Hi, guys! Amy here, wondering how are we at the end of February!?! Not that I'm complaining: you know I've been waiting for spring for the past few weeks. I spotted the first buttercups peeking out of the ground this week, and I flushed with giddy excitement. 

SPRING IS ALMOST HERE! 
 

But I digress . . . 

Here's what happened on the Internets this week:

This is beyond precious: kids practice reading to shy shelter dogs at Missouri humane society. Be still, my beating heart! 

When I worked for HarperCollins, cover meetings were always my favorite. I loved getting to see someone else's visual representation of what a story was all about, and to watch that cover evolve over time (believe me: there are several iterations of a cover before the book hits shelves). This was a fascinating read from a book cover designer who crafted one of the coolest covers I've seen in a while.

Game of Thrones fans: George R.R. Martin has revealed that his (forthcoming TBD) sixth book in A Song of Ice and Fire, THE WINDS OF WINTER, features a character that's been killed off in the show. Oh my! I'm curious to see how the two plots diverge even further . . . 

Book World Alert: Barnes & Noble says they have an Amazon-like store in the works.

This is the best Harper Lee tribute I read.

You guys. Library bars are a real thing!

I love to cook—a lot. When we were first dating, Boyfriend opened my spice drawer (one of them, anyway) and jumped back about three feet, baffled by the sheer volume of spices I had (hey, they're basically my grown-up box of 96-count Crayolas). It takes a lot for a recipe to get on my regular rotation, and this one just did. I love Greek/Turkish food with all my heart, and I swear, I think this recipe for homemade gyro meat must be identical to my favorite Turkish place in town. Wow, mama, are these delicious! Any extra meat you have leftover would freeze beautifully, I'd wager (and you're gonna want leftovers—trust me).  

And closer to home:

J.T. wrote a blog post about Imposter Syndrome, a new buzzword flying around the creative world, and why it's a bunch of rubbish (need a boost? read this post). 

On The Wine Vixen, I wrote about this delicious Sauvignon Blanc that YOU MUST have in your life this spring. Seriously. This is the best white I've had in quite a while AND it's under $20.

And don't forget: there's a Goodreads giveaway to win one of 30 advanced copies of J.T.'s new Taylor Jackson prequel, FIELD OF GRAVES! Look at it this way: your odds of winning a copy far outweigh your chances of winning the lottery. Just sayin'.

That's it from me! I hope you find buttercups, chocolate, and good books somewhere in your life this week. I'll talk to you soon!

–Amy