Must-Read Books For the Fall/Winter Season

It's time to cozy up on your couch and dig your nose into some of our favorite books for the fall/winter season. Now, is the perfect time to get your hands on a Kindle or iPad to make reading a whole lot easier. With all of the holiday travel ahead, we are sure you will need to keep yourself preoccupied on those long flights so we have compiled a list of some of our favorites below. Share with us your favorite books to read this fall and winter season in the comment's section below!

1. Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown - This book dives deep into weeding out things in life to focus on only things that are truly important.
2. Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff- Fates and Furies is about a couple throughout the years, it's a riveting look at relationships and marriage. Half the book is told through the view point of the man and second half through the woman
3. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins - The Girl on the Train is about a girl who imagines the life of this perfect couple on her daily commute to and from work through the windows of the train ride she's on but turns out the perfect couple isn't so perfect. Very suspenseful and has a "Gone Girl" feel to it.
4. The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy - Plainly put: this book outlines how decisions you make daily is shape your destiny.
5. 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey - With over 10 million copies sold, this is a highly popular business-centered book that encompasses a balance between personal and professional effectiveness. Basically, is a manual on how to perform better in both areas of your life.
6. Year of Yes: How To Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person by Shonda Rhimes - You may recognize her name as the hit sensation behind the TV series' Grey's Anatomy, Scandal, and How To Get Away With Murder. Now, Shonda has a book out that candidly shares her compelling and funny attempts to come out of her shell by saying "yes" to anything that scares her.

TSS Favorite Things {September}

Sakura - Tank | Wedges | Makeup Bag

Ali - Card | Ring | Hat

Karen - Temporary Tattoos | Book | Nail Polish

Is it really September?! We started discussing the possibility of starting The Sorority Secrets two years ago this month and it's crazy how fast time flies! It's been a wonderful two years and we're excited for many more years to come! 

Like every month, TSS Founders bing you their favorite items of the month in TSS Favorite Things, so here's September!

Sakura

• Tank from Splendid - "Having a basic tank in every color is a must.  You can wear them with any and everything, and these are great quality tanks so they will last forever!"
• Wedges from Kelsi Dagger - "These wedges are the cutest, most comfortable things ever!  I can wear them with skinnies, boyfriend jeans, shorts, or even dresses!"
• Makeup Bag from Tory Burch - "Having a black makeup bag is always the way to go.  No matter how much you try to keep it clean, makeup bags have a tendency to get dirty easily.  This makeup bag is a great size and it'll last forever!"

Ali

• Greeting Card from Rifle Paper Co. - "I purchased a few of these cards... one for my office pinboard, and others to give to friends!  The design makes me smile."
• Fedora from Rag & Bone - "Wool hats are my favorite accessory this season!  They add a touch of style to any outfit.  This one from Rag & Bone is perfection."
• Ring from Kendra Scott - "This ring is flat-out cool.  I love the knuckle ring style, and the organic shape of the sparkly stones!  Dress this ring up at night, or pair it with denim for a little daytime glam."

Karen

• Temporary Tattoos from Flash Tattoos - "Ever since I saw Beyoncé rocking these flashy, metallic tattoos I have been obsessed. Talk about dressing up your skin! The styling possibilities with these tattoos are endless as they can pair well with jewelry or as jewelry."
• 365 Style by Nicky Hilton - "Nicky Hilton is a style icon and I really admire kids from rich families trying to make a name for themselves. This book is all about fashion and style...two things I love! Nicky gives advice using a formula she created to develop your own signature style and it's called 3-6-5. She has you consider the 3 main aspects of your lifestyle, then choose 6 staple items of clothing, and identify 5 essential accessories" 
• Nail Polish from Christian Louboutin - "Wait, Christian Louboutin has nail polish now?! I'm a sucker for red nails and have heard nothing but amazing things about this nail polish. Red is back for fall in full affect!"

What are some of your favorite things of September?!

6 Books to Read This Summer

Summer is the perfect time to read tons of amazing books!  There are so many books that we currently want to read right now, but here are our top 6 books to definitely read this Summer!

1. Sisterland by Curtis Sittenfeld
Growing up in St. Louis, Missouri, Kate and her identical twin sister, Violet, are extremely close—sharing a room, weathering the eccentricities of their parents, and delighting in the music and movies of their 1980s childhood. But in junior high, Kate makes a fateful decision that drives the sisters apart and sets them on different paths toward adulthood. Years later, Vi is living on the fringes of society while Kate, a devoted wife and mother, is doing everything she can to fit into suburban life. After a chance occurrence in the middle of the night, the sisters find themselves drawn together once again, forced to face the secrets of the past and to reconcile the differences between them. As the sense of order Kate has worked so hard to create in her adult life begins to falter, it’s not clear to her whether Vi, the one person who knows her best, will save Kate—or be her undoing.

2. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten. Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw, The Fault in Our Stars is award-winning author John Green’s most ambitious and heartbreaking work yet, brilliantly exploring the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love. 

3. #GIRLBOSS
At seventeen, Sophia Amoruso decided to forgo continuing education to pursue a life of hitchhiking, dumpster diving, and petty thievery. Now, at twenty-nine, she is the Founder, CEO, and Creative Director of Nasty Gal, a $100+ million e-tailer that draws A-list publicity and rabid fans for its leading-edge fashion and provocative online persona. Her story is extraordinary—and only part of the appeal of #GIRLBOSS.

4. Someday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren Graham
A story about hopes and dreams, being young in a city, and wanting something deeply, madly, desperately. It’s about finding love, finding yourself, and perhaps most difficult of all in New York City, finding an acting job.

5. The Last Summer (of You and Me) by Ann Brashares

Riley and Alice, two sisters now in their twenties, and as fiercely different as they are loyal, have spent every summer at their parents’ modest beach house on New York’s Fire Island. Each year, they return to the house and community they have known since they were children—and to Paul, the boy next door. But this summer marks a season of change: budding love and sexual interest, an illness, and a deep secret force all three to confront the increasing complexities of their lives and friendships.

6. Stuck in the Middle by Virginia Smith

Her older sister, Allie, is starting a family, and her younger sister, Tori, has a budding career. Meanwhile, Joan is stuck at home with Mom and her aging grandmother. Not exactly a recipe for excitement--or romance.  When a hunky young doctor moves in next door, Joan sets out to catch his eye. But it won't be easy. Pretty Tori flirts relentlessly, and Joan is sure that she can't compete. But with a little help from God, Allie, and an enormous mutt with bad manners, Joan begins to find her way out of this rut and into the life she's been hiding from.

What are some other books that you would recommend?

Happy Reading!

Graduation Gift Guide of 2014

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It's Graduation time!  Whether your friend or family member is graduating, we've put together a little graduation gift guide of 2014 for your graduate! 

For the Graduate that's taking the Summer to travel, The New York Times recently released a book for the must-sees of United States & Canada and Europe in 36 hours!  They list everything from weird museums to fun amusement parks- basically everything and anything you want to and can do in 36 hours!

One of our newest obsessions is the Stila "Stay-All-Day" Beauty Balm!   It's perfect for that new Graduate with a full-time job that has to wear the same make up that you applied 9 hours ago.  It's a perfect primer that also contains SPF for sun screen and it's also amazing for your skin!

What else would you add on our Graduation Gift Guide of 2014?

TSS Favorite Things {March}

Sakura- Watch | Makeup Bag | Sunglasses

Ali- Scissors | Book | Card

Karen- Book | Heels | Makeup Brush

It's officially Spring today and we are so excited to share some of our favorite items of this month!  Spring is filled with traveling, pool parties, and so many fun activities!  Karen has been busy traveling non-stop, Ali recently moved into a new office space (check out her new office here!), and Sakura is anxious for pool season!  Check out some of our favorite items of this month!