The Bling Ring: How a Gang of Fame-Obsessed Teems Ripped Off Hollywood and Shocked the World by Nancy Jo Sales

The true story that inspired the Sofia Coppola film

Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Orlando Bloom, Rachel Bilson: robbed. More than $3 million in stolen clothing, jewelry, shoes, and handbags reported missing. Who is behind one of the most brazen string of crimes in recent Hollywood history? Meet the Bling Ring: a band of club-hopping teenagers from the Valley with everything to lose.

Over the course of a year, the members of the now infamous Bling Ring allegedly burglarized some of the biggest names in young Hollywood. Driven by celebrity worship, vanity, and the desire to look and dress like the rich and famous, these seven teenagers made headlines for using Google maps, Facebook, and TMZ to track the comings and goings of their targets. Many of the houses were unlocked. Alarms disabled. A "perfect" crime— celebrities already had so much, why shouldn't the Bling Ring take their share?

As the unprecedented case unfolded in the news, the world asked: How did our obsession with celebrities get so out of hand? Why would a group of teens who already had so much, take such a risk?

Acclaimed Vanity Fair writer Nancy Jo Sales found the answer: they did it because each stolen T-shirt or watch brought them closer to living the Hollywood dream . . . and because it was terrifyingly easy. For the Bling Ring the motivation was something deeper than money—they were compelled by a compulsion to be famous. Gaining unprecedented access to the group of teens, Sales traces the crimes minute by minute and details the key players' stories in a shocking look at the seedy, and troubling, world of the real young Hollywood.

When I started reading this book, I was hoping to read about the plot of The Bling Ring and how the robberies occurred, but instead I felt almost like a detective while reading this book, which focused on uncovering the story behind the infamous bling ring. This book portrays the interviews of the teens behind The Bling Ring, but by the end of the book, I felt like everybody involved (even the lawyers, to an extent) were so fame-obsessed that you don't feel like you can really trust what they are saying because they all just wanted attention. It was definitely interesting to read about the perspectives of all the players in the case, especially from not knowing so much about The Bling Ring in the first place. This book is a good read if you're interested in learning about the backstory behind one of the most shocking robberies of the past decade. However, I will warn you that sometimes this book feels more like a long essay than a book because Jo Sales sometimes goes off subject and explains other aspects of how America is so obsessed with "the celebrity" and fame. So did this book make me feel like I could teach someone about The BlingRing? Yes. Did it make me want to see the movie? Not particularly.

Have a great week!

-NBW

Buy it here: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-bling-ring-nancy-jo-sales/1114820448?ean=9780062245533

Just For Fun:

One of my favorite blogs posted this article last Thursday, and it totally relates. See inside famous celeb's houses: http://intothegloss.com/2014/03/celebrity-homes-pictures/

      Bonus: Paris Hilton's, one of the victims of The Bling Ring, house is featured in pictures 21 to 23. Perfect for a little visual while you read.

And completely unrelated: I'm a hard-covered book, which book are you? Take this fun little quiz and find out!

http://www.buzzfeed.com/isaacfitzgerald/what-type-of-book-are-you

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin

Gretchen Rubin had an epiphany one rainy afternoon in the unlikeliest of places: a city bus. "The days are long, but the years are short," she realized. "Time is passing, and I'm not focusing enough on the things that really matter." In that moment, she decided to dedicate a year to her happiness project.

In this lively and compelling account, Rubin chronicles her adventures during the twelve months she spent test-driving the wisdom of the ages, current scientific research, and lessons from popular culture about how to be happier. Among other things, she found that novelty and challenge are powerful sources of happiness; that money can help buy happiness, when spent wisely; that outer order contributes to inner calm; and that the very smallest of changes can make the biggest difference.

I first heard about The Happiness Project when I saw my friend reading it during high school one day and she told me I needed  to read it. I had this book on my mental "To Read" list for two years and finally got around to it earlier this fall. I'm a sophomore in college and this was the perfect book to start this year off with. Before I start talking about this book, I want to let y'all know that I took a "Science of Happiness" class at my university last spring, which talked about positive psychology and way to make yourself feel happier (Side note: if you have this course at your college, take it! It's one of the best courses I've ever taken thus far.). If you aren't very familiar with positive psychology, this book is a perfect crash course on it. If you are already familiar with the subject, this book is a really good refresher on it and it will give you more ways to apply it in your life. I really enjoyed reading about how Gretchen Rubin used the ideas of positive psychology to change herself for the better, but she also didn't sugarcoat anything. She'd be completely honest about the fact that sometimes she didn't think she was feeling any happier at that moment, but she never stopped trying to practice ways to become happier because she knew it still will make her feel good eventually. I recommend The Happiness Project to everyone because I read a chapter before bed each night, and I always felt so motivated the next morning and whenever I thought about what I read. I loved the book so much that I passed it on to a friend because I felt like she would really enjoy it. Go on and spread the happiness, read this book, and enjoy!

Get excited for spring! See you next week!

-NBW

Buy it here: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/happiness-project-gretchen-craft-rubin/1101357622?ean=9780061583261

Check out Gretchen's blog: http://www.gretchenrubin.com

Just For Fun:

 I can't post about this book without adding my favorite song of the moment:

UPDATE: If you already like that version, check out this amazing a capella version from one of my favorite a capella groups.

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Set over the course of one school year in 1986, this is the story of two star-crossed misfits—smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. When Eleanor meets Park, you’ll remember your own first love—and just how hard it pulled you under.

A 2014 Michael L. Printz Honor Book for Excellence in Young Adult Literature
Eleanor & Park is the winner of the 2013 Boston Globe Horn Book Award for Best Fiction Book.
A Publishers Weekly Best Children's Book of 2013
A New York Times Book Review Notable Children's Book of 2013
A Kirkus Reviews Best Teen Book of 2013
An NPR Best Book of 2013

A 2014 Michael L. Printz Honor Book
Winner of the 2013 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Fiction

If you ever need a really great love story to read, read this book! Eleanor and Park depicts a beautifully written love story by Rainbow Rowell that you're not going to want to put down. It's a story about falling in love for all the right reasons, and the journey of how much you would risk for the person you love. This is the complete opposite of a cheesy love story. This book will make you cry, laugh, and love. I don't think I can stress enough how endearing this book was to read. This book is perfect for people in their teens and early twenties (however I think everyone can appreciate this book and its mature perspective on love), so buy this book and trust me, you won't regret it.

Have a great week!

-NBW

Buy it here: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/eleanor-park-rainbow-rowell/1110274728?ean=9781250012579

Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick

Today is Leonard Peacock's birthday. It is also the day he will kill his former best friend, and then himself, with his grandfather's P-38 pistol.

Maybe one day he'll believe that being different is okay, important even.

But not today.

The New York Times bestselling author of The Silver Linings Playbook, Matthew Quick, brings an unflinching eye to the impossible choices we deal with everyday-and the light in us all that never goes out.

Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock shows an enticing story of a teenage boy facing all the deep contemplations that follow his thoughts about committing suicide. This novel is thrilling the whole way through, and you aren't going to want to put it down. I thought it was so interesting how Quick made The Holocaust play such a crucial part of this novel. Even though I have never gone through this type of experience, I feel as though Quick portrays an extremely accurate idea of how complicated the thought of committing suicide and killing another truly is. Matthew Quick is definitely one of my favorite authors, and I fully recommend this book for teens and adults (the subject matter is serious, but I feel as though this book is an important read for everyone). Also it's a quick read, so it's a perfect book for an airplane ride or anytime.

Have a great week! Happy March!
-NBW

Buy here: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/forgive-me-leonard-peacock-matthew-quick/1113742195?ean=9780316221337

Just for Fun: So true!