The holiday seasons are all about eating too many dips, spending way too much money on frenemy gifts, and watching Elf on repeat. This year we’re prepared to take the stress and the frustration out of holiday gift giving by giving you the ultimate gift guides to buying the perfect presents for your favorite people (and we’re splitting into 3 different price ranges so you can choose the gift based on how much you actually like the person!). So set this series as your favorite because all week we’re bringing you the best.

It’s tough to buy gifts for the friend who loves to read. The choice should seem obvious, shouldn’t it? Buy a book. But what type of book? What has she read? What does he want to read? Hardcover or paperback? New or used? The questions are endless. And that’s before you even get into accessories. Are bookmarks too cliché? Will she even use them? Are all those gadgets really necessary?

All valid questions. But more importantly, all answerable questions. College Candy is breaking down the answers for you. With prices ranging from $11.99 to $139 we’ve got all your bases covered, from the books, to the book lights to the book shelves.

So no more standing in the middle of Barnes and Noble staring at the stacks of bestsellers attempting to figure out which one is actually worth reading. I’ve done the hard work for you and scoured those (cyber) shelves to provide you with the best gift options for the bookworms in your life. Read More »

It is my senior year in college.  I’m 22 years old.  I have never been to Mexico.  And the swimsuit wall in The Buckle makes me want to drool all over myself.  Basically, Spring Break are the two words in my personal college dictionary that make me so giddy, it is embarrassing.

And the fact that I’m not going this year?  I’m not a very good actor, but I could almost pinch out a few legitimate tears.  You mean I have to continue to struggle up mini-snow mountain regions, and continue to suffocate under the restraints of my wool scarf?

Clearly, there are plenty of reasons for me to be bitter about my lack o’ travels this Spring Break but, I am deciding to look the bright side for a change. Sweating poolside under the shade of an US Weekly magazine or not, I’m going to make the best out of my Spring Break, and  – turns out – it is easier than I thought because you can:

1. Finally catch up on all of those books you’ve been reading (or not reading).

College is so stressful, sometimes I find myself being stressed out about the weekly T.V. shows I am trying to catch up on.  It is time to sit down and freakin’ relax. I know I have about five books I’m currently trying to read at the same time, and nothing strains my stress greater than a quality read. So kick those feet back, flip on the fireplace switch, and get reading.

2. Think of all the moo-lah you are saving!? You can spend a (small) portion on a facial. Why not?

Deciding (or being forced against your will) to not attend Spring Break just made you ten times richer.  Don’t get me wrong, in the midst of running to class and cursing the cold-I would give my left leg to catch a flight to Margaritaville.  But on the other hand, you have a lot more breathing room when it comes to the dough. Go spend a little bit of it on a facial, or for the construction of a new iTunes playlist (whatever it may be). Read More »

[There are over 100 million sites on the Internet. 100 million! You might think you know about all the important ones (CollegeCandy, Gmail, Google, Zappos, The Weather Stylist…), but there are thousands of other sweet sites out there. 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.]

I’ve always been a pretty avid reader, but ever since I started my freshman year of college I’ve found that I don’t get to read (non-school-related books) as often as I’d like to.  Between going to class, working, studying, and still trying to have a social life, there just doesn’t seem to be enough time.

However, thanks to the nifty website DailyLit, I’ve recently found the time to finally read literary classics that I’d always wanted to read but never seemed to have the time for, like Anna Karenina and The Count of Monte Cristo.

DailyLit has made it easy to make reading part of your daily routine, by taking over 1,000 classic and contemporary books (almost all of which are FREE) and breaking them up into easily digestible installments, which users can sign up to receive on a daily basis by e-mail. Read More »

I am normally terrified of zombies or anything of the sort. Seriously, I get nightmares every time I watch a zombie movie. Even Thriller scares me sometimes.

Too bad it took me a little while to realize that The Unconsecrated in “The Forest of Hands and Teeth” were essentially zombies. I was spooked, to put it mildly, but by that point the book had already hooked me and I knew it would be impossible to stop.

“The Forest of Hands and Teeth” tells the story of Mary. She lives in a village in the woods, surrounded by fences that keeps The Unconsecrated out. The Unconsecrated, as I said before, are essentially zombies and they roam the Forest of Hands and Teeth, constantly threatening the village and its people. Mary has led a simple life in her village, helping her family and waiting to be married. Then one day, when patrolling the perimeter of the fences, Mary’s father gets taken by The Unconsecrated and is assumed to be “infected.” Her mother then falls into a depression and one day gets too close to the fences and is bitten by an Unconsecrated. She chooses to join the others outside the village and suddenly Mary’s life is in a tailspin.

In the village, a woman cannot live on her own, so when no one wants to marry Mary, she is forced to live with the Sisterhood (basically nuns) in their Cathedral. Once in the Cathedral, a series of events cause Mary to begin questioning the Sisterhood and her entire life in the Village. And then the fences are breached by The Unconsecrated and everything Mary ever knew is gone.

OK, so it all sounds a little weird (and zombies are scary), but this book is absolutely addictive. I spent many nights awake until the wee hours, lost in the story. I just could not put it down, and that doesn’t happen often (especially after spending hours poring over text books). Read More »

Chick Lit. We’ve all seen the books with their titles scrawled in cute fonts and the contact high of concentrated feminism that come with being in the near vicinity. Literary classics they are not, but that is what makes them perfect not-for-class choices.

Though chick lit catches flak for being notoriously breezy and light reading, there’s nothing better to pick you up after a bad day than a book about absolutely nothing. I will personally testify to the amazing power of chick lit, being that it saved me from waxing romantic about a “misunderstood, underestimated” ex-boyfriend who fits neither of those descriptions. As February 14th approaches, there is no better time to read chick lit, even if just to take a break from the steady downhill slide of The City.

1) Chick Lit inspires us to get off our couches, stop obsessing about our boyfriends (or lack thereof), and get going with life. When I finished reading The Devil Wears Prada, I felt like re-enacting the motivational montage where the main character of the movie starts turning her life around with self-help books (that actually work) and incredibly effective gym workouts (I want to go to whatever gym gets results that fast).

2) There is always a reliable disaster that will give us that ‘well at least that didn’t happen to me’ feeling. I had a hard time pitying myself for another single Valentine’s Day when the main character was suffering a spectacular firing, a nightmarish boss, or even worse man trouble than I had. Combined with my two favorite men, Ben & Jerry, chick lit is a proven mood lifter when things suck in life. Read More »

I work in a bookstore. I live and breathe books. I’m either ringing them up or, when I’m on my break, reading them, so I consider myself somewhat of an expert in the field. Most college ladies aren’t reading for pleasure these days. After reading all those books for class who wants to waste time on anything else?

Well, I’ve got a list of books here that are no waste. In fact, these are books that will change the way to think, the way you read and the way you view reading for pleasure. In that it may actually bring you some. I’m not selecting these books for their literary merit or their fantastic use of the English language. These are books that struck something in me, pulled at heartstrings, made me feel something. And I think that evoking such emotion is the only criteria for a great book.

In our desensitized world, when someone can make you feel so much with only paper and ink, I believe that’s an achievement.

1. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

Lolita was published in 1955, and when you read it, you can understand why there is so much hype surrounding it. It tells the story of Humbert Humbert, a man who claims he can never love adult women, only children. He calls them “nymphets” and one day stumbles upon the perfect nymphet, Dolores Haze. The book chronicles his love for Dolores, but what I found to be fascinating was how you eventually sympathize with Humbert, even though nowadays his picture would be plastered all over “Dateline.” Read More »

[We all get bogged down with the required reading lists handed to us by our over-zealous professors. When we aren’t laying in bed with a textbook and 3 highlighters, we are resting our eyes (and brains) with a little TV. No one wants to read any more than they have to.

Not so fast, girls. I am here to show you some books that are totes worth reading when the 347 pages of History/English/Psych reading are finished. Books that will make you laugh, cry, and change the way you think. Good books (which I know is hard to believe when you think of the stuff assigned for class). Stick with me and you will spend a lot less time watching Real World reruns, and a lot more time enjoying books again.]

A lot of books aimed at women are chock full of shopping, sex and other things that are stereotypically “feminine.” Not this book. The Red Tent is the most female-empowering piece of writing I have ever found.

If you’re familiar with the Bible or the Broadway musical, you know the story of Joseph and his technicolor dreamcoat. This is the story of Joseph’s sister Dinah, who is only mentioned ONCE in the whole Bible! But even if you’re not religious and have no interest in religious history, this book is still worth your time.

Diamant creates a rich and vivid backstory for Dinah and also reveals the female-worshipping ways of the Old Testament. The history itself is fascinating, and even with the barren backdrop of the desert, this book never gets boring. The writing is perfection, too! Diamant is an accomplished author and has a great hold on the English language. She takes advantage of beautiful metaphors to enhance the story and enthrall the reader. Read More »

You’re in college so chances are you read books, unless you’re a communications major, in which case I hope you have fun flipping burgers after graduation. There’s also a good chance you’re having the sex, unless you go to BYU, in which case I would spend the energy you’re not using thrusting and moaning to get yourself out of Utah.

But if you do enjoy reading books and you like a good bone, have you ever considered…reading books about sex? It’s a pretty crazy idea, I know. But sometimes Cosmopolitan just isn’t saucy enough, not to mention all the sex tips are always the same and your philosophy book is hurting your brain.

That’s where these books come in. Read them, love them, but don’t make love to them. That’s just weird…unless you live in Washington (the only state to allow bestiality) than it’s really not all that strange considering….just watch out for paper cuts. Ouch.

1) The Big Bang: A Guide to the New Sexual Universe by the writers at Nerve.com Read More »