Valar Must-Eat-It: All Men Must Pig Out – Literary Happy Hour

April 11, 2015 by Caitlin

The much-loved and highly raged about HBO after-school special Game Of Thrones (what, you don’t think it’s family friendly?) returns this Sunday, April 12, to the delight of fans everywhere. As the show is reaching the end of current book-related content, this season is sure to present a lot of shocks for everyone, not just those who skipped the books. While everyone’s getting eager for boobs and bloodshed and bastards, I decided to steel myself for this upcoming season with […]

Categories: Happy Hour • Tags: cooking, game of thrones, HBO, Literary Happy Hour, Song of Ice and Fire, valar morghulis

“God Bless Us, Every One!” – Literary Happy Hour

December 25, 2014 by Caitlin

It’s Christmas, which means we the good authors of Ladies On The Shelf are congregating in our native California, enjoying family and friends and festivities. Despite holiday distractions, I feel it would be a great shame not to share a final Literary Happy Hour of 2014 with you all. I’ll make it brief, joyful, and jolly, just as a holiday tiding should be. For inspiration, let’s visit Charles Dickens and his well-loved classic, A Christmas Carol (I bid you to […]

Categories: Happy Hour • Tags: A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens, christmas, cocktails, Holidays, Literary Happy Hour, wine

A Revolution without Drinking is Hardly One Worth Having

November 20, 2014 by Caitlin

What to read: Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins What to drink: Hush Moonshine, or maybe actual moonshine if you want to keep the theme going The highly anticipated third installment of the Hunger Games series drops tonight, which has many young fans eagerly snapping up tickets, braiding their hair and waiting for that first glimpse of Katniss’ super serious face. I, unlike many of these young fans, will be seeing Mockingjay, Part 1 on it’s wide release tomorrow, and instead will be celebrating […]

Categories: Happy Hour • Tags: Katniss Everdeen, Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games

“A Zombie in Possession of Brains Must be in Want of More Brains”

October 30, 2014 by Caitlin

Halloween is my favorite time of year. There’s nothing I like better than playing dress up. And the decorations! Macabre and black and orange and rotting. I love it. My mother shares this passion with me. She’s been known to throw a hell of a Halloween party, complete with a different theme decor for each room (witch’s kitchen, mad scientist’s lab, etc. etc.). She’s also the person who instilled my love of reading and took me to the library where I absorbed fairy […]

Categories: Happy Hour • Tags: Classic literature, Halloween, Jane Austen, Literary Happy Hour, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Seth Grahame-Smith, shots shots shots

Just Call Me Booze Radley

September 25, 2014 by Caitlin

What to read: To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee; Tequila Mockingbird, by Tim Federle What to drink: a Tequila Mockingbird, as found on page 45 of the aforementioned book As you may already know, it’s Banned Books Week, a week when we celebrate the freedom to read and discuss the dangers of censorship. As the official Banned Books Week website (which has a plethora of information on the subject) points out, many books that have changed the face of literature – […]

Categories: Happy Hour • Tags: Banned Books Week, Harper Lee, Literary Happy Hour, To Kill A Mockingbird

Wine, Kilts, and…Vocal Cord Paralysis? – Literary Happy Hour

September 11, 2014 by Erin

In which a fictional historical romance set in the 18th century Scottish highlands leads me to the fanciest bottle of wine I’ve ever purchased. What to read: Outlander, by Diana Gabaldon What to watch: Outlander, Starz channel, Saturdays 9pm E/P What to drink: Hans Wirsching 2006 Silvaner Auslese I turned, having missed Colum’s words in the growing noise, to find him offering me the decanter, a lovely bell-shaped thing of pale green crystal. The liquid within, seen through the glass, […]

Categories: Happy Hour • Tags: bocksbeutal, diana gabaldon, Literary Happy Hour, outlander, wine

“If you spill the wine, I will punish you.”

August 28, 2014 by Caitlin

What to read: 50 Shades of Grey What to drink: White wine, possibly dribbled from an acquaintance’s mouth “Are you thirsty, Anastasia?” he asks, his voice teasing. …He leans down and kisses me, pouring a delicious, crisp liquid in my mouth as he does. It’s white wine… It tastes all the more divine because it’s been in his mouth.” You, too, can have adorable moments like this! All you need is some wine, a willing partner, and an inability to […]

Categories: Happy Hour • Tags: 50 Shades of Grey, E.L. James, Literary Happy Hour, Thirsty Thursday, wine

From Coast to Coast: Part Two – Literary Happy Hour

August 14, 2014 by Caitlin

What to read: “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry” or “Mannahatta” by Walt Whitman What to drink: Rowan’s Creek 12-year bourbon I’ve had some time now to absorb some of the shock of my coast to coast move, and I’m finding I like it here more and more, despite the lingering California homesickness. One of my favorite things about the east coast so far has been the ability to walk from place to place – this is especially good for bars (and bookstores). Coincidentally, […]

Categories: Happy Hour • Tags: new york, poetry, Walt Whitman, whiskey

From Coast to Coast: Part One – Literary Happy Hour

July 31, 2014 by Caitlin

What to read: “Pioneer! O Pioneer!” and “A Promise to California” (excerpts from Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman) What to drink: 21st Amendment “Brew Free! Or Die” IPA As some of you may know, I recently made a major change in my life – two weeks ago, I moved from my lifelong home southern California and relocated to the east coast. It’s not been an easy transition, to say the least, but the hardest parts (the actual picking up and moving) […]

Categories: Happy Hour • Tags: beer, California, Walt Whitman