The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp

This National Book Award Finalist is now a major motion picture — one of the most buzzed-about films at Sundance 2013, starring Shailene Woodley and Miles Teller.

SUTTER KEELY. HE’S the guy you want at your party. He’ll get everyone dancing. He’ ll get everyone in your parents’ pool. Okay, so he’s not exactly a shining academic star. He has no plans for college and will probably end up folding men’s shirts for a living. But there are plenty of ladies in town, and with the help of Dean Martin and Seagram’s V.O., life’s pretty fabuloso, actually.

Until the morning he wakes up on a random front lawn, and he meets Aimee. Aimee’s clueless. Aimee is a social disaster. Aimee needs help, and it’s up to the Sutterman to show Aimee a splendiferous time and then let her go forth and prosper. But Aimee’s not like other girls, and before long he’s in way over his head. For the first time in his life, he has the power to make a difference in someone else’s life—or ruin it forever.

The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp is one of the best books I have read this year. It captures your attention from the first page to the last, and it honestly makes you want to see the movie. Sutter Keely is someone everyone wants to be friends with--he's fun-loving and has a big heart. He's one of those characters you either will fall in love with and hope for the best for him, or you'll hate him and hope for the worst. All the stress that Sutter goes through is completely relatable: applying to college, missing his ex, divorced parents/a runaway father. This book will keep you laughing and "awwing" the whole time. Since this novel is a bit inappropriate, I wouldn't recommend it to a middle-schooler, but I think it's fine for high schoolers and older (I read it while in college). It's definitely top of my list, and a perfect summer read!

Have a great (sunny) day!

-NBW

Buy it here: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/spectacular-now-tim-tharp/1100290954?ean=9780385754309

Check out the trailer: (via: youtube.com)

Revenge of the Girl With the Great Personality By Elizabeth Eulberg

A hilarious novel from Elizabeth Eulberg about taking the wall out of the wallflower so she can bloom.

Don't mess with a girl with a great personality.

Everybody loves Lexi. She's popular, smart, funny . . . but she's never been one of those girls, the pretty ones, who get all the attention from guys. And on top of that, her seven-year-old sister, Mackenzie, is a terror in a tiara, and part of a pageant scene where she gets praised for her beauty (with the help of fake hair and tons of makeup).

Lexi's sick of it. She's sick of being the girl who hears about kisses instead of getting them. She's sick of being ignored by her longtime crush, Logan. She's sick of being taken for granted by her pageant-obsessed mom. And she's sick of having all her family's money wasted on a phony pursuit of perfection.

Revenge of the Girl With the Great Personality is great young adult read with a great message. As Ashlee Simpson once sang about "living in the shadow of someone else's dream," Lexi wanted to become the girl who everyone was talking about, not the assistant to the girl everyone was talking about (aka her little sister). Between her selfish mother and bratty little sister, Lexi barely had time to really care about how she looked, but after a dare she took with her best friend, Lexi discovered the magic of fashion and makeup. However, she realizes that people don't just like her for her new look, but they liked her because she gained a new sense of confidence to go along with her great personality. Elizabeth Eulberg does a great job of distinguishing the difference between changing yourself for others and changing yourself for yourself. If I could describe this book in one phrase, it would be "Toddlers & Tiaras meets Mean Girls." Young readers, this is a perfect spring break/summer read, and with it's cheesy (in the best way possible), fast-paced storyline, you're not going to want to put it down!

Happy April! See you next week!

-NBW

Buy it here: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/revenge-of-the-girl-with-the-great-personality-elizabeth-eulberg/1112220586?ean=9780545477000

Just For Fun: The 14 Stages of Book Addiction (via: Buzzfeed.com). It's 100% true (for me, at least).

http://www.buzzfeed.com/kalialicia/the-14-stages-of-book-addiction-f9n7

                                                  (Via: http://realitytvgifs.tumblr.com)

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!

The Power of Style: Everything You Need to Know Before You Get Dressed Tomorrow by Bobbie Thomas

"Everyone gets dressed and getting dressed affects everything."
—Bobbie Thomas, the TODAY show style editor

Beyond understanding your best colors and figure-flattering clothes, Bobbie takes a unique step back in this inspiring guide to empower you to feel stylish, smart, sexy, and satisfied—with a look that's uniquely your own…

You can't live life naked, so after you brush your teeth in the morning, you put "something" on. It's the first decision of your day, but have you ever considered that it's also one of the most important? Style goes far beyond fashion and beauty and is a powerful way to say who we are and get what we want. Your "style speak" comes through in a louder "voice" than anything you might scream from a rooftop. But often, there is so much focus on the outside that we forget to step back and understand that style really starts inside.

Do you ever feel like maybe you aren't wearing the right clothes for your body type? Have you ever even considered that some clothing items or colors might look better on you than other? Do you ever have days where you just don't seem satisfied with how you look? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, or even if you didn't, this book is the perfect book for you! In The Power of Style: Everything You Need to Know Before You Get Dressed Tomorrow, Bobbie Thomas, Today Show Fashion Editor, teaches you all the tips and tricks you need to know about how you present yourself, verbally and nonverbally. This book is mainly a fashion book, but what I loved was that Bobbie Thomas dedicated half the book to evaluating how you perceive yourself and how others perceive you. After reading this book, I definitely felt more aware of how I can make sure everyone around me sees what I want them to see when they look at me. This book is filled with great advice on managing your style and making sure you always look your best. This is a perfect vacation read because it's a very easy read and it's interaction, so go buy this book, grab a pen, and enjoy!

See you next Wednesday!

-NBW

Buy Here: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-power-of-style-bobbie-thomas/1113499847?ean=9780062219749