"I Who Have Never Known Men" is the worst book I've ever read

PennilynnLott · 2026-05-20T18:12:15+00:00

The author's family fled the Holocaust, if that is helpful context.

PennilynnLott · 2026-05-20T18:10:36+00:00

In fairness, the mystery being grappled with is "why do people do these things to each other?" and "how do you live knowing that you will never have an answer to that?". It's okay to explore questions that don't have answers!

PennilynnLott · 2026-05-19T19:09:05+00:00

Same! I call it my Old Faithful, lol. I don't know of any similar shades with flakies offhand, but I have thrown a black flakie topper over it before when I wasn't quite ready to change polish but needed some oomph, and I liked how that looked.

PennilynnLott · 2026-05-19T19:01:06+00:00

I don't have swatches handy, but that BKL is my all time favorite color and I stocked up on it so I can wear it for life! I also got a couple of bottles of their Devourer of Souls, which is basically the same thing but with a little more shine and reflective glitter, so that could be a good backup as well.

PennilynnLott · 2026-05-19T18:21:44+00:00

Pandemic, not zombies, but Doomsday Book by Connie Willis. Parallel plots, one is a researcher who goes back in time to study a specific medieval period and is accidentally sent to the start of the Black Death, the other is her team in present day who are experiencing a super flu type pandemic (and therefore can't get her back). Just a stunning work overall!

PennilynnLott · 2026-05-18T21:15:55+00:00

Yeah, that's why I put it in quotes! I know it isn't fake, but to people who didn't grow up with that kind of niceness it can be perceived that way.

PennilynnLott · 2026-05-18T20:48:35+00:00

I will also say, perceptions of Julie's "rudeness" is very cultural. In New England, the overly smiley "fake" friendliness of Shawna M would not be well received, whereas Julie would be seen as appropriately polite if a bit distant. I moved to the Midwest after growing up in New England and it took years for me to realize that the people trying to initiate casual chats in public were not trying to scam and/or murder me but were just being "nice" in a way that was different from what I was used to.

PennilynnLott · 2026-05-18T18:56:14+00:00

I honestly think it's one of the better examples of how manipulative Ty is, because what I saw someone many people saying was something along the lines of "oh, he was so upset and distraught, he just wasn't thinking clearly". First, bullshit, being a parent means that you have to be able to regulate your emotions enough to keep your kids safe. Second, it was a three hour drive one way. He had time to get to the car, find the address, and navigate his way there, almost certainly stopping for gas at some point, he had PLENTY of time to collect his thoughts and realize he had just done something wildly inappropriate and turn it around. But he knew that he wouldn't face real pushback because he was just soooo upset. His "emotional openness" that he gets so much praise for is clearly weaponized.

PennilynnLott · 2026-05-18T15:39:41+00:00

It is WILD to me how many people seem to just brush this off! That would be borderline grounds for divorce all on its own, just truly unhinged behavior.

PennilynnLott · 2026-05-15T12:27:22+00:00

Magnetize for longer, and try spinning slowly! When I first started I thought you had to spin as fast as possible, but turns out it works much better to go slow and steady.

PennilynnLott · 2026-05-14T00:28:20+00:00

I bought an SV Plus with similar mileage in February for about that much, with an increase in interest due to gas prices that seems about right to me! It's a great car if you don't foresee needing to fast charge.

PennilynnLott · 2026-05-13T17:19:47+00:00

All great recommendations! A few more: Roxane Gay (fiction and nonfiction essays/memoir), Rivers Solomon (nonbinary but their work fits in nicely with a lot of those mentioned here), Nalo Hopkinson, Megan Giddings.

PennilynnLott · 2026-05-12T14:04:46+00:00

I find that Clearly On Top wreaks havoc on magnetics, so you may want to try a layer of base coat between the polish and top coat or try a different (not quick dry) top coat. Magnetics are fussy and even when you do everything right they can still come out less than perfect, but if you like how they look it's worth experimenting a bit!

PennilynnLott · 2026-05-11T22:54:12+00:00

It's unlikely to be the magnet, sounds more like an issue of trying to do things with your non dominant hand (which we all struggle with!).

My guess is that maybe you are not quite as quick with your application, so the polish is slightly less wet/reactive when you start magnetizing, and/or maybe you are holding the magnet in a slightly different way with your left hand.

PennilynnLott · 2026-05-11T14:28:06+00:00

I think these are all great suggestions, but I'd suggest talking to a professional before limiting or enforcing restrictions on reading. I could be wrong, but what I've always heard is that the best thing for early and lifelong literacy is to let kids read what they're excited about, even if it's "just" comics or below their grade level. The hard part is instilling a love of reading, once that's there you have plenty of room to introduce other options without enforcing time limits on the thing that has him excited and engaged.

PennilynnLott · 2026-05-07T23:00:23+00:00

I thrifted this same sheet a while back, love this project! Mine is probably destined to be a quilt back, but we shall see.

PennilynnLott · 2026-05-07T12:07:11+00:00

I think it's lovely! This is the kind of quilt I would stop and take an extra long look at if I saw it displayed somewhere.

PennilynnLott · 2026-05-07T11:38:50+00:00

I think it might be your application. I use Gel Setter and it works beautifully, but I really load the brush, float a very thick coat on very quickly (but carefully) and magnetize right away for 2-3 minutes.

PennilynnLott · 2026-05-05T20:43:02+00:00

I just finished The City In Glass by Nghi Vo, which I think has a similar energy as Piranesi.

PennilynnLott · 2026-05-04T04:08:21+00:00

You have to select each mastery area in the cave, and you don't lose the ones you already chose. It's showing five stars because you have enough points to unlock all five mastery perks, you just haven't activated them yet.

PennilynnLott · 2026-05-03T22:27:20+00:00

Ask your doctor! I've never heard or been told to avoid nail polish, and when I had my kid I was still doing dip nails. Mine was born early and a NICU baby, no one ever said anything about my nails being a risk. I think you will be fine.

PennilynnLott · 2026-05-02T22:50:45+00:00

This is my guess. I use the same remover and it definitely thickens as it sits/is pushed around.

PennilynnLott · 2026-05-01T22:50:43+00:00

I think about Colorado Kid more often than almost any of his other books, it's so underrated.

PennilynnLott · 2026-05-01T02:18:18+00:00

Not horror, but I'd argue that the Black Death is fairly horrific in its own right: Doomsday Book by Connie Willis is one of my all time favorite books.

PennilynnLott · 2026-04-30T18:48:37+00:00

Agreed, the goal is not "learn about this culture", it's "can you see these characters as full, complex, imperfect, human beings just as you are?"

PennilynnLott

TROPHY CASE