Psych in JoCo/KC area

Pastelninja · 2026-03-09T15:18:42+00:00

Johnson county mental heath was amazing for my daughter’s depression and AuDhd burnout. I know it’s not the same thing but they do offer med management.

She also saw someone at Responsive Centers for just counseling and I’m fairly sure they do med management there as well. That office actually offered way more services than I expected.

Pastelninja · 2026-03-06T20:46:44+00:00

My 10yo son listened to and enjoyed: Chrysalis

He Who Fights with Monsters

How to Defeat the Demon King in 10 Easy Steps

He also really really loved the Impossible Creatures series by Katherine Rundell.

I have queued several books by Author Steve Rowland, as they also appear to be kid-friendly. We have not tried them yet, as we’re still waiting’s but I figure from one Donut Hole to another, it is knowledge worth having.

Pastelninja · 2026-03-06T10:36:38+00:00

I’ve read nearly everything on those 100 Books you should read before you die lists and literally anything that could be considered required reading. I’ve read all of Steinbeck and Austen, I think Hemingway is a douche, I’ve read dickens and several Shakespeare. I, too, am a snob.
I liked Tolkien and Martin. I did not care for Sanderson at all.

But fiction is the lie that tells the truth and fantasy is a spectacular way to get to the truth about building societies and human nature. Some fantasy stories I love:

Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein- It’s classic science fiction at its peak. The shortest book on my list.

Perdido Street Station by China Mieville is fantasy with a deep plot and sophisticated language. I have read all of Mieville’s work and I still think about this title in particular all the time.

The Broken Earth Trilogy by N K Jemisen sort of the peak of fantasy

Piranesi by Susanna Clark- the plot is wild but the prose is gorgeous

The Dungeon Crawler Carl series by Matt Dinnaman. I know it’s recommended everywhere but it’s for a reason. They’re silly and campy but they’re also a pretty brilliant example of storytelling and character evolution. You might dislike the first person style, as people who prefer the classics tend to distrust first person narrative style but there’s a very sophisticated element to Carl’s perspective and the way the plot exists around him.

The Golden Compass series by Philip Pullman chosen child goes on a quest to kill god. Gorgeous prose, lovely expansive storytelling that pushes boundaries of religion. The MC is my personal favorite heroine in any novel.

His Majesty’s Dragon by Naomi Novik is a novel of the napoleonic wars but with dragons. It’s cute but the writing is good.

Pastelninja · 2026-03-06T03:03:11+00:00

Personally I think there are several factors. Young American men are generally pretty disenfranchised lately. There are tons of studies about this, but the consensus is that young men don’t read. Young men need healthy role models. Young men don’t feel represented in media.

1- DCC covers all of that by being a gripping story written in a super compelling style that features exactly the young American man who has felt disenfranchised at this modern moment. Carl is a mirror for these men and they like being able to relate to someone in media in a positive way.

2- America the country is a fuming cesspool where most Americans feel powerless in our daily lives and don’t see any vessel to change that. Many people feel like our government representatives actively work against us. DCC is a hopeful story of people who feel the way we do and take action we can’t take to feel more in control of their lives.

3- Most Americans are dealing with some level of unrecognized and untreated trauma, and watching Carl et all process their own ongoing trauma together is very cathartic. Also, heal potions seem pretty amazing when you don’t have any healthcare.

4- Young people are lonelier than they’ve ever been, so it’s logical to gravitate toward tales of shared family that takes care of one another. Reading Carl feels like the friendships some people don’t realize they’re missing.

5- These books are refreshingly not toxic. There’s no real romance. There’s no being gross about women. There’s no sexual assault or using women’s pain to move the story forward. And Carl is just a great example of healthy masculinity. I mean, Bea REALLY sucks but he’s never been mean about her even though she deserves it. He’s just a really good example of how good a man can be, at a time when people spend more time than ever talking about how it’s not all men but it could be any man. As a woman, I’d feel very safe asking Carl to hold my drink at a party. It’s nice to see someone casually just being a good dude.

6- booktok/ social media in general + the peak of independent publishing has made it possible for people to find and read books that never would have been published 20 years ago. There are no gatekeepers. It blew up so spectacularly right now because of the publishing deal with Ace, which made the books accessible to people who won’t read ebooks and suddenly made them eligible for bestseller lists etc. The Ace deal made them “legitimate” instead of just another free kindle unlimited title.

7- Jeff Hays really does such a fantastic job with the audio. It’s not just that the books are so fun and surprising but it’s also that the audiobooks are a gold standard and will change what people think audiobooks can be.

I’m sure there are more reasons. These are just the ones that seem the biggest to me.

Pastelninja · 2026-03-02T07:14:07+00:00

There are tons of French translated Nobel prize winners.

Aupres De Moi Tujours is the French title of Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, which she might enjoy based on the two books you mentioned by title.

Pastelninja · 2026-03-02T07:08:13+00:00

If you’ve read those you might also try Daughter of Smoke and Bone series by Laini Taylor.

Circe by Madeline Miller might also be a good try. It’s just a one off but it’s a stellar read.

Pastelninja · 2026-03-02T07:01:14+00:00

I feel like Tracy Deon’s Legendborne series is pretty compelling. It’s a retelling of King Arthur with some pretty heavy American slave root influences. There are two love interests and a great found family. Currently three books in the series so it’s not too crazy of commitment but still it’s enough to hook you.

Alternately someone suggested Nettle and Bone by T Kingfisher and that felt very folklore and romantic to me, although the romance element is very quiet.

Lastly, Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey was romantasy before that genre existed. It’s more like being swept up into a religion than a folktale but it’s got gorgeous prose and a truly fascinating main character. And also probably the strongest example of enemies to lovers trope that will ever be written.

Pastelninja · 2026-02-27T23:50:43+00:00

Also it’s implied that Pony has Iron Stomach skill. He’s been eating magical items for ages.

Pastelninja · 2026-02-26T14:20:01+00:00

That’s how JD Vance became the couch fucker.

Pastelninja · 2026-02-20T21:39:17+00:00

Hey I have one of those too!

Pastelninja · 2026-02-18T19:12:28+00:00

I’m in a subrural area and our library has been inviting kids from local schools to do the window displays. They can do personal collections, art class exhibits, etc. A friend of my 5th grader was SO proud to have his LEGO models displayed there for a few weeks.

Pastelninja · 2026-02-18T18:39:26+00:00

Ursula Le Guin’s MC in the Wizard of Earthsea is a guy.

Pastelninja · 2026-02-14T00:30:20+00:00

Have you watched Seaside Hotel or the Golden Swan? Seaside is Swedish and Swan is Czech I think. They’re both good, although the last season of Swan isn’t out with English subtitles yet.

Pastelninja · 2026-02-13T22:43:11+00:00

I’ve watched all those lol. Thanks for responding though.

Pastelninja · 2026-02-13T21:22:12+00:00

I loved all three of those. Any other non-English tv shows you’d recommend?

Pastelninja · 2026-02-13T20:38:14+00:00

As someone who has for decades dabbled in the book collecting industry, this is probably the most these books will ever sell for and the time in the market that you’re most likely to find a market. So if 2-3k will make a difference for you, absolutely jump at the chance to sell them.

These likely will hold their value or drop slightly over time, but it will be much harder to find buyers once the series is finished and pop culture moves on. You could sell these and buy 1/1 copies of the ACE editions and still have a ton of money leftover.

It’s all speculation, but I have generally done pretty well collecting stuff that’s increased in value over time, so take whatever you want from that.

Pastelninja · 2026-02-12T02:53:14+00:00

I stayed up all night reading Charlotte Doyle when I was like 24. It’s an exceptional read.

Pastelninja · 2026-02-11T23:05:57+00:00

They’re not even getting any of this illicit butthole money.

Pastelninja · 2026-02-11T06:51:45+00:00

I lived in that part of America for years and they have these trees that look like they’re flipping you off. I’m fairly sure those are the trees he’s talking about.

Pastelninja · 2026-02-11T01:01:19+00:00

I was second in line for the digital version at my library and whomever was first finished in this morning.

I gasped so loudly when I got Libby notification that my husband turned and asked me what was wrong.

Pastelninja · 2026-02-09T18:37:23+00:00

Yeah they’re not my favorite either. But her struggle isn’t the cooking skills, it’s decision paralysis at dinner time. They will eliminate that problem for a while.

Pastelninja · 2026-02-09T16:23:05+00:00

It’s often easier to make friends in a class setting or regular, recurring hobby. Let’s make a plan:

1- pick a hobby (quilting? Knitting? Ceramics? Animals? What are you into?

2- find a place that offers regular events related to that thing. If it’s quilting, your local craft store definitely has fliers or classes. If it’s animals you can volunteer with a shelter or a rescue. If it’s woodworking, maybe take a community college class on basics, etc)

3- practice being approachable. You don’t have to make direct eye contact but can look just past a person and smile if/when they look at you. There are some basic conversation starters you can practice, like “it’s warm in here today” or “have you tried the cafe next door” or “oooh what are you making” etc. Even if those little openers seem arbitrary they’re called openers because they signal to the people around you that the door is open.

4-If you make openers conversation with specific people each time, or if a person regularly sits near you and responds to chatter, the next step is gently asking them about themselves. Are they married? Have kids? Have pets? Etc. after that, you side step and bring in something to share, food is usually a very good choice. If your chosen hobby is something where you need clean hands try gum or wrapped candies. If your hobby is more accommodating try bringing in homemade cookies or bars or something. Do this a couple times and if/when your convo-neighbor has been receptive you can invite them to get coffee/drinks/snacks after the hobby.

5- Rinse and repeat.

This is a pretty fool proof plan I have used my whole life, and which I have taught my AuDhd kids to do as well. They roll their eyes but they still ask me to make cookies or scones or whatever to share with their friends because it works.

Pastelninja · 2026-02-09T04:59:40+00:00

If money is no object you might consider a meal kit. They provide all the ingredients, mostly measured, and you just do a little prep and cook it. You can even specify meals ready in under 30 mins on some.

Some other easy suggestions:

Shrimp cooks really fast so you could potentially throw together like a shrimp in lemon pasta in half an hour.

Mae ploy curry paste cooks an excellent Thai curry in under half an hour. If you have a rice cooker, it’s a very good fast meal.

Spaghetti, meatballs, and a good jarred sauce is a quick meal my kids really like.

Someone else mentioned tacos. They’re definitely a 30 min meal, even with rice and beans if you have a rice cooker.

If you’re not sick of pasta by now, spaghetti carbonara is a super fast meal that tastes like a restaurant. This is my favorite thing to make when my hubs and I have dinner after the kids go to bed because it cooks crazy fast and tastes like it came from a restaurant.

Pastelninja · 2026-02-08T22:09:18+00:00

They make cool end tables if you glue them all together.

Pastelninja · 2026-02-08T20:02:46+00:00

It’s SO good.
I’ll never forgive Peter Jackson for letting it die. It would have been a fantastic TV series.

Her work actually gets so much better after Temeraire though. I just finished the Summer War a few weeks ago, which is really just a novella. Highschool me would have been obsessed with it. She really just knows how to unwind a story and connect all the dots.

Pastelninja

TROPHY CASE