Sophisticated Summer Reads

My cousin sent me a text a few days ago asking for the titles of a few good books she could read. After sharing my list of summer reads with her I decided to put together a summer reading list for the blog as well. Here are just a few of the books I've read and am planning to read this summer! 

...

Welcome to the Real World, by Lauren Berger 

 I couldn't wait to get my hands on this book, and when I did I read it in less than a week. Much like in her "All Work, No Pay" guide for interns (which I wrote about here), in this book, Berger literally creates a blueprint for recent grads trying to successfully maneuver in the workforce. 

The End of Fashion: How Marketing Changed the Clothing Business Forever, by Teri Agins 

Written by Teri Agins, a former fashion reporter for the Wall Street Journal, this book is a must read for anyone contemplating a career in fashion. I'm only two chapters in, but so far I've got a thorough understanding of why, in terms of couture clothing and haute couture designers, some are more financially successful than others. I also love about this book Agins' beautiful sentence structure and word choice. 

Contagious: Why Things Catch On, by Jonah Berger 

Someone recommended this book on Linkedin for bloggers and marketing professionals. It was a quick read, but offered great advice and a clear understanding of necessary methods for creating buzz. If you are a blogger looking to build your audience or create better content, I would suggest reading this book. 

Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years, by Sarah and A. Elizabeth Delany with Amy Hill Hearth

My mother happened to be watching the film adaptation of this book a few days ago. It stars the legendary Ruby Dee, who passed recently. I came in on the tail end of the movie but was so intrigued that I ordered the book the same day. Twin sisters Saddie and Bessie Delany each lived to be more than 100. They went to St. Augustine college in Raleigh, NC (S/O to the 919!) and later made NYC home. These women were pioneers in the African-American community and I was truly inspired by their story.

The Man From Essence: Creating a Magazine For Black Women, by Edward Lewis

In the July issue of ESSENCE Magazine an excerpt of this book by Edward Lewis, one of the four founders of the magazine was featured. In the excerpt, Lewis describes what it was like to see all of he and his partners' hard work come together at the first ever ESSENCE Music Festival. ESSENCE is one of my favorite magazines, so I'm really interested in learning more about its history. 

#GIRLBOSS, by Sophia Amoruso

I literally have seen the cover of this book appear on my Instagram feed 1,989,416 times --- okay so maybe that is a bit of an exaggeration, but really, everyone is reading it. In it, Sophia Amoruso, the founder of clothing site, Nasty Gal tells her story and also offers some advice about Girl Power. I'm always a supporter of strong and successful women, so I'm quite looking forward to reading it and seeing what all the hype is about. 

I'm sure I'll be adding to this list as the summer continues, and as I do, I'll share. So, what are you reading?

#LimitedOnCampus Lauren Berger at NCSU!

Lauren Berger, The Intern Queen dressed head-to-toe in The Limited at N.C. State University

When a girl receives an e-mail from her college saying that Lauren Berger, THE  Intern Queen will be speaking on campus at 6 p.m. November 22nd, she makes sure that her bottom is firmly planted in a chair by 5:59 p.m. with her notepad, pen and fully charged iPhone in her lap, so that she can take notes and live tweet throughout the event.  

Last night, I was that girl. 

Lauren is the founder of the internqueen.com, and the author of All Work, No Pay: Finding an Internship, Building Your Resume, Making Connections, and Gaining Job Experience. She completed 15 internships by the time she received her undergraduate degree from the University of Central Florida and had landed her dream job at US Weekly magazine 2 years before graduation. 

I got a free copy of her book last night!

Though she dropped several gems of knowledge last night, these were my four major take aways: 

4. Handle Business With a Sense of Urgency 

Lauren was able to score her first internship at a pr firm when she was a freshman in college with no experience on her resume besides the Limited Too and Red Lobster, all because she followed up with the internship coordinator less than 24 hours after inquiring about the position. The internship coordinator told her, "I'm impressed, I've never had a student follow up within 24 hours" and not only gave her an internship, but also an internship position. 

3. Network With Your Peers

Lauren stressed repeatedly the importance of forming lasting relationships with peers, especially those who are interning with you. She raised the valid and easy to overlook point, that just like you, the other interns are young people focused on success. Eventually, they will be head honchos and leaders in the industry. Relationships with them are just as important as relationships with current professionals.   

2. Rejection is a Part of Success

She did not sugar coat it or try to sidestep around the conversation. Lauren told us we are going to be rejected, multiple times, multiple ways...for the rest of our lives. She did say however, "You don't take no for an answer, and whenever there is a no, you find a yes." Moral of the story being, where there is a will, there is a way. 

1. Maintain a Professional Image

Lauren shared stories of two students who she helped get summer internships and how both were dismissed from their positions due to social media accounts that were damaging to their professional personas. Social media is used a lot for our personal life but we have to keep in mind that is often accessible by those in our professional lives as well. 

I was so glad that I had the chance to hear Lauren speak. I would have really liked to stay after and chatted with her for a bit but I had another meeting that I had to get to. A big thank you to the Limited for sponsoring this event and Lauren for sharing such valuable advice! 

P.S. - This Friday at the Triangle Town Center Limited location, there will be an exclusive shopping event from 6-8p.m. There will be swag bags with items selected by Lauren , food, drinks and lots of discounts!