Back-to-School Hacks and DIY Projects You Need To See

If someone were to tell me reading is overrated, I'd laugh and keep looking over my latest finds from the Good Morning America book club. It's like I can't get enough of coming across new romance and horror books to cozy up with. I've even started paying attention to #BookTok to see what everyone else is reading.

Although I'm no stranger to book club picks, I didn't know Good Morning America was in on the fun, too. Honestly, I love that their list is full of awe-inspiring titles...all of which hint I'll need a bigger bookshelf soon — sorry to my S.O.! Should you find yourself loving the idea of curling up with something new to read, scroll down for 22 Good Morning America book club picks!

April 2024 Book Club Pick:

Just For the Summerby Abby Jimenez

Justin's bad luck in life seems to follow him no matter how many times he starts over and eventually makes him the topic of discussion on a popular Reddit thread. It's embarrassing, but then Emma reaches out to him with a proposition that could possible put an end to his failed love affairs. She's just as familiar with not finding "the one" as he is so it makes sense that two people with bad romances can connect.

They're just supposed to enjoy a brief summer romance before going their separate ways, but life and emotions are hard to trick. Soon they find themselves thrust into situations that cause them to begin developing a bond that's anything but surface level.

Class: A Memoir of Motherhood, Hunger and Higher Education

Picking up after the events of her first book Maid, Stephanie Land's Class: A Memoir of Motherhood, Hunger and Higher Education takes readers on her continued journey of beating the odds. However, Land also tackles the intersection of motherhood, personal goals and the biases found in higher education. This pick for November 2023 is a thought-provoking read that requires the reader to confront their own perspectives about these things.

Happiness Falls

Happiness Falls is a novel that demands that a biracial family confronts their hidden truths after the patriarch doesn't come back home. Will the family be able to piece together clues that point to his whereabouts or is all hope lost?

Save What's Left

Not to be confused with a romance novel, Save What's Left is still poetic in its own right. It follows Kathleen Deane as she embarks on a soul-searching journey in the town of Whitbey. Inspired by her best friend's beautiful letters, she believes she's going to come face to face with paradise. But she's in for a rude awakening that might be her undoing while serving as a necessary wake-up call.

Pineapple Street

Take a peek into one high-society family as they come to terms with what they thought they wanted only to learn what they actually need. Alternating between the tales of three women in the family — Darley, Sasha and Georgiana — Pineapple Street is a delicious read that covers wealth, love and identity.

Age of Vice

Age of Vice is another book that focuses on the consequences of one family's greed and more. The Wadia family is well-known so it's not shocking that scandals follow them. But what happens when the lives of three people play a significant role in what happens to the family's fortune and reputation? Only time will tell.

Mad Honey

When the worlds of Olivia McAfee and the mother of Lily Campanello collide, all hell breaks loose. Unfortunately, this kind of hell involves the murder of young Lily with Olivia's son being named as the primary suspect. Will she be able to understand what happened or will she have to face a dark truth she's not ready to?

The Fortunes of Jaded Women

The Fortunes of Jaded Women is another family drama that involves a curse that prevents good fortune — romance and joy — from entering the lives of the Duong sisters. Although Mai hasn't spoken to her younger sisters in a long time, her Aunt Hua predicts that will change due to pivotal events no one was expecting.

More Than You'll Ever Know

If you're looking for a juicy read that has a shocking plot twist, you'll love More Than You'll Ever Know. It involves a woman who lives as a bigamist and all the chaos that ensues once it's discovered.

The Love of My Life

What would you do if you discovered your significant other isn't who they say they are? The Love of My Life answers this when Leo finds out shocking information about his wife after she gets sick.

The Violin Conspiracy

Ray McMillian must fight against dream crushers, racism and a ransom that threatens his chance to show how much of a talented musician he is. Will he be successful, or will he lose sight of himself in The Violin Conspiracy?

The Maid

When peculiar Molly Gray is suspected to have murdered a famous guest at the Regency Grand Hotel, she doesn't know how she got herself in such a mess. However, she soon finds that she's not as alone as she thought she was following her grandmother's death.

We Are Not Like Them

A diverse friendship is tested when the husband of Jen finds himself at the center of an unarmed black teen's death. When her best friend Riley is assigned to cover the case in the news, tensions run high and the two friends must decide where they stand as a result.

The Husbands

The Husbands is a novel that was ahead of its time. It paints a dramatic version of how things would look if housework and parenting children weren't imbalanced within a marriage.

The Personal Librarian

The Personal Librarian is a true tale about Belle Marion Greener and the courage she has to become the best in her field. Despite her success, no one knows she's a Black woman and she works hard to hide the truth from her colleagues for fear that everything she's worked hard for will be taken away.

The Other Black Girl

The Other Black Girl is a novel that peels back layers of racism and bias in the workplace. When Hazel is first hired at Wagner Books, Nella believes she's finally found a kindred sole in another Black employee. However, she quickly realizes that something isn't quite right about Hazel and she works desperately to figure out what that is.

Of Women and Salt

Of Women and Salt is a powerful tale about how one's knowledge of their family's history can help them make peace with the past so they can move forward towards a better future.

How The One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House

Despite her grandmother's warnings in the form of a riveting story, Lala finds her world in disarray when her husband's actions set off a chain of events that will change the course of different lives.

The Midnight Library

Nora Seed discovers she can live in alternate realities when she reads different books in The Midnight Library but at what cost?

Sex and Vanity

Lucie Churchill is in over her head when it comes to denying how she really feels about George Zao. It's the very thing that causes her to spin a messy web of lies in order to protect her feelings while simultaneously giving in to them.

Oona Out of Order

When young Oona awakens to find that she's time-traveled to a different portion of her life, she quickly realizes her days — and life — are out of order. Will she be able to find out who she is with each passing day?

The Family Upstairs

Libby Jones life is forever changed when she finds her life-long question about who she is answered in the form of an inheritance. What she couldn't have known is that the past is filled with murky secrets that have been waiting to be discovered.

Which books will you add to your reading list this month?

Brit + Co. may at times use affiliate links to promote products sold by others, but always offers genuine editorial recommendations.

Featured images via Barnes & Noble.

Between gift-giving, travel, and holiday parties, *so* much money goes into the holiday season. But wanting to host a holiday party for your loved ones doesn’t have to be an added stress on your bank account. I hung out with my favorite TV hosts on Good Morning America to share my go-to DIYs for hosting a holiday party on the cheap. Watch the clip below, then scroll on for details about each project!

Learn more about each DIY below.

1. Play Jingle Bell Toss. No matter the age of my guests, I find that some friendly competition *always* guarantees a memorable party. In the spirit of the season, try Jingle Bell Toss for this year’s holiday bash. Arrange six buckets into a triangle, label each with points (I recommend 10 points for the front, 20 for the middle two, and 50 points for the back three buckets), then take turns tossing jingle bells into them from five or six feet away. That’s it!

2. Make a reindeer six-pack. Looking to add some holiday flair on the cheap? Dress up your bottled beverages in these charming reindeer getups! Simply glue googly eyes and a pom-pom nose to your bottle, then twist a pipe cleaner into antlers and wrap it around the top of each bottleneck. Adorable, right?

3. Decorate with dessert. Introducing one of my favorite party desserts we’ve ever made: snow-capped cake cones! These quick and tasty treats double as decor. Fill an ice cream cone about halfway with cake batter, place it into a microwave-safe mug, then nuke it for about 30 seconds. Trim the excess cake, let cool, then add royal icing to the tip of the cone. I like to arrange these on a long serving platter in the center of my buffet table, then surprise my guests with their true identity at dessert ;) Check out our full snow-capped cake cones tutorial for more info.

4. Make Candy Cane Card Stands. Whether displaying place cards or labeling the buffet, these darling candy cane stands will no doubt add a touch of fun to the party table. I simply glued two candy canes together, let them dry, then dropped my paper cards into the hook of the cane. How easy is that?

5. Proudly display your holiday card haul on these tree stands. Looking for a modern alternative to displaying all of those holiday cards on a fireplace mantel or on a fridge? Made with scrap wood, push-pins, and string, these tree-shaped card displays are my new go-to holiday decor. Before my annual holiday party, I always add my latest holiday cards and gussy it up with ornaments. Check out our tree card display tutorial for the nitty-gritty details.

6. Gift these reindeer hot cocoa kits as party favors. All reindeer everything! Add these to your bash’s goodie bags so each guest can leave with a sweet treat. Place dry hot chocolate ingredients — cocoa mix, chocolate chips, and marshmallows — into a piping bag. And similar to the bottles above, top it off with antlers made of pipe cleaners, googly eyes, and a pom-pom nose. Easy peasy.

There you go — six sweet and easy DIYs for a holiday party that’s easy on your wallet. Happy holidays!

Are you making any of these DIYs for your holiday party? If so, we want to see how they turned out! Share a photo with us on Instagram by tagging @BritandCo.

Production + Styling: Alexa Land

Photography: Brittany Griffin

I have such a love/hate relationship with haircuts. While I love the feeling of a fresh look as much as the next girl, I hate having to spend $100+ for a simple cut and blow dry session. During my recent trim, I talked with my hairdresser, Jack Rehak of Jack’s Hair Design in Hinsdale, Illinois, about ways to keep a haircut looking new and best practices for keeping hair healthy. Here's what he had to say!

Here's How Often You Should Cut Your Hair, According To Professionals

Photo by cottonbro studio/PEXELS

I’ll admit it — it had been eight months since my last haircut. My hair had lost its shape, my layers were nowhere to be found, and my ends were begging for mercy. Life got busy over the last few months and I was neglecting my haircare like never before.

My hairdresser could immediately see that I was beyond due for a cut and said I needed to get more taken off than I was hoping. I was definitely disappointed — I'd been working on growing out my hair for a while now, and it just felt like my hard work had completely gone to waste. He explained that getting consistent haircuts is the key to growing out healthy and strong hair, rather than letting it grow and grow until it eventually breaks. So let's dig into the top three things you can do to avoid this scenario!

1. Just Get The Dang Haircut

Photo by RDNE Stock project/PEXELS

Also avoiding a haircut like I was? You might want to schedule one at your nearest salon. Like my stylist said, when you wait too long between trims like I did, you risk your hair becoming heavy, dull, and lifeless. When the hair is dry or even dead, it’s nearly impossible for it to hold a curl or style, essentially collapsing on you and taking on more and more heat damage all the while. I know the pain of spending time on a blowout only for it to fall minutes later — it’s the worst.

According to Jack, getting a haircut every 10-12 weeks is the best time frame or your ends will pay the price. Between blow-drying, curling, straightening, sun, and weather, our ends get dry and start to break without the proper care. Getting consistent haircuts allows hair to bounce back, shine, and perform the way we want in a healthy way.

2. Leave-In Conditioners Are Your Friend

Photo by cottonbro studio/PEXELS

His top piece of advice to keep your hair looking and feeling hydrated between trims? Invest in conditioning treatments. Jack swears by the Olaplex conditioning system, specifically the No 3 Hair Perfector. Made with patented OLAPLEX Bond Building Technology™, this conditioning treatment repairs and prevents damage in as little as three minutes. No 3 promises to reduce breakage and visibly strengthen hair, so it’s the perfect assistance to keep ends fresh between cuts. Another conditioning treatments I’ve used and loved for years is the Moroccanoil Intense Hydrating Mask, which is designed to restore moisture, elasticity, and shine to dry hair.

3. Switch Up Your Shampoos

Photo by Karolina Grabowska/PEXELS

Switching shampoos frequently is a pretty hot tip that I honestly hadn't thought of. Our hair gets used to the same products and grows tired of them, resulting in lackluster locks. Jack’s advice is to switch brands after finishing every bottle of shampoo to bring life back to your hair. Have two brands that you’re loyal to? Even switching back and forth between them after every bottle should make a big difference in your hair. I’m a huge fan of the R+Co Dallas Biotin Thickening Shampoo, which makes my hair look thick and full, as well as the Moroccanoil Hydrating Shampoo, which is so hydrating and gives so much shine.

Photo by cottonbro studio/PEXELS

In the end, navigating your back-and-forth relationship with haircuts often feels like a rollercoaster ride between wanting that fresh look and cringing at the receipt. Luckily, by using conditioning treatments and switching up your products,, you can keep your locks healthy, shiny, and full of life between trims. But take a newly learned lesson out of my book: don't let your ends pay the price for procrastination and just book the haircut.

If you need some more hair inspo and advice, be sure to sign up for our weekly email newsletter!

Brit + Co may at times use affiliate links to promote products sold by others, but always offers genuine editorial recommendations.

Header image via Nataliya Vaitkevich/PEXELS