Best template option for my needs?

Hi guys,

So I’m new to this and trying, but am a full-time college student as well. I have an overall theme in my head for my blog. I know a few must-have ‘abilities’ I will need my blog to be capable of. Any help?

I need a good-looking typical front page with my current top posts, which I know is pretty standard. I need a way for users to easily vote on posts, and submit their own articles. So I will also need a registration process. And eventually a modest forum for registered users. I would also like the ability to have easy to see polls on the front page, and in addition to the header image of my creation, an ‘About Me’ where I can show my smiling face! Haha. But I will also need an ‘about us’ page, since it’s a group of girls from my school doing this, not just me.

In addition to the blog posts content and archive and that pretty typical front page, I will need another page or two of easily organized static content, like thumbnail images of books and a little blurb about each by the image, allowing you to click on it for more info. Which I suppose would be a third page? Or fourth? There will be at least 200 books, growing every day, and I would like users to both be able to vote on them, comment on them, or even add their own if they are registered. Some sort’ve Flickr integration is always good as well as all the big social ‘connections.’

Gosh it’s confusing. Do I need a good full-sized blog custom built for me since I have ZERO skills other than some physical artwork I want integrated, our idea, and the content? Or do I have a web site built? I also would like the ability to optimize for mobile viewing. I really think building this is out of my grasp, at least initially. Are there reputable sources out there for web site or blog creation/design? The type that won’t steal an idea if it’s good, and is also not going to require us to take out a loan or start stripping? Haha.

Please, any help would be SO appreciated! We are all nursing students, this is hard! Thanks, guys!

Raquel