Happy 2014, dear readers! I hope you had a lovely winter break and spent time with family and friends. If you have been snowbound and/or delayed by the polar vortex that is creating havoc in the United States right now, I hope you are somewhere warm and safe (and I hope that the airlines are able to resume their scheduled flights soon)! Today is Tuesday, so I have some fun to help you through your day as you settle back into work mode. Let’s get going.

First, I love making mini-pie in jars. Love it. I have several in my freezer right now, ready for pie emergencies. So obviously, I love this recipe for apple pie baked in an apple. Adorable and tasty! I may have to make these in the fall after apple picking.

Also, for those of you out there who haven’t yet seen them, I link you to the set of vintage READ posters. These provide a wonderful glimpse into the past and great ideas for some faux-vintage posters to create in the present.

And really, how could I resist a link to an animatronic wall of books? I can’t.

Finally, if you are in the East Bay tomorrow, you really ought to come by the Cal State East Bay Library on the Hayward campus as Laura Lam will be doing a reading from her second book, Shadowplay. It’s at 6pm in the Biella Room and should be fun. Laura is a graduate from Cal State East Bay, so it is exciting that she is coming back to campus for this reading. It should be fun, so come if you can.

Hope you have a wonderful rest of your week, dear readers. I will be back on Friday with some more news and notes. Allons-y!