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emberthestylesage's reviews
80 reviews
Copywriting Secrets by Jim Edwards
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
I definitely got some value from this, but you have to be able to apply your own context and a lot of people struggle with that, so it's something to be aware of. Also, it's a little bit of a sales pitch, but I don't mind that much since it doesn't really get in the way of the information.
This book sparked me writing more/different copy, so it was a success.
This book sparked me writing more/different copy, so it was a success.
Paris: The Memoir by Paris Hilton
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
There are a lot of parts of Paris' story that are painful to read. The list of trigger warnings is long and I teared up more than I would expect to reading such a short book. It was extremely relatable, honest, and insightful, and Paris brought an optimism to it that I know must have been hard earned. I'd recommend this to pretty much anyone.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Gaslighting, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Torture, Sexual violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Alcohol, Confinement, Drug use, Grief, Medical trauma, Abortion, Child death, Cultural appropriation, Alcoholism, Cancer, and Death
Minor: Racism, Excrement, and Sexism
Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
I found the FIRE movement years ago, and it made me the rich auntie of my (decidedly poor) family by the age of 21, but I hadn't gotten around to reading this book yet. Because of that, it was a lot I already knew and had already put into practice, but it was a very good refresher nonetheless.
What you need to understand ahead is that this is mainly a mindset shift. That is the thing that will change your life, and most of the more specific suggestions(other than the actual assignments) are really to feed the imagination. Lifestyle and financial decisions will always be very different from person to person as we all have somewhat different needs, values, and circumstances. This will definitely be in my short list of recommendations for people trying to get a handle on their finances.
What you need to understand ahead is that this is mainly a mindset shift. That is the thing that will change your life, and most of the more specific suggestions(other than the actual assignments) are really to feed the imagination. Lifestyle and financial decisions will always be very different from person to person as we all have somewhat different needs, values, and circumstances. This will definitely be in my short list of recommendations for people trying to get a handle on their finances.
A Primate's Memoir: A Neuroscientist's Unconventional Life Among the Baboons by Robert M. Sapolsky
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell
adventurous
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
I really enjoyed this. It made me think a lot about communities and relationships I'm a part of and how we use similar language/tactics for positive effect, but also made it clearer where the line is between positive or neutral use and potentially dangerous use. Also, just really interesting and written in a way that I think would hold most people's attention reasonably well.
Keep Going: 10 Ways to Stay Creative in Good Times and Bad by Austin Kleon
adventurous
hopeful
informative
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
4.5
Show Your Work!: 10 Ways to Share Your Creativity and Get Discovered by Austin Kleon
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You about Being Creative by Austin Kleon
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
slow-paced
1.75
First, a major red flag for this book, and the author, is that Nassim says autistic people have no capacity for empathy. This is an objectively false stereotype, yet he states it as fact and inserts it when it isn't even necessary to make his point. This was the instance that really stood out to me, but there were a few sweeping statements made in this book that were not backed up and are unlikely to be true, as well as some that contradicted earlier ideas, which is something he attacks other people for, so worth mentioning.
While there are some interesting points touched on in this book, they could pretty much all be boiled down to common sense (Nassim also acknowledges this, so it isn't news). That's not to say it's completely unhelpful to point out, reiterate and reframe common sense, but there are probably much better means of delivery for that than this book.
Nassim jumps around a lot in a way that makes it frustrating to read. He also just has a bad attitude; He is extremely arrogant and petty throughout the whole thing. It didn't need to be a full length book by any means, and it was mostly unpleasant to read. I honestly think this is the worst book I've ever finished.
While there are some interesting points touched on in this book, they could pretty much all be boiled down to common sense (Nassim also acknowledges this, so it isn't news). That's not to say it's completely unhelpful to point out, reiterate and reframe common sense, but there are probably much better means of delivery for that than this book.
Nassim jumps around a lot in a way that makes it frustrating to read. He also just has a bad attitude; He is extremely arrogant and petty throughout the whole thing. It didn't need to be a full length book by any means, and it was mostly unpleasant to read. I honestly think this is the worst book I've ever finished.
Content Warnings
Moderate: War and Bullying