Looking back, though, much has happened in the past year. It seems I’ve learned a lot while Ke$ha put a dollar sign in her name and started brushing her teeth with a “bottle of Jack,” John Mayer proclaimed that he is on the search for “the Joshua Tree of vaginas,” and the Jersey Shore became a national phenomenon.

So here (in no particular order) is what I know for certain after turning 21. Perhaps you youngsters can take a few things from this:

1. Friendships should make you happy — not pissed off : Friends should be so much more than people you dance on tables with and dish about the weekend to. They should be there for you, and you should be there for them. They also should not steal your alcohol on your 21^st birthday and make out with the fraternity guy, all while puking as your boyfriend helps take care of them.

2. Raincoats are amazing: They are often understated and overwhelmingly overlooked when it comes to fashion. But even if they aren’t fashionable, really, you can’t complain when that slicker keeps your from frizzing. Without a rain jacket I wouldn’t have made it through the summer in London. And I think it actually kept me going to class this past semester. Why didn’t I realize this sooner? It doesn’t matter if you have a basic from Lands End or a super sexy trench from Dillards, just get one!

3. Go to the gym: Surprisingly enough, it is worth your time. Who knew? I sure didn’t, until I started going religiously with my boyfriend back in September. If you actually go to the gym and do more than hang out on the treadmill and elliptical for thirty minutes, you can see results. Plus, it teaches you patience on so many different levels.

4. Do not drink MD 20/20: Even if the frat-mixed mojitos are watered down and tasting a bit like a dirty dance floor, stay away from the MD.

5. Do experience a Pimms with Lemonade: Although you probably have never heard of this drink before, Pimms with Lemonade is a London pub staple. The Pimms is to Wimbledon, as the mint julep is to the Kentucky Derby. This fresh tasting, fruity cocktail will may be enough to convince you to study abroad for a semester. It’s to die for.

6. Puppy Love = True Love: Dogs truly give the most unconditional love. Even though my boyfriend got a dog back in September and it has been a ton of work, I can’t help but keep falling in love with the little darling. You can’t have a bad day whenever a puppy is around. However, at the same time, the realization that having a puppy is a huge responsibility is constant and serves as amazing birth control for many, many years to come.

7. The VS Miraculous Push Up Bra is a miracle: The Victoria’s Secret new Miraculous Push Up bra is the greatest and latest thing to come into the world of retail. With a level 5 design to push up and lift, this push up bra is not playing around – it increases your breast size by two full cups. Unlike a lot of push up bras, this bra actually makes your boob size look believable, all while supplying comfort.

8. Hell No to the Snow: I can never live where it snows on a daily basis during the winter. After what I deemed the Great Snow of ’09 in Virginia (in which 24 inches of snow fell in two days), this has re-arranged my life geographically for good. Those applications to Illinois for graduate school?  Out the window. My dream of always visiting Maine? Only if it’s summer.  Multiple inches of snow at a time? No thanks.

9. Reading is magical: Taking the time to read for pleasure in between reading for class is one of the best ways to relax. This past year, I have rediscovered my love for reading, all while falling in love with some great stories. Need something to restart your love of reading? Read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon or Train to Trieste by Domnica Radulescu.

10. “That’s So You!” It’s important to have your signature piece, be it clothing, music or opinion. This has made my life simpler and more defined.

11.  Meeting the Parents: Meeting the parents is scary. However, whether they like you or not is out of your hands. You can be the sweetest girl they have ever met, but if they don’t like the idea of their kid being with someone without the qualifications they are looking for (i.e.: money, a professional school degree), it doesn’t matter how amazing you are or how much you have going on for yourself. Just accept it and try not to take it to heart … too much.

12.  Post-Grad is intimidating: Graduate, law, and business school applications are a lot more comprehensive than they lead you to believe on first glance. Those statements of intent and optional essays are really unlike anything you have written in the past, unless you are a professional graduate school applicant. Starting early is the only way to preserve your sanity as senior year rolls around. And taking the GRE or LSAT, well those should have occurred a year ago. Oops!

13.  “Welcome to the real world, she said to me…:” Although the quarter-life crisis often seems inevitable, I have learned that I definitely do not want to go down the John Mayer permanent-existential-life-crisis road. While his never-ending misery will supply good music for more and more years to come (without a doubt), I choose to not dwell. It’s much healthier this way, even if I do enjoy indulging in his misery sometimes.

14.  Stop reading beauty magazines: I’ve stopped buying magazines and I feel much more enlightened.  Instead, I have stopped giving my $3.99 to advice on how to make a man moan and enjoy the in-depth features in the feminist friendly Bust magazine, and the musically progressive Paste.

15.  Give a Little Bit: Helping others is amazing and it makes you feel better than anything else can.

16.  It’s Overrated: Being a senior is overrated. I have had more work and more responsibility than ever before and I feel like with every passing day, more and more obligations come my way. While it seems that a lot of seniors are spending their nights partying and hanging out, I am writing 20-page papers and doing graduate school rain dances to promote a surplus of acceptance letters.

17.  To Thine Own Self, Be True: To be a writer, you need to have extremely thick skin. Regardless of what your stance is, someone is always going to go against it and you have to be true to yourself and the piece you are writing. The same goes for all facets of life; you gotta be you and that’s that.

18.  Big birthday parties don’t prove anything: Big birthday parties aren’t all that they are cracked up to be. After years of over-the-top Disney birthday,  the whole high school teenage hang-out-birthday scene, and the exuberantly drunk and pretentiously planned college birthday, I will take the quiet and intimate birthday dinner over anything else.  It’s better to celebrate with those that actually matter.

19.  Lady Gaga is a goddess: She’s given us greatness, i.e.: “I’m bluffin’ with my muffin,” disco-bras, “Rah-rah-ah-ah-ah-ah! Roma-roman-mamaa! Ga-ga-ooh-la-la!,” and perhaps the greatest line of them, “I’m a free bitch, baby!” Her stage presence is to die for, and her genuine, authentic, down-to-Earth personality (come on, didn’t you see her on Oprah?) is addictive. Plus, I’ve seen a slew of live performances and I have to say, Gaga outperforms the rest with her Monster Ball.

20.  Say No to Parent Drama: If your parents are magnificent – great. If they aren’t, it is time to accept it and move on, instead of constantly wishing for your mother to be someone she is not.

21.  The Little Things Count: It’s important to relish the little things. In college, so much happens at once, it feels like the world can pass you by – especially once you turn 21 and the end of college seems very near. The most important lesson I’ve learned is to take time doing something you enjoy. It doesn’t matter if you want to get crazy drunk on a Friday night or take an extra art class, but do what gives you the most pleasure. Make time for more sex. Make time to cook dinner with your roommates. Just make time! As each year goes by, it is also important to look back to see what you’ve learned (whether it’s good, bad, ugly, or silly).

[This post is a favorite of CollegeCandy fan, Rose...and also of The Huffington Post. So Yay Charlsie...and thanks Rose for picking out one of the best!]

Got something awesome everyone needs to know about? A really rad singer? A wicked new book? A fro yo pie that will delight your belly without making it bigger?? Email your “The Know” ideas to Jill@collegecandy.com or tweet me and I’ll pass them along to everyone right here, every week. Make your kindergarten teacher proud and share!

With summer here (or officially four days away) we’ve got lots and lots of free time on our hands. And by that I mean we’re cooped up in our parents house and – god help us – we love our parents, we really, REALLY do, but after about 48 hours back from school we are already counting down until Welcome Week.

There are only so many times one can surf through Perez or watch this week’s episode of the Bachelorette commenting on Ali’s awful spray tan, so what can you do to pass the time? READ. And by read, I mean the books you’ve always wanted to, not the ones required for class that you beg your suitemate for her notes on so you don’t actually have to read them.

The fun books, the good books, the books you can’t put down – so much so you take them with you to pee. The books that are thoughtless and funny and on and on.

So here’s a list of ten of my favorite books, some new, some old, some serious some fun. Go sit on your lawn, make yourself an Arnold Palmer and enjoy.

1. The Help: I just finished this incredible novel – all 450ish pages in three days! It was that good.

2. Bitter with Baggage Seeks Same: Not a major read, but it’s fun, sarcastic and makes a perfect book for your coffee table in your apartment.

3. The Book Thief: Set in World War Two, it’s heavier than your average beach-read, but it’s incredibly well written and a total page turner. Prepare to cry.

4. Ruminations on College Life: Aaron Karo puts the common bond that is the college experience into words SO. freaking. well.

5. Eat Pray Love: Obviously not a newbie, but the movie is coming out in August so now’s the perfect time to read up before watching Julia Roberts eat pizza that looks so good you may just have to study abroad in Rome.

6. Sh*t my Dad Says: First a Twitter, now a show coming to primetime this fall and a hilarious book, all based on this one-of-a-kind dad. And trust me: we can all relate to this to some degree.

7. Escapades of Romantically Challenged Me: A fun, light, chick-lit novel with a main character/heroine you can’t help but fall in love with.

8. Running With Scissors: Augusten Burroughs has the dysfunctional family to end all dysfunctional families and he tells you all about them in this memoir. You’ll laugh, you’ll feel uncomfortable, you’ll laugh some more. And then suddenly your parents won’t seem so bad anymore. The perfect book for a rainy summer day.

9. Food Inc.: It’s time to learn about what you’re really eating. Scary? Yes, but knowledge is power. And in this case, health.

10. CollegeCandy.com: We may not be a book (yet), but we’ll make you laugh until you pee. Or laugh while you pee if you’re reading from an iPhone or iPad. Either way.

By the time you finish all of these, two months will have passed and you’ll be back on campus…. reading that boring ish again.

Escapades is the story of Leilana Zane, a twenty-something girl trying to make it in L.A. After three years of waiting tables while she attempts to make her mark as a screenwriter in Hollywood, her father falls ill and she’s forced to return home. Leilana thinks it’s just a short trip to be with her dad in the hospital, but that changes when her family guilt-trips her into changing her life plan and joining the family law firm. She’s torn between chasing her dreams, accepting reality and appeasing her parents, all while dealing with some ex boyfriend issues that inevitably come up when she’s back in her small town.

So what is it about this book that kept me up all night (thus forcing me to chug 3 venti iced lattes just to make it through work the next day)? Well for one, unlike most chick lit heroines, Leilana is totally relatable. She’s not your average main character working some dream job and dating some dream men. She’s a normal girl dealing with normal (read: immature, annoying, impossible to understand) boys that any college girl can totally relate to. She’s also a major klutz who gets herself into some pretty cringe-worthy situations that make you laugh out loud as you’re reading. Plus, Leilana’s situation is similar to what many of us are dealing with right now: figuring out our futures. Do we keep going after a nearly impossible dream or do we take the safe route?

Watching her grapple with that very decision is both comforting and therapeutic. And following her as she deals with family, work and one very awkward situation involving her panties and her boy toy’s mom, is just hilarious.

There are a ton of chick lit books out there right now, but if you’re looking for one that’s witty, entertaining and hard to put down, I highly recommend Escapades of a Romantically Challenged Me. It’s a fast, fun read – the kind you dream about when you’re in the library at 3am barreling through those 300-pages that bore you to tears.

Summer has just begun for me and besides working 35 hours a week (doing the best student job on the planet, might I add), I’ve been devouring book after book. Science, YA, dystopian – I’ve got it all. However, despite my plethora of reading material, I often find myself trolling Amazon.com, looking for new releases that I can’t wait to get my hands on. And because I think many of you are in the same boat as me, in need of some serious reading for your summer break, I’ve compiled a list of 5 books from a variety of genres to keep your eyes on over the summer, listed in order of release date (hint hint to any publishers/editors/authors reading this!).

Did I miss any exciting new releases for the summer?!

1. Anthropology of an American Girl, by Hilary Thayer Hamann (May 25th)
Alright, if the title sounds familiar, it’s because this book was already technically released in 2003. It quickly became a cult classic, but the publishers pulled it from print and decided to re-edit it. That scandal alone sparks my interest! It tells the story of Eveline, a lonely 17-year-old girl growing up in East Hampton in the late ’70s. When her best friend’s mother dies and she is raped by two students, she begins to spiral downward. The book develops into a love story and follows Eveline as she grows up, emotionally and literally. Honestly, it’s all the great reviews, not the content, that are drawing me to this one, but all of these critics and fans can’t be wrong!

2. The Passage, by Justin Cronin (June 8th)
I’ll admit, Amazon.com totally recommended this one to me, but it looks great! It’s an adult fiction book about vampires, more “I Am Legend” than “Twilight”, if you catch my drift. It’s being toted as a book for those who are tired of the brooding bloodsuckers and looking for something a bit more horrific. A fast-paced (albeit lengthy) thriller about the virus that causes vampirism, it’s already ripping up reviews on Amazon and the like.

3. The Eternal Ones, by Kirsten Miller (August 10th)
The sole YA item on my list, this one sounds right up my alley. It centers on Haven Moore, a dressmaking high school student living with her mother in Tennessee. The reviews have been very hush hush about how this transpires, but Haven eventually ends up in New York City. There she meets Iain Morrow, a rebel who is suspected of murdering a rock star. Again, a little blip in the plot, but Haven visit the Oursboros Society and begins wondering about her past lives and whether Iain murdered her in a past life. This one reminds me of “The Reincarnationist”, a great fiction story of reincarnation. This is definitely the book I’m most excited about.

4. Last Night at the Chateau Marmont, by Lauren Weisberger (August 17th)
Chick-lit powerhouse Lauren Weisberger is back. Author of “The Devil Wears Prada”, the only info I could gather on this one is that it is “about normal girls left behind by their new-celeb exes–and the girls’ fitting revenge!” However, it’s Weisberger and whatever she touches turns to gold, in my opinion. And revenge stories are always super fun and devilish. I can just picture myself now, reading this one on the beach, sipping a daiquiri, being waited on hand and foot….. OK, maybe not the last part, but I will definitely be sunning myself silly with this in hand.

5. Life, by Keith Richards (October 26th)
Okay, okay, October is technically not in the summertime, but I CAN’T WAIT FOR THIS. I love the Rolling Stones, but even more, I love Keith Richards and his persona. Seriously, I have his Louis Vuitton ad from a few years back hanging in my office. I just think he is quirky and hilarious and I can’t wait to read his take on his wild life! Anyone who can serve as the inspiration for Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow character must have a few great anecdotes. I count the Kurt Cobain bio “Heavier than Heaven” amongst my all-time favs, so come-on, Keith, give me another one!  (And maybe give me some tips on how to make my liver as indestructible as yours…..)

And boy, am I ever happy I did! This was hands-down one of the most entertaining reads I’ve had in a loooooooong time.

The series focuses on two girls: Emerson Watts and Nikki Howard. Emerson is your average video-game playing nerd, while Nikki is a world famous supermodel and the face of Stark Industries, an amalgamation of business industry giants: Wal-mart, Victoria’s Secret, Apple, among others. They set up mega-stores that cause small businesses to shut down, they hold an annual lingerie fashion show featuring their Angels and they sell cutting-edge computer and electronics.

In the original novel, Nikki tried to blackmail Robert Stark, head of the company, and he tries to have her killed in a “freak accident” at one of the stores. Emerson Watts also happens to be in the store and have a similar accident happen: a TV falls on her head. Because Nikki is the face of the company, Robert still wants to use her body, so he has scientists engineer a body transplant, putting Emerson’s brain into Nikki’s body.

[Okay, take a breather, I know that was a lot to take in. But don't worry, that's as sci-fi as the book gets.]

“Runaway” starts off with Emerson (in Nikki’s body) being held hostage by Brandon Stark, son of Robert Stark, along with Nikki’s real mom, brother Steven and Nikki herself (again, in another body). Brandon is trying to get Nikki to reveal the secret that she was using to blackmail his father until her unfortunate “accident” so he can use it to become the head of Stark Enterprises. However, the kidnapping is the least of their worries: Robert Stark is downloading information from customers who purchased his laptops and using it for something called Project Phoenix. And Emerson appears to be at the center of his plan. When her ex-boyfriend Christopher arrives to help her escape, they not only have to deal with Brandon, but also this new Stark mystery. And so it goes….

I don’t want to give anything else away so I’ll stop there, but this is definitely a book you need to pick up.

“Runaway” is so refreshing; here is a teen book that is actually SMART. I have to admit, I clumped Meg Cabot into the brainless (albeit entertaining!) chick-lit category, but this series has serious substance. The plot is well thought-out and so, so, so clever. I cannot say enough good things about the storyline in these books. And the best part is, everything Meg discusses is actually plausible: from appearing to model Stark after real-life corporations, to incorporating areas of neuroscience that I’m sure are not so far off! I thoroughly enjoyed “Runaway” and think that most of you will too! It’s fast-paced, funny and a great departure from the usual chick-lit we see.

Plus, with the weather warming up, it’s the perfect book to read while soaking up the sun.

#9: Reading for pleasure is magical. Make time for it!

Just last February, I was planning my 21^st birthday party. Now, I’m facing 22 (or as I like to call it 21+1) straight on. Even though the last twelve months have gone by, it feels like just yesterday I was indulging in jello shots and margaritas. For my 21st. Because just yesterday I was indulging in jello shots and margaritas.

Looking back, though, much has happened in the past year. It seems I’ve learned a lot while Ke$ha put a dollar sign in her name and started brushing her teeth with a “bottle of Jack,” John Mayer proclaimed that he is on the search for “the Joshua Tree of vaginas,” and the Jersey Shore became a national phenomenon.

So here (in no particular order) is what I know for certain after turning 21. Perhaps you youngsters can take a few things from this:

1. Friendships should make you happy — not pissed off : Friends should be so much more than people you dance on tables with and dish about the weekend to. They should be there for you, and you should be there for them. They also should not steal your alcohol on your 21^st birthday and make out with the fraternity guy, all while puking as your boyfriend helps take care of them.

2. Raincoats are amazing: They are often understated and overwhelmingly overlooked when it comes to fashion. But even if they aren’t fashionable, really, you can’t complain when that slicker keeps your from frizzing. Without a rain jacket I wouldn’t have made it through the summer in London. And I think it actually kept me going to class this past semester. Why didn’t I realize this sooner? It doesn’t matter if you have a basic from Lands End or a super sexy trench from Dillards, just get one!

3. Go to the gym: Surprisingly enough, it is worth your time. Who knew? I sure didn’t, until I started going religiously with my boyfriend back in September. If you actually go to the gym and do more than hang out on the treadmill and elliptical for thirty minutes, you can see results. Plus, it teaches you patience on so many different levels.

4. Do not drink MD 20/20: Even if the frat-mixed mojitos are watered down and tasting a bit like a dirty dance floor, stay away from the MD.

5. Do experience a Pimms with Lemonade: Although you probably have never heard of this drink before, Pimms with Lemonade is a London pub staple. The Pimms is to Wimbledon, as the mint julep is to the Kentucky Derby. This fresh tasting, fruity cocktail will may be enough to convince you to study abroad for a semester. It’s to die for.

6. Puppy Love = True Love: Dogs truly give the most unconditional love. Even though my boyfriend got a dog back in September and it has been a ton of work, I can’t help but keep falling in love with the little darling. You can’t have a bad day whenever a puppy is around. However, at the same time, the realization that having a puppy is a huge responsibility is constant and serves as amazing birth control for many, many years to come.

7. The VS Miraculous Push Up Bra is a miracle: The Victoria’s Secret new Miraculous Push Up bra is the greatest and latest thing to come into the world of retail. With a level 5 design to push up and lift, this push up bra is not playing around – it increases your breast size by two full cups. Unlike a lot of push up bras, this bra actually makes your boob size look believable, all while supplying comfort.

8. Hell No to the Snow: I can never live where it snows on a daily basis during the winter. After what I deemed the Great Snow of ’09 in Virginia (in which 24 inches of snow fell in two days), this has re-arranged my life geographically for good. Those applications to Illinois for graduate school?  Out the window. My dream of always visiting Maine? Only if it’s summer.  Multiple inches of snow at a time? No thanks.

9. Reading is magical: Taking the time to read for pleasure in between reading for class is one of the best ways to relax. This past year, I have rediscovered my love for reading, all while falling in love with some great stories. Need something to restart your love of reading? Read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon or Train to Trieste by Domnica Radulescu.

10. “That’s So You!” It’s important to have your signature piece, be it clothing, music or opinion. This has made my life simpler and more defined.

11.  Meeting the Parents: Meeting the parents is scary. However, whether they like you or not is out of your hands. You can be the sweetest girl they have ever met, but if they don’t like the idea of their kid being with someone without the qualifications they are looking for (i.e.: money, a professional school degree), it doesn’t matter how amazing you are or how much you have going on for yourself. Just accept it and try not to take it to heart … too much.

12.  Post-Grad is intimidating: Graduate, law, and business school applications are a lot more comprehensive than they lead you to believe on first glance. Those statements of intent and optional essays are really unlike anything you have written in the past, unless you are a professional graduate school applicant. Starting early is the only way to preserve your sanity as senior year rolls around. And taking the GRE or LSAT, well those should have occurred a year ago. Oops!

13.  “Welcome to the real world, she said to me…:” Although the quarter-life crisis often seems inevitable, I have learned that I definitely do not want to go down the John Mayer permanent-existential-life-crisis road. While his never-ending misery will supply good music for more and more years to come (without a doubt), I choose to not dwell. It’s much healthier this way, even if I do enjoy indulging in his misery sometimes.

14.  Stop reading beauty magazines: I’ve stopped buying magazines and I feel much more enlightened.  Instead, I have stopped giving my $3.99 to advice on how to make a man moan and enjoy the in-depth features in the feminist friendly Bust magazine, and the musically progressive Paste.

15.  Give a Little Bit: Helping others is amazing and it makes you feel better than anything else can.

16.  It’s Overrated: Being a senior is overrated. I have had more work and more responsibility than ever before and I feel like with every passing day, more and more obligations come my way. While it seems that a lot of seniors are spending their nights partying and hanging out, I am writing 20-page papers and doing graduate school rain dances to promote a surplus of acceptance letters.

17.  To Thine Own Self, Be True: To be a writer, you need to have extremely thick skin. Regardless of what your stance is, someone is always going to go against it and you have to be true to yourself and the piece you are writing. The same goes for all facets of life; you gotta be you and that’s that.

18.  Big birthday parties don’t prove anything: Big birthday parties aren’t all that they are cracked up to be. After years of over-the-top Disney birthday,  the whole high school teenage hang-out-birthday scene, and the exuberantly drunk and pretentiously planned college birthday, I will take the quiet and intimate birthday dinner over anything else.  It’s better to celebrate with those that actually matter.

19.  Lady Gaga is a goddess: She’s given us greatness, i.e.: “I’m bluffin’ with my muffin,” disco-bras, “Rah-rah-ah-ah-ah-ah! Roma-roman-mamaa! Ga-ga-ooh-la-la!,” and perhaps the greatest line of them, “I’m a free bitch, baby!” Her stage presence is to die for, and her genuine, authentic, down-to-Earth personality (come on, didn’t you see her on Oprah?) is addictive. Plus, I’ve seen a slew of live performances and I have to say, Gaga outperforms the rest with her Monster Ball.

20.  Say No to Parent Drama: If your parents are magnificent – great. If they aren’t, it is time to accept it and move on, instead of constantly wishing for your mother to be someone she is not.

21.  The Little Things Count: It’s important to relish the little things. In college, so much happens at once, it feels like the world can pass you by – especially once you turn 21 and the end of college seems very near. The most important lesson I’ve learned is to take time doing something you enjoy. It doesn’t matter if you want to get crazy drunk on a Friday night or take an extra art class, but do what gives you the most pleasure. Make time for more sex. Make time to cook dinner with your roommates. Just make time! As each year goes by, it is also important to look back to see what you’ve learned (whether it’s good, bad, ugly, or silly).

What has been the most ground-breaking discovery of your 21st year or your last birthday? Share!

A narrative about four friends at Smith College, an all women’s college in Massachusetts (famous alumnae include Gloria Steinem, Julia Child, Sylvia Plath, Betty Friedan…just to name a few), Sullivan captures the essence of what it means to make friends in the richest sense of the word, while chronicling life on campus and post-graduation adulthood.

Each character is truly distinct, making the novel easy to identify with. Think the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, except more adult. Sally, Celia, Bree, and April are four very different women, but their individuality weaves together beautifully, showing that sisterhood looks past Sally’s love for Lily Pulitzer, Celia’s conservative-yet-wild side, Bree’s Southern Belle charm, and April’s radical feminism to form a life-long bond, even if the girls couldn’t be more uncommon from each other.

Sullivan, alumnae of Smith herself, paints the all women’s atmosphere just as it should be, a unique and tradition-filled roller coaster of emotions. Giving an accurate glimpse of what it means to be a young woman at a college without men, Sullivan does not degrade Smith or the single-sex setting, but instead lifts it up and showcases it in a light that most do not see when they hear “all women.”

Honest and captivating, Commencement tackles the strength it takes to maintain a friendship, especially once Sally, Celia, Bree, and April are on their own as adults. Not sugarcoating the hardships of rape, first loves, untraditional ideals, and fighting for what you believe in, Sullivan doesn’t leave anything out (seriously, topics from marriage to sex-trafficking appear) – showing how hard it can be to grow up, and how hard it can be for young women today.

With rave reviews from everyone from Gloria Steinem to People magazine, and to Entertainment Weekly, Sullivan’s first novel hit home and gave her a place in popular writing today. Whether you are in college now or on your own post-grad, this novel will tug at your heart strings with memories of your own experience and undoubtedly, you will find yourself in the pages of this page turner.

After spending ten years with guys named Damien and Chace who lock eyes with a woman across the room, embark on rocky waters, and finally end up in paradise with the one and only person who could make them change their playboy ways, I began to crave a bit of reality in my life.

After all, how many men could there possible be with the “largest piece of manhood she’d ever seen,” who were also rich, gorgeous, and emotionally accessible only to me?

Yeah, it was time for a heaping tablespoon of reality and Jane Green served it to me. Narrated by Tasha, a woman who sleeps with men to overcome her emotional issues Straight Talking “sets the record straight regarding the real world of dating,” and deals with real people and real problems that people who date in real life encounter. Tasha and her three best friends mimic the Sex and the City group, meeting up for weekly get-togethers and dishing on their latest men.  However, their men mirror ones encountered in reality.  They date salesmen and accountants, not professional athletes and sexy policemen.  They stumble upon issues like sexual intimacy and picking between Mr. Right and Mr. So-Hot-It-Hurts.  Their stories mesh together to create a novel that any type of girl can relate to, from thel hook-up-every-night chick to the one saving yourself for marriage gal.

Tasha’s flashbacks on past relationships allow readers to see how even the most seemingly insignificant of men leave a lasting mark on a woman’s outlook towards dating and love, and how even a small three-month relationship can break your heart.  If you have ever felt like crying in the middle of class or stared at your cell phone wondering why somebody hasn’t called you, Green’s characters empathize as they try to outsmart the men who have all the tools to break their hearts.  She looks at heartbreak, friendship, and sex the way that real people do. 

Unlike the romance novels I devoured growing up, real people yell, cry, talk to psychiatrists, and don’t always come out of relationships as good as they began.  However, they grow and learn from them (yes, I’m spouting clichés right here, but love, sex, and marriage are all about being cliché).  This is a great book for those people who enjoy romance novels and a captivating story, but want more depth to their novels than two hot people having sex. All the time. Over and over again.

This book is more than a great summer read; it’s like a best friend who totally gets what you’re going through and is right there to see you through it.

“Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict” is a companion to Laurie Viera Rigler’s first novel “Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict.” In “Confessions,” Courtney Stone, a modern 21st century blonde, finds herself trapped in the body of Jane Mansfield, a brunette English rose from the 1800′s. She must navigate through and cope with all the differences between her modern society and Victorian society, including bizarre medical and courtship practices.

“Rude Awakenings” runs parallel to “Confessions,” beginning with Jane Mansfield waking up in Courtney’s body in the 21st Century. She is confused and puzzled by her new surroundings and simply shocked when she finds her reflection to be a curvy blonde as opposed to a willowy brunette.  Jane must navigate through Courtney’s everyday life as well; dealing with Wes, her former best friend who was involved in the breakup of her engagement and handling employment even though it shocks her. Seeing the modern world through naive eyes is an interesting concept and Rigler executes it flawlessly.

Although “Confessions” is humorous, I found “Rude Awakenings” to be absolutely hilarious. Jane’s confusion and enchantment with the modern world is both charming and laugh-inducing. From shocking Courtney’s friends by sporting the wedding gown that she intended to marry her ex-fiance in (Jane dubs it the only thing modest enough in Courtney’s closet), to insisting that her name is indeed Jane Mansfield although her friends maintain that Courtney has adopted the name of a long-dead sex symbol, the book is full of laughs. Courtney’s friends explain this odd behavior with a head injury Courtney sustained, making it more hilarious. Not only do her friends allow her to make a fool of herself, they accept it to help with her recovery.

The two stories are very well written and parallel each other in that the heroine of each are both on a quest for happiness. They both turn to Jane Austen in times of despair, are confused about love and, ultimately, unhappy with their lives. Through their time traveling, they both discover what they must do to achieve this happiness and the endings of both leave readers satisfied.

I recommend “Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict” to not only all you Jane Austen addicts out there, but everyone! It’s a great, feel-good read, with tons of laughs. With a couple super heartfelt novels that you can get lost in for an afternoon, I surely hope Laurie Viera Rigler comes back for more!

Do you want a signed copy of Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict? Just hop on your Twitter account (you know you have one!) and Tweet a link to this very review (and be sure to @CollegeCandy so we know you did it!) to all of your friends. Then have them RT it (with the @CollegeCandy so we know what’s goin’ on) to their friends. Whoever gets the most RTs by next Saturday, August 1st will get themselves a super special SIGNED COPY of this fantastic read. Happy Tweeting!

When Penguin Canada contacted me about interviewing author Jane Green, I was ecstatic! Me, a lowly college student, interviewing a international best-selling author? A women who is considered one of the CREATORS of chick-lit?! Needless to say, I jumped at the chance.

After reading Dune Road (you can read the review after the interview), Jane and I chatted while she was in Toronto for a book tour. I knew I would love the woman behind some of my favorite reads, but I was surprised by how sweet and warm this uber successful writer was! And it doesn’t hurt that her English accent was totally posh.

A: Like Robert in “Dune Road”, do you find it impossible to prevent your life from appearing in your novels?
J: Uh, yes, I do. You know, when I look back at all the books (and “Dune Road” is my 11th book), they have all charted the course of my life. And I think one of the reasons why I have been able to write eleven novels is because I do draw upon themes that I notice in my own life. Never writing about me, but I definitely have always drawn upon situations that I’ve experienced.

A: You’re known as one of the creators of the chick-lit genre. Why do you feel it’s an important genre in literature today?
J: It really started 13 or 14 years ago with Helen Fielding’s “Bridget Jones’ Diary” and then my first book “Straight Talking” came out a couple months after that and the media coined this phrase “chick-lit.” And the fact is, for over 10 years they’ve been saying that it’s going to go away and the death of chick-lit and there’s clearly still a very strong need for commercial women’s fiction that is very real and very honest. The one thing I would say though is that it has come to be a pejorative and the connotations that come with the word “chick-lit” are not necessarily good. So I know when a lot of people hear chick-lit, they think of a young girl in her 20’s tripping down a street in her biggest high heels and swinging a designer handbag while she looks for her knight in shining armor. And the truth is, whilst I may have written that in my first couple of books, 14 years on I’m writing very differently. I’m writing about women in their 40’s, 50’s and 60’s. I’m writing about life, relationships and marriages and divorces and step-children and grief and death and everything in between. So, I’m not sure whether I’m even sure I fall into the category of what people think of as classic chick-lit anymore.

A: What is your favorite book and why?
J: My favorite book is a book called “Brother of the More Famous Jack”. I really ought to get a new one, but I just adore this book. It’s by Barbara Trapido and it’s a book that I read many years ago, probably 20, 25 years ago and for me it is just the perfect novel. The characters are so beautifully drawn and so real, I felt as though I were saying good-bye to good friends when I closed the last page of the book.

A: I’ve read your biography and you went to university for a bit. Because we’re all college girls at College Candy, did you want to share your experience and bit about what you learned?
J: Well, what I learned is don’t spend every night drunk as a skunk and then have to go introduce yourself to tutors at the end of the first year. It’s never a good thing if you want to continue and actually walk away with a degree.

A: Are you working on anything new right now? Can you give us some insider scoop?
J: I am. I can’t give you much because I’m terribly superstitious, but I’m getting very excited about the next novel and I’m coming up with the characters and it feels good.

As she said, “Dune Road” is Jane Green’s 11th novel. It chronicles the experience of Kit Hargrove, newly single mother of 2, dealing with her divorce in the small town of Highfield. She meets Edie, her wacky older neighbor and Tracey, the owner a yoga studio in town and maintains a friendship with Charlie and Keith, one of her and Adam’s (Kit’s ex-husband) “couple friends.” Bored, Edie suggests that Kit apply to work for Robert McClore, the famous, reclusive author who lives at his estate, Dune Road, in Highfield. Along with escapades with her ex, a visit from a long-lost sister and the economic crisis in the United States, “Dune Road” isn’t boring for a minute.

The novel follows Kit as she finds purpose in her work with Robert and explores the dating world once again. However, Green doesn’t forget about any of her secondary characters and paints vivid pictures of all of their lives for the reader as well. We get to experience Tracey’s anxiety about her yoga studio, Charlie and Keith’s panic as the economy crashes, Robert’s painful memories of his wife, Penelope, and Edie’s musings about Kit’s new love. What I enjoyed most about the book was how involved I got in the characters’ lives. I couldn’t stop thinking about what would happen to each of them next, and with plenty of twists, Green always keeps you guessing!

“Dune Road,” as Jane said herself, deviates from the typical chick-lit. It’s an entertaining, yet thoughtful read for women of all ages. Whether starting out on their own in college or starting out on their own after a nasty divorce at 45, “Dune Road” possesses universal appeal. I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it for anyone looking for a great beach read!