Admit it: You still get absolutely lost in life more times than you’d like to admit. You can be a newly minted debutante or someone well in your 40s, but figuring out this “adulting” thing never gets easier. Take it from us; we’re willing to take any help we can get. This time around, we’d like to take a break from questionable Tumblr-era advice and sitcom life lessons and turn to books instead.
Good for us clueless adults, the Big Bad Wolf sale has just begun its 24/7 run from Feb. 14 to 24, with books retailing up to 90 percent off from their original price. The sale is taking over the entire World Trade Center in Pasay City, which means almost 13 thousand square meters filled with two million discounted books. Don’t forget to wear comfy sneakers and bring a giant eco bag, because we won’t be surprised if you’ll be going home with a heavy haul.
Read more: 5 self-help books for people who don’t like self-help books
We had the chance to peruse the overwhelming collection of titles on sale last Feb. 13, and we picked out books that’ll help us—and you, you’re welcome—out in the long haul. As BBW founder Jacklyn Ang said, “Books are investment blocks for yourself,”—so we’ll consider this as self-care.
How to Stay Sane by Philippa Perry
A page a day keeps the anxiety away. Written by professional psychotherapist Philippa Perry, “How to Stay Sane” helps its reader avoid being “at the mercy of unknown unconscious processes,” a.k.a. freak outs. The book is mercifully short if you don’t have much time or patience to go through a Bible-sized book, with concise and insightful tips to keep you mindful of your mental state.
Treat Ideas Like Cats by Zachary Petit
“Treat ideas like cats,” meaning let them come to you—which is actually good advice. And that’s just the cover, folks. “Treat Ideas Like Cats” is a collection of inspirational quotes from all our favorite creatives. Speaking from experience, creatives could always do with a relatable pick-me-up quote or three from top-tier artists when the creative block hits. Each page is made to be an easy read, with whimsical illustrations to lift your spirits up even further.
Read more: 5 more self-help books for the cynical teenage soul
How to Sound Cultured by Thomas W. Hodgkinson and Hubert Van Den Bergh
It’s no secret that to make it in any career, you’re going to have to impress certain people to move up the ladder. If name-dropping high brow references is how you’ll get there, then you better play that game well, fam. To assist you on your quest to carry conversations way fancier than what your salary can afford you, here’s a crash course of over 200 references you can use. While Picasso paintings are a few million dollars, this book is only P230 at BBW. The choice is yours.
The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Work by Joshua Piven and David Borgenicht
This book, according to Good Reads reviewers, is fifty-fifty on the humor:useful advice ratio, which we don’t mind. What’s figuring out life without finding a way to laugh about it, right? This “Survival Handbook” promises to get us out of the most insane work scenarios like getting buried in a stockroom avalanche or getting your tie stuck in a copy machine to more relatable ones like trying to get out of a meeting or surviving an office romance—now that’s a worst-case scenario.
Guide to Life by Bart Simpson (helped into print by Matt Groening)
Okay full disclosure: This will probably be almost a hundred percent useless as a self-help book. It’s (allegedly) written by Bart Simpson, who we all know is the rebellious 10-year old (and not to mention fictional) son of the dunderhead that is Bart Simpson, so expectations shouldn’t be too high. But this book, priced only at P190 at Big Bad Wolf, can be worth it for a laugh or a funny ‘gram post, which can be a form of self-help in itself if you think about it.
Art by Zaila Mae Urmeneta