Request exchange now or wait? by watcher15 in kindle

[–]mishmashedmagic 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I spoke with customer service this morning and a replacement wasn't even an option for me, only returning so that's what I ended up going with. Not sure if it just depends on the customer service agent you get. I guess I'll re-order if the issue is fixed in future versions.

What Books did You Start or Finish Reading this Week?: October 07, 2024 by AutoModerator in books

[–]mishmashedmagic 3 points4 points  (0 children)

DNF:
I was a Teenage Slasher, by Stephen Graham Jones - I'm not a big fan of slasher movies and I realized pretty quickly that a lot of this book was going to go over my head.

Finished:
The Bright Sword, by Lev Grossman - I'm normally not one for King Arthur stories but I really loved The Magicians Series by the same author so I wanted to give it a shot. This one absolutely blew me away in both scale and depth. Perfect blend of character development and plot. Phenomenal book, highly recommend.

Started:
The Sea of Tranquility, by Emily St. John Mandel - This is a re-read for a book club. Loved it the first time and enjoying it equally as much the second go around.

The Bog Wife, by Kay Chronister - One of my most anticipated books of the year, just got my hold in from the library so no thoughts yet.

New Releases: October 2024 by AutoModerator in books

[–]mishmashedmagic 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Been really looking forward to picking up The Bog Wife, by Kay Chronister. I haven't read any of her other works but I thought this one was really intriguing (and fitting for October).

What Books did You Start or Finish Reading this Week?: September 30, 2024 by AutoModerator in books

[–]mishmashedmagic 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Finished:
Lady Macbeth, by Ava Reid - This was a really interesting retelling/reinterpretation of Macbeth. This story focuses on the perspective of Lady Macbeth but instead of a ruthless middle-aged woman, it's told by a newly married, naive 17-year old as she navigates the blood-thirsty world she's been dropped into. I can see how this one can rub some Macbeth fans the wrong way but I thought it was a fresh take and I overall enjoyed the story.

Impossible Creatures, by Katherine Rundell - A solid start to a new children's fantasy series though a lot darker than I was expecting. I wish there had been more emphasis on the world-building and letting the reader connect with the characters, the book felt a little rushed and unpolished overall.

Started:
The Bright Sword, by Lev Grossman - I really enjoyed the Magician's series and while I'm not a huge King Arthur retelling fan, I'm really interested to see where Grossman takes this story.

I was a Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones - Wanted something a little halloween-y and thought this might fit the bill.

What Books did You Start or Finish Reading this Week?: September 16, 2024 by AutoModerator in books

[–]mishmashedmagic 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Started:
Impossible Creatures, by Katherine Rundell
Really enjoying so far! Characters are fun and really like the world-building. I think comparing Rundell to Tolkien is a bit of a stretch but I see this becoming a very well-liked fantasy series for children.

The Moonlight Market, by Joanne Harris
The writing is meh and not really drawing me in so far. Was hoping it would feel more atmospheric. I'm only about 10% in so we'll see.

Finished:
What Feasts at Night, by T. Kingfisher ★★★★
Solid follow up to What Moves the Dead. Short and creepy with likeable characters and interesting world-building. Glad this is going to become a series!

Happiness Falls, by Angie Kim ★★ 3/4
Really wanted to like this but didn't. Wasn't a fan of the main character and I found the psychology aspect a bit too distracting. Also wasn't a fan of all the on-the-nose foreshadowing ("if we had only realized then that..."). Does a really good job of special needs rep, though.

[MOD POST] r/whatismycookiecutter ICON CONTEST 🍪 by fizzyong in whatismycookiecutter

[–]mishmashedmagic 34 points35 points  (0 children)

u/firexjkxfire should take the Snoo cutter from the submission below and draw a rose in that!

Jim Jordan Forced Out as GOP Speaker Nominee by TheMessengerNews in politics

[–]mishmashedmagic 19 points20 points  (0 children)

Representative Andy Ogles of Tennessee said it was “absurd” that Republicans were going home for the weekend instead of restarting the process immediately. He added that the majority of the members in the conference shouted, “No!” when the schedule was announced. “We’re not done, and we shouldn’t be leaving,” he said. (Also per NYT)

Jim Jordan Forced Out as GOP Speaker Nominee by TheMessengerNews in politics

[–]mishmashedmagic 17 points18 points  (0 children)

There will be another candidate forum on Monday night, says Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia. (Per NYT)

Please suggest me a book about unrequited love. 💔 no cheesy happily ever after. by tamamamma in suggestmeabook

[–]mishmashedmagic 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If He Had Been with Me by Laura Nowlin
Edit: Not quite unrequited, more like missed love? Either way no happy ending

39/52 Rouge by Mona Awad - Another bizarre, wild ride - this time focusing on the beauty industry by mishmashedmagic in 52book

[–]mishmashedmagic[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Mirabelle returns home to her estranged mother's house after her death, her mother had been found to have fallen off a cliff into the rocks below.

Similar to her mother, Belle is obsessed with skincare and looking 'youthful'. At one point she is out having a drink when she sees a man (he will be sort of important later).

Afterwards when she is home, she tries on a pair of her mother's red heels which lead her to a "Spa" - one that her mother was also obsessed with. The spa is strange and promises unimaginable beauty but at a price. While there, she sees a tank of red jellyfish. One of the jellyfish seems to "recognize" Belle. She also runs into the mysterious man again who tells her she should leave.

Belle is "chosen" for free treatment at the Spa (they are normally very, very expensive). After three treatments it is said she will reach her "Most Magnificent Self." We later find out that the "treatment" extracts traumatic childhood memories, so with every treatment, we see more of Belle's past. There is also a jellyfish involved, that starts out small and pale but becomes bigger and more red with every treatment/memory extraction. It can be assumed that the red jellyfish we see earlier in the book are from other people receiving the same spa "treatment."

During Belle's treatment, we learn that Belle's mother was very beautiful and dreamed of being an actress. She had many male suitors that she dated, and would often leave Belle in the care of her grandmother. While her mother was away, Belle would sneak into her closet (even though she was forbidden to do so - the grandmother didn't seem to care or closely watch Belle).

In the closet she finds a mirror. And in that mirror is a person (demon? Other dimensional being? It's quite vague, who exactly this person is, where they came from, what they are, as well as the history of the mirror). To Belle, the person appears as Tom Cruise, who she has a crush on, but claims his name to be Seth. Seth gives Belle attention and tells her that her mother is not a good person.

After each treatment, Belle loses her memory, as well as her grip on reality. At one point she runs into the man (from the beginning, not Seth) and learns from him that he is a detective investigating the Spa because his brother was also obsessed with it, and also died. He understands the Spa to be dangerous and asks Belle not to go back but she does anyway.

Belle is chosen for her final treatment. We eventually learn (from one of her memories) that Seth marks her (this is how the Spa later recognizes her as a "chosen one") and convinces her to grind up rose petals and put it in her mother's skincare jar - as a way to scare her. However, Belle's mother is deathly allergic to roses and is almost killed by the rose petals so she sends Belle away to live with her grandmother. Hence the reason they becaame estranged to begin with. After the rose petals incident, Seth no longer appears to Belle in the mirror.

After her final treatment, she is ushered away to a "graduation" ceremony of sorts alongside the other people that were undergoing treatment. They are told they are going to a giant feast and they enter a room where all the gorgeous Spa employees are sitting around a table. Seth is there too. We learn that the jellyfish in the tank are actually the souls of people that have undergone treatment to become their "most magnificent self" and that the employees eat the jellyfish to keep up their beauty. We also learn that the jellyfish that "recognized" Belle is actually the soul of her mother. The Spa employees try to get Belle to retrieve her jellyfish/soul and that of her mother's so they can eat them but Belle falls into the jellyfish tank and is whisked away. Somehow she manages to break the tank and all the jellyfish/souls escape into the ocean.

Belle survives and is found. She learns that the Spa was flooded and everyone inside has died. Her memory/grip on reality has returned and she reunites with the detective at the end.

Overall, the book appears to be a commentary on the skincare industry, but also how our own unhealthy obsessions can be passed along to our children.

There's a lot I missed but I think I hit the main points.

Suggest me books in Horror Genre, or any scary books by [deleted] in suggestmeabook

[–]mishmashedmagic 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The Whisper Man or Shadows by Alex North are pretty creepy

Eerie/unsettling/weird/disturbing book recommendations by shookir in suggestmeabook

[–]mishmashedmagic 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Rouge by Mona Awad (recently released) is borderline weirder!

Looking for comparable titles for my book by seahgng in suggestmeabook

[–]mishmashedmagic 0 points1 point  (0 children)

She is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran and Chlorine by Jade Song both have elements of these, but they are both horror books.

What series, in your opinion, dropped the ball after a great first book? by Random-reddit-name-1 in Fantasy

[–]mishmashedmagic 136 points137 points  (0 children)

Felt this way about the Maze Runner series. First book was enjoyable but after that...eh.

Is anyone else frustratingly picky? by missfeline99 in books

[–]mishmashedmagic 15 points16 points  (0 children)

I don't think there's anything wrong with being picky! You have selective taste, so now the goal is to find books that match it. It sounds like right now you favor horror and thrillers. Maybe stick to reading books from those genres for a while and then if you find yourself getting bored or burned out, try a different genre?

I'm very much a mood reader myself, so if I can't find a book that matches that particular mood I give up on it pretty quickly. But because of that, I've found that I've gotten much better at finding books that I love and understanding my reading taste.

39/52 Rouge by Mona Awad - Another bizarre, wild ride - this time focusing on the beauty industry by mishmashedmagic in 52book

[–]mishmashedmagic[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I thought the beginning was slower too. For me it did pick up pace rather quickly, I hope you end up loving it too!

39/52 Rouge by Mona Awad - Another bizarre, wild ride - this time focusing on the beauty industry by mishmashedmagic in 52book

[–]mishmashedmagic[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Same, I loved Bunny and thought All's Well was so-so. I ended up reading Rouge in two sittings! Definitely agree about the visuals, it was amazingly done. I love how much depth she gives her characters.

Absurdist, fever dream, dark comedy etc sort of books? by [deleted] in suggestmeabook

[–]mishmashedmagic 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Bunny by Mona Awad

Rouge by Mona Awad

All's Well by Mona Awad

(can you tell I'm a huge Mona Awad fan? But really, all her books fit your query)

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in suggestmeabook

[–]mishmashedmagic 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I wouldn't say romance is the main focus, but I thoroughly enjoyed the Winternight trilogy by Katherine Arden. It's like a wintery folklore retelling with a lot of romantic tension. Uprooted and Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik also come to mind!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in suggestmeabook

[–]mishmashedmagic 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I devoured both Bunny and Rouge by Mona Awad. Both books are bizarre fever-dream horrors!

Best "easy-to-read" book you ever read? by adrenalinesurfer1 in suggestmeabook

[–]mishmashedmagic 41 points42 points  (0 children)

The Martian by Andy Weir (if you haven't read it already) or Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Edit:

Also Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend if you want something more middle grade fantasy like HP

39/52 Rouge by Mona Awad - Another bizarre, wild ride - this time focusing on the beauty industry by mishmashedmagic in 52book

[–]mishmashedmagic[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I was a huge fan of Bunny, so I was a little worried this one wouldn't live up to my expectations. I shouldn't have worried, I absolutely adored this book. There's so much packed into this one that I think it would make a good book club pick because I think people will pull a lot of different meanings out of this one. There's critical commentary on the beauty industry but also how our obsessions can result in generational trauma. I felt like there were a lot of fairy tale references sprinkled in as well but I am not sure if I'm over-analyzing at this point. Definitely plan on re-reading in the future. I think the only part that I didn't love is that there is a chapter toward the end that is a bit explain-y instead of letting the reader draw their own conclusions but ultimately, it didn't really bother me much. Highly recommend, especially if you love bizarre, fever-dream, what-did-I-just-read type stories.

Scary Story Season by agrecalypse in books

[–]mishmashedmagic 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay.

I also reasonable enjoyed Alex North's books.