Read It or Unhaul It #1 || Reading Vlog 2023

Hey Booktube, here's the first official reading vlog of 2023 for the Read It Or Unhaul It Challenge! Very excited to review books that have been on my shelves for too long. Will they be favorites or unhauled?

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[BookswithEmilyFox]

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!

[Michelle-cwxl]

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!

[ka]

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.

[bookworm_and_tea]

I was literally dreading the purple paper to be War and Peace, it would have been so ironic. I was stressed for you. 😂

[Persianbookworm]

The way she is just done with the book the moment the g word drops was iconic, same girl, SAME

[lauterbath]

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.

[stardroplet]

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 😅

[Rainbopagn]

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 😅

[neliaaa]

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!).

[Chaotic_Pixie]

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.

[_ashleylh]

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

[emmachory]

There is something so satisfying about this format. Love these videos!

[bookishpothos]

The best self-help for myself is not reading self-help.

[mary-annv]

I’m so doing this challenge for myself because my shelf is full of tbr’s that I keep putting off.

[kmsons]

You don’t need a bigger container just read enough of the books for it to fit in the jar right?!😂

[shenoa]

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.

[lynn]

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.

[scottishgal]

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.

[BRhymesss]

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

[lauterbath]

Virginia Woolf was bisexual and suffered from bipolar disorder. She ended her own life.