Straight Off the Bookshelf

What books did I read this week? Scroll down to find out.

Astonish Me - Maggie Shipstead
Astonish Me is a fabulous novel about Joan, a ballerina, who had to quit ballet because she became pregnant with her son, but he ends up just as enthralled in the world of ballet as she was. This is a great, great story and it just keeps unraveling from the first page to the last.

Buy it here: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/astonish-me-maggie-shipstead/1116055916?ean=9780307962904

One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories - B.J. Novak
If you aren't familiar with B.J. Novak, he was a writer, co-executive producer, and actor on the American version of The Office, as well as other things. With that said, I had very high expectations for this collection of short stories, and Novak found a way to exceed them all. Just the titles from the stories made me excited to read each individual story. I was laughing and gasping the whole time, and I thought it was a great read!

Buy it here: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/one-more-thing-b-j-novak/1116529883?ean=9780385351836

Heartbeat - Elizabeth Scott
Elizabeth Scott has such a way with with writing raw romance novels that make you feel deep emotions. Heatbeat is about Emma, a girl whose mother's dead body is being kept alive through hospital wires just long enough deliver the baby that's inside her, and all the grief that comes along with this situation. However, this grief brings her closer to one unexpected classmate, even though it furthers her away from everything and everyone else that was once important to her. Such a heartbreaking yet lovely story!

Buy it here: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/heartbeat-elizabeth-scott/1114668458?ean=9780373210961

My Music Picks of the Week

Check out these tunes for a great weekend!

"Often" - The Weeknd: He released this song through Soundcloud (free download!!), and it's just as perfect as all of his other music.

"The Wild Life" - Vacationer: Great indie song with a little reggae twist.

"Life of the Party" - Shawn Mendes: Really great song (Sorry I thought it was a cover of The Weeknd's "Life of the Party," but it's totally not, my mistake).

"Let Go For Tonight" - Foxes: I knew to look forward to great music from Foxes, but this exceeded all expectations!

"Who Loves You" - Jersey Boys Movie Soundtrack: Besides the fact that I thought the whole CD is perfect, and the movie was cast perfectly, this song is the one that I go around singing the most. I apologize that it's just a clip of the song.

"Rag Doll" - Franki Valli & The Four Seasons: I honestly haven't stopped listening to Franki Valli tunes ever since seeing Jersey Boys. The original version of this song is at the end of the movie soundtrack and it's one of my faves.

"Thinking Out Loud" - Ed Sheeran: So I spent my whole week listening to Jersey Boys AND Ed Sheeran. This is by far my favorite off his new album.

My Music Picks of The Week

Check out these tunes for a great start to your weekend!

"Kiss Me Kiss Me" - 5 Seconds of Summer: I just keep falling in love with each and every one of their songs!

"Afire Love" - Ed Sheeran: This is such a sad and beautiful song about Ed's grandfather.

"End of the World" - Dirty Heads: I don't know how anyone wouldn't completely fall in love with this song just from its chorus.

"Can't Help Falling in Love With You (The Voice Cover)" - Christina Grimmie: This is the most beautiful cover of this song that I've ever heard.

"We Won't Go Home" - The Colourist: A perfect upbeat song to get you pumped for anything!

"Real Girls Eat Cake" - The Janoskians: I'm not sure if I actually like this song or just find it hilarious (in the best way of course), but I think it does have a good message that eating is something that everyone finds attractive.

"Me and My Broken Heart" - Rixton: This song sounds like an upbeat version of Rihanna's "Unfaithful," but I love it, and it's always stuck in my head.

Straight Off The Bookshelf

Fangirl - Rainbow Rowell
This extremely heartwarming novel is about a girl, Cath, who is obsessed with Simon Snow novels (which are basically the most non-cheesey versions of Twilight-meets-Harry Potter novels that you could ever read about). Cath's fanfiction stories are booming when she has to move to college, and she must face the challenge of whether or not she should move on in her life, like her twin sister has done. It's an awesome story-within-a-story because you get to read excerpts from Simon Snow and Cath's fan fiction in between every chapter!

Buy it here: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fangirl-rainbow-rowell/1114258557?ean=9781250030955

My Music Picks of The Week

Check out these tunes for a great start to the weekend!

"Peace" - O.A.R.: I heard this while I was in the car with a friend, and immediately fell in love with the song!

"Try" - Colbie Caillat: Such an inspiring song!

"We Are Tonight" - Billy Currington: Great summer jam! Country music always seems so perfect in the summer!

"Summer" - Calvin Harris: Every time I hear this song on the radio, I just want to get up and dance.

"Don't" - Ed Sheeran: He's my favorite ginger (#bestginge)! Can't wait for his new album to come out!

"I'm Not The Only One" - Sam Smith: I think I've fallen in love with every single one of his songs…

"Your Body Is A Weapon" - The Wombats: Such a catchy song!!!

Straight Off The Bookshelf

What books did I read this week? Scroll down to find out.

The Beginning of Everything - Robyn Schneider

A heartbreaking romance novel about a boy, Ezra Faulkner (great name!), who shatters his leg and begins to contemplate what he truly prioritizes in life, which once was tennis and popularity. Lovely teen read!

Buy it here: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-beginning-of-everything-robyn-schneider/1114820441?ean=9780062217141

The Maze Runner - James Dashner
This is a very well-written dystopian novel about a boy named Thomas, who is unwillingly placed into a community of boys that have been spending their life trying to survive and escape the alternative land that they were all put into. This is my new favorite series! Anyone who enjoyed The Hunger Games will enjoy this book.

Buy it here: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/maze-runner-james-dashner/1030996581?ean=9780553497557

My Music Picks of The Week

Check out these tunes for a great start to your weekend!

"Wings" - Birdy: I totally understand why everyone is obsessed with her! (If you need to hear more of her music, listen to her amazing cover of Bon Iver's "Skinny Love").

"You Don't Know What To Do" - Mariah Carey feat. Wale: Such a great dance or workout track!

"Falling For You" - The 1975: I'm so in love with them!

"Chasing Hearts" - Breathe Carolina feat. Tyler Carter: This song gets me so pumped!

"Night Like This"- LP: I love her voice!

"Stay High [Habits Remix]" - Tove Lo feat. Hippie Sabotage: This is my summer jam! I am completely obsessed and in love with this song!

#TBT: All For Love

If you grew up listening to Radio Disney in the early 2000s as I did, you may or may not remember the infamous song "All For Love" by Stevie Brock. Well, this song was my FAVORITE, and as I got older, I kept trying to remember the song and who it was by (because let's be honest, we all have a soft spot for our favorite childhood songs,  movies, etc). One day during my senior year of high school, I had a brain blast and found the song on Youtube, and for today's #TBT, I am providing the video for everyone to watch:

Flash forward two years later to one January day when I was watching The Ellen Degeneres Show, and she had four boys on the show who made a video about her. They are a really great group called The Cream Pies (named after their favorite pastry from their local donut shop). Ellen interviewed them and then they performed part of their song on the show. While watching, I thought "Wow! This is really creative, and I really want to hear the rest of it," so I found it on Youtube. Well lo and behold, in the video is a clip of Stevie Brock's All For Love video because he is one of the members of The Cream Pies. I was in complete shock after realizing this. So if you are also someone who was wondering what happened to this great childhood star, check out The Cream Pies's wonderful dedication to Ellen Degeneres, and follow their other videos on Youtube (Stevie is also making a comeback in the music industry, so follow his personal Twitter for more updates on that).

What's Up With Those Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia Seeds?

(Image Via: http://www.ohhappybelly.com/chia-seed-pudding/)

When I was younger and watching TV, there was not a day that I didn't see a commercial for Chia Pets, a plant that you watered and would grow leaves. Well it just so happens that the seeds responsible for these Chia Pets were Chia seeds. With all the health benefits that these seeds offer, it's appropriate that now I can't go grocery shopping without noticing these seeds being advertised and included in many foods/drinks.

Chia seeds are becoming super popular due to their high nutrient density (lots of nutrients and low in calories) and high dietary fiber intake (11 grams per ounce). This helps you absorb more food and it helps you feel fuller faster (also thanks to Tryptophan), which leads to an overall reduced calorie intake.

Chia seeds are also high in Omega-3 Fatty Acids (5 grams per ounce), which can help lower LDL cholesterol, Triglyceride cholesterol, and Total Cholesterol, all helping to improve overall cardiovascular health.

Chia seeds originate from crops of the Aztecs. The word "Chia" is Mayan for "strength," which makes sense because Chia seeds also play an important role in improve bone health. They contain 18% of the daily value for Calcium, and 27% of your daily value for Phosphorous. Both of these minerals help with forming and creating stronger bones.

Other functions of Chia seeds are that they work as an antioxidant, they contain protein (4.4 grams per serving), and they contain Iron, Magnesium, and Zinc.

Chia seeds have become the new super food, and they are very easy to include in your daily diet. Some ways to eat more Chia seeds are:

• Add them into your oatmeal for breakfast.
• Blend them into your smoothie.
• Add them into your salad.
• Make Chia Pudding, which could be a great breakfast, snack, or dessert.
• Enjoy some Tea with Chia Seeds, which is a healthier alternative to Bubble Tea

Make Me Up Monday: My Makeup Picks of the Week

MAC Cosmetics Playland Collection
(Left to Right: Live It Up, Toying Around, Red Balloon, Carousel)

Don't these shades just scream summer?! I was walking around Soho with my parents during the weekend of the Playland collection launch, so I just had to stop inside MAC. Well, after a nice chat with one of the makeup consultants, I ended up buying these two lipstick and lipgloss combinations. I have seriously been able to wear these colors with everything, and I absolutely love them! Great new makeup makes for an even greater start to summer!

Straight Off The Bookshelf

The First 20 Minutes - Gretchen Reynolds
An interesting book written by New York Times Bestseller Gretchen Reynolds about the science behind exercise to teach you how to get the most out of each workout. Reynolds explores each aspect of exercise from pre-workout to post-workout, and provides her reader with life-changing workout tips, such as…

• Why interval training is better for you
• What the best food is to eat before/after your workout (or during if you're a marathon runner)
• How to decrease your risk for injury during a workout
• The best type of music to listen to while exercising

Buy it here: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-first-20-minutes-gretchen-reynolds/1110791632?ean=9780142196755