If we were taking a year off from work we’d probably stick our feet up, maybe go lie on a beach somewhere and probably gorge ourselves on fish finger sandwiches. So is that what Emma Watson’s doing? No of course not, she’s using her year off to brush up on feminism and continue her fight to bring gender equality to the entire world. YAS.

As long-term Watsonites (unofficial name, we’re going with it), though we are constantly taken aback by just how inspiring she continues to be day in, day out, this news was no surprise to us. Last appearing in intense thriller, Regression, Emma’s been more preoccupied making headlines with her real life lately in her role as UN Goodwill Ambassador (no biggie), and in her awesome work leading the HeForShecampaign.

Speaking to Paper magazine this week, Emma said, “I’m taking a year away from acting to focus on two things, really”. The first of these is to focus on her activism with HeForShe and beyond, the second is all about her own personal growth.

“My own personal task is to read a book a week, and also to read [another] book a month as part of my book club. I’m doing a huge amount of reading and study just on my own.”

“I almost thought about going and doing a year of gender studies, then I realised that I was learning so much by being on the ground and just speaking with people and doing my reading. That I was learning so much on my own. I actually wanted to keep on the path that I'm on.”

But Emma isn’t about changing the world on her own – she’s got an open-invite for us all to get on-board. How, you say? When she’s not busy doing all the incredible things she somehow manages to do all at once, Emma also has her own feminist book club called ‘Our Shared Shelf’. The club serves as an online space for discussion around books on gender equality and she’ll be spending a whole lot more time there over the next year. SIGN US UP PLEASE.

- Henry Boon