Sixty-four countries across the world require genetically engineered foods to be clearly labeled, including Saudi Arabia and China, but America isn’t one of them. Why? Because America is one of the largest consumers of these genetically engineered foods, and large corporations fear that if consumers had a choice, they’d choose not to eat them. So now, the HPA is teaming up with Just Label It to get that changed.

What are genetically engineered foods?

Genetically engineered food is any food made with ingredients that have had their DNA structures changed by genetic engineering techniques. Originally, this was mainly limited to major cash crops like soybeans and corn, but it is now being done to many, many species, including apples and even fish. Mostly, the tampering is done to increase yields or make the plants resistant to certain things, but in some cases foreign genes, like those of fish, are being added to the genes of plants for one reason or another, which has caused major allergic reactions in some people.

Why is it important?

Genetic Engineering in process.

How and why could it be dangerous? Good question. We’ve already mentioned some downsides, but here’s a few more issues to think about:

• GE plants require huge amounts of weedkillers and pesticides. Since the introduction of genetically engineered crops, the amount of pesticides and weed killers have increased by 527 million pounds.
• This means that more pollution from these chemicals is getting into the ground, leaking into water sources, killing wildlife, and destroying natural habitats.
• It also means that people are breathing a lot more of these same chemicals, or drinking them in their water.
• Additionally, the use of these chemicals is making weeds more and more resistant to the weed killers, and creating a whole new series of ‘superweeds’ that require stronger and stronger chemicals to kill.
• It is estimated that there are 61.2 million acres of farmland now infested with these superweeds.
• Genetically engineered genes, whether plant, animal or otherwise, are considered ‘intellectual property.’ This means that they, and their descendants, are literally owned by the huge corporations that paid for their creation. Small farmers are being sued and put out of business because a GE gene is found in their fields–whether they intentionally planted it or not.

But that’s just the start. Here’s a piece of news for you, the largest producer of genetically engineered seeds in the world is a pesticide and weed killer company. Yep, you read that right. Monsanto began life making ‘Round-Up,’ which is now one of the biggest selling chemical plant sprays in the world. Now they produce genetically engineered seeds that are resistant to Round-Up, so the weeds die, but the plant doesn’t–as long as you buy Monsanto seeds and Monsanto Round-Up. Yep.

Oh, and just to make sure you can’t replant those seeds, they’ve engineered them to literally commit genetic suicide after their first generation, so that seeds from these plants won’t grow. But here’s the problem with all of this:

Plants cross pollinate.

It is now completely impossible to grow non-genetically engineered canola seeds in Canada. Yep. Because the GE genes have become so wide-spread in Canada that if you plant any kind of canola seeds, they will become pollinated with GE genes. And it doesn’t stop there, far remote areas of Peru–a country which has never allowed genetically engineered plants–are finding crops with Monsanto genes in them. Wild corn and many other species are suddenly developing Monsanto traits all over the world.

So what happens if large portions of the world’s food plants end up with a gene that makes them commit genetic suicide after one generation? Let’s hope we never find out. But such an event is perfectly possible at the rate we’re going. That said, genetically engineered plants are doing good things as well, especially in the medical field. But most of those plants are kept in labs, and not out spreading their genes wherever the wind takes them. The truth is that we simply don’t know what the repercussions of genetically engineering plants and animals are, and letting them loose on the world when we don’t understand them is not a great idea.

What can you do?

Can we make labeling of GE foods a law?
(photo courtesy of the Daily Beast)

In other words, we’re not saying Khan can’t come along for the trip–we’d just prefer to know he’s there, and that we have a nice cryo-tube handy, just in case. So take a stand, and join the HPA and well over a million people in telling Congress to Just Label It.

This week’s question is: We know your favorite villains, so now tell us about the one character, from any story, that you absolutely hate/fear/loath the very mention of.

Elizabeth: Dolores Umbridge. Obviously!

Other than her, though, I’d have to say Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights. He’s perhaps the cruelest character I’ve ever encountered and his manipulation of young girls scares me to death- probably because I know that there are actually people like that out there in the world.

Kara: For some reason, whenever we have these sorts of questions, I think long and hard about them, and invariably end up with a Dickens character. Even when I decide I’m not going to pick a Dickens character, because I’ve already done that a billion times. This time, it’s Herold Skimpole from Dickens’ book Bleak House. Skimpole is one of the few characters in all of literature that has actually made me throw a book across the room, and if you’ve ever read Bleak House, you’ll know that it was quite a LARGE book. Basically, Harold Skimpole is this sweet, unassuming man who wanders through life with absolutely no clue about money or responsibility or anything else. He describes himself repeatedly as “quite a child” when it comes to any sort of worldly matters. Thus, he manages to convince people that he simply doesn’t know it when he takes advantage of them, which he does constantly, or have any idea of right and wrong when he hurts people. Skimpole spends his whole life preying off anybody who will believe that he is as stupid as he wants them to think he is, and when it suits him, he turns around and betrays the very people who help him. I think the thing that I find most insidious about Skimpole is that he isn’t really ‘evil’ in the usual understanding, he is simply the embodiment of the total self-serving narcissist who only cares to live well without any effort on his own part, and doesn’t care who he harms along the way. Because he puts on his sweet ‘childish’ air, it is usually the kind people, the ones who feel sorry for him, that he takes advantage of, and sometimes the price they pay for taking pity on him is more than just money.

Erin: I’ve wracked my brains trying to think of someone other than Dolores Umbridge, but I really can’t.  I despise Umbridge with the firey, burning passion of a hundred suns.  And she does terrify me.  I think the reason she is SO feared and SO hated is because she could be anyone.  There are people in the “real world” that she could be.  She enjoys hurting others, she loves the fact that she has power over others, but the worst of it is that she thinks she’s doing the right thing.  At least Voldemort knew he was dark…Umbridge literally has no idea.  And I think that’s why she scares me so much.

Emily: Heathcliff creeps me out and makes me enraged with his cruelty too! But in an effort to add something to thia conversation (which was epically hard when umbridge is just too perfect an answer), I will say that I absolutely have to put down the book/turn away/feel pain/read in between my fingers when Dracula is introduced. He scares the ever-loving crap out of me. In The Historian he is out for knowledge and will do anything to get it- an amoral protagonist to the extreme. He is the definition of terrible.

I also absolutely want to throw a book at Mrs. Danvers from Rebecca. She was so mean! Come on, I know you are a really devoted housekeeper to your late mistress, but pushing a newly married girl almost to the brink of insanity an death is just mean. Why you gotta be so mean?

What character scares YOU the most?  Tell us in the comments!  And, of course, leave us any questions you’d love to see us answer in a future Weird Question Weekly!

2. Because let’s face it: your books are in great condition, but you still won’t get much more than five bucks when you sell them to Half Price.

Don’t let your bookshelf end up like this! The books will become too heavy and break the boards. Don’t ask me how I know this. (Now I always donate to Accio Books.)

3. Because your neighbors have yard sales every month, and buying a box of books from them for $3 will do a world of good for poorer libraries, hospitals, and schools- plus, you’ll still have plenty of money for that ugly lamp they’re selling as well.

4. Because it’s May, and you’re a student, and that means you’ve got a year’s worth of textbooks, plays, novels, and poetry in your backpack, and it’s really doing a number on your spine.

5. Because there’s a House Cup competition and who wouldn’t want to win the House Cup?

6. Because you don’t want your bookshelf to look like mine. You really, really don’t.

7. Because no matter how many times you tell yourself you’re going to read that novel your great aunt got you for Christmas, it’s not your genre, and you never actually will, and your great aunt won’t know if you donate it but that needy kid in the poor neighborhood who has a thing for classic lit sure will.

A completely legitimate quote.

8. Because no matter how poetic it sounds when Lemony Snicket says “It is likely I will die next to a pile of things I was meaning to read,” there’s nothing poetic about one person having the ability to buy books they’ll never read and another not even having the ability to buy books they will read.

9. Because it’s really not necessary to re-read a book 28 times. (Unless it’s Harry Potter. In which case, re-read away.)

10. Because warm fuzzies! And possibly a tax deduction.

11. Because what if Hermione Granger wasn’t a wizard and her parents didn’t have steady jobs or perhaps she didn’t even have parents and she never had the ability to explore her true potential?

12. Because Ray Bradbury says you should. (Okay, not really. But he probably would were he still alive.)

13. Because imagining what your life would be like without books is a scary, scary thought.

14. Because you would be supporting an HPA campaign!

15. Because you would be enabling children who have never been able to read books as freely as you the chance to access books and stories that may change their lives. Isn’t that the greatest reason of all?

Me prepping our Accio Books! poster to hang in the Campus Center.

As a college campus chapter, it is difficult to request children’s books in a bookdrive, as we chose to do, because really how many college kids have books for 5-11 year olds sitting in their dorm rooms? We began accepting any and all books, as well as monetary donations – we then sold any books that weren’t age-appropriate and went down to our local used book store with the money raised to pick out books for the kids at the CLLC.

This turned out to be really fun, because we kept finding our old favorite books that these kids “just had to read!” such as Boxcar Children (my favorites when I was their age), Nancy Drew, Berenstain Bears, and If You Give a Mouse a Cookie.

This little guy was so excited for the Nancy Drew books, he didn’t want to let them go!

They were squirming in place, trying to see what was going on and trying their best to contain themselves. We finally turned to face them, and hands shot up everywhere à la first year Hermione Granger. Dan called for attention so that I could explain who we were and why we had come by with so many books, and then – “finally,” I’m sure the kids were thinking – let them ask us questions. The questions they asked made me so proud of this class and happy to be doing this campaign for them:

Excited about dinosaurs!

Do we get to keep them?

Are there chapter books?

Are there picture books?

Will you read to us?

Do you have (name of book here)??

Because of photo release form issues, we were only able to take photos the teachers’ kids, but they were so thrilled, and one little boy kept modeling with all the books he could! At the end, before we left, a bunch of the kids asked us if they could join Dumbledore’s Army – and as founder of our chapter, I made them honorary DA members. I hope to see photos of the badges they create very soon!

ByF. Scott Fitzgerald/ EmilyR 

SPOILER ALERT: If you did not read the Great Gatsby or if you are studiously waiting until finals are over to see the movie, you may want to read this post later. But, keep going if you are anxiously biting your nails /twirling your ponytail/tapping your feet to jazz music before you commit to the $12 ticket.

There has been an earful of buzz after the release of the Gatsby movie. Every reader has a certain deeply rooted love and interpretation of the book which is attached to their viewing of the movie… both for good and for bad results. I suggest viewing this blog similar to Cliff Notes before winding down the path to the theatre.

Main Themes:

Illusions. “And I like large parties. They’re so intimate. At small parties there isn’t any privacy.”  To me, this line is the best represented in the big, glittering circus of the Great Gatsby movie. From the Brooks Brothers clothes only fit in big crowds to the countless flower vases that stifle small rooms, the movie makes the audience feel more at home in the big moments than in the small ones. If you didn’t know, the director, Baz Luhrmann, is the same character that created Moulin Rouge! and Romeo + Juliet (another Leo classic). He is terribly great at creating showy fantasias with gossamer backgrounds and making the audience ask “why. Why live like this?”. There was always something a bit off in Gatsby—while the audience wanted to get caught up in the revelry of the scenes, we knew (be it the costumes or camera angles or our Ms. Clavel senses) that something is not quite right. The uncut pages, the flinging of shirts, the whole meeting scene was odd. And then we realize that the illusion was only that. An illusion.

Colors. The green light, the major theme in the story, is constantly blinking in our faces. Thank god. There are just some things — the green dress in Atonement, the metal necklace in Atlas Shrugged— that are colored to such a point that it would be blasphemous to change in the movies (don’t get me started on the ruby slippers). The green light coupled with the cinematography and the final line of the book/movie was eerie and sad and understanding and fulfilling in a wonderful “you got it right” way. The yellow car and blonde/red hair were all there. YAY!

Age. Oh Leo, how I love you. But, you are not Jack in Titanic. You are not Romeo. You are not the just-30, grabbing-for-fame, hopeful-until-you-die Gatsby. You did a pretty convincing job, and at times you nailed it. But, I just wanted someone else. I wanted to see you like that, but I just couldn’t. I wanted to see Jack be Gatsby and then I would be happy. That yearning, long-awaited love was not enough for me. And that was the point, it was perfectly done. I just didn’t see it on your face, you, the almost-real character. Womp.

Cinematography: B+. There was a scene towards the end that was magical in a way that I haven’t seen a movie be in a while. Word whimsy, I would call it. Fitzgerald had such a way with words that speaks to so many different people, and this scene captured it with no words at all. I almost wish it would have gone further into the author. The film was less successful in trying to capture the thin line between Astoria-NYC, East/West Hampton- East/West Egg. It was just fake, too computerized. While I have heard Gatsby be considered “timeless” because it incorporates different cars/clothes/names from different times, it is very much a period piece commentary. And, I think it could have shot that way while getting a good effect.

Modern. This movie was FANTABULOUS at being modern. It took the cool things about the Jazz Era and made them applicable to our lives today. It reinvented fashion, music, activities, dancing. It was incredible. The amount of artists who came together for this film is also astounding – Beyonce and Andre 3000 redid Adele, Emeli Sande redid Beyonce, Brooks Brothers was the something old-made-new, the houses were grandiose with modern conveniences. There was a familiar undertone beating through the whole movie that absolutely mesmerized me. Despite what this guy says, I don’t think the audience wants the Jazz Era back for all the reasons described in Gatsby, but I do think the audience wants to feel that awesome human potential that we consider to be so American and so Jazz-age-y.

Narration. Nick brought us in, gave us a framework, and made us trust him to guide us out. Instead, he left us on that boat, beating against the current into the past. You won’t be disappointed.

What do you think? Do you agree, disagree, feel as if your heart is broken, are still unsure if you want to go at all – let’s get the comments rollin’!

Before Jay Z ever internalized the idea of being “forever young”, a mischevious young boy named Peter stubbornly decided he would never grow up. And, to add fuel to the fire, his creator, J.M. Barrie wouldn’t either — he tried his hardest to memorialize himself (or possibly his dead brother) in his books, but he was unable to cheat death eventually. Many non-readers know Barrie’s mostly-true story thanks to Finding Neverland and Peter’s new stage presence in Peter and the Starcatchers, but there is something about the timeless nature of both boy and author that all generations want to understand. Just what is really the question.

Here are 10 things you might NOT know about J.M. Barrie and Peter Pan:

1. Barrie grew up a small town called Kirriemuir, a neighbor to the real Scottish MacBeth and his castle. Talk about a literary (and weird) environment, huh?

2. In his adult life, Barrie became close friends with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (so cool!). Their relationship became so deeply intimate that Barrie wrote a brilliant parody of Sherlock Holmes called “the Adventures of the Two Collaborators” just when Holmes was apparently killed off.  

3. To add to this cauldron of literary awesomeness, Barrie founded a cricket team known as “the Allahakbarries” (translated as “may heaven help us”) and literally shot the breeze with A.A. Milne, Doyle, Walter Raleigh, and the son of Alfred Lord Tennyson. Could more great minds come together in one place again? I don’t know. 

4. Peter Pan first materialized from a small chapter in the Little White Bird — boy, was Peter ever different! He was much more like the pipe-playing, horned Pan from Greek mythology than Disney’s version. In this small book, Barrie went back to the folkloric faerie tradition; even Tink wasn’t present at this point, but her clan of hardworking faerie friends were.

5.) The original title of the play was Anon, a succinct in-between just like Peter himself; however, Barrie changed the name to the longer Peter Pan, or the Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up, perhaps to show a less decisive, more childish Pan (certianly one who couldn’t decide what he wanted to be called)

6.)  The manuscript of the play’s dialogue is lost (said in  Tootles’ voice from Hook). Coincidence? I think not, especially not for an eternally young boy-god.

7.) The novel Peter and Wendy grew out of ”When Wendy Grew Up—An Afterthought”, an alternate ending first performed on stage in 1909. As with all the twisy and complicated parts of Peter Pan, the novel departs noticeably from the play and is filled with tongue twisters, extended imaginative metaphors, and dangerous thoughts that no child would ever be permitted to hear so young. Oh children’s literature at the turn of the 20th century! You were totally titled wrong. 

8.) The Great Orman Street Hospital, to which Barrie left his copyright, held a competition back in 2004 for a sequel to Peter and Wendy, birthing the wonderful Peter Pan in Scarlet. The story follows the Lost Boys in a slightly less action packed than Peter Pan adventure full of circuses, fog, and battles — the story is less about the traditional fairies and more about Neverland’s struggles of staying together.

9.) Peter and the Starcatchers is another modern adventure for Peter Pan, on top of Disney’s sequel. Are they as great as the original? (which original, you might ask? You pick!)

10.) Channing Tatum is currently producing “Peter Pan Begins“. I guess Peter really appeals to Hollywood…

 The evolution of Peter Pan is astonishing. He is both a mythological and Christian character, the amalgamation of everything and nothing, to the point where he can either incite happy thoughts or float through your fingers like smoke. I believe that I, children, and adults are all so interested in him because his story is so relatable. Who really wants to grow up? At least, if we are going to be Wendys (the name, btw, that Barrie created), we might as well choose when to grow up and how. What an awesome story to pass on to others in Accio Books.

My first encounter with the works of Tolkien happened when I was probably eight or nine years old, before there was a Harry Potter (at least in the US), before there were movies of any of these books, and you actually had to sit down and turn pages if you wanted to know how a story went.

photo courtesy of the Wall Street Journal

Don’t get me wrong, I’d been obsessed with every story I’d ever read, but something about Tolkien’s prose was more vibrant and immediate than anything I’d ever encountered, and it scooped me up from the first words and plopped me down in a nice neat little hole and sent me adventuring.

For some reason I completely loved Thorin–possibly seeing a kindred spirit in his tendency to boss everybody around and act highly important. Little details like being male and having a beard are very unimportant when you’re nine, so when mum made us some lovely dwarf hoods a little while later, I positively insisted on wearing the blue one with the silver tassel and being referred to as Thorin Oakenshield at the dinner table. Oh, and bossing everyone around. But that wasn’t new.

photo courtesy of the Wall Street Journey

My brother and I and any hapless neighbor kids we could commandeer then proceeded to go forth and have grand adventures and fight dragons and discover great heaps of dwarf gold, and then bury said gold in the backyard and lose it. Eventually we even dug a monumental four-cave hole that was big enough for most grown-ups to climb into, and which (since despite our best efforts, it remained to small to be properly though of as the Mines of Moria) we called ‘The God-Forsaken Orc-Hole.’

Time went on, and eventually I read The Lord of the Rings and spent several years hanging out in Mirkwood with a cute elf, and then college showed up and life got complicated. The long and the short of it is that I hadn’t given Mr. Baggins a thought for several years when the news of the movie came out. I can’t say I gave him much of a thought even then, besides chuckling at Mr. Jackson’s trilogy antics and wondering if Arwen would manage an appearance.

But when the movie came out I suddenly had an overwhelming urge not to go see it. It took me somewhat by surprise, since I was rather looking forward to Martin Freeman as Bilbo, and was quite a fan of the LOTR movies for a while. But the more I thought about it, the more I didn’t want to see it, and the more I couldn’t really explain why.

A few weeks ago, I picked up a copy of THe Hobbit, and realized almost immediately why seeing the film hadn’t appealed to me. Because down in the pages of that book were all those fragile years that disappear so quickly and cannot be held onto. All the adventures and dragons and long days tramping around in the woods as a kid. All the delicate drawings of Tolkien’s that I had copied out so carefully, the great map with the spidery dragon in red, and all the adventures that I had right alongside Mr. Baggins and Thorin and the rest. They stayed there, pressed in the pages, the ones that were written and the ones I imagined, all there just like it was yesterday.

photo courtesy of Wired.com

This week’s question: What new fandoms are you currently obsessed with?

Quinn: As I’ve mentioned a couple times in story reviews, my latest obsession is Warehouse 13. My fiancee has been trying to get me into the show pretty much since it premiered four years ago, but a few months ago, she sat me down and we watched the entire first season, and I was hooked. I fell in love with the show, and now I’m even getting back into writing fanfic and role-play. Guess it shows me that I should stop paying attention to my pre-conceived notions. By the way, new episodes are on Syfy at 10 on Mondays. It’s an awesome show that everyone should watch!

Erin: I guess it depends on how “new” you’re talking. My most recent “new” fandom obsession has definitely been Doctor Who, but it’s seriously been an issue for probably about six months now (ever since the boyfriend thought it would be really smart to get me to watch from the beginning of the Ninth Doctor on Netflix). Although…I guess you could almost say that my newest fandom obsession is just British TV in general, because I’ve also gotten really into Downton Abbey and Sherlock and now I’m watching a couple of old BBC sitcoms (Spaced and Coupling currently, in case you’re super curious)…but the only British show I’d say I’m legit obsessed with is the Doctor.

Kara: Oh man, the story I’ve been most involved with lately has been my to-do list. Yeah, I agree it’s depressing, but FINALS. That said, I have taken up Terry Pratchett again recently, and every time I pick up on of his books I am amazed by how hilarious, utterly absurd, and surprisingly insightful he can be. He’s not exactly character-driven, and I rarely find myself on the edge of my seat, but he is immensely enjoyable and thought provoking at the same time. In the middle of the school semester, that’s exactly what I need. I’ve also recently started reading The Hobbit again, for the first time since I was thirteen or so, and I’m absolutely loving every page of it. For all that I love the great modern writers, it’s hard to beat Tolkien for sheer awesomeness and quirky charm.

Emily: I am on a really big Grimm kick currently. Fairy tales hold a special interest in my soul, so I am naturally drawn to any sort of rewriting, rethinking, reimagining of them. I also really want to read Neil Gaiman’s new book about them — if anyone has thoughts/feelings/recommendations, leave them in the comments! Another fandom here in DC is House of Cards. It has reached out its inky tentacles and taken over. Kevin Spacey and fandom goddess Robin Wright are so dang twisty… it works perfectly with the whole political scenery.

So, got any fandom recommendations for us? Let us know in the comments, and leave us a question to answer next week!

Stepping away from the fictional for a moment, HG Wells was a science fiction writer from the late 1800s, in many ways one of the fathers of the genre. Many things that Wells theorized actually have come true as history has progressed. So what, you might ask? Well, if you’ve never read any of Wells’ work, you’re missing out. In reading Wells’ most famous works, there are two that I would really like to highlight: The Time Machine and The Island of Doctor Moreau.

Cover of The Time Machine

One of the lesser known of Wells’ works is The Island of Doctor Moreau. This book takes place almost entirely on a not-quite-deserted island. The Doctor of the title has been doing various ‘experiments’ on animals, attempting to create human-like creatures out of beasts. Wells explores the psychology of what it would take to create an actual sentient species out of… well, animals of unknown sentience. What happens on the island, and what happens to the beast-people, that’s for you to find out in the story. This particular book is a bit creepy, so if you have a low gross-out factor, it might not be the story for you, but really, it is a fascinating book.

Island of Doctor Moreau Cover

So, really, go check out HG Wells, and find some new, albeit old stories. Do you have any stories that you’ve found through another fandom? Let me know in the comments!

This week’s question is a two-parter: What plans do you have for the summer? Anything interesting on your reading list?

Rocket, my pug.

Anna: This summer I am finally moving to Arizona with my boyfriend – he graduated from our college a year ago, I’m graduating in two weeks…I’ve been ready for this for a while now. I’m going to be starting a job as a barista at the best cafe in Flagstaff, living with Anthony and our pug, Rocket, again, and I get to go to LeakyPortland as well. Life is pretty good. Beyond that, I’ll be catching up on a lot of reading. I want to read all of Jane Austen’s novels (I’ve only read Pride and Prejudice so far), finish the Mortal Instruments series, plus start to tackle the 200+ books on my to-read list. It’s a lot to read, and it’s time I get started!

Elizabeth: I don’t have any super set plans for the summer yet, but there’s quite a few things I want to do. At some point we may be going to Pensacola Beach, and if things go my way this weekend, I may get to see Darren Criss in concert at the beginning of June (!!!!). I also plan on learning to quilt, taking yoga classes, training for some runs, and of course, camping out at my public library. I don’t even have a reading list this summer; I’m just going to spend hours reading the most interesting titles I can find on the shelves and see where that leads me!

Erin: Oh, geeze. Let’s see. I’m going to a couple of concerts with my boyfriend, and we’re also going to see Jeff Dunham at the Ohio State Fair! I’m also going to be having a blast at LeakyCon Portland (my birthday is the last day of the con, so…I mean…that’s pretty sweet too) and I’m doing the Color Run in Columbus in July. The rest of the summer is going to be spent in massive amounts of dance rehearsal for the Dublin Irish Festival (Dublin, Ohio…not Ireland), and then the festival itself at the beginning of August. Yay! As for what I’ll be reading…ALL THE BOOKS! I don’t tend to plan my reading that far ahead…but my To Be Read pile is ridiculous. I should really work on that.

What are your plans for the summer?  Any cons, vacations, fun new books you’re planning on reading?  And, of course, please leave us any questions that you would like to see us answer in upcoming Weird Question Weekly posts!