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: Read More »

So let’s be real, we all cried a little bit when we found out Brad and Jen were splitting, and some of us are still sticking pins in our Angelina Jolie voodoo dolls not over it. In fact, thanks to our obsession with celebrities, faux-lebrities and TV/movies, we often find ourselves more invested in Hollywood/fictional couples than we do in our own relationships.

But who can blame us? It doesn’t take a Patti Stanger to know that our hot-wings-eating, HALO-playing, Edward-40-hands-lovin’ boy toys pale in comparison to the romantic, doting, sexy Prince Charmings we see in our weekly tabloids and primetime TV shows.

What girl wouldn’t yearn for her very own vampire (think True Blood, not Twilight)? Or an Upper East Side romance? The picture perfect couples are everywhere we look, and even if we aren’t half of one, it’s the holiday of looooove (duh, Valentine’s Day, people) so let’s melt, ooze and swoon over some of our favorite duos. Read More »

The temperatures are dropping, scarves are being worn for warmth (not style), and your late summer glow has been replaced by rosy cheeks and a runny nose. The freezing weather makes it ever so difficult to unwrap yourself from the tight embrace of your down comforter and do anything remotely productive. Luckily, with winter break just around the corner, you can avoid the harsh realities of class, work, and responsibilities for a few weeks.

Break is exactly that.. a break. With all the required reading you’re given during the semester, it can feel like ages since you sat down with a book…for fun. So, we’ve compiled a list of 8 must-read classic English, classic American, and popular contemporary novels that should be enjoyed over break.

And, in light of the recent casting of Carey Mulligan as Daisy Buchanan in Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation of The Great Gatsby, we’ve picked a celeb for each novel that would be perfect as the hero or heroine. So check out our list, choose your favorite, snuggle up with a mug of hot chocolate, and escape from the world (and the cold) for a few hours by creating your own mental movie with the help of these texts. Read More »

Romeo and Juliet probably would not have been the famous star-crossed lovers had they met at a bar instead of a balcony. We all remember the duo that defined infatuation, Juliet up on her pedestal and Romeo down on one knee. Though I hate to be the bearer of bad news, the times have changed since the days of poetic love letters and walking a girl to the front door.

Despite what Taylor Swift might sing.

Let’s not be blinded by St. Valentine himself. A few secret admirers are sprouting up these days and chocolates may end up in my mailbox on the 14^th of February, but I want to focus on the other 364 calendar days. Where did dinner at a nice restaurant go? Why are guys no longer lending a sweater when my arms get chilly? How come the term “first date” is becoming just as out-of-date as the Spice Girls’ famous “girl power” slogan?

Let’s face it: Chivalry is dead on college campuses. Feel free to send flowers because a guy is not about to.  The love letters that used to bear hearts and souls have been replaced by 140 character text messages. That first date is more likely to involve a grungy couch at 2a.m., not a romantically lit table for two. Gone are the days of sweaty palms and Cupid’s arrows. These days college courtship revolves around Facebook “pokes” and the highly anticipated changing of the status from “single” to “in a relationship”.

I hear tales all the time from my parents and extended family that involve sweet little love stories laced with flowers left on the doorstep and first dates where a guy actually met the parents. And he picked the girl up. And he actually took her somewhere that didn’t include Solo cups and a $5 cover charge.

Crazy, I know. Read More »

[In CC's third installment of G.W.W.E (Guys We Want to Eff), we take on the beautiful and strangely eternally youthful Leonardo DiCaprio.

You may know DiCaprio as the sweet-as-pie mentally challenged kiddo in What's Eating Gilbert Grape, or perhaps you remember him from Titanic -- which you may or may not have seen 4 times and cried like a little baby during each and every viewing. These days, Darling DiCaprio is starring in Ridley Scott's new film Body of Lies, adding the 'tough guy' moniker to his already long list of characters.]

I’m not embarrassed to admit that when I was in 7th grade, I had 102 pictures of Leonardo DiCaprio on my wall. My room was a virtual DiCaprio museum. I owned a copy of Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet and I had seen Titanic more than twice, Jack’s death causing me to sob each and every time like I had lost a member of my own family. You see, I was in love with Leonardo. No one could understand the bond I shared with him — but it was true and it was beautiful.

Back then, I wasn’t really thinking about DiCaprio as effing material, but now that I’m older, I can firmly say that there’s no way you could not want to eff him. Read More »