Ben Leighton Popular Books
Ben Leighton Biography & Facts
Leighton Marissa Meester (born April 9, 1986) is an American actress, singer, and model. She is best known for her starring role as the devious socialite Blair Waldorf on Gossip Girl on The CW (2007–2012). She has also appeared in films such as Killer Movie (2008), Country Strong (2010), The Roommate (2011), Monte Carlo (2011), The Oranges (2011) and The Judge (2014). Meester made her Broadway debut in Of Mice and Men (2014). She portrayed Angie D'Amato on the ABC sitcom Single Parents (2018–2020). In addition to acting, Meester has ventured into music. After a featuring in top ten Billboard Hot 100 single Cobra Starship's "Good Girls Go Bad", she released her solo singles under Universal Republic label "Somebody to Love" in 2009 and "Your Love's a Drug" in 2010. Meester has also recorded songs for various soundtracks. Her debut album, Heartstrings, was independently released in 2014. She has also modeled, having been the face of the Jimmy Choo, Herbal Essences, and Vera Wang brands. Early life Meester was born in Fort Worth, Texas, to Constance Lynn (née Haas) and Douglas Jay Meester. Her father is a real estate broker; her mother is a writer. She has two brothers: an older brother, Douglas Logan Meester (born 1983), and a younger brother, Alexander "Lex" Meester (born 1994). At the time of her birth, Meester's parents were serving time in a federal prison for their involvement in a drug ring that smuggled marijuana from Jamaica to the United States. Constance was able to give birth to Leighton in a hospital and nurse her for three months in a halfway house, before returning to prison to complete her sentence. Her paternal grandparents cared for Meester during this period. She has maintained that her parents gave her a normal upbringing and, despite their criminal past, has stated, "It made me realize that you can't judge anyone—especially your parents—for what they've done in their past, because people change." She grew up in Marco Island, Florida, where she participated in productions at a local playhouse. Her parents separated in 1992.When she was 11 years old, Meester and her siblings moved with their mother to New York City. She attended the Professional Children's School and began working as a model with Wilhelmina, booking a Ralph Lauren campaign shot by Bruce Weber, and working with then-photographer Sofia Coppola. Meester also booked commercials for Tamagotchi and Clearasil, and modeled for Limited Too alongside Amanda Seyfried. At age 14, she relocated to Los Angeles and attended Hollywood and Beverly Hills High Schools. Meester then transferred to a small private school and graduated a year earlier than normal. Career 2003–2007: Career beginnings Meester made her acting debut in 1999 as a murder victim's friend, Alyssa Turner, on an episode of Law & Order. Following this, she made her film debut in Hangman's Curse (2003), based on the bestselling book by Frank Peretti. She had a series regular role in Tarzan, which aired for only eight episodes. A recurring role in Entourage as Justine Chapin and Veronica Mars as Carrie Bishop followed in 2004 and 2005. Meester booked guest roles in the series Crossing Jordan, 8 Simple Rules, 7th Heaven and 24. She was cast as series regular in Surface as Savannah Barnett.In 2006, Meester appeared in two films, Flourish and Inside. She also guest starred in an episode of Numbers and appeared in two episodes of House as Ali Johnson, a teenager who has a crush on Gregory House. She then had guest roles on CSI: Miami and Shark, and portrayed the female lead in the horror film Drive-Thru, for which she recorded the song "Inside the Black". Meester was cast as identical twin sisters Kayla and Kelly Rhodes in the ABC crime-drama series Secrets of a Small Town, but the network decided not to forward the series. 2007–2012: Gossip Girl and music ventures In 2007, Meester was cast in The CW's teen drama series Gossip Girl as Blair Waldorf, based on the book series of the same name by Cecily von Ziegesar. She first auditioned for the role of Serena van der Woodsen, but told the producers that she could better play Blair. However, it was important that Serena was blonde and Blair was brunette, so Meester dyed her hair brown for the role. Her performance was the most critically acclaimed of the show, with Blair being cited as the series' breakout character. She also garnered media attention for her wardrobe on the show. The series ended after six seasons and 120 episodes. Meester later starred in the television film The Haunting of Sorority Row, and had a role in the ensemble comedy-drama film Remember the Daze. In 2008, she appeared in the horror-thriller film Killer Movie and reprised her role in Entourage singing with Tony Bennett in the episode.Early in 2009, Meester partnered with Reebok to model their new Top Down sneakers. Apart from Gossip Girl, Meester worked with co-star Ed Westwick in a Nikon Coolpix series camera advertisement, and both were the faces of the Korean clothing line ASK Enquired. In April 2009, she released the song "Birthday" featuring duo Awesome New Republic. A version without her vocals was included on their Rational Geographic Vol. I album. Later that month, Meester signed a recording contract with Universal Republic. Meester provided vocals on Cobra Starship's song "Good Girls Go Bad", which peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100. In July, "Body Control" surfaced on the internet. Meester's first official single, "Somebody to Love", featuring R&B singer Robin Thicke, was released for airplay on October 13, 2009, and became available for digital download on October 14, 2009. She recorded a cover of the song "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" for the compilation album A Very Special Christmas 7.Her second single, "Your Love's a Drug", was digitally released on March 30, 2010, and she is also featured on Stephen Jerzak's song "She Said". Meester did a duet with DJ Clinton Sparks on "Front Cut", which appeared on the internet in February 2011. Lil Wayne worked with her on an unreleased song titled "Make It Rain" and Jesse McCartney wrote another song. The album was produced by Polow Da Don, Harvey Mason Jr., and Spencer Nezey. Meester began working on it in March 2009 and the album was initially projected to be released in the fall of 2009, but was later delayed to early 2010. It was pushed back again to late 2010, and was ultimately shelved. Meester had small roles in the comedies Date Night and Going the Distance. She then starred with Gwyneth Paltrow and Garrett Hedlund in the country music drama Country Strong. Wesley Morris of The Boston Globe described Meester as the best part of the film, writing, "She's just doing Reese Witherspoon's June Carter Cash in Walk the Line with dabs of Miley Cyrus and Kellie Pickler. But it's not an impersonation; it's a performance with its own comedy and sweetness." Claudia Puig of USA Today was also positive, stating "Meester shows sh.... Discover the Ben Leighton popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Ben Leighton books.
Best Seller Ben Leighton Books of June 2021
The Best of Us
Robyn CarrJanuary 8, 2019$2.99In Sullivan’s Crossing, #1 New York Times bestselling author Robyn Carr has created a place where good people, powerful emotions, great humor and a healthy dose of common sense are the key...
The Duplicate Bride
Ginny BairdSeptember 29, 2020$0.99Saying “I do” has never been this much fun in this charming new romance from New York Times bestselling author Ginny Baird. Hope Webb can’t believe her twin sister, Jackie, is begging ...
The Doctor of Aleppo
Dan MaylandAugust 11, 2020$0.99<p>While working in the ancient Silk Road city of Aleppo, American Hannah Johnson and her Swedish lover Oskar are drawn into the mounting turbulence of the impending Syrian c...
Sea Wife
Amity GaigeApril 28, 2020$1.99A New York Times Notable Book of the Year “Brilliantly breathes life not only into the perils of living at sea, but also into the hidden dangers of domesticity, parenthood, and marriage. W...
The Sweetness of Water (Oprah’s Book Club)
Nathan HarrisJune 15, 2021$14.99AN OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB PICK In the spirit of The Known World and The Underground Railroad , “a stunning debut” ( Oprah Daily ) about the unlikely bond between two freedmen who are brothe...
Local Woman Missing
Mary KubicaMay 18, 2021$12.99"Dark and twisty, with white-knuckle tension and jaw-dropping surprises." —Riley Sager, New York Times bestselling author of Home Before Dark In this smart and chilling thri...
Sooley
John GrishamApril 27, 2021$14.99NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER • John Grisham takes you to a different kind of court in his first basketball novel. Samuel “Sooley” Sooleymon is a raw, young talent with big hoop dreams—...
The Silent Patient
Alex MichaelidesFebruary 5, 2019$12.99**THE INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER** "An unforgettable—and Hollywood-bound—new thriller... A mix of Hitchcockian suspense, Agatha Christie plotting, and Greek tragedy." — Enter...
No Good Deeds
Laura LippmanMarch 17, 2009$1.99New York Times Bestseller Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Laura Lippman’s Tess Monaghan—first introduced in the classic Baltimore Blues—becomes involved in a compli...
'Salem's Lot
Stephen KingApril 1, 1990$1.99Ben Mears has returned to Jerusalem’s Lot in hopes that exploring the history of the Marsten House, an old mansion long the subject of rumor and speculation, will help him cast out his per...
The Four Winds
Kristin HannahFebruary 2, 2021$14.99#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER #1 USA TODAY BESTSELLER #1 WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER #1 INDIE BESTSELLER " The Four Winds seems eerily prescient in 2021 . . . Its message is galvanizing an...
To the Brink
Cindy GerardApril 1, 2007$1.99Working on highly sensitive diplomatic affairs, Darcy Prescott is a natural target for terrorist kidnappers. But when she's mysteriously plucked off a street in Manila one sultry night, Darc...
Golden Girl
Elin HilderbrandJune 1, 2021$14.99In this satisfying page-turner from "the queen of beach reads" ( New York Magazine ), a Nantucket novelist has one final summer to protect her secrets while her loved ones on earth learn to ...
The Midnight Library
Matt HaigSeptember 29, 2020$13.99The New York Times bestselling WORLDWIDE phenomenon Winner of the Goodreads Choice Award for Fiction | A Good Morning America Book Club Pick "A feel-good book guaranteed to lif...
Malibu Rising
Taylor Jenkins ReidJune 1, 2021$13.99NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Read with Jenna Book Club Pick as Featured on Today • From the author of Daisy Jones & The Six and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo . . . ...
That Summer
Jennifer WeinerMay 11, 2021$14.99INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “Weiner, the undisputed boss of the beach read, is back with another stunner.” — The New York Times “ That Summer Is Your *IDEAL* Beach Read.” —...
Reading behind Bars
Jill GrunenwaldJuly 2, 2019$1.99“A fascinating look into a world many of us never see, and a powerful story about one woman’s journey to find her own strength, with a clear message of the importance of books and inform...
The Commanders’ Mate
Grace GoodwinMarch 19, 2019$0.99Commander Karter is a Prillon Warrior. His first duty is to protect his people, to defend the Coalition worlds from a fate too terrible to comprehend. Battle is his life. His heart. He fight...
Tom Clancy Target Acquired
Don BentleyJune 8, 2021$14.99Jack Ryan, Jr., will do anything for a friend, but this favor will be paid for in blood in the latest electric entry in the #1 New York Times bestselling series. Jack Ryan, Jr. would do anyt...
The Cellist
Daniel SilvaJuly 13, 2021$14.99From Daniel Silva, the internationally acclaimed #1 New York Times bestselling author, comes a timely and explosive new thriller featuring art restorer and legendary spy Gabriel Allon. Vikto...
Elizabeth I
Margaret GeorgeApril 5, 2011$1.99The New York Times bestseller from Margaret George—a captivating novel about history's most enthralling queen, the legendary Elizabeth I. England’s greatest monarch has baffled and intri...
Legacy
Nora RobertsMay 25, 2021$14.99#1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts presents Legacy , a new novel of a mother and a daughter, of ambition and romance, and of a traumatic past reawakened by a terrifying threat...
House of Earth and Blood
Sarah J. MaasMarch 3, 2020$2.99A #1 New York Times bestseller! Sarah J. Maas's brand-new CRESCENT CITY series begins with House of Earth and Blood: the story of half-Fae and half-human Bryce Quinlan as she seeks reven...
People We Meet on Vacation
Emily HenryMay 11, 2021$9.99THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2021 by Newsweek ∙ Oprah Magazine ∙ The Skimm ∙ Marie Claire ∙ Parade ∙ The Wall Street Journal ∙ Chicago...
The Art of Deception
Nora RobertsJune 15, 2021$6.99A young woman finds herself caught up in international intrigue—and gets her heart stolen—in The Art of Deception from #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts, “the queen of ...
A Lady's Trust
Callie HuttonMarch 16, 2021$0.99Can he trust his instincts, or is she playing him for a fool. . . . . Driscoll Rose and his two brothers own and run The Rose Room, a well-known and profitable gaming club in London. Unknown...
The Bomber Mafia
Malcolm GladwellApril 27, 2021$14.99An exploration of how technology and best intentions collide in the heat of war A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice In The Bomber Mafia , Malcolm Gladwell weaves together th...
Where the Crawdads Sing
Delia OwensAugust 14, 2018$12.99#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING PHENOMENON More than 6 million copies sold A Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine Book Club Pick A Business Insider Defining Book of the Decade "I can't eve...
Beautifully Broken Life
Catherine CowlesJune 25, 2019$3.99She’s on the run… Tessa has finally found a safe haven in Sutter Lake, hiding in plain sight—just as long as no one asks too many questions. He can’t escape… Liam...
My Lovely Wife
Samantha DowningMarch 26, 2019$1.99SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE INSTANT #1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER USA Today bestseller Edgar + ITW Thriller Award nominee for Best First Novel “Think: Dexter but sexier.”— th...
The Beach House
Jenny HaleJune 9, 2021$0.99An absolutely gorgeous and heartwarming read about finding love where you least expect it, new beginnings, and how family is always with you, no matter where you are. Fans of Susan Mallery, ...
Project Hail Mary
Andy WeirMay 4, 2021$14.99NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A lone astronaut must save the earth from disaster in this “propulsive” ( Entertainment Weekly ) new science-based thriller from the bestselling author...
How to Find Love in a Bookshop
Veronica HenryAugust 15, 2017$1.99“Absolutely delightful.” — People The enchanting story of a bookshop, its grieving owner, a supportive literary community, and the extraordinary power of books to heal the heart ...
Xenophon's Cyrus the Great
XenophonApril 1, 2007$1.99In 1906, a stilted English translation of Xenophon of Athens' story about Cyrus the Great's military campaigns was published. Now, a century later, a much more accessible edition of one of h...
A Gambling Man
David BaldacciApril 20, 2021$14.99Aloysius Archer, the straight-talking World War II veteran fresh out of prison, returns in this riveting #1 New York Times bestselling thriller from David Baldacci. The 1950s are...
Live Your Life
Amanda Kloots & Anna KlootsJune 15, 2021$14.99Amanda Kloots bravely reflects on love, loss, and life with her husband, Broadway star, and Tony Award nominee Nick Cordero, whose public battle with COVID-19 and tragic death made headlines...
The Last Thing He Told Me
Laura DaveMay 4, 2021$12.99#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER SELECTION OF THE REESE WITHERSPOON BOOK CLUB A HIGHLY ANTICIPATED, BEST BOOK OF SUMMER SELECTED BY * VOGUE * USA TODAY * ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY * CNN * TOWN & ...
Without Sanction
Don BentleyMarch 3, 2020$1.99After surviving a clandestine operation that went tragically wrong, Matt Drake escaped Syria with his life, but little else. Now, to save the life of another, he must return to Syria and con...
The Judge's List
John GrishamOctober 19, 2021$14.99From the #1 New York Times bestselling author, a new legal thriller about a man who might be the most criminal sitting judge in American history As an investigator f...
Murder at the Breakers
Alyssa MaxwellMarch 25, 2014$5.99In a historical mystery for Downton Abbey fans, a society reporter covers a killer party in Gilded Age Newport. Newport, Rhode Island, August 1895: She may be a less well-heeled relation, bu...
Sea Glass Cove
Suzie O'ConnellJune 18, 2019$0.99The Abalone Shell Recently divorced Hope St. Cloud is in need of a fresh perspective, and she knows exactly where to find it—at her family’s cottage in Sea Glass Cove. Here, she and her ...
The Maidens
Alex MichaelidesJune 15, 2021$14.99"Alex Michaelides’s long-awaited next novel, 'The Maidens,' is finally here...the premise is enticing and the elements irresistible." —The New York Times "A deliciously dark, elegant, ut...
The President's Daughter
James Patterson & Bill ClintonJune 7, 2021$14.99All Presidents have nightmares. This one is about to come true. A rocket ride of a thriller—the new blockbuster by President Bill Clinton and James Patterson, “the dream team” (L...
The Coroner
Jennifer Graeser DornbushAugust 7, 2018$1.99Summoned to take up her estranged father’s post as a medical examiner, surgeon Emily Hartford discovers home is where the bodies are buried in this “intense, riveting mystery” debut ( ...
It Ends with Us
Colleen HooverAugust 2, 2016$11.99In this “brave and heartbreaking novel that digs its claws into you and doesn’t let go, long after you’ve finished it” (Anna Todd, New York Times bestselling author) from the #1 New ...
Killing the Mob
Bill O'Reilly & Martin DugardMay 4, 2021$14.99Instant #1 New York Times , Wall Street Journal , and Publishers Weekly bestseller! In the tenth book in the multimillion-selling Killing series, Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard take on th...
How to Grill Everything
Mark BittmanMay 14, 2018$16.99The ultimate grilling guide and the latest in Mark Bittman’s acclaimed How to Cook Everything series Here’s how to grill absolutely everything—from the perfect steak to cedar-plank sal...
Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove Series Vol 1
Debbie MacomberAugust 12, 2014$2.99Welcome to Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove! This is small-town life at its best—and its most interesting… Meet some of the people living here: 16 Lighthouse Road. This is Olivia Lockhart's ...