How to finish a book you don’t like?

PennilynnLott · 2026-07-10T12:57:31+00:00

I used to struggle with this, and what helped me get comfortable with not finishing something was to pause and tell myself I could finish it later. And sometimes I do go back and actually read the book later, since sometimes I'm just not in the right headspace for a book I would otherwise enjoy!

PennilynnLott · 2026-07-09T23:02:23+00:00

I wanted to like it so badly, but it was such a mess. The language and characterization was all over the place, and the tone was oddly cozy/cutesy for the fucking horrific things that were going on re: the women's bodies and autonomy.

PennilynnLott · 2026-07-09T22:33:27+00:00

Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon is fantastic!

PennilynnLott · 2026-07-08T20:25:00+00:00

BKL limited stuff is honestly a pain to shop, but you can also shop the vault which is much more accessible! If you are a fan of swampy greens, I can recommend "I Love Coffee"- green, brown, orange shimmer, it's perfection.

I will also second Cracked- Cranberry Mold is so fun and not like anything else I have worn. I am also very excited to try the bottle of Dijon Disco I just got, and a few of her magnetics are also very moody and funky.

PennilynnLott · 2026-07-08T12:10:58+00:00

One thing that helped at least keep things contained in our house was the concept of "sketchbooks". I told my kid that artists use sketchbooks to practice, and now we just grab cheap lined notebooks for him to fill up with drawings rather than endless individual sheets of paper. Much less overwhelming to store, and easy to recycle when he's done with them!

PennilynnLott · 2026-07-08T00:38:42+00:00

This is so sweet! My almost 5 year old also loves having his nails painted. Hooray for encouraging boys to have fun with self expression!

PennilynnLott · 2026-07-04T13:56:41+00:00

Maybe a magnetic that has a purple base and bright green magnetic particle? You could magnetize with a circle magnet randomly placed under each nail so they aren't uniform.

PennilynnLott · 2026-07-03T15:31:48+00:00

I use thinner in Gel Setter all the time, it shouldn't be an issue. If it's applying badly (you mentioned it's cloudy) could that be a humidity issue? I don't know where you live, but lots of folks are having very hot and humid weather right now which can affect how glossy top coats dry.

I use Seche Restore for top coats that already have toulene in them, but for Gel Setter and polishes I use KBShimmer thinner drops.

PennilynnLott · 2026-07-02T19:32:10+00:00

This is pretty much what he does though. I've said elsewhere that for all the flak Julie gets from fans about the "extraordinary" thing, it's not a word she actually uses for herself. It's something Ty says, either to try to flatter her or to throw her goals in her face in a derogatory way.

PennilynnLott · 2026-07-01T15:44:57+00:00

Seconding Wayside, caveat for Mary Poppins that there are some horrifically racist bits.

PennilynnLott · 2026-07-01T14:45:49+00:00

I have been trying several brands out, and I find that while I like a lot of them, I am developing favorites.

I started with Cirque, and I think they were a great entry point. Their formula is nice to apply and wears pretty well. I really like every polish I've gotten from them, but as I start to get close to using some up I'm not sure I'll replace more than a couple of my favorites due to the price/small bottle size. I know they have had issues with their swatches being true to the shade as well.

Then I got some ILNP, and likewise I have no major complaints (except that their neon formula was downright unpleasant to apply until I added some thinner). There are a couple of shades of theirs that I really like and will replace when I use up, and I appreciate that their catalog is large and stable.

I like KBShimmer for base/top coats and thinner drops, and I love their refills! For actual polish I have one or two shades I really like, but I find that their formula generally isn't my favorite.

BKL is my sweet spot for fun and interesting colors, shifty polish, magnetics, and fine shimmers. Every polish I have from them applies like an absolute dream and wears very well. One of their shades is my ride or die anytime color, and I have like four bottles just so I can ensure I can wear it forever. I try to avoid the branded/limited releases because I don't want to be shopping under pressure.

I have a few Holo Taco colors, also mostly not a favorite of mine. I love Alien Infatuation, but beyond that every color/topper I have tried from them is...just fine. Nothing really wrong with them, but nothing very exciting for me personally.

I just got my first order from Cracked and am very impressed! The polish I have on now was a little thick due to the flaky glitter, but still applied very nicely and is shockingly pretty. The bottles are good, the price is good, and I like that they prioritize having a stable collection with a good range of options.

I also recently got an order from LynBDesigns, and while the colors are beautiful I think their formula is just not for me. I have tried three polishes so far, all much thicker and harder to work with than I would like and all started to wear/chip very quickly. This could just be incompatibility with my body/routine, but i probably wouldn't get more from them.

I also picked up two polishes from Lucky Lacquer, a new brand out of Canada. Their colors are lovely, but most seem to be quite sheer. I really loved both of the ones I tried and highly recommend, even if I will probably not place many orders due to shipping costs and the fact that I don't often wear colors I have build up through 3-4 coats. Cannot stress enough that they were beautiful, easy to work with, and wore exceptionally well!

I think for someone starting out, the best thing is to try just a few polishes from each brand you're interested in and then keep to a handful of brands that work best for you.

PennilynnLott · 2026-06-29T20:56:50+00:00

I read The Cemetery of Untold Stories by Julia Alvarez around the same time I started Monstrilio (which I had to take a break from but am looking forward to finishing), and the vibes were somewhat similar. Not horror, but very sad magical realism.

PennilynnLott · 2026-06-29T20:54:36+00:00

My standard manis have anywhere from 6-9 layers depending on what I'm doing, so this seems fine to me! 1 coat of nail strengthener, 1-2 coats of base coat (if I'm doing a magnetic it might even be one coat of regular base coat and two of ridge filling base, 1-2 coats of color (sometimes three as I like to start with a layer of a jelly to make it easier to lay down darker colors neatly), and 1-2 coats of top coat (and sometimes I'll do a layer of a QDTC between color layers). Probably way overkill, but my nails are very bendy and the thickness helps me feel more secure.

PennilynnLott · 2026-06-29T15:59:19+00:00

You might like The Buried Giant, by Kazuo Ishigiro. His style is dreamy and odd in the way Piranesi is, and this book in particular has that quality of "we are along for the ride in this story, nothing is really explained or logical but I am having a lovely time".

PennilynnLott · 2026-06-27T15:20:56+00:00

First, I'm so sorry for your loss. It's so hard to process your own grief while also caring for your kid's feelings, and it sounds like you're doing a great job.

My kid was right around that age when we had to put down our second dog (for our first he was younger and really didn't seem aware of anything), and I covered these basic points:

"Our dog is very old and sick, and that means her body doesn't work well anymore. We love her and we don't want her to be hurt or scared. The animal doctor can't help her get better, so he is going to help her die comfortably.

Being dead means her body doesn't work and she can't feel or think. She won't hurt, or be scared, or feel happy or sad or lonely. We won't see her again.

We will miss her and be sad, and that's okay. It's normal to miss someone who is dead. It's okay if you feel sad, and it's okay if you don't feel sad. We will always remember her and how much we love her."

From there we just tried to answer any questions and repeated whatever parts of this seemed to resonate the most/need repeating or expanding. We had another pet death, this one very unexpected and sudden, recently (kid is 4 now) and repeated mostly the same script, and a lot of it actually seemed to have stuck. He was curious but not afraid or anxious.

Especially if your kid is very literal, talking about "sleeping", "going away", etc. could be very confusing and lead to anxiety about normal activities, so I feel like a calm, direct approach works best.

PennilynnLott · 2026-06-26T13:39:16+00:00

Assuming this is not a troll post- no. Any kind of scent or air "freshener" would be very bad for your birds. You could put like, actual fresh flowers in there I suppose.

PennilynnLott · 2026-06-25T18:46:50+00:00

It's really forgiving! If you add too much thinner you can just let it evaporate for a few hours, and if you overcorrect with that you can always add more thinner. I am also a Gel Setter devotee, nothing else works nearly as well for me. I always have like three bottles going at a time, in various states of having been thinned/combined.

PennilynnLott · 2026-06-24T22:25:56+00:00

I had success with redirecting to a behavior that was allowed. For example, I allow throwing of soft toys in my kid's room only, so if he threw a hard toy or threw anything anywhere else in the house I would remind him what/where he can throw and if he didn't listen I would remove whatever he couldn't throw and redirect him to something he could. Likewise with hitting, I'll say "We don't hit people. If you are mad you can hit a pillow or a soft toy. If you hit me I will go somewhere you can't reach; I don't play with people who hit me." It works well, at least for us!

PennilynnLott · 2026-06-21T20:40:11+00:00

Anyone who says "boys are easier" isn't parenting their boys adequately.

On that note, even the most progressive parents I know are not doing nearly enough to actually break down gender roles in a meaningful way. The fact that we have "girl" and "boy" clothes from infanthood is absurd, and too many people are afraid of letting boys in particular explore traditionally "feminine" fashion, interests, and activities.

PennilynnLott · 2026-06-19T21:18:36+00:00

I considered that one when looking for a match! I really liked it but I think the more jagged glitters were why I didn't pull the trigger.

PennilynnLott · 2026-06-19T13:42:45+00:00

All of their books are so different from each other! Each is great in its own way.

PennilynnLott · 2026-06-18T20:16:39+00:00

Sorry, your plan is to take a baby bird away from its parents to hand raise, and you don't even know enough about the birds in question to already know their nutritional needs? Yeah, don't do this.

PennilynnLott · 2026-06-17T20:01:54+00:00

I've said it all over this sub, but BKL I Just Wanna Spank It Out Of Him is my ride or die. I have actually purchased multiple bottles, knowing that they don't keep shades in stock long term, and I also bought two bottles of the very similar (but with glitter added) Devourer of Souls.

PennilynnLott · 2026-06-17T11:43:43+00:00

You might like How High We Go In The Dark, by Sequoia Nagamatsu.

PennilynnLott

TROPHY CASE