Welcome to December 21, 2012, or as many people suspect - The End of the World as We Know It! In case you've been living under a rock for a few years, this is the day the famous Mayan Long Count calender ends. Many believe that the Mayans had some magical or divine insight to the world's expiration date. The fact that they didn't foresee the end of their own civilization puts their prognostication abilities in doubt. More likely, the end of their calendar was simply a matter of a design limitation, kind of like how Y2K exposed a flaw in the calenders of computers around the world.
Anyway, whether you believe this is the end or not, today is the perfect day to consider all of the great dystopian and apocalyptic literature available. We have seen an explosion of such novels over the past several years, driven lately by the Hunger Games juggernaut. So take this day to curl up with a good end-of-the-world novel and ride it out. If the world is still here tomorrow, you will have read a great book! If the world does end today, then I'll treat everyone to lunch in the afterlife. I'm thinking a nice steak would be good.
