Book: "Twilight" by Stephanie Meyer
Romance will never look the same after you've devoured Twilight, Stephenie Meyer's deliciously sappy young adult novel about a human girl who falls in love with a vampire. Though Meyer's writing is admittedly prosaic, the plot makes up for what's lacking in style. The simple prose is perfect for finals week and will have you hungering -- or should I say thirsting -- for more. -- Lily Ringler
Music: "New Magnetic Wonder" by Apples in Stereo (2007)
New Magnetic Wonder's combination of synth, rock and pop makes it s a perfect starter for those new to indie pop. The band is a melange of the Beatles, the Beach Boys and a smidge of Of Montreal. If you're still a bit tentative, "Energy," "Skyway," and "Same Old Drag" are tracks that will convince you of this band's quirky excellence. -- Dylan Leavitt
Movie: "Punch-Drunk Love" (2002)
This Adam Sandler movie is nothing like an Adam Sandler movie. Written and directed by P.T. Anderson (the same guy behind "Magnolia" and "Boogie Nights"), it's funny in the most surprising, affecting ways. Sandler plays a reclusive small business owner who finds his first foray into romance complicated by a gang of thugs who have obtained his credit card info from a one-time call he made to a phone sex line. Beautifully filmed and brilliantly acted, "Punch-Drunk Love" is alternately dark and adorably romantic. -- Elizabeth Ellison
TV: "Nip/Tuck," FX Tuesdays 10 p.m.
Perverse, racy and yet meaningful, Nip/Tuck is a drama- and tension-filled hour of evocative entertainment. The show follows the work and personal lives of two plastic surgeons who run a successful practice together, and it features consistently compelling and three-dimensional characters, complete with flaws, hang-ups and dark pasts. Their lives are like gruesome train wrecks: deeply unsettling, but hypnotically enthralling. -- Divya Gunasekaran
