Jess's Updates

Jess is on page 130 of 154 of 20 Short Stories in Spani

Mon, 21 Sep 2026 03:53:58 -0700

Jess Qvist is on page 130 of 154 of 20 Short Stories in Spanish for Intermediate Learners.

Jess is on page 192 of 351 of Spud

Sun, 20 Sep 2026 13:38:37 -0700

Jess Qvist is on page 192 of 351 of Spud.

Jess added 'Playing Big: Practical Wisdom for Women Who Want to Speak Up, Create, and Lead'

Fri, 18 Sep 2026 02:44:40 -0700

Jess gave 4 stars to Playing Big: Practical Wisdom for Women Who Want to Speak Up, Create, and Lead (Paperback) by Tara Mohr
bookshelves: books-i-own, books-i-own-and-haven-t-read, want-to-read-within-next-5-yrs
There's a book, and then there's the context in which you read a book. A friend kindly gifted this to me a few weeks ago to help me navigate challenging gender dynamics in the workplace. Today the police has found the ninth body of a woman in Ekurhuleni.

Playing Big is a good companion piece to a larger problem. It provides an awareness of all the ways women can be undermined and overlooked in the world - as well as to the ways women can stand in their own way because of social conditioning. One of the most provoking ideas that came out for me was that school - a place where girls typically thrive - sets girls at a disadvantage in life because of the behaviours it rewards students for. These behaviours include: figuring out what authority figures want and providing it; looking outside oneself for the answers while ignoring one's own knowledge and intuition; being recognised for good work without having to advocate for oneself; obeying rules and maintaining harmony. These behaviours can be unhelpful in the workplace, and can often result in women swallowing discomfort and working harder all without receiving proper compensation and recognition. Playing Big reminds women of their own intellect and worth, and encourages them to act assertively and stand behind themselves. To speak up confidently about their opinions, ideas and contributions and to take action even though their critical voice - and all the subliminal messages they've inherited - are urging them to remain unproblematic and small.

I feel that these tips can definitely provide value, however, I'm struggling to believe that in a country where 15 women are killed a day, it's that simple. A women's race, class, age, nationality, sexuality, position and relationship to people in power all affect what it costs her to speak and how safe it is for her to do so. We live in a society with deeply entrenched gendered violence and inequality. You can be assertive and you can still be killed.

Jess wants to read 'A Different Kind of Power'

Tue, 08 Sep 2026 11:17:41 -0700

Jess wants to read A Different Kind of Power by Jacinda Ardern

Jess wants to read 'Before We Hit the Ground'

Tue, 08 Sep 2026 09:35:35 -0700

Jess wants to read Before We Hit the Ground by Selali Fiamanya

Jess started reading 'Spud: Two for the Road'

Sun, 06 Sep 2026 13:18:32 -0700

Jess started reading Spud: Two for the Road by John van de Ruit

Jess wants to read 'More Minute Cryptic: 170 All-New Wordplay Puzzles to Decipher and Untangle'

Fri, 04 Sep 2026 14:15:50 -0700

Jess wants to read More Minute Cryptic: 170 All-New Wordplay Puzzles to Decipher and Untangle by Angas Tiernan

Jess started reading '20 Short Stories in Spanish for Intermediate Learners: Mastering Vocabulary and Comprehension. A Collection to Elevate Your Language Skills (The Journey to Fluency nº 6)'

Thu, 03 Sep 2026 09:10:52 -0700

Jess started reading 20 Short Stories in Spanish for Intermediate Learners: Mastering Vocabulary and Comprehension. A Collection to Elevate Your Language Skills (The Journey to Fluency nº 6) by Acquire A Lot

Jess added 'Spanish Short Stories For Intermediate Level: Volume 2, Acquire Spanish With Short Stories, 20 Easy Spanish Short Stories For Intermediates. Learn ... (The Journey to Fluency)'

Thu, 03 Sep 2026 08:58:51 -0700

Jess gave 4 stars to Spanish Short Stories For Intermediate Level: Volume 2, Acquire Spanish With Short Stories, 20 Easy Spanish Short Stories For Intermediates. Learn ... (The Journey to Fluency) (Spanish Edition) by Acquire A Lot
bookshelves: books-i-own, books-i-own-and-haven-t-read, own-on-kindle, spanish, want-to-read-within-next-5-yrs
I was losing my faith in the Acquire A Lot books, but this one was a bit better. The stories are very simple and easy (rather forgettable - I can't remember a single one), but it was still good practice. I didn't see any editing issues. I suspect the books might get better as the difficulty goes up.

Jess wants to read '11/22/63'

Wed, 02 Sep 2026 06:02:02 -0700

Jess wants to read 11/22/63 by Stephen King