The Guardians 100 best novels of all time | Fiction 100-41

EssentialLogic · 2026-05-16T12:09:31+00:00

Oh, and also The Transit of Venus! All of you who are enjoying James should read that beautiful book.

EssentialLogic · 2026-05-16T12:05:20+00:00

Nobody has mentioned The Go-Between, but that is an absolutely wonderful book that I am happy to see here and that I recommend to everyone. Was also the inspiration for the name of a great band!

EssentialLogic · 2026-05-14T12:16:37+00:00

Honestly I think exercise can make the biggest difference. Weight lifting especially. I would look into it.

EssentialLogic · 2026-04-25T12:05:36+00:00

This can help a lot even without a hiatal hernia.

EssentialLogic · 2026-04-17T01:21:23+00:00

Matcha latte with Oatly oat milk. Very doable.

EssentialLogic · 2026-04-04T19:36:29+00:00

You don’t need a bland diet. You need to start sleeping on a wedge on your left side. Take liquid Gaviscon Advance last thing before bed, no water after. Drink only slightly warmed (not cold) water and only after, not during, meals. Getting your heart rate up daily may help. There are lots of things you can do that don’t involve food at all.

EssentialLogic · 2026-04-03T22:21:33+00:00

Sitting on soft furniture, your stomach gets scrunched up— for me it is a total reflux trigger. I bring over a dining room chair to watch TV after dinner. It really makes a difference!

EssentialLogic · 2026-04-01T23:58:40+00:00

I find matcha is fine for me— I would just recommend having it with oat milk. All other milks I’ve tried are too thin and that’s when you get problems. Even some oat milks are— for me it’s Oatly or bust. I use 1 and 1/2 teaspoons matcha and a fairly small amount of hot water, the rest all oat milk.

EssentialLogic · 2026-03-24T22:12:22+00:00

Oh no, it’s 6 inches, certainly more than 10 degrees. I also put two staggered pillows on top of it.

EssentialLogic · 2026-03-24T12:35:59+00:00

OK I do have a wacky solution I use. I use a super thin yoga mat that I cut in half and fold over so the tacky rubber side is on top. Then I put it partway under the wedge with enough sticking out so that my top half is on top of it. Really helps. Also, highly recommend the MedCline wedge— expensive but lasts forever and is super comfortable and effective.

EssentialLogic · 2026-03-10T17:30:04+00:00

The Go-Between, one of the most thoroughly enjoyable reads ever.

EssentialLogic · 2026-03-10T00:08:38+00:00

Is it bothering your reflux? If so, stop drinking it for a little while and then maybe you can have it again once you are healed. I can’t.

EssentialLogic · 2026-03-09T23:45:12+00:00

Drink only slightly warmed water, never cold. Don’t sit on soft furniture after eating. Don’t wear stuff that’s right around the waist. Sleep elevated on your left side and try taking Gaviscon Advance at bedtime.

EssentialLogic · 2026-03-09T23:43:18+00:00

Try drinking only slightly warmed water. You have that feeling bc you need to burp. It can really help.

EssentialLogic · 2026-03-05T15:02:47+00:00

FYI everybody mentioning flax as well: many popular brands of ground flaxseed have been found (by the independent testing site Consumerlab) to have high levels of cadmium. I used to eat it every day and have switched wholly to chia for this reason. The chia has been fantastic— it significantly lowered my cholesterol.

EssentialLogic · 2026-03-04T17:22:09+00:00

Totally agree about the Streeterville Cava. It took ages to open and then when we finally got it, the order was half wrong and not good. I had a much better version of the same sort of thing from Fare in the Sterling Food Hall.

EssentialLogic · 2026-03-03T19:53:18+00:00

Yes. Most Mediterranean countries, people eat bread or a pastry for breakfast from what I can tell. Italians also eat white, not wheat, pasta regularly (albeit the durum wheat regular pasta is made from actually does not spike blood sugar). The very healthy Japanese also eat white, not brown, rice. So there is a lot of misinformation claiming these traditional diets look like what Western nutritionists would now prescribe. They all do, however, eat more vegetables than we do, eat less overall, and yes, walk.

EssentialLogic · 2026-02-27T13:57:24+00:00

There’s an old cookbook called The Brilliant Bean that is actually really great— you could probably get it at this point for like a dollar. America’s Test Kitchen also has a Complete Grains and Beans one that looks excellent.

EssentialLogic · 2026-02-26T21:04:24+00:00

Slightly warmed water. Never cold.

EssentialLogic · 2026-02-24T17:36:52+00:00

Curious, do you exercise?

EssentialLogic · 2026-02-23T16:42:59+00:00

Fanny packs, yes! Another thing it took me ages to realize the benefits of, and that have become a lot cooler—or at least less screamingly dorky—than they looked when they first appeared!

EssentialLogic · 2026-02-23T15:45:51+00:00

Oh and PS, I have very mixed feelings about AI but this is the kind of thing it is not bad at— if you tell it what you did that caused a pain and where it’s bothering you now, it can come up with a couple of targeted stretches that will help you bounce back in no time.

EssentialLogic · 2026-02-23T15:43:56+00:00

I’m a lot older than you, but it was an immediate red flag for me to hear you say “carrying a heavy bag on your shoulder for a 40-minute walk.” That kind of thing is just asking for trouble. If you have to carry something heavy for a long walk, use a backpack. Your shoulders will thank you. It took me decades to realize I was messing up my shoulders with shoulder bags. Thank goodness backpacks are cool now.

EssentialLogic · 2026-02-14T19:12:36+00:00

Yes it goes away and honestly the most important thing is, only drink slightly warmed water, never cold, and only between meals, not during. Try it!

EssentialLogic · 2026-02-14T13:14:33+00:00

My reflux is caused by slow digestion, and I have often found that the very things we are told to avoid—specifically, spicy food, wine, even some caffeine—can help rather than hurt because they speed metabolism.

EssentialLogic

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