I've always prided myself on a being a bookworm. I've always gotten lost in a good novel or memoir. Barnes and Noble is my safe haven and I could easily spend $100 in there if I was allowed. I've gone through two Nook e-readers and now have my trusty iPad as a my book friend. 

There is nothing more relaxing than escaping in the imaginary world created by an author. I'm obsessed and I always have been.

I've definitely been off my book game recently, mostly loving career books and biographies. I haven't had my hands on a good novel in a while (aside from One and Only). Maybe it's because I haven't had time (aside from my post grad summer vacation) but I realized how much I missed reading an actual story.

I'm definitely going to take advantage of my new adulthood to read more novels because it really is a great way to escape and unwind from the world around you.

Last summer I was in Barnes and Noble and came across this book "Brooklyn Girls" by Gemma Burgess. After reading the summary on the back, I immediately picked it up because it was just too good. It sounded a lot like HBO's hit and one of my favs, "Girls". 

Five twenty something girls who are just graduated and living together in Brooklyn. They're trying to figure out how to survive in the real world. 

It was obviously right up my alley because at the time, I was experiencing a crisis with being a senior in college. Now times have changed and I could really relate to this book.

That's why I put off reading it after a year of purchasing. I started reading this two weeks ago right as I started my first big girl job. On my days off I would sit outside on my deck and take the sun (#summer) and needed something good to read.

In comes "Brooklyn Girls" and my life is changed forever.

The five girls, Pia, Julia, Coco, Angie and Madeleine are all drastically different with opposite personalities, jobs, hopes and dreams. Their lives are the same but so different at the same time. They live in Rookhaven, the home that belonged to Julia and Coco's mother. With Rookhaven comes issues  of money, career, relationships and friendships.

Pia is the main character and she is a scatter brained, exotic 22 year old who is just trying to figure out life in New York while trying to make her parents proud. She has quite the wild personality but always is there for her friends and always tries to do the right thing.

Sometimes while reading I would shake my head at Pia's actions but in the end, she always fixed it. She always figured it out.

I don't want to give away the plot because I truly think this is one of the most heartfelt, incredible books I've read in a while and everyone who is finally out on their own in the real world needs to read this.

It's filled with wise words of wisdom hidden beneath the character's quick and witty banter. Each character has their own way of doing things and their own friendships but everything blends together. 

That is the magic of Gemma's writing. You know a book is special when you feel like you know the characters and can predict their next move. That's exactly what happened in this book. I felt like I knew the Brooklyn Girls.

This was also the sort of book that you didn't want to put down. I would force myself to close the book in order to make it last longer but it was a book that I needed to know what happened next.

It was realistic but at the same time, had that imaginary touch. That combination makes for a great book.

"Brooklyn Girls" is about life in the real world and trying to do your best while also being happy. It's about keeping up with your friends, finding a significant other and making your parents proud. It's about figuring out your problems in the best way possible and staying safe and having fun. 

It's not easy being an adult and "Brooklyn Girls" shows that true side of adulthood while also showing us how you can get through as long as you have a strong support system by your side.

When I finished this book I felt sad because I knew it was over and I wouldn't get to share any more adventures with the Rookhaven girls. Then I remembered there is a sequel called "Love and Chaos" and I need to get my hands on it ASAP.

Here are some of my favorite quotes that I recorded while reading:

(Excuse the language in some of them)

“Here's what I think...There is no unfucked up. People think there is, but there's not. We're all fucked up in different ways. It's simply a question of making your fuck-ups work for you.” 

"It's like we're all pretending to be fantastic but secretly freaking out, all the time. I wish college had warned us"

"Life is meant to be fun, otherwise what's the point?"

Have you read "Brooklyn Girls"? What are your thoughts? 

With my impending graduation in sight, I am always looking for tips and tricks for the job search (hence my latest blog post from last week). It's a really hard adjustment, college to post graduate life. There are a lot of new rules, new opportunities and an entire new routine that you have to become accustomed too.  

It's really scary, not knowing what's going to come next and hearing mixed reviews about job hunting, having and keeping a job, and life after college in general. A lot of people love it, some people are indifferent to it, and some just down right hate it. I'm terrified of not knowing how to operate in the real world but thankfully, there are resources out there to prepare you.

I feel like I've been mentally preparing for the real world for the past year now and I owe a lot of that to Levo League. It's always been my #1 career resource and after having my dream internship there, I learned so much it's insane. 

There are other resources as well and I'm truly thankful for them. One of those resources is a new book "Careeranista: The Women's Guide to Success After College". I was sent a free copy for review by the author, Chaz Pitts-Kyser. I'm always up to read a new book, especially one that is going to benefit me.

I really didn't know what to expect when I first started reading, I thought it'd be like other career books I've read but at a hefty 272 pages, I was overwhelmed with tips, tricks, information and good old advice. 

I've read a lot of career books, articles, and blog posts but nothing has made me feel as confident as this book did. I've been dealing with a lot of stress and fear about the real world and succeeding after graduation but this book 100% made me feel better. If that's not a reason to read it, I'll just have to give you more.

This book covers everything from cleaning up your social media profiles to dealing with sexual harassment in the work place. It goes from beginning to end, to when you're looking for a job to what to do when you want to switch jobs. You're able to get every bit of a career advice you'll ever need in these pages, which is wonderful.

By definition, according to the book, a Careeranista is "A smart, sophisticated, success-driven young woman committed to carving out a career she loves." Who wouldn't want to be defined as that?

The book was divided into parts: Becoming a Careeranista, Succeeding as a Careeranista, Questions of a Careeranista, and Handling a Careeranista's Biggest Obstacles. I feel like this makes it a lot easier to know which sections are most important to you. 

There were definitely some highlights for me, a lot which occurred in the first section "Becoming a Careeranista" because that's the stage I am at in life. 

Within the first chapter, I'm taken back because the advice is so detailed; Chaz advises all young-ins to create a career plan early on in college; map out where you want to go, what positions you want to hold and ultimately where you want to end up. Having a plan such as this will help you gear your path in the right direction and always give yourself a certain amount of time for each goal.

Sticking to the path though is not always as easy; there are always going to be bumps that throw you off. "There are multiple ways to get to a destination" so it's okay if you lose sight of the original goal. 

Some hardcore advice she gives in the book is as follows: think outside the box as you job search, expand your horizons because there are "plenty of places nurses work besides hospitals" (EYEOPENER) 

The next part of the book that blew me away was the informal job search strategies. Some of these I already knew but some were brand new to me. It's nice to know that there are other ways to get a job besides Linkedin and Monster.com. I will definitely be using some of these new strategies in my search.

Another great tip? Follow up on job applications! If you email someone your resume and cover letter, email them two weeks later to make sure they got them. I really need to start actively doing that.

There were other features throughout the book that caught my eye; there was an inspirational quote at the top of every chapter (which I'm always a sucker for), there were sample questions and email layouts when necessary, so you have a step by step guide of what to do. There were also other ladies personal stories and advice included throughout the book; those were titled "Diary of Careeranista"; it was nice to get a different perspective. 

A few other highlights of mine: Resume and Cover letter guide and resources, 20 points for a better interview, what kind of research you should do on a company before an interview, and real world myths.

It was really nice to have a detailed description of what you expect and should do in every situation, for example--what you should do when you have multiple job offers. I read a lot of articles and blog posts on careers but having it all in one nifty little book and being extremely detailed in it's advice. 

Everything after part one is about what happens when you get the job; how you should act in the work place, how to manage your boss, how to deal with co-worker conflict, and how to stand out. It's all very useful information and advice. Once I score a job, I will definitely be referencing back to this.

Altogether, this book kind of changed my life. It changed the way I'm looking at my job search, my career, and life after college. For the next two years, I fully believe I will be obsessively reading and referencing this book.

If you're on the verge of graduation or need some helpful career advice, take a gander. You will not regret it.