Nothing went as planned and I'm more scared than ever of this challenge XD PS. My camera is being repaired and I'm using my old one so sorry about the focus/out of focus that keeps happening!
I refuse to read self help books unless a psychologist has written them! If I want to read random thoughts, I’d just write my own down and read them out loud😂 love your first episode of this challenge!
some of the best "self-help" books I've come across are written by people who've had the same struggles as me. Psychologists can stuff it when it comes to explaining ADHD and how to live with it unless they've personally experienced it. Granted, I've only read self help books regarding ADHD... the ones written by ADHDers for ADHDers are ALWAYS more helpful. They're also coming from a place of wanting to share hard earned insights in a way that is digestible. Give me Domestic Blisters little guide book to hacking your ADHD brain vs the 300pg books by psychologists any day.
@@Chaotic_Pixie That’s great that you’ve found self help books that are actually helpful! I think there needs to be more self help books that are from personal experiences rather than the instruction manuals that self-help coaches publish.
@@Chaotic_Pixie my mum’s favourite book on ADHD was written by a doctor who also had ADHD, and so had insights and advice that come from both a clinical view and the reality of experiencing it.
@@LaurenPebble what was the book? I’m having trouble finding books on adult adhd at all (Barnes and noble literally had TWO!) and looking on Amazon was meh too
My takeaway from that whole "women only need money" was financial independence, because women's dependence on men really stands in their way of freedom. But I agree with you, of course having money isn't enough.
It does play a big role for sure but my point of contention was on the fact that for her that was enough to "not be angry and resentful towards men/society" while only referring to certain women. Financial independance is definitely a step in the right direction!
@@BookswithEmilyFox With the way our society (and global capitalism) works, it’s really hard for an average working-class woman to be financially independent, unless she decides to never have children. Raising a child is very difficult for single mums/dads nowadays. Mothers of young children most definitely need some financial support from their husbands. So basically, women can only be free from men/society until the society changes and women are allowed to earn enough for TWO people (herself + her child) at least. Otherwise freedom from men is just a pipe dream.
With the way things are/how people are expecting to do... yes. Technically you could live with a woman. Wasn't there a story of a group of 7 retired women living together in a huge house? That sounds fun lol A lot of things need to change in order for women to be "free".
In her time women weren’t even allowed to have a bank account, and yes voting in England was for ALL women. It’s unfair to read 80 yo books with a 2023 mindset. It’s discriminating. 🤷🏻♀️
@@AnnNovella you can understand the context in which that work was written and, at the same time, make criticisms. We're reading the book in 2023, there's no way we can just ignore it.
I think Virginia's point is that money brings its own freedom. She is able to spend time to develop her ideas and writing. Access to money did that more than any other change in her life could. Money itself does not solves life's problems but it gives access to time especially in the Victorian and Eduardian Era for a woman. It also gave a woman social power that other women did not have because of their financial dependence on their fathers or husbands.
I totally agree but there's more to her argument and that's the part I disagree with. It's only certain women that can afford to "not be angry and resentful towards men" and can vote. There's no intersectionality but I did mention I'm judging it from a 2023 lense!
Coming back here from the future to tell you that this is my comfort series now. Whenever I feel truly awful I just toss this on and curl into my blankets. This is like binge #3 😅
That’s so sweet! Thank you for tell me, it made my day! Sometimes it can be overwhelming to keep posting consistently and this kind of comment makes it all worth it! I hope you feel better ❤️
A room of one's own was originally 2 separate talks that Woolf gave to two student societies at Cambridge University's two female colleges (those you mentioned in the video 😄 - the ONLY tertiary institutions that allowed women to attend & some of them couldn't achieve full degrees till the WWII era. So women didn't have it good at the turn of the century, especially when their academic achievements aren't seen as the same valueas their male counterparts). So she is talking directly to her intended audience, which is the next generation of "new women" (the conception at the turn of the century that women will go out and make their own place in the world). In that sense it can be seen more as a rallying cry (especially at the end when she says that they need to take their room & money & create) to take their space as female writers, irrespective of male/aristocratic/ privileged opposition. I hope I explained it clearly! I find the topic of women writers and writing so compelling, especially when you consider 100 years ago it was considered strange that a woman wants to write, about themselves and their issues! (Cue The Yellow Wallpaper) Woolf definitely had immense class privilege, but she was also devoted to the topic of female writing and resurrected lost female British writers (like George Eliot). If you feel intimidated by Woolf fiction, I'd suggest you try her short fiction or essay pieces (especially those about other writers!).
@@BookswithEmilyFox I'm glad! I also struggled when I read it, but after some extensive research into the allusions and references she's making, I started to gain more appreciation for the work. Hope you enjoy her books! A good place to start is the pseudo-nonfiction about Elizabeth Barrett Browning's dog, Flush, (it's also very short). It's told from the dog's perspective & chronicles EBB's chronic illness, her love affair with Robert Browning and their elopement to Italy. This was a fantastic book & great place to start with Woolf's creative pieces.
@@BookswithEmilyFox no for sure! I understand 100%! Especially when it's books that are so far removed from our own reality. But your video was still entertaining - I love hearing other's opinions on books! I don't know if you will have the time (or if you'll be able to find it) but I know the writer Alice Walker wrote a response to A Room of One's Own. I think she addressed someof the reservations you had about the text 💫
Woolf's fixation on women being able to write makes more sense then, if she's talking specifically to women who are interested in academic pursuits. Cause when Emily was talking about the barriers for women to write, I kept thinking about how there's so many other ways to achieve that we're held back by too.
I think V.W. makes two incredibly insightful points that shouldn't be glossed over. 1: Money speaks volumes. When you have it, obstacles melt away. I can speak first hand the difference in treatment you receive when you have state insurance vs private insurance and have the same disability with the same issues. 2: That resentment is toxic. Your resentment doesn't harm anyone but yourself. So, if you can, let it go. Work to make a difference but don't let it consume you and cost you the best life you can have and the joy you can find in life. She acknowledges this is easier with money... but I think its still important regardless of your socioeconomic status. Resentment, like comparison, steals the joy from your life. It feeds anger and it feeds stress and it feeds anxiety. Resentment is not an emotion worth holding onto. All it will do is cause you negative effects. It sure as heck isn't going to impact the person or persons you're holding resentment for.
I agree with 1 but 2 can easily become indifference. That’s how I interpreted. She didn’t see this new privilege of money as a way to help other women getting this freedom. She just noticed it was easier for her because she now had enough to not be affected personally.
I have a masters degree in applied social psychology and I agree with you about self help books! I would never pick up one by a "celebrity" (of course) or someone with no credentials , but you even have to be weary of people who have masters and doctorates. There are exceptions, in my opinion...if it's a workbook or a book explaining a psychological concept recommended to you by your psychologist or psychiatrist (ex: The Anxiety Workbook or The Happiness Trap), then it may be worth giving it a go (as a part of your therapy). But those books would never be in a popular or best selling section anyway because they will have boring book covers and indices and extensive reference sections...lol
I think you'll unhaul exactly 54 books. I'm loving this vlog series, and it's inspired me to challenge myself with one book a month of the pile of books I've had for 3+ years.
If you side eye self help book and general pop-sci books, I cannot recommend the podcast "If Books Could Kill" enough. It is fantastic! And Michael Hobbes's other podcast "Maintenance Phase" is also stellar.
Virginia Woolf had a lesbian relationship so she was either lesbian or bisexual. Which I think is an interesting piece of information when reading her work. I do find the idea that women only needed money interesting though because to some extent we do see that. Many minority individuals are accepted by right wing groups by being rich - it is wrong and I personally believe if doesn't matter how rich you are they will eventually throw you to the wolves but it is an interesting and accurate observation.
@@BookswithEmilyFox I tried it on audio and had the same face you showed for the first part. I also stopped once she started talking about god. It was enough for me! Lol
I appreciate seeing you review a classic from a 2023 lens because YES, you can review books however you want! I hate how a lot of people say that we are not “allowed” to do that, like we just have to ignore the bigotry of the past in order to read classics. I read You are a Badass six years ago, and you definitely made the right choice to DNF and unhaul it 😂 later in the book she goes on about “source energy” and how you’ll get what you want if you’re at a “high frequency” (whatever that means).
Right? I hate when people say that because how could I not? I can say that I'm sure at the time her arguments were new and progressive for her listeners/readers but we can still acknowledge that some people still think that way and it's not enough! My energy is definitely low frequency with my no caffeine January XD
I feel you about the self-help books. In my case I have enjoyed a few of them, but they are on the rarer side and I tend to go for more phychological non-fiction books to get my own self-help lol. Most self-help books contain religious themes and as a non-religious person too, I find it annoying for them to be surrounded about that only. If they are marketed as religious, good! Then I know not to pick them up. But most of them just surprise you with it once you start reading and it is frustrating. (To each their own, this is just personal to me and I think it should be disclosed if religious is what the self-help book is about to begin with so non-religious folks know to skip on that one.)
I actually believe that she is referring to a more law of attraction “the universe” higher power type of god and not an organized religion type of god. I’m also confidently NON-religious and didn’t get those feelings from either of her books but I was viewing through a different lens in my law of attraction journey. That’s not to say the book doesn’t have its problematic issues (such as mental health, fat phobia etc) but I thought it was worth it to mention it’s not the typical god/ religion which is why the chapter is titled the G word.
if you try more woolf (which i would!) i HIGHLY recommend the audiobook of ‘to the lighthouse’ narrated by nicole kidman! it makes her writing much easier to digest for me, and i’m not even huge on audiobooks :)
I've read several classic books and they always need to be read with the understanding that they were written in another time. People lived differently than we do, thought and felt differently. I don't think we can entirely understand their point of view. In the case of Woolf (sp) I can understand how money gave her security and freedom in more than just a literal sense. Yes, it was partly her lifestyle as a woman who did not live on a farm, taking care of animals and children, a house and husband. She had a lifestyle with fewer demands on her time. She also wasn't restricted so much by religion. It would take more than money for most women to have the freedom she had then, at that time. I'm glad for your perspective, as a young woman. I am closing in on 60 years of age and think of conversations I had with my Grandmother about women, religion, politics. Things are a lot different and yet... the same.
I love this challenge and looking forward to the videos to come! I have my own TBR jar this year as well. I’m hoping to get my shelves reflecting who I am as a reader and not as much just who I am as a collector 🙃
When I was still unmedicated for Bi Polar, self help books like You Are A Badass were my crack when I was swinging into a manic phase😂 years later I look at them and think “wtf was I thinking??” 😂😂 it’s so hilarious to me now
I'm proud of you for gaining this self awareness! I have someone in my family that does this, they loooove and quote books about not giving an eff about other people and being a boss while manic, despite the fact that their behaviour has never exhibited consideration for others. They have bipolar but they've not reached acceptance that it's a condition to manage and not an excuse to do whatever they want and never be accountable. I have my own mental illness struggles and have compassion, I also suspect this person is selfish and not great beyond their mental health diagnoses. You can suffer and also be a sucky person. Lot of feelings here :( Anyway, your comment tells me you care about improving how you approach life, and I guess I'm trying to say that's not a given and it counts for a lot.
@@amivanzyl8876 Unfortunately, it’s hard for people to get help when they don’t want to admit there’s a problem. Sending you much love and hope this family member gets the help they need :) Bi polar is rough, especially when unmedicated. Thankfully I’m in a MUCH better place years later thanks to meds and therapy 😊 now I stick to any “self help” that is science/evidence based haha I can’t even read the backs of books like You Are A Badass without rolling my eyes now hahaha
Have you considered being able to see the color you choose. That way you may get something that you are more in the mood for. Maybe make a rule that you can't pick the same color twice.
I love this challenge! I even made my own version of it, but I combined it with another challenge of mine where I build my tbr with books I hauled in previous years in the same month (I don‘t know if I explained it correctly, but I basically try to read books right now that I hauled in the last few Januaries). And of course I picked one of the biggest books left of my January hauls - To Paradise by Hanya Yangihara 😅😅.
Didn't connect with Woolf's writing either, but I vividly remember we had a discussion on whether she was into women (due to some of her work I believe) in class and I even wrote an essay about it.
Yes, others have commented that she was! I did say I was about to make assumptions lol so I'll correct that in my wrap up but I think my point still stands.
Interesting thing about Jen Sincero … she wrote a novel, Don’t Sleep With Your Drummer, that’s actually really funny! I play the drums so I might be biased, but I genuinely liked it. It’s not perfect but there are definitely laugh out loud moments. I wasn’t able to get into You Are A Badass. I probably didn’t read far enough, but I just felt like it was going to be one of those books that assumes everyone’s great, beautiful, whatever, blah blah blah, and that everything they’ve ever done in their lives is perfectly reasonable, understandable, and deserving of sympathy. Again, I didn’t read the entire book, so I could be jumping to conclusions. But I think we’ve gone too far in terms of sympathizing, empathizing, and telling everyone how unique and beautiful they are. I’d be much more into a book that pushes looking at oneself with a critical eye, taking responsibility for our mistakes and our flaws, losing the sense of entitlement, then moving forward. That probably sounds harsh but I don’t mean it to. I’m just sick of too much validation in the face of zero change!! But I digress… that drummer book is a riot!!!!
I just started your video and I totally agree with what you said in 3:21 I hate self-help books and motivational books. They never did anything for me when I was in high school not when I became an adult. I am a psychologist and would never recommend them no. 😅
Virgina Woolf great choice. Don't be frightened of War and Peace , I had the 2 volumes on my shelf from 1976 - 30 yrs later I read it !. Paced myself and achieved. W&P is a huge buddy read this year, lots of people on Instagram seem to be reading it. I'm into Bleak House at present 👍
I whole-heartedly agree with you on Red Seas under Red Skies. There were great ideas and moments in this book, but I also think it took too long to get to them and I don't like Lynch's description at all. They aren't badly written per se, but I think they are too long and not very effective. I just go whatever pops up in my head, instead of what he's written. It was definitely less than stellar, and I haven't the third book and I don't feel much inclined to it.
I skipped over your A Room of One's Own section so I can go read it but I really really hope I am able to find this again after I read it to hear your thoughts!! (manifesting with this comment hopefully :) )
I have to admit that it's very grating to hear you call Woolf straight and able... she suffered from severe mental illness pretty much her whole life and took her own life. Concept of intersectionality came to be as recently as in 1989, like of course you can mention that Woolf's point of view is white, but it's a pretty tall order to expect intersectionality from a text written in 1929. You can't invent something overnight, these things build on previous work and Woolf is one of the earlier foundations.
Yes that's why I said I was about to make some assumptions before saying it. I didn't want to read about the book without having read it first. I did mention I was reviewing it from a 2023 lens and that there were some interesting points and that I was planning to read more older feminist work/more of her work too. Having now looked more into it, I'm planning on calling it "white feminism" since that's the important part and doesn't change the rest of what I said. I'm currently reading "Women, Race & Class" and some of the people mentioned did ask for intersectionality (in the 1800s) so while I don't expect it, it's still important to talk about it.
Good thing you put down You Are A Badass. I read the entire book because I got it gifted but my eyes hurt from all the rolling... I'm like you. Self-help books don't do it for me (probably also the cynical attitude :D ). And yay for unhauling the books you don't like.
Given how you reacted to A Room of One's Own, you might be interested in How to Suppress Women's Writing by Joanna Russ. It's a more recent (as in 1980s recent lol) treatment of the same topic.
Hahaha your reactions are amazing! I think you make some great points about a room of ones own, Woolf’s perspective is mostly based on her own perspective. Which is… white. Though Virginia Woolf was very likely not straight, there is a book “Virginia Woolf and vita Sackville-west love letters” which might be interesting. She also wrote “Orlando” which is possibly/arguably (one of) the first transgender/ gender fluid books. Although I agree that her ideas don’t completely match with modern takes on intersectionality (and money wouldn’t fix all our problems) she is a very interesting woman to look into. Very ahead of her time in some ways. (Though her books are stream of consciousness so maybe not your thing. The film “Orlando” based on the book is also really good though.)
I have that one on my shelf, I need to try it! We'll see how I feel about her writing in fiction. I think not everything will age well but that's what makes it important and interesting to keep having these discussions. Considering that it's apparently one of the first feminist essays, it had some interesting takes for sure!
@@BookswithEmilyFox I agree! Gave it 3 stars as well. I also read “Mrs Dalloway” (in a literature class) and that one is also really stream-of-consciousness. Just following a woman on a regular day. I personally thought it was okay (I liked the discussions in my class more than the book itself) but it sounds like you would probably not like it very much. I only read those 3 though so I can’t say what I would recommend most from all her work.
while virginia woolf is an example of early "white feminism" that definitely didn't consider women marginalised because of their ethnicity or religion, she was also queer in some sense and chronically ill / disabled (these categories are difficult to assign to historical figures, but it's an approximation). so yeah, it's definitely super privileged to say that women "only need money", but from a present-day perspective her biography is more complex than that
I loved this video, not only because of your suffering hahahaha BUT because you gave me something amazing with the term “podcast bros” 😂😂😂❤❤❤ you are the best
I do get that she was not writing for all women, but when she mentions the money, it really was her saying that any woman given the space and money to support themselves and not be burdened with men and childbirth and all of the things that women were enslaved to back in the day, women would be able to create. I agree with her in a sense. Any wealthy woman could afford to avoid marriage, if they could just avoid that they could pursue their creative dreams. I think she may’ve also been speaking to future women and seeing that money can be a great equalizer - more so today than then - and of course some will always be more privileged money or no. That being said I think she was on the right track. I think she was seeing that back then women had one track: motherhood and wife-hood. She was being hopeful In mentioning to women that hey, there have been improvements- voting, education, and encouraging them to have space for personal growth. Like saying: don’t get married IF you have the money you won’t have to depend on a man who Will stifle you. This is my take on it. Avoid men is what that book screams to me but damned if I can ever take that advice 😂
I would love to hear your thoughts about The Bell Jar. I read two Virginia Woolf’s books and, after the second one, which was Mrs. Dalloway, I decided that she’s just not for me. Sylvia Plath, on the other hand, seems to be my cup of tea.
Your big no of you are a badass gave me the push I needed to dnf a different self help book I picked up but felt I wasn't getting anything out of it (literally exactly what you were saying about all self help books). I just always feel so bad dnfing a book I spent $15+ on but I gotta get over that cause of have over 700 unread books.
I also didn't love A Room of One's Own. If you're going to read another Woolf, I'd recommend Orlando, which I think you might like, about a man waking a century later to find he's a woman. You mentioned Woolf was straight, but the novel was actually written as a love letter to the woman with whom she'd had a long-term relationship!
That live reaction is a 10/10. You are right, i do enjoy your "let's torture me" vlog, they're very entertaining. I 100% agree with you on self-help books. There was a time when family and friends used to gift me a bunch of them and i was like "What on earth are you trying to tell me?!"
your reaction to the self help book tells me you'll love the podcasts If Books Could Kill and Maintenance Phase! Both take a cynical about society, kind to individuals view, and absolutely ether some "self help" and pop science content.
My problem with Woolf's little book is I always felt like it was a bit hypocritical since she was encouraged by her father to be a professional writer from 1900 on. She and several other friends started Bloomsbury Group, which is an artistic and literary group around 1910. Also her and her husband started a publishing house, so was it just money she needed and a room? Then again she had some mental health issues which definitely come across in her fiction books, especially the mania aspect of her disease. (sorry, retired historian, can't seem to help myself sometimes.)
No, it’s the opposite! I really appreciate the context. I want to look more into her because a few people have been commenting about her being more problematic than it seemed. I don’t like to separate the author from their work, so I need to look more into it.
There's a big difference when self help books are written by licensed therapists, psychologists, and qualified researchers who are experts on certain topics in psychology, neuroscience, etc. vs. when they are written by "coaches" like Jen Sincero who copy paste sections from Intro to Psychology text books. Just saying.
Great video and I look forward to other videos in this series. I’m not a self help book person, but my one exception is Mel Robbins and the 5 Second Rule. You don’t need to read the book, the TED talk will do. I don’t think it’s life changing, but it’s definitely a great motivation tool. For Virginia Woolf I keep trying to read her books and like them but most are 2/3 stars with the exception of Orlando and Mrs Dalloway for me, English Is my first language and I still struggle with her writing style.
OOF, I have You Are a Badass on my shelf because it was a gift (i'm also not a self-help fan), and the "fortress of flab" line literally made my jaw drop. I am unhauling it immediately (that plus the religious aspect is a no for me). So thank you for sharing haha.
These self help books remind me of productivity gurus on yt that are productive by telling other people how to be productive(?). Like you are part of the problem you are trying to solve lol
I really like to see that others have the same opinion about self help books. I'm from a place where reading those books is like the norm if you are a "reader", my family would always give me those kind of books as gifts when I was young, and I hate them so much.
I love this challenge that you have created!! It is fun to watch and incredibly inspiring!! I 100% agree with everything you said about "A Room of One's Own" and made similar comments in the book while I was reading it! Thank you, Emily!!
I read You Are a Badass about 6 years ago and had some really good takeaways at the time, but I'm sure reading it now in 2023 would not be the same haha. Funny to see how poorly some books age.
The Gentleman Bastard series was such a chore for me to get through. The only reason I finished the three books was because I listened to it on audiobook while working from home during the pandemic. But yeah, it didn't connect with me either. Part of it was that I didn't love the way he wrote female characters.
The reaction for the first one 😂 I have read some self help books, like the Comfort book I saw on your shelf, and they can really help. It really depends though. This one sounded awful
I did a class in university called contemporary lit.. turned out to be a whole class on Virgina Woolf. It also turns out that I hate her books. I did very bad in that class because I reading VW's books was an actual struggle lol! Mrs. Dalloway (one of her most popular) had me wanting to bash my head against the wall. The only one I didn't mind so much as To the Lighthouse. Ugh... So glad I never have to read her books again.
But classics are not a genre, so when you choose the purple paper you don´t know what genre you´re going to read (like a fantasy classic, non fiction classic, etc). But I love this challenge, it´s very interesting!
Hi Emily this was such an entertaining vlog! Absolutely agree with you about the Virginia Woolfe book. Of course it’s from a 2023 lens but I still love and appreciate that you call out the lack of intersectionality! It also always makes for a fun vlog when you have strong opinions about the books! P.S. I was just wondering if you had heard about the Harper Collins Union strike? I believe they are asking people to withhold their reviews of Harper Collins books until the strike is over. I don’t think you had any Harper Collins books in this vlog tho! Was just wondering if you had heard about it! (Also my apologies if you’ve already talked about it in a past video that I maybe missed!)
Absolutely! Like I said at the end, it's interesting to see how feminism started and to compare to where we are at now! I had heard of the strike but not about withholding reviews. I usually don't look at all what publishers the books I read are from but I'll try to avoid it!
honestly ill forever cherish the 1st book in the lies of locke lamora series just cos (other than simply vibing with it, which i did) it HAD NO TRASHY ROMANCE PLOT. legit was like a breath of fresh air after drowning in the sea of shit that the fantasy genre keeps adding on, for seemingly no reason lmao
Looking at the book with a 2023 lense, I completely agree, money is not the be all end all of problems. But, I do think if you look at it with the context the the author has, I get her point a little. A women in that time had almost no freedom at all, because they were almost like property and dependent on the men in their lives to "take care of them." To have financial independence would have been incredible, and it did not happen a lot. I think she's really looking at it in black and white--being completely dependent on men, so no freedom against being financially independent and having all the freedom in the world (in her eyes). And yes, women voting hasn't changed society at its root like we have wanted, but things have changed a lot since women were able to vote. It is a positive step, but of course, the work wasn't done. Its very frightening, actually right now, on how far we have regressed in the last few years. I do think its worthwhile to read her opinion, but I agree with what you are saying and how you are looking at it, which really is the point of reading and evaluating classic works. That you were able to take away what you did is its own success! There are times when reading without enjoyment is very beneficial for your mind and soul.
Yes, I wish I made things a bit more clear (always easier later lol). I should have made more of a distinction between at the time vs now. Because some people still think that way and I don't think it's "enough". I do think her views were very ahead for the time. The regression is definitely frightening which makes it even more interesting to go back and read older works because you can see that the exact same things were used against women at the time :/
Your feelings on You Are A Badass, were the same feelings I had for The Power of Thank You by Joyce Meyer. This is why I do not do self-help books that revolve around religion. It is the most atrocious thing ever!
Wow USA is more messed up than I thought. 500 for my monthly 20 bucks forxiga and 7 for lettuce when in serbia it's 0,30. Compared to our own prices we also experienced inflation (mostly on dairy eggs and bread) but damn.
Nothing went as planned and I'm more scared than ever of this challenge XD
PS. My camera is being repaired and I'm using my old one so sorry about the focus/out of focus that keeps happening!
I love these type of videos Emily
I refuse to read self help books unless a psychologist has written them! If I want to read random thoughts, I’d just write my own down and read them out loud😂 love your first episode of this challenge!
some of the best "self-help" books I've come across are written by people who've had the same struggles as me. Psychologists can stuff it when it comes to explaining ADHD and how to live with it unless they've personally experienced it. Granted, I've only read self help books regarding ADHD... the ones written by ADHDers for ADHDers are ALWAYS more helpful. They're also coming from a place of wanting to share hard earned insights in a way that is digestible. Give me Domestic Blisters little guide book to hacking your ADHD brain vs the 300pg books by psychologists any day.
@@Chaotic_Pixie That’s great that you’ve found self help books that are actually helpful! I think there needs to be more self help books that are from personal experiences rather than the instruction manuals that self-help coaches publish.
I’d add psychiatrists and neuroscientists too.
@@Chaotic_Pixie my mum’s favourite book on ADHD was written by a doctor who also had ADHD, and so had insights and advice that come from both a clinical view and the reality of experiencing it.
@@LaurenPebble what was the book? I’m having trouble finding books on adult adhd at all (Barnes and noble literally had TWO!) and looking on Amazon was meh too
My takeaway from that whole "women only need money" was financial independence, because women's dependence on men really stands in their way of freedom. But I agree with you, of course having money isn't enough.
It does play a big role for sure but my point of contention was on the fact that for her that was enough to "not be angry and resentful towards men/society" while only referring to certain women. Financial independance is definitely a step in the right direction!
@@BookswithEmilyFox With the way our society (and global capitalism) works, it’s really hard for an average working-class woman to be financially independent, unless she decides to never have children. Raising a child is very difficult for single mums/dads nowadays. Mothers of young children most definitely need some financial support from their husbands.
So basically, women can only be free from men/society until the society changes and women are allowed to earn enough for TWO people (herself + her child) at least. Otherwise freedom from men is just a pipe dream.
With the way things are/how people are expecting to do... yes. Technically you could live with a woman. Wasn't there a story of a group of 7 retired women living together in a huge house? That sounds fun lol A lot of things need to change in order for women to be "free".
In her time women weren’t even allowed to have a bank account, and yes voting in England was for ALL women. It’s unfair to read 80 yo books with a 2023 mindset. It’s discriminating. 🤷🏻♀️
@@AnnNovella you can understand the context in which that work was written and, at the same time, make criticisms. We're reading the book in 2023, there's no way we can just ignore it.
I was literally dreading the purple paper to be War and Peace, it would have been so ironic. I was stressed for you. 😂
I've mentioned it so much that it will for sure be picked at one point XD
I dreaded W & P until I started it, then couldn't put it down -- the cliche was true this time.
The way she is just done with the book the moment the g word drops was iconic, same girl, SAME
I did not expect it to be that G word until she held up the book and told us 😂
I think Virginia's point is that money brings its own freedom. She is able to spend time to develop her ideas and writing. Access to money did that more than any other change in her life could. Money itself does not solves life's problems but it gives access to time especially in the Victorian and Eduardian Era for a woman. It also gave a woman social power that other women did not have because of their financial dependence on their fathers or husbands.
I totally agree but there's more to her argument and that's the part I disagree with. It's only certain women that can afford to "not be angry and resentful towards men" and can vote. There's no intersectionality but I did mention I'm judging it from a 2023 lense!
I said out loud “Unhaul it! Unhaul it” to the “you are a badass” book because I feel the same way about those types of books as you 😅
Coming back here from the future to tell you that this is my comfort series now. Whenever I feel truly awful I just toss this on and curl into my blankets. This is like binge #3 😅
That’s so sweet! Thank you for tell me, it made my day! Sometimes it can be overwhelming to keep posting consistently and this kind of comment makes it all worth it! I hope you feel better ❤️
A room of one's own was originally 2 separate talks that Woolf gave to two student societies at Cambridge University's two female colleges (those you mentioned in the video 😄 - the ONLY tertiary institutions that allowed women to attend & some of them couldn't achieve full degrees till the WWII era. So women didn't have it good at the turn of the century, especially when their academic achievements aren't seen as the same valueas their male counterparts). So she is talking directly to her intended audience, which is the next generation of "new women" (the conception at the turn of the century that women will go out and make their own place in the world). In that sense it can be seen more as a rallying cry (especially at the end when she says that they need to take their room & money & create) to take their space as female writers, irrespective of male/aristocratic/ privileged opposition.
I hope I explained it clearly! I find the topic of women writers and writing so compelling, especially when you consider 100 years ago it was considered strange that a woman wants to write, about themselves and their issues! (Cue The Yellow Wallpaper)
Woolf definitely had immense class privilege, but she was also devoted to the topic of female writing and resurrected lost female British writers (like George Eliot). If you feel intimidated by Woolf fiction, I'd suggest you try her short fiction or essay pieces (especially those about other writers!).
This does add some needed context! I'm definitely looking forward to trying more of her work
@@BookswithEmilyFox I'm glad! I also struggled when I read it, but after some extensive research into the allusions and references she's making, I started to gain more appreciation for the work. Hope you enjoy her books! A good place to start is the pseudo-nonfiction about Elizabeth Barrett Browning's dog, Flush, (it's also very short). It's told from the dog's perspective & chronicles EBB's chronic illness, her love affair with Robert Browning and their elopement to Italy. This was a fantastic book & great place to start with Woolf's creative pieces.
That's definitely the tough part about a vlog like this. No time to really research anything but that's the great part about the comment section!
@@BookswithEmilyFox no for sure! I understand 100%! Especially when it's books that are so far removed from our own reality. But your video was still entertaining - I love hearing other's opinions on books! I don't know if you will have the time (or if you'll be able to find it) but I know the writer Alice Walker wrote a response to A Room of One's Own. I think she addressed someof the reservations you had about the text 💫
Woolf's fixation on women being able to write makes more sense then, if she's talking specifically to women who are interested in academic pursuits. Cause when Emily was talking about the barriers for women to write, I kept thinking about how there's so many other ways to achieve that we're held back by too.
I think V.W. makes two incredibly insightful points that shouldn't be glossed over. 1: Money speaks volumes. When you have it, obstacles melt away. I can speak first hand the difference in treatment you receive when you have state insurance vs private insurance and have the same disability with the same issues. 2: That resentment is toxic. Your resentment doesn't harm anyone but yourself. So, if you can, let it go. Work to make a difference but don't let it consume you and cost you the best life you can have and the joy you can find in life. She acknowledges this is easier with money... but I think its still important regardless of your socioeconomic status. Resentment, like comparison, steals the joy from your life. It feeds anger and it feeds stress and it feeds anxiety. Resentment is not an emotion worth holding onto. All it will do is cause you negative effects. It sure as heck isn't going to impact the person or persons you're holding resentment for.
I agree with 1 but 2 can easily become indifference. That’s how I interpreted. She didn’t see this new privilege of money as a way to help other women getting this freedom. She just noticed it was easier for her because she now had enough to not be affected personally.
I have a masters degree in applied social psychology and I agree with you about self help books! I would never pick up one by a "celebrity" (of course) or someone with no credentials , but you even have to be weary of people who have masters and doctorates. There are exceptions, in my opinion...if it's a workbook or a book explaining a psychological concept recommended to you by your psychologist or psychiatrist (ex: The Anxiety Workbook or The Happiness Trap), then it may be worth giving it a go (as a part of your therapy). But those books would never be in a popular or best selling section anyway because they will have boring book covers and indices and extensive reference sections...lol
Absolutely! I recently picked up "Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents" which can be seen as self help and I'm looking forward to it!
There is something so satisfying about this format. Love these videos!
The best self-help for myself is not reading self-help.
LOL that's a plan!
I’m so doing this challenge for myself because my shelf is full of tbr’s that I keep putting off.
You don’t need a bigger container just read enough of the books for it to fit in the jar right?!😂
I guess you're right lol
I think you'll unhaul exactly 54 books. I'm loving this vlog series, and it's inspired me to challenge myself with one book a month of the pile of books I've had for 3+ years.
Haha 54 is a very precise number! You can do it!!
Ooooh I wanna play. My guess is: 63
If you side eye self help book and general pop-sci books, I cannot recommend the podcast "If Books Could Kill" enough. It is fantastic! And Michael Hobbes's other podcast "Maintenance Phase" is also stellar.
Yes yes yes!!! And it's so funny!
Virginia Woolf had a lesbian relationship so she was either lesbian or bisexual. Which I think is an interesting piece of information when reading her work. I do find the idea that women only needed money interesting though because to some extent we do see that. Many minority individuals are accepted by right wing groups by being rich - it is wrong and I personally believe if doesn't matter how rich you are they will eventually throw you to the wolves but it is an interesting and accurate observation.
"Accepted" but like you said... until it's not convenient. Class plays a big role for sure
I started and stopped You Are a Badass faster than I’ve ever put down any book ever. I have never been so excited to unhaul a book
I really don't get the hype... to be fair I didn't get far enough to really try and get it but I couldn't read anymore of it lol
@@BookswithEmilyFox I tried it on audio and had the same face you showed for the first part. I also stopped once she started talking about god. It was enough for me! Lol
Virginia Woolf was bisexual and suffered from bipolar disorder. She ended her own life.
Yes, I'm planning to address it in my wrap up! It doesn't invalidate my points but there's definitely more nuance to it!
So excited ❤️ your tortured vlogs are the Most fun😂
Omg I've been waiting for this vlog ever since you announced it!!
First video and found it really entertaining. Every reaction and after thought was hilarious.
I appreciate seeing you review a classic from a 2023 lens because YES, you can review books however you want! I hate how a lot of people say that we are not “allowed” to do that, like we just have to ignore the bigotry of the past in order to read classics.
I read You are a Badass six years ago, and you definitely made the right choice to DNF and unhaul it 😂 later in the book she goes on about “source energy” and how you’ll get what you want if you’re at a “high frequency” (whatever that means).
Right? I hate when people say that because how could I not? I can say that I'm sure at the time her arguments were new and progressive for her listeners/readers but we can still acknowledge that some people still think that way and it's not enough!
My energy is definitely low frequency with my no caffeine January XD
@@BookswithEmilyFox well according to Jen Sincero, that low frequency means you’re doomed!! 🤣
I feel you about the self-help books. In my case I have enjoyed a few of them, but they are on the rarer side and I tend to go for more phychological non-fiction books to get my own self-help lol. Most self-help books contain religious themes and as a non-religious person too, I find it annoying for them to be surrounded about that only. If they are marketed as religious, good! Then I know not to pick them up. But most of them just surprise you with it once you start reading and it is frustrating. (To each their own, this is just personal to me and I think it should be disclosed if religious is what the self-help book is about to begin with so non-religious folks know to skip on that one.)
Yes, it's the bait and switch that is annoying! I'm definitely planning on giving the more psychological self help books a chance though!
I actually believe that she is referring to a more law of attraction “the universe” higher power type of god and not an organized religion type of god. I’m also confidently NON-religious and didn’t get those feelings from either of her books but I was viewing through a different lens in my law of attraction journey. That’s not to say the book doesn’t have its problematic issues (such as mental health, fat phobia etc) but I thought it was worth it to mention it’s not the typical god/ religion which is why the chapter is titled the G word.
if you try more woolf (which i would!) i HIGHLY recommend the audiobook of ‘to the lighthouse’ narrated by nicole kidman! it makes her writing much easier to digest for me, and i’m not even huge on audiobooks :)
That's a great idea!
Loved this video! I am glad to know what A Room of One’s Own is about. Looking forward to the next one!
I’m doing a similar thing with my TBR and my first three books were all unhauls within the first twenty pages 😮
A good decluttering!
I've read several classic books and they always need to be read with the understanding that they were written in another time. People lived differently than we do, thought and felt differently. I don't think we can entirely understand their point of view. In the case of Woolf (sp) I can understand how money gave her security and freedom in more than just a literal sense. Yes, it was partly her lifestyle as a woman who did not live on a farm, taking care of animals and children, a house and husband. She had a lifestyle with fewer demands on her time. She also wasn't restricted so much by religion. It would take more than money for most women to have the freedom she had then, at that time. I'm glad for your perspective, as a young woman. I am closing in on 60 years of age and think of conversations I had with my Grandmother about women, religion, politics. Things are a lot different and yet... the same.
Lol what a start to this series 😆
Right? Such a weird mix of books! Can't wait to do it again in March!
I love this challenge and looking forward to the videos to come! I have my own TBR jar this year as well. I’m hoping to get my shelves reflecting who I am as a reader and not as much just who I am as a collector 🙃
Yes! I'm looking at my SFF shelves and I feel like my taste has changed a lot and you can't see it... yet!
Great idea with the plastic bag! Gorgeous hair, BTW.
Thank you! I desperately need a haircut lol
When I was still unmedicated for Bi Polar, self help books like You Are A Badass were my crack when I was swinging into a manic phase😂 years later I look at them and think “wtf was I thinking??” 😂😂 it’s so hilarious to me now
I'm proud of you for gaining this self awareness! I have someone in my family that does this, they loooove and quote books about not giving an eff about other people and being a boss while manic, despite the fact that their behaviour has never exhibited consideration for others. They have bipolar but they've not reached acceptance that it's a condition to manage and not an excuse to do whatever they want and never be accountable. I have my own mental illness struggles and have compassion, I also suspect this person is selfish and not great beyond their mental health diagnoses. You can suffer and also be a sucky person. Lot of feelings here :( Anyway, your comment tells me you care about improving how you approach life, and I guess I'm trying to say that's not a given and it counts for a lot.
@@amivanzyl8876 Unfortunately, it’s hard for people to get help when they don’t want to admit there’s a problem. Sending you much love and hope this family member gets the help they need :) Bi polar is rough, especially when unmedicated. Thankfully I’m in a MUCH better place years later thanks to meds and therapy 😊 now I stick to any “self help” that is science/evidence based haha I can’t even read the backs of books like You Are A Badass without rolling my eyes now hahaha
My fortress of flab and I thoroughly enjoyed this vlog 🤣
LOL could she have been more rude??
@@BookswithEmilyFox nope haha. Sounds like she hates fat people, though I'm not surprised.
Have you considered being able to see the color you choose. That way you may get something that you are more in the mood for. Maybe make a rule that you can't pick the same color twice.
I actually used different colors in case I decide to do that!
This is a wonderful idea for a vlog. Looking forward to more videos.
Really enjoyed this video!
I just realized why you looked so familiar I was in love with your makeup videos!
I love this challenge!
I even made my own version of it, but I combined it with another challenge of mine where I build my tbr with books I hauled in previous years in the same month (I don‘t know if I explained it correctly, but I basically try to read books right now that I hauled in the last few Januaries). And of course I picked one of the biggest books left of my January hauls - To Paradise by Hanya Yangihara 😅😅.
what a random selecion of books lol also your face everytime you read the title was so funny hahah
This challenge makes for the most random vlogs ever haha
Didn't connect with Woolf's writing either, but I vividly remember we had a discussion on whether she was into women (due to some of her work I believe) in class and I even wrote an essay about it.
Yes, others have commented that she was! I did say I was about to make assumptions lol so I'll correct that in my wrap up but I think my point still stands.
Interesting thing about Jen Sincero … she wrote a novel, Don’t Sleep With Your Drummer, that’s actually really funny! I play the drums so I might be biased, but I genuinely liked it. It’s not perfect but there are definitely laugh out loud moments. I wasn’t able to get into You Are A Badass. I probably didn’t read far enough, but I just felt like it was going to be one of those books that assumes everyone’s great, beautiful, whatever, blah blah blah, and that everything they’ve ever done in their lives is perfectly reasonable, understandable, and deserving of sympathy. Again, I didn’t read the entire book, so I could be jumping to conclusions. But I think we’ve gone too far in terms of sympathizing, empathizing, and telling everyone how unique and beautiful they are. I’d be much more into a book that pushes looking at oneself with a critical eye, taking responsibility for our mistakes and our flaws, losing the sense of entitlement, then moving forward. That probably sounds harsh but I don’t mean it to. I’m just sick of too much validation in the face of zero change!! But I digress… that drummer book is a riot!!!!
I just started your video and I totally agree with what you said in 3:21 I hate self-help books and motivational books. They never did anything for me when I was in high school not when I became an adult. I am a psychologist and would never recommend them no. 😅
Virgina Woolf great choice. Don't be frightened of War and Peace , I had the 2 volumes on my shelf from 1976 - 30 yrs later I read it !. Paced myself and achieved. W&P is a huge buddy read this year, lots of people on Instagram seem to be reading it. I'm into Bleak House at present 👍
I whole-heartedly agree with you on Red Seas under Red Skies. There were great ideas and moments in this book, but I also think it took too long to get to them and I don't like Lynch's description at all. They aren't badly written per se, but I think they are too long and not very effective. I just go whatever pops up in my head, instead of what he's written. It was definitely less than stellar, and I haven't the third book and I don't feel much inclined to it.
This was so entertaining to watch!
I skipped over your A Room of One's Own section so I can go read it but I really really hope I am able to find this again after I read it to hear your thoughts!! (manifesting with this comment hopefully :) )
I love the idea of this video
SO EXCITED!! ❤️🌈🤎🌈💛💜💙🧡🧡❣️💛📖📖💘💘📙💕💕📙📚📚❤️🩹❤️🩹💞💞🤍💖💗💔💔📖♥️♥️♥️🤎🤎💜💛💛❣️💜🧡🧡💙❣️🖤🖤🤍💚💘📖💔💔📖🌈❣️❣️💜💙💙💙💜❣️🧡🧡💜💛💛💛💛
I have to admit that it's very grating to hear you call Woolf straight and able... she suffered from severe mental illness pretty much her whole life and took her own life. Concept of intersectionality came to be as recently as in 1989, like of course you can mention that Woolf's point of view is white, but it's a pretty tall order to expect intersectionality from a text written in 1929. You can't invent something overnight, these things build on previous work and Woolf is one of the earlier foundations.
Yes that's why I said I was about to make some assumptions before saying it. I didn't want to read about the book without having read it first. I did mention I was reviewing it from a 2023 lens and that there were some interesting points and that I was planning to read more older feminist work/more of her work too.
Having now looked more into it, I'm planning on calling it "white feminism" since that's the important part and doesn't change the rest of what I said. I'm currently reading "Women, Race & Class" and some of the people mentioned did ask for intersectionality (in the 1800s) so while I don't expect it, it's still important to talk about it.
I just can’t get over the fact that the self help chicks surname is Sincero. That’s hysterically funny to me 😂😂😂
Good thing you put down You Are A Badass. I read the entire book because I got it gifted but my eyes hurt from all the rolling... I'm like you. Self-help books don't do it for me (probably also the cynical attitude :D ). And yay for unhauling the books you don't like.
Given how you reacted to A Room of One's Own, you might be interested in How to Suppress Women's Writing by Joanna Russ. It's a more recent (as in 1980s recent lol) treatment of the same topic.
that first reaction was gold 😂
Hahaha your reactions are amazing! I think you make some great points about a room of ones own, Woolf’s perspective is mostly based on her own perspective. Which is… white. Though Virginia Woolf was very likely not straight, there is a book “Virginia Woolf and vita Sackville-west love letters” which might be interesting. She also wrote “Orlando” which is possibly/arguably (one of) the first transgender/ gender fluid books. Although I agree that her ideas don’t completely match with modern takes on intersectionality (and money wouldn’t fix all our problems) she is a very interesting woman to look into. Very ahead of her time in some ways. (Though her books are stream of consciousness so maybe not your thing. The film “Orlando” based on the book is also really good though.)
I have that one on my shelf, I need to try it! We'll see how I feel about her writing in fiction. I think not everything will age well but that's what makes it important and interesting to keep having these discussions. Considering that it's apparently one of the first feminist essays, it had some interesting takes for sure!
@@BookswithEmilyFox I agree! Gave it 3 stars as well. I also read “Mrs Dalloway” (in a literature class) and that one is also really stream-of-consciousness. Just following a woman on a regular day. I personally thought it was okay (I liked the discussions in my class more than the book itself) but it sounds like you would probably not like it very much. I only read those 3 though so I can’t say what I would recommend most from all her work.
I'm not sure this was the best way to start reading her work but I'll definitely try the rest lol
while virginia woolf is an example of early "white feminism" that definitely didn't consider women marginalised because of their ethnicity or religion, she was also queer in some sense and chronically ill / disabled (these categories are difficult to assign to historical figures, but it's an approximation). so yeah, it's definitely super privileged to say that women "only need money", but from a present-day perspective her biography is more complex than that
Thank you for this comment! I knew I was basing this on no knowledge of her at all so I'm definitely planning on reading more of her fiction work
Thank you, I was just going to comment something similar, because it wasn’t cleared up in the video.
I loved this video, not only because of your suffering hahahaha BUT because you gave me something amazing with the term “podcast bros” 😂😂😂❤❤❤ you are the best
Not everyone should have access to a microphone 😂💜
I do get that she was not writing for all women, but when she mentions the money, it really was her saying that any woman given the space and money to support themselves and not be burdened with men and childbirth and all of the things that women were enslaved to back in the day, women would be able to create. I agree with her in a sense. Any wealthy woman could afford to avoid marriage, if they could just avoid that they could pursue their creative dreams. I think she may’ve also been speaking to future women and seeing that money can be a great equalizer - more so today than then - and of course some will always be more privileged money or no. That being said I think she was on the right track. I think she was seeing that back then women had one track: motherhood and wife-hood. She was being hopeful In mentioning to women that hey, there have been improvements- voting, education, and encouraging them to have space for personal growth. Like saying: don’t get married IF you have the money you won’t have to depend on a man who
Will stifle you. This is my take on it. Avoid men is what that book screams to me but damned if I can ever take that advice 😂
100% and I agreed with her about this. Then rest was just the way I see it from a modern lens!
@@BookswithEmilyFox so true and I get that ! It’s amazing how our collective thoughts have evolved over time. We always have to remember the source.
I have had that book forever the badass one and I have not picked it up but hubby read more than half so at least someone gave it a shot🤣🤣🤣
I've read 3 books in Locke Lamora series, and I should have stopped at the 2nd.
I would love to hear your thoughts about The Bell Jar. I read two Virginia Woolf’s books and, after the second one, which was Mrs. Dalloway, I decided that she’s just not for me. Sylvia Plath, on the other hand, seems to be my cup of tea.
I've been meaning to read that one for a while but I've heard about some problematic things about the book/author so I have yet to pick it up!
The bag 😂
High budget production lol
Your big no of you are a badass gave me the push I needed to dnf a different self help book I picked up but felt I wasn't getting anything out of it (literally exactly what you were saying about all self help books). I just always feel so bad dnfing a book I spent $15+ on but I gotta get over that cause of have over 700 unread books.
The money is already spent! Enjoy the rest of your books :)
I also didn't love A Room of One's Own. If you're going to read another Woolf, I'd recommend Orlando, which I think you might like, about a man waking a century later to find he's a woman. You mentioned Woolf was straight, but the novel was actually written as a love letter to the woman with whom she'd had a long-term relationship!
That live reaction is a 10/10. You are right, i do enjoy your "let's torture me" vlog, they're very entertaining.
I 100% agree with you on self-help books. There was a time when family and friends used to gift me a bunch of them and i was like "What on earth are you trying to tell me?!"
I can't wait to pick a book I don't remember owning to see how I react XD
@@BookswithEmilyFox hope it is a forgotten riley sager one
Hopefully not haha
your reaction to the self help book tells me you'll love the podcasts If Books Could Kill and Maintenance Phase! Both take a cynical about society, kind to individuals view, and absolutely ether some "self help" and pop science content.
I LOVE THIS
My problem with Woolf's little book is I always felt like it was a bit hypocritical since she was encouraged by her father to be a professional writer from 1900 on. She and several other friends started Bloomsbury Group, which is an artistic and literary group around 1910. Also her and her husband started a publishing house, so was it just money she needed and a room? Then again she had some mental health issues which definitely come across in her fiction books, especially the mania aspect of her disease. (sorry, retired historian, can't seem to help myself sometimes.)
No, it’s the opposite! I really appreciate the context. I want to look more into her because a few people have been commenting about her being more problematic than it seemed. I don’t like to separate the author from their work, so I need to look more into it.
I really love this concept, making one for my own
There's a big difference when self help books are written by licensed therapists, psychologists, and qualified researchers who are experts on certain topics in psychology, neuroscience, etc. vs. when they are written by "coaches" like Jen Sincero who copy paste sections from Intro to Psychology text books. Just saying.
Absolutely agree!
Great video and I look forward to other videos in this series. I’m not a self help book person, but my one exception is Mel Robbins and the 5 Second Rule. You don’t need to read the book, the TED talk will do. I don’t think it’s life changing, but it’s definitely a great motivation tool. For Virginia Woolf I keep trying to read her books and like them but most are 2/3 stars with the exception of Orlando and Mrs Dalloway for me, English Is my first language and I still struggle with her writing style.
Omg I still don’t know how I finished You are a Badass … my eyes hurt so much from rolling through out the whole book 😂 I’m glad you put it down lol
But... are you now a badass???
@@BookswithEmilyFox I am! 😂 But 100% not thanks to that book 😂😂😂
OOF, I have You Are a Badass on my shelf because it was a gift (i'm also not a self-help fan), and the "fortress of flab" line literally made my jaw drop. I am unhauling it immediately (that plus the religious aspect is a no for me). So thank you for sharing haha.
I don’t think this book would be quite as popular if it was published right now. There was so much fatphobia in the few pages that I read
please do a part two to this
So far, you haven’t had much luck. I hope that March brings you better luck!
Maybe not the most enjoyable reading week but definitely successful in the aim of the series!
Yes three less unread books on my shelf! I wouldn't have picked them up anytime soon so that's good
These self help books remind me of productivity gurus on yt that are productive by telling other people how to be productive(?). Like you are part of the problem you are trying to solve lol
LOL "watch all my videos about being more productive/lower your screen time!"
I really like to see that others have the same opinion about self help books. I'm from a place where reading those books is like the norm if you are a "reader", my family would always give me those kind of books as gifts when I was young, and I hate them so much.
You have inspired me to try my own read the first chapter challenge i have tried 7 books so far.
I hate stream of consciousness so I've never picked up Virginia Woolf. Sounds like the right call. Hopefully you draw some better picks next time.
Woolf's stream of consciousness reminds me of a le Guin quote: "she was never taught to think consecutively."
This makes me want to do the same challenge for myself. I have so many books that have been sitting there for years 😅
You totally should!
Whenever you pick one that you put back just put them in the jar maybe 🤔 it’s an idea
I love this challenge that you have created!! It is fun to watch and incredibly inspiring!!
I 100% agree with everything you said about "A Room of One's Own" and made similar comments in the book while I was reading it!
Thank you, Emily!!
I know the feeling; I hate, hate, hate selfhelp!
Saaame, and the people that feel the need to undermine you cause they read "actually helpful books" no honey, you are reading scammer books.
I read You Are a Badass about 6 years ago and had some really good takeaways at the time, but I'm sure reading it now in 2023 would not be the same haha. Funny to see how poorly some books age.
The Gentleman Bastard series was such a chore for me to get through. The only reason I finished the three books was because I listened to it on audiobook while working from home during the pandemic. But yeah, it didn't connect with me either. Part of it was that I didn't love the way he wrote female characters.
I feel you I can’t the self help books don’t do much i cant read them. 😅
Yyyyeeeessssss I’ve been waiting for this. Cuz I might need to be inspired 🤣
The reaction for the first one 😂
I have read some self help books, like the Comfort book I saw on your shelf, and they can really help. It really depends though. This one sounded awful
Haha yes that's why I'm not opposed to trying some... just not this kind
Virginia Woolf was almost definitely queer in that way where historians are like "they were totally just really really close friends."
Haha yes, I've been informed XD
I did a class in university called contemporary lit.. turned out to be a whole class on Virgina Woolf. It also turns out that I hate her books. I did very bad in that class because I reading VW's books was an actual struggle lol! Mrs. Dalloway (one of her most popular) had me wanting to bash my head against the wall. The only one I didn't mind so much as To the Lighthouse. Ugh... So glad I never have to read her books again.
Her writing style is definitely not for everyone! I'm worried about the 3 other ones on my shelf
I live for this series 😂💜
Reading slumps are real. I've basically been in one since the start of the pandemic ☹️. How do I we get out of it? HOW? Kittens though yay!!!
But classics are not a genre, so when you choose the purple paper you don´t know what genre you´re going to read (like a fantasy classic, non fiction classic, etc).
But I love this challenge, it´s very interesting!
I had to simplify things to organize my shelves!
Hi Emily this was such an entertaining vlog! Absolutely agree with you about the Virginia Woolfe book. Of course it’s from a 2023 lens but I still love and appreciate that you call out the lack of intersectionality! It also always makes for a fun vlog when you have strong opinions about the books!
P.S. I was just wondering if you had heard about the Harper Collins Union strike? I believe they are asking people to withhold their reviews of Harper Collins books until the strike is over. I don’t think you had any Harper Collins books in this vlog tho! Was just wondering if you had heard about it! (Also my apologies if you’ve already talked about it in a past video that I maybe missed!)
Absolutely! Like I said at the end, it's interesting to see how feminism started and to compare to where we are at now!
I had heard of the strike but not about withholding reviews. I usually don't look at all what publishers the books I read are from but I'll try to avoid it!
honestly ill forever cherish the 1st book in the lies of locke lamora series just cos (other than simply vibing with it, which i did) it HAD NO TRASHY ROMANCE PLOT. legit was like a breath of fresh air after drowning in the sea of shit that the fantasy genre keeps adding on, for seemingly no reason lmao
Looking at the book with a 2023 lense, I completely agree, money is not the be all end all of problems. But, I do think if you look at it with the context the the author has, I get her point a little. A women in that time had almost no freedom at all, because they were almost like property and dependent on the men in their lives to "take care of them." To have financial independence would have been incredible, and it did not happen a lot. I think she's really looking at it in black and white--being completely dependent on men, so no freedom against being financially independent and having all the freedom in the world (in her eyes). And yes, women voting hasn't changed society at its root like we have wanted, but things have changed a lot since women were able to vote. It is a positive step, but of course, the work wasn't done. Its very frightening, actually right now, on how far we have regressed in the last few years. I do think its worthwhile to read her opinion, but I agree with what you are saying and how you are looking at it, which really is the point of reading and evaluating classic works. That you were able to take away what you did is its own success! There are times when reading without enjoyment is very beneficial for your mind and soul.
Yes, I wish I made things a bit more clear (always easier later lol). I should have made more of a distinction between at the time vs now. Because some people still think that way and I don't think it's "enough". I do think her views were very ahead for the time. The regression is definitely frightening which makes it even more interesting to go back and read older works because you can see that the exact same things were used against women at the time :/
Your feelings on You Are A Badass, were the same feelings I had for The Power of Thank You by Joyce Meyer. This is why I do not do self-help books that revolve around religion. It is the most atrocious thing ever!
If they made it obvious at least we could avoid them lol
Wow USA is more messed up than I thought. 500 for my monthly 20 bucks forxiga and 7 for lettuce when in serbia it's 0,30. Compared to our own prices we also experienced inflation (mostly on dairy eggs and bread) but damn.