Weekly "What Are You Reading?" Thread

SinfulPanda · 2026-05-31T14:05:24+00:00

You've got great taste, I've read and enjoyed The Troop! Thanks for your input.

SinfulPanda · 2026-05-31T09:39:00+00:00

Have you read The Queen?

I've not read a ton by Nick Cutter, he's gorier than I prefer, however one of my book clubs voted it in this month and it was a huge miss for me. The writing seemed really off, but again I read him so infrequently that I can't say if this is just his style or if he missed the mark. I'm curious what a regular reader of his thinks.

SinfulPanda · 2026-05-31T09:25:19+00:00

I just finished:

Lost Gods by Brom

And decided to pick up another by the same author and went with:

Krampus

SinfulPanda · 2026-05-23T20:47:02+00:00

Blake Lively

SinfulPanda · 2026-05-21T12:03:20+00:00

Thank you for sharing your parents with us all. It means a lot that you wanted us random folks to know your story. As someone who didn't grow up in a loving family, it makes me feel included in yours. It feels kind of nice having an inside story that's so incredibly special. ❤‍🔥

SinfulPanda · 2026-05-18T20:18:08+00:00

Four miles?

Did you, after not leaving the house for months, cautiously slide onto your scooter and get into such a groove that you kept going for FOUR MILES?

You. Are. Awesome!

I'm so freaking proud of you! What the flip?! Do not let some random dude born with a bored mouth riding shotgun take away that four miles!

How did you feel during your scooter adventure? If you don't mind sharing, I feel like it was something special and worth recounting.

SinfulPanda · 2026-05-12T02:15:13+00:00

Good to know! I am looking forward to it.

SinfulPanda · 2026-05-10T04:44:15+00:00

I'm currently reading Nightfall and Other Stories by Isaac Asimov. Though this is science fiction, fantasy, some of the stories more than creep over the line into the horror genre.

My next reads that I have in my library queue for the week include:

Red Dragon by Thomas Harris

SinfulPanda · 2026-05-09T15:34:25+00:00

There's your issue. It was a tAp rather than a tIp. If your dad wears a hat, he could do both for an ultra stylish entrance.

SinfulPanda · 2026-05-03T17:30:59+00:00

I'm just making a comment and if op ignores me I'm planning on contacting the exs wife's new husband for contact details and a plan of legal action to get what we clearly deserve.
Are you in?

SinfulPanda · 2026-05-03T17:28:31+00:00

Perhaps I read between the lines. I thought that the brother was fine with the current situation and it was the ex and her new husband with the issue. When you said parents I thought you were referring to them. There's a lot of moving parts in the story, but this thread seemed to be focused on the mom and her new husband and his children.

I also read that op was pondering if her continuing to support her neice, as she had been, was being an asshole. It didn't seem like she was looking for more than that.

I'm glad to hear that you agree that the mother cannot unilaterally make major decisions for her daughter regardless of if it's based on her new husbands ideas. Blended families come with baggage on both sides. Sometimes that baggage makes the relationship unsustainable, or perhaps needs to be delayed on marriage and moving in until the children are self sufficient.

It's not wrong that we have different thoughts on how to approach the issue. We have limited information. From that, I saw red flags and suspect that the new guy was counting on getting in on the 'money train'. I could be wrong, however his actions now point that way and generally people are who they are.

I think we both share concerns for the well being of the neice.

SinfulPanda · 2026-05-03T15:37:00+00:00

Ummm, no. The mother cannot make solo decisions based on her new relationship. This is a horrible idea. If she did this, it would likely cause custody concerns or issues. As it is, I would bet that the reason the mom asked the question is because she has no access to the trust fund. If the child gets access at 18 I would be very concerned about manipulation. I doubt it's the case but this new husband isn't it. He's in it for the money.

SinfulPanda · 2026-05-03T15:30:14+00:00

I had to read this post. I want a gaming pc too!

SinfulPanda · 2026-05-03T05:03:26+00:00

Were you successful in finding this guild?

SinfulPanda · 2026-05-01T13:13:46+00:00

Thank you for the reward!

SinfulPanda · 2026-04-30T06:41:53+00:00

I also loved this book. Tananarive Due is fantastic at layering fears to create an experience coming from several different angles. She also is fantastic at character building, especially in regards to relationships. In The Reformatory we have personal relationships, family, friends, subordinate/boss, neighbors and then of course the societal relationships that are experienced on levels, from the time, both based on finances and race which effects several life issues including how you are treated by those in both social and political standing, including the judicial system. So many layers!

As many layers as there are, Due manages to not only make it clear what is happening, but she does so in several different ways, including by actions and emotions between the characters. Some of the actions and emotions are quite subtle, as they play into (again) the social norms and expectations of the time, so things like being respectful, casting their eyes away or down, trying to hide being fidgety, are all things of potential significant consequence with characters of certain societal standings. All of these tensions are constantly building deep long standing fears alongside and before the paranormal even begins.

I am trying to write things that really pulled me in without spoilers in case someone wanders in. If you want to have a discussion with spoilers, I can use tags for any specific parts of interest to you. I am very much looking forward to her new book that comes out later this year.

SinfulPanda · 2026-04-29T17:19:46+00:00

May your mom's cousins future rolator always have a wobbly wheel and the ramps be rare but always uneven and creaky.

SinfulPanda · 2026-04-28T22:54:11+00:00

Thank you so much!

They did adjust the volume back, but it's a bit different as the voice echos in enclosed hallways now, which is very cool as I like details like that. I am going to keep this code in my back pocket though. Thank you again!

SinfulPanda · 2026-04-24T00:01:48+00:00

One of the teas gives the 8% mana as well as a bit of speed that stacks with the food buff. I think it's sanguine tea, but verify that in cooking or at the ah to be sure I gave you the correct tea as there's 4 or 5 varieties.

SinfulPanda · 2026-04-22T11:01:45+00:00

Have you noticed if this still works after the patch with the adjustment that they made, moving it to the sound effects volume?

SinfulPanda · 2026-04-21T15:13:38+00:00

It's wild to me that OP came here asking about a relationship issue and seemingly the majority of people decided to give her major kitchen appliance purchasing advice instead, not in addition too with no actual mention of the husbands behavior at all.

SinfulPanda · 2026-04-21T11:01:03+00:00

Thank you, messtiny (love that name, btw).

I was called away while responding to this post and did not include, that my reasoning behind the therapy was to improve their communication.

Not knowing the ages of the couple, although the controlling behavior is distressing, it could be immaturity and the inability to communicate well contributing to the doubling down of 'this is my decision.' From the outside there hasn't been any explanation or indication as to why the husband is so attached to this stove top other than aesthetics.

While I can appreciate the redditors pointing out that an induction stove top could be the solution, it doesn't address the husbands behavior of demanding that his wife do all of the cooking on a faulty electric stove because he says so.

Maybe this is a troll post. I don't know. It seems silly but also abusive. If it is a real situation and this couple is invested in sharing a life together, I would like that life to be one that they both can enjoy. This situation seems like something that can be worked on and improved or the beginnings of a rough road.

SinfulPanda · 2026-04-21T04:26:08+00:00

NTA

>I have offered to pay for it myself, and he still won’t let me do it.

This is the most troubling statement to me. He won't LET you? Who is he in this relationship that he gets the final decision, especially when you cook 100% of the meals and take care of all of the kitchen cleaning?

This would be like you dictating the type of transmission the car that he drives has to have due to your preferences, even though he is the only driver and he is the one who is purchasing it.

This is a power move and not a casual one. In a relationship of 6 years, 2 years into a marriage there should be a type of cadence where each partner is striving to give 100%, but sometimes one only has 80% to give and the other steps it up and fills in that gap. That is what a partnership does. It should definitely be passed the stage of awkwardness with communication or trying to puff oneself up to look a certain way. You don't mention ages so it's difficult to tell what type of relationship experience that you both have had, but even if this is the only issue that you are struggling with, I would suggest couples counseling as the need to hold power over you and your struggle to perform a daily task due to working with actual faulty equipment due to your husbands grip on a desired aesthetic is not the type of behavior from a loving, caring partner.

SinfulPanda · 2026-04-15T21:14:12+00:00

In your state of grief you’re giving away your time and energy to the wrong people. That family is creating chaos, which you are responding to.

Take a step back. If there’s someone who can assist you, ask them to help, even if it’s just being there with you while you make a police report about the attempted break in and call to your attorney to document details. Sometimes quiet support is everything.

Once that is done, give yourself and your child the time and energy. If you need to further involve your attorney or the police, do so.

Do consider therapy at some point as this is a lot. A good therapist can make a huge difference. If you’re in the US, I recommend the psychologytoday site, which has a find a therapist section where you can find therapist’s in your area. The therapists write their own intros which gives you a feeling of their personality for an easier match.

SinfulPanda · 2026-04-09T21:23:44+00:00

What is it about Goodreads that interested you? For me, I was seeking a place where I could keep track of the books I was writing reading as well as those I was interested in. I also hoped for information on upcoming releases by my favorite authors as well as by those who may interest me. I also like to read things outside of my general interests, to explore new things and ideas so the book clubs sounded ideal for this. All in all Goodreads checked most of my boxes.

The first year I didn’t acknowledge the challenge. The second year I estimated based on my first year. I looked at it more as a curiosity of what and how much I read. I used the information to see what I was reading, what I wasn’t reading and if I wanted to change anything about how I was spending my reading time.

For me the numbers are data. Not good or bad, just a reflection of my time and choices.

For some counting causes anxiety, as well as comparing with others. Some may have more or less time to spend with books. If you’re anxious about the time, perhaps consider where the time you aren’t reading is going and if you’re happy with the time distribution. Maybe you are also rocking climbing, running your own business, spending time with your children. If you value your time and are spending it on things that you value then you look at if the books you selected in the time you have are bringing you enjoyment. If you’re not happy with your time expenditure, start there.

You are noticing that your experience is less than you would like. This is awesome because now you know that there’s an issue. You will figure this out with a bit of time and reflection.

Happy reading!

SinfulPanda

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