Wise Words from Bookish Women: Smart and sassy life advice

by Harper by Design

This uplifting collection celebrates inspiring bookish women the world over and their thoughts on life, love, politics, education and beyond.

This uplifting collection celebrates inspiring bookish women the world over and their thoughts on life, love, politics, education and beyond.

From writers, thinkers, leaders, activists and change-makers, each of these quotes demonstrates the power of words and positive thinking in our everyday lives.

96 pages, Hardcover

First published March 30, 2022

About the author

Harper by Design is a new imprint of HarperCollins Publishing Australia focusing on beautiful books that help make every day special.

Whether celebrating a milestone or looking to brighten someone's day, our products are perfect and affordable for all those moments throughout the year when you want to show someone (or yourself) that you care.

We like to call it 'beauty with purpose'.

Reviews

[Suz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I purchased this book on a whim, thinking it was larger and more substantial than it was; it hadn't been added to GR when I was looking at it, and I had it added.

It is very short but pretty, a nice book to look at. I have kept it standing up next to a set of yoga cards, so it is a keepsake of sorts. It probably took less than ten minutes to read.

One liners from women such as Reese Witherspoon, Maya Angelou, Julia Gillard, Serena Williams, Penny Wong, Hilary Clinton, Jecinda Ardern, and Leigh Sales, so very much a mixed bag.

From Aussie journo and author, Leigh Sales: I’ve come to believe that amongst all the good human qualities, there is none greater than kindness.

From the feisty Mandy Kaling: If someone really wants to see you, they always find a way. Always.

And from our first female Australian Prime Minister: I know reform is never easy. But I know reform is right.

Inspiring but very brief, this book encourages us to be our best selves, to work hard and learn and love and above all be kind to ourselves and others. I wish this book was longer and had larger stories, but it was my misunderstanding. It looks nice on my shelf!

[Bluebelle-the-Inquisitive (Catherine) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The internet isn't reality. The things people are typing are words in an app you can choose to ignore. Put your phone down, close your eyes, count to 10. Think about how you can make the world a better place in the real world. We need you out here. — Lizzo

This comes across as kind of cheap and nasty, it is intended as a gift book but I like and collect quotebooks so I picked it up. When I say it looks cheap it's the illustrations and design, the only thing that makes the book unique. The illustrations are by Nicole Cicak with the design by Mietta Yans. At first glance, the design is pretty and feminine while simultaneously being youthful and fun. Nicole Cicak's illustrations do suit the quotes at least some of them, both the quotes and the women saying them but there aren't enough of them. The issues are not hers, she was at least an ok choice for the artist choice. Mietta Yans does what she can with what can feel like limited illustrations to work with. There are quite a few duplicates that are obvious, rainbows and pencils. So why do I say that makes it looks cheap? It honestly looks like Harper by Design was uninterested in properly funding the creation of this, like they didn't want to commission Nicole Cicak to create any more illustrations than absolutely necessary. I know it shouldn't be the focus of a review but it was off-putting when there were so many options for potential ways to option this.

While I did have clear issues with the design, I have no such reservations about the quote selections. This is an Australian book and it does show at points, with quotes included by Australian women that are otherwise likely to be included such as Julia Gillard, Penny Wong, Liz Cambage, Miles Franklin and Jacinda Ardern (? maybe her international profile is rising). The topics cover a range of topics such as knowledge, positivity and leadership.

The best way to be a leader — whether it's in politics, or business or in life — is to recognise that very few people are one dimensional. — Stacey Abrams

A representative gif:

[Phoebe Scarborough · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simply a book of quotes from famous women. Ideally a coffee table book. Definitely good to grab for a pick me up. I didn’t love all the quotes, but I decided to write down some of my favorites of this read through…

“That’s what great books do, especially when shared. They shine a light on the unfolding of our own stories” -Oprah

“My idea of good company is the company of clever, well-informed people who have a great deal of conversation; that is what I call good company”
-Jane Austen

“Fill your mind with knowledge - it’s the only kind of power no one can take away from you”
-Min Jin Lee

“Be brave and be kind because you will always get stronger by the path you leave behind”
-Nakkiah Lui

[Melinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great illustrations along with words of wisdom by famous women

[Black Flamed Candle Books 🕯️📚 · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5 stars. Aesthetic front cover and some aesthetic illustrations of books. Some quotes are very dated and cheesy/cliché, for example, “You’re not an avocado. Not everyone’s going to like you”. Spelling and grammatical error in the blurb of the first edition; it should read ‘women over the world’ but instead reads, ‘the world over’. Very well-known and over-used quotes from people such as Greta Thunberg (I like Greta, just disappointed in the editors and publishers for compiling a book like every other.) Additionally, not quite sure how Lizzo qualifies as a ‘bookish woman’. (Again, not hating on Lizzo, but the book is titled ‘Bookish Women’ and then proceeds to feature women such as Serena Williams (sport) and Sarah Jessica Parker (actor), some women whom as I’m aware aren’t well known at all for being anything resembling ‘bookish’.) Overall, some quotes are good and thought-provoking, however most women featured I wouldn’t say are ‘bookish’ maybe if they re-themed or re-named the book, it would be an entire different story, both literally and metaphorically.

[Zoe · Rating 2 out of 5]

I get the intent behind this book, but it comes off as very cheap when multiple illustrations are repeated across a small book, and I'm just not into being expected to view Margaret Thatcher as a girl boss, I guess. A little more ingenuity in the variety of illustrations and in what quotes were chosen was needed.

[Gabrielle Geddes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute.