J.K. Rowling is one fierce lady. She’s gorgeous, funny, smart, and is a wicked writer. She graced us with the most magical story ever with the Harry Potter series, which catapulted her to a level of fame that most writers can only dream about. Not only did Harry Potter spark a wildfire of reading for an entire generation, but it also created a place for kids to go in their heads and escape their own worlds. I know Harry Potter did a lot for me as a youngster, and it still does today. Because of her success, J.K. Rowling became one of the richest women in the United Kingdom and landed a spot on the Forbes billionaire list last year. However, now she’s been bumped back down to the millionaire’s list.

Don’t worry though, it’s not because she’s spending her unimaginable fortune. Rowling’s moved down because she’s donated so much of her money to charity. According to Forbes, ”New information about Rowlings’ estimated $160 million in charitable giving combined with Britain’s high tax rates bumped the ‘Harry Potter’ scribe from our list this year.” Rowling has always been a charitable lady. She started the Volant Charitable Trust to prevent social inequality and poverty in 2000 and is the president of One Parent Families, a charity for single-parent families. She also has donated millions to multiple sclerosis research. She also wrote several books for charity including Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, Quidditch Through The Ages, and The Tales of Beetle the Bard.

I can’t get over how amazing this woman is. She said it best herself, “You have a moral responsibility when you’ve been given far more than you need, to do wise things with it and give intelligently.” She truly is an inspiring person, and I hope others can aim to be just as giving as she is. It goes to show that you can be successful without losing your moral compass. And if you think she’s gone because the series is over, don’t fret. We already know she’s working on a new book (!!) and Pottermore is officially kicking off this spring. She’ll be around to inspire us for a while, I believe.

How awesome do you think J.K. Rowling is? Would you knock yourself off the billionaire’s list if you were on it?

Caitlin is a senior at the University of Alabama who has an obsession with cupcakes, coffee, and Harry Potter. She always has random fun facts on reserve and aspires to be a professional blogger,social media bug, and/or James Franco’s assistant. Follow her fabulous life @caitlincorsetti. You’re welcome!

Have you seen the trailer for the new movie adaptation of On the Road? It looks pretty awesome. It’s hard to believe that Jack Kerouac’s iconic book hasn’t been made into a movie yet. The novel is an emblem of the Beat generation. It’s a travel story and coming-of-age tale, both of which make very popular movies. Even though one of the stars is Kristen Stewart, the movie looks like it could be great. And who knows, maybe K Stew will be awesome and totally redeem herself for Twilight. Maybe.

The hype surrounding the movie got us thinking about books we read in school. There’s nothing that kills a great book quite as much as a boring high school English class. But it turns out that lots of the books your high school teachers made you read were pretty awesome. On the Road is one of them. For most people, it’s a love-it-or-hate-it novel, but it’s definitely worth a read whatever your experience happens to be. Here are 8 more books you probably got assigned in school that are worth a second look if you skipped over them the first time.

Full disclosure: I’m an English major and book nerd, but I promise that these books really are awesome. I have a million more books I could add to the list, but I did my best to narrow it down.

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Did we miss any? What are YOUR favorite books?

Garnet is a student at Columbia University in New York City. She is “that person” who starts dancing at a party when everyone else is standing around, and if there were a Facebook stalking Olympics, she would be a gold medalist. She also loves cheesy 90s music, and almost died of happiness when Vanilla Ice retweeted her. Once. Follow her on Twitter.

[Lead image via Edyta Pawlowska/Shutterstock]

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[Lead image via JHershPhoto/Shutterstock]

It’s Dr. Seuss’ birthday today! If he were still alive, he would be 108 today. No children’s author is quite as beloved as Dr. Seuss, and for good reason. His books are funny, clever, sweet, and easy to read. I grew up with Dr. Seuss stories, and I can still recite long sections of some of them. But just like Disney movies, the older you get, the more things you pick up on that you never noticed as a kid. Like that all of his characters look strangely phallic?  And it turns out there are a few scandalous lines in our most beloved Dr. Seuss books. Here’s the sexual innuendo in Dr. Seuss that you never noticed… until today.

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Garnet is a student at Columbia University in New York City. She is “that person” who starts dancing at a party when everyone else is standing around, and if there were a Facebook stalking Olympics, she would be a gold medalist. She also loves cheesy 90s music, and almost died of happiness when Vanilla Ice retweeted her. Once. Follow her on Twitter @garnethenderson.

If you’re looking for a way to spend time with family members without actually interacting with them, do as you did on those dates back in high school: go to a movie. There are plenty of feel-good flicks conveniently released for the holiday season; bond with your little brother while watching The Adventures of Tintin or fill out an entire row in front of Matt Damon and ScarJo in We Bought A Zoo. Too many opinions? Tickets to the movie with too many plot lines, please — New Year’s Eve!

Oh, you already saw all those movies? And there are still more estranged relatives to bond with?! Click through our holiday movie theater picks. Warning: they have absolute nothing to do with the holidays, and most of them will probably make you cry.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo: December 21st

It’s the highly anticipated movie based on the best-selling book, and even if you didn’t read it, it’s still a solid mystery/thriller film. Directed by David Fincher (Fight Club, The Social Network), starring Daniel Craig and introducing Rooney Mara, who just earned a Golden Globe nomination for this role.

The Flowers of War: December 21st (limited release)

Directed by Zhang Yomou (Hero, House of Flying Daggars), Christian Bale stars in China’s “non-foreign foreign film” about an American priest who helps save the lives of Chinese citizens during the Nanjing Massacre. And it better be good: The Flowers of War is the most expensive movie ever made in Chinese history.

In The Land Of Blood And Honey: December 23rd

Why the heck hasn’t Angelina Jolie come out with a third Tomb Raider movie yet? She’s been writing and directing (her directorial debut!) In The Land Of Blood And Honey, a romance between a Bosnian Muslim woman and a Serbian army officer during the Bosnian War. Croatian journalist James Braddock accused Jolie of stealing the plot from his book published in 2007, but she denies ever having seen the book. Ever. Even though the premises are incredibly similar.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close: December 25th

The film based on the best-seller by Johnathan Safran Foer stars Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock. Warning: you will cry, since it’s about a boy who begins an amazing and unique search after his father dies in the 9/11 attacks, in the same way you were affected by the other movies that Stephen Daldry has directed (The Reader, The Hours, Billy Elliot).

The Iron Lady: December 30th

Meryl Streep has already collected nominations for her portrayal of Margaret Thatcher, the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Judging from the trailer, it’s an ideal mixture between her roles and Julia Child in Julie & Julia and Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada, with just a hint of Donna’s self-doubt from Mamma Mia!.

What movie are you getting out of the house to watch before the year ends? Which of these five films is worth watching before 2012?

Ashley is a UC San Diego grad who is holding on way too tightly to a potential career in magazines and goes to Vegas all too often. She’s fascinated with celebrities and strawberry beer and doubles as a pathological texter/emailer/blogger. Feed the addiction with tweets @cashleelee. Thanks in advance.

It seems like new social shopping sites (like Groupon) are popping up every day. Some of them are even specifically focused on one thing, such as vacations, wine, shoes, and more. One of the newest sites I’ve come across is Bookperk, a Groupon-like site geared towards readers.

Bookperk pairs new bestselling books with exclusive merchandise and/or experiences that are only available to members of the site. Some of the current offers available right now are copy of Emily Post’s Ettiquitte along with a package of thank you cards and the Cowboys and Aliens graphic novel and movie poster. And like other shopping sites, the deals change daily, so if you find something you love, don’t wait too long or it might be gone!

Once you sign up for Bookperk (it’s totally free), you’ll start getting newsletters with all the daily perks. The deals are great and they offer a lot of different genres, so there’s something for everyone. You may even be able to cross a few Christmas presents off your list early!

As a total book lover, I think this site is pretty cool. I can’t wait to purchase my first perk!

It’s the moooost wonderful tiiiime of the yeeeear. Halfway to it, anyway. In a ‘Christmas in June’ inspired feeling, we can all celebrate because today is exactly six months away from Christmas. And, that being my all-time favorite gift-giving holiday, I rounded up a few presents I want now.

Is there anything better than spending a day reading on the beach, getting a golden glow, and sipping on a Pina Colada? I mean, I’m just guessing that would be the best. My beach days are usually more about trying to keep my hair from birds-nesting in the wind, spraying on SPF 75, and half-heartedly drinking warm beer that’s on the verge of boiling in the sun. But I do love opening up a good book, getting lost in the story, and ignoring the fact that there’s an elderly man walking back and forth wearing a a speedo thong.

And that’s why I asked all our wonderful CollegeCandy writers to tell us their favorite beach read. Because who knows books better than our writers? (Okay, that sounds cocky, I was just trying to drive home the point that they picked some great books…)

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With devices like the eReader, Kindle and iPad 2 at our fingertips, reading is supposed to be easier than ever, despite the slow extinction of the printed (and pricey) paperback. But try walking into a bookstore for new novels – you’ll find the Best Sellers’ shelves covered in leftovers of celebrity franchises, from Conrad and Kardashian to Bieber’s biography! Sure, we finally have the convenient medium to encourage more frequent reading, but are we running out of leisurely literature too fast these days?

I think it’s time to turn back to the assignments of our high school English classes, the novels taught every year not only to prepare us for those Advanced Placement tests, but also to enlighten us through universal themes and lessons before we went off to college.  Obviously, these stories have withstood the test of time over and over again: according to Focus Features, Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre has been adapted into 20 silent films, 27 “talkies” (for theater and television), 23 radio dramas, 48 plays and 8 musicals – and today marks the premiere of Jane Eyre, the film version starring Mia Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland, The Kids Are Alright), Michael Fassbender (Inglorious Basterds, 300) and Jamie Bell (The Eagle, Jumper).

The dynamic plot revolving around a bold governess and her mysterious employer is simultaneously an epic love story, a Gothic tale and a piece of social commentary. So in honor of Jane Eyre’s rebirth to a new generation, let’s resurrect some of the narratives we thought used to bore us to death. Here are five more high school books worth a reread in college:

So dust off those covers, and flip them open – for real this time, especially if you never actually read them back in high school!

What other books should we add to our nostalgic reading list?

[There are over 100 million sites on the Internet. 100 million! You might think you know about all the important ones (CollegeCandy, Gmail, Google, Facebook…), but there are thousands of other sweet sites out there (like Spreezio, Teach Parents Tech and We Are Hunted) and more showing up every day! We get it – it’s not easy or fun sifting through the crap and porn to find those gems, so we’re gonna bring the gems to you. Just sit back, kick up those feet and allow us to introduce you to the diamonds in the internet rough.]

If you’re an avid reader and book-lover like I am, your bookshelf is probably crammed with dozens of books. Mine is filled with several of my favorites, of course, but also dozens of old textbooks and cheap paperbacks I have never even opened probably won’t ever read again. Books that have been packed and moved and unpacked 6 times in the last 4 years. In my never-ending quest to get organized (and spend less money on moving boxes), I’ve decided to do something about all the books that I don’t use and are just sitting there collecting dust.

Of course I considered selling them or donating them, but I’ve discovered something better: swapping them.

PaperBackSwap is an online “book club,” where members can exchange books they’ve already read with other members.

Want to get started? First, sign up for an account. Then, list all the books you’re willing to swap. As a bonus, PaperBackSwap will give you two free book credits once you list your first 10 books, which are good for any books listed on the site. Search for available books by title, author, or genre, and then simply order the book and wait for it to arrive in your mailbox! The books you order are yours — so once you finish you can choose to keep it, give it away, or swap it again!

If any fellow users want to order one of your books, PaperBackSwap will notify you so you can ship it out to them. Once they get your book, you’ll receive a credit for another book (one book = one credit)!

While membership is free, you do have to pay postage for the books you send (you don’t have to pay shipping on books you order), but that’s still a whole lot cheaper than buying books (even used ones) every time you want something new to read!

Despite its name, PaperBackSwap isn’t just for paperback books — you can swap hardcovers, audio books, or even old textbooks (which is perfect for the new semester)!

PaperBackSwap saves tress (book recycling, yo!), helps keep your shelves less cluttered, and is a great way to get lots of new books to read without spending a lot of money. Definitely a great find for all the book worms out there!

There’s plenty more web where that came from. Check out the other sites that are on Laura’s web radar!