was doing while he was “kicking ass as the ambassador to France.”

Posted by Brett Cohen

Thomas Jefferson’s Rulebook on Ruining er…Running for Election

Satire inspired by Hamilton/Anything for a Vote

Here are ten quintessential rules for running for election, as told (well, more shown than told, but I’m sure he would’ve told you anyway if he wasn’t dead) by the great Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of American Independence of the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom.

Our Founding Father was many things—a bibliophile, a scholar, a lover of food, a violinist, a slave holder, and a two-time presidency-winning loquacious son of a gun.

So how did this prominently-born well-dressed son of a Virginian planter, skip the Revolution, knock up a few women, and still go on to win a presidency?

These are Jeff’s Ten Election Commandments.

Posted by Ashley Poston

Quirk Perks: The Secret Lives of the Civil War, $3.99 All Month!

THE SECRET LIVES OF THE CIVIL WAR by Cormac O'Brien ($3.99)
Amazon Kindle / B&N Nook / iBookstore / Kobo

The author of Secret Lives of the U.S. Presidents and Secret Lives of the First Ladies is back with another bizarre look at history’s most celebrated personalities. With Secret Lives of the Civil War, Cormac O’Brien unearths a host of strange, little-known facts about Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, Ulysses S. Grant, Robert E. Lee, Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, and Harriet Tubman.

Posted by Eric Smith

Kindle Monthly Deal Alert: Zombies, Insults, Jokes, & Secrets!

You know how our monthly deals usually have something to do with one another? Well, not this time! This month, we're throwing everyone for a loop—including ourselves! Are you ready for this crazy roundoup of deals? You'd better sit down, just in case.

This month, Pride & Prejudice & Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls, Insults Every Many Should Know, Quotes Every Man Should Know, and Secret Lives of Great Composers are all $2.99! So you can…distract the zombies with your insults, quotes, or knowledge of composers; they'll be so confused, it'll be easy to chop their heads off! Or you could just tell them about this collection of books. That should confuse them, too.

Posted by Basia Padlo