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@ourmillhouse 

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[new-reading]

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*bops you repeatedly but gently on the head* you. will. make. it. through. this.

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Celestial Seasonings: Iconic Artworks

Lori Anzalone: Bengal Spice (2007)

Mike Wimmer: Candy Cane Lane (2004)

Robert Giusti: Tension Tamer (1991)

Braldt Bralds: Mint Magic (1986)

Tom Newsom: Red Zinger (2004)

Beth Underwood: Sleepytime (1973)

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Woke up last night, barely remember writing this, went straight back to sleep

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If you're going to go to all the trouble to summon a dragon, do make sure to specify the size you'll be needing.

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While wild house dragons are considered pests for their felonious attraction to fine jewelry and silverwear, many a rich socialite these days can be seen with their domestic cousin in her pocket, protecting her valuables and looking fashionably adorable.

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kingsandsailors

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proud to say that I have never once in my life figured out the whodunit in any crime story I've read or watched. I just let the facts and clues wash over me, absorbing absolutely none of it. I am the audience they think of when they throw in red herrings, in case you've ever wondered "who would fall for this obvious false lead". it's me. I am the idiot viewer/reader. not once has an obviously framed clue revealed anything to me. my head is completely empty when I consume these stories.

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Where and How to Start a Story

Start anywhere. Start in the middle. Start at the end. Write a scene that keeps playing in your mind. Write a description of the town your character lives in. Write a conversation between two characters. Write whatever is compelling to you, whatever keeps nagging you, and don’t worry if it’s the “right” thing. Outlining and doing character charts is awesome, but can sometimes lead to paralysis for writers who cling too rigidly to them. Writing is a discovery process. To start with, just write whatever excites you, and then let your writing teach you where the beginning is, and where to go next. What you write first will not necessarily be the beginning of your story anyway, even if you try to plan it that way. There is no such thing as wasted time. Put something—anything—down on paper, even if it’s just a paragraph. Do it tonight. I’m rooting for you.

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My perfect mashed potatoes

The secret is in the water; literally, it’s IN the water.

See, when you boil potatoes, a lot of special starches and sugars and stuff leeches out into the water. When you drain the water before mashing them, you throw away a lot of good stuff, which is a big part of what makes mashed potatoes “dry” and bland, even when you add large amounts of cream and butter and things.

So don’t throw out any water.

Here’s how you do that:

First, cut your potatoes into smaller cubes than you probably do. (I’ve left the skins on for flavor and also, that’s where a lot of a potato’s nutrients are, like protien and iron and vitamins B and C, just to name a few)

The reason for cutting them smaller (besides avoiding giant peices of skin) is so that there is less space in the pot between each peice for water to fill, so you use less water to cook them. That’s important because you won’t be draining any water, so you can’t afford to have too much water! For the same reason, just barely cover them with water when they go on the stove.

But! Before you do that, put the pot on the stove with some butter, garlic, and seasonings; let the butter start to sizxle just a little then put most of a single layer of potatoes in the pan and let the brown and sear. Turn them, brown them on all sides, get ‘em fairly dark (I forgot to get a pic here because I was worried I’d burn the butter).

Ready? now throw the rest of the potatoes in right on top, and add your water, give them a stir. This way, you’re boiling in some of that lovely fried potato/french fry flavor.

Okay, so, as they cook, you may need to add a little water, not too much! ideally the very highest piece of potato will be poking just above the surface. Now, when your potatoes are really really soft, mash them directly into the water. Just pull them off the stove, leave all the water in, and start mashing. Trust me. At first you’ll think there’s too much water. If you get them mashed and they ARE a little too liquidy, just put ‘em back on the stove. You’ll have to stir often or constantly, but they will steam off additional water without losing any good stuff.

Now add some salt, and taste. Right?! And you haven’t even put in any cream or cheese or anything yet.

Speaking of which, you can use like, a third of the amount of butter or cream or anything, and they will still taste better than usual. So they taste better AND they are higher in nutrients AND lower in fats and salts! That’s a lot of win — enjoy your potatoes!

Fuck Columbus! Indigenous Rights! And happy Thanksgiving!

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“It is okay if you don’t complete things and goals as fast as other people do; we are all different people with different levels of skills and it’s okay to go at your own pace.”

— Unkown

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I responded to the booklist question! I'm sure I forgot some but whew it still took forever to write.

What about you? What are some of the books youve read the most?

Good question! I finally started keeping a list, so I have something to work from. That way I won't draw a blank.

My top five or six favorite authors and series are: J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, C. S. Lewis's Narnia books, Rosemary Sutcliff's Dolphin Ring series (beginning with Eagle of the Ninth), Enemy Brothers and The Reb and the Redcoats by Constance Savery the Queen's Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner, and The Mysterious Benedict Society (original trilogy and prequel) by Trenton Lee Stewart.

There are many other books and authors I love. I listed several of my childhood influences in this post featuring my 50 favorite children's books (focusing on ones I grew up with as a young person).

Here's my list of favorite books I've read the most or ones I think are worth rereading: The Ordinary Princess by M. M. Kaye (a delightful original fairytale about a princess who refuses to stay in her tower)

The Reluctant Godfather by Allison Tebo (romantic comedy fairytale retelling, with an emphasis on the comedy) Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien (adventure about a mother mouse seeking to save her family) The Gammage Cup by Carol Kendall (middle grade fantasy adventure)

Dragon Slippers and Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George (original fantasy in the style of fairytales) Princess Academy by Shannon Hale (fantasy adventure and coming-of-age story about a group of girls who attend school for the first time)

The Secret Keepers by Trenton Lee Stewart (urban light fantasy with dystopian elements) The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau (middle-grade, post-apocalyptic dystopian) The Arrival by Shaun Tan (a wordless graphic novel that conveys human experiences through surrealism)

The Saturdays by Elizabeth Enright (vintage contemporary about a lively family) Derwood, Inc. by Jeri Massi (modern contemporary mystery about another boisterous family) The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin (quirky vintage mystery with an interesting cast of characters) Historical Fiction: Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham Caddie Woodlawn, Family Grandstand, and other books by Carol Ryrie Brink Rebecca's War by Ann Finlayson Understood Betsy by Dorothy Canfield Fisher Knight's Fee by Rosemary Sutcliff

The Lost Baron by Allen French The Wheel on the School by Meindert DeJong By the Great Horn Spoon by Sid Fleischman A Single Shard and Seesaw Girl by Linda Sue Park The Bronze Bow and The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare The Secret Garden and A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell A few books I discovered more recently that are now all-time favorites: Seventh City by Emily Hayse, The Letter for the King by Tonke Dragt, Valiant by Sarah McGuire, Out of the Tomb by Ashley Stangl, the Mistmantle Chronicles by M. I. McAllister, Escape to Vindor by Emily Golus, Chase the Legend by Hannah Kaye, The Key to the Chains by Allison Tebo (sci-fi), Rebel Wave by Tor Thibeaux (undersea dystopian) Historical fiction: Listening for Lions and Angel on the Square by Gloria Whelan, Courage in Her Hands by Iris Noble, Victory at Valmy and Word to Caesar by Geoffrey Trease, historical fiction Westerns and mysteries by author Elisabeth Grace Foley

Mystery/suspense: The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman, The Moonspinners by Mary Stewart

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@healerqueen oh excellent thank you! Sometime soon I will figure out how to put this list somewhere for safekeeping! Lol I mean it. Only it's bedtime now so I need to put my phone down lol. Thank you for putting this list together! So much time is spent looking for books, you know. So I ended up deciding to try to make my way through the Newberry medal/honor books and while they're all well written they're just not all my scene. And then I started terry pratchet lol, so I'll get back to the Newberry list afterwards.

I responded to the booklist question! I'm sure I forgot some but whew it still took forever to write.

What about you? What are some of the books youve read the most?

Good question! I finally started keeping a list, so I have something to work from. That way I won't draw a blank.

My top five or six favorite authors and series are: J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, C. S. Lewis's Narnia books, Rosemary Sutcliff's Dolphin Ring series (beginning with Eagle of the Ninth), Enemy Brothers and The Reb and the Redcoats by Constance Savery the Queen's Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner, and The Mysterious Benedict Society (original trilogy and prequel) by Trenton Lee Stewart.

There are many other books and authors I love. I listed several of my childhood influences in this post featuring my 50 favorite children's books (focusing on ones I grew up with as a young person).

Here's my list of favorite books I've read the most or ones I think are worth rereading: The Ordinary Princess by M. M. Kaye (a delightful original fairytale about a princess who refuses to stay in her tower)

The Reluctant Godfather by Allison Tebo (romantic comedy fairytale retelling, with an emphasis on the comedy) Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien (adventure about a mother mouse seeking to save her family) The Gammage Cup by Carol Kendall (middle grade fantasy adventure)

Dragon Slippers and Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George (original fantasy in the style of fairytales) Princess Academy by Shannon Hale (fantasy adventure and coming-of-age story about a group of girls who attend school for the first time)

The Secret Keepers by Trenton Lee Stewart (urban light fantasy with dystopian elements) The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau (middle-grade, post-apocalyptic dystopian) The Arrival by Shaun Tan (a wordless graphic novel that conveys human experiences through surrealism)

The Saturdays by Elizabeth Enright (vintage contemporary about a lively family) Derwood, Inc. by Jeri Massi (modern contemporary mystery about another boisterous family) The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin (quirky vintage mystery with an interesting cast of characters) Historical Fiction: Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham Caddie Woodlawn, Family Grandstand, and other books by Carol Ryrie Brink Rebecca's War by Ann Finlayson Understood Betsy by Dorothy Canfield Fisher Knight's Fee by Rosemary Sutcliff

The Lost Baron by Allen French The Wheel on the School by Meindert DeJong By the Great Horn Spoon by Sid Fleischman A Single Shard and Seesaw Girl by Linda Sue Park The Bronze Bow and The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare The Secret Garden and A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell A few books I discovered more recently that are now all-time favorites: Seventh City by Emily Hayse, The Letter for the King by Tonke Dragt, Valiant by Sarah McGuire, Out of the Tomb by Ashley Stangl, the Mistmantle Chronicles by M. I. McAllister, Escape to Vindor by Emily Golus, Chase the Legend by Hannah Kaye, The Key to the Chains by Allison Tebo (sci-fi), Rebel Wave by Tor Thibeaux (undersea dystopian) Historical fiction: Listening for Lions and Angel on the Square by Gloria Whelan, Courage in Her Hands by Iris Noble, Victory at Valmy and Word to Caesar by Geoffrey Trease, historical fiction Westerns and mysteries by author Elisabeth Grace Foley

Mystery/suspense: The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman, The Moonspinners by Mary Stewart

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@healerqueen

Well I bet they're going to be excellent books and very up my alley!

You know I just rewatched the Anne of Green gables Netflix adaptation and wondered if there were any other versions. Now I'll go look for that 1985 one you mentioned!

Thanks for asking for the booklist! No one's ever asked me for it and I love books.

Lol I suspected I was giving you details you already knew about books I listed but it was possible you were just an excellent non non native English speaker or from Australia (I mean clearly youd still know the big names in another language/country but once I started giving descriptions you know).

Oh! Ive also listened to a ton of the great courses in history and archeology, esp things that take place before like 1500. Is there a particular time/place you like?

What are some of your favorite books or books you'd recommend?

@healerqueen

I've listened to all of the following at least five times lol hopefully some of them are new to you! But I saw you were an author so depending on what you write (what do you write?) they might all be familiar to you lol. * I admit I have not listened to the non fiction ones (are retellings of ancient Greek and Norse religious stories considered nonfiction if they're told in sort of an educational way?) more than once or twice.

* understood betsy (wholesome)

* Anne of Green gables (wholesome)

* pride and prejudice (rom with some com)

* northhanger abby (com with some rom)

* Ivanhoe (medieval based action sort of with definite com and a little rom)

* spells swords and stealth (series) (DnD world + regular world - light hearted)

* terry pratchet' Discworld (super lighthearted, magic. Skip through the description of the elephant and the turtle if you're not into it. Idk which books though I'm going through them all now for the first time and I can't keep their names in my head. The first two, a couple of the ones with rincewind, a couple of the ones with the witches and a couple of the ones with the night watch I re-listened to immediately after finishing). Not gonna lie, there are like five or six jokes hes made in the first 12 book that I absolutely hate and he wouldn't have gotten away with now.

* those wizarding books by she who should not be named on tumblr

* CANT BELIEVE I ALMOST FORGOT TO MENTION MY HOMIE RICK RIORDAN ) (I do not actually know him) LITERALLY ALL HIS GREEK/ROMAN BOOKS! I didn't realize he'd done any after the first five and goodness was I wrong. Greek/Roman brought to modern day? Action adventure fun with some more serious aspects.

* the marvelous land of snergs read by Stephen fry - I'm specific cuz I think one of the versions is an adaptation and I don't know which one it is (light hearted journey to magical land)

* little house on the prairie series up to little town on the prairie. That one starts to go in a direction I get less interested in. (Wholesome)

* The time travelers guide to medieval England - non fiction, admittedly only listened once but it was fun

* Unconventional Heroes series by L G Estrella (light hearted magical land fun group. The characters are a little overpowered sometimes but it's still a nice casual fun read/listen)

ianother one where at some point the main group

* the adventures of huckleberry fin! Light hearted adventure 1900?

*Matilda (light hearted sweet some magic)

* the da vinci code/angels and demons (don't recommend if you have any triggers, I skip parts) (sort of who done it + race to prevent a crisis + a cool sort of armchair indiana Jones )

* the utterly uninteresting and unadventurous tales of Fred the vampire accountant (light easygoing fantasy in modern world - at some point main group does start feeling overpowered)

* around the world in 80 days (most lighthearted of the three of jules's works that I know), journey to the center of the earth, 20000 leagues under the sea. (all sort of fun and adventurey and slightly fantastic but not magical, probably has a main character who's a professor or a scientist or eccentric intellect, 1880s maybe?)

* Pearls and Perils by drew Hayes (super fun comedy adventure sort of with a rag tag group and possibly a deity on an island modern day)

* the case of the damaged detective and the rest of the series - super fun sort of sherlock homes but modern day. Also drew Hayes.

* Edgedancer by Brandon Sanderson - magical other world with a hilariously irreverent main character and her sweetly stuffy partner in action who's a plant.

*the wizards butler by Nathan Lowell. Gotta warn you the main character does start off as a womanizer but it's just for character development and nothing very racy happens. Magic in the real world, mild action, adventure, and romance with some mystery.

* heroes by Stephen fry, troy by Stephen fry, mythos by Stephen fry, Norse mythology by Neil gaimon - all retellings of ancient religious stories (and a story about a war) for a modern reader. Heroes and mythos are about ancient Greek stuff

* the secret garden (sweet maybe 1870s?)

* CANT BELIEVE I ALMOST FORGOT MY BOY JRR TOLKIEN!!! Lotr, ttt, rotk

And things that should also be mentioned:

* twilight (vampires modern day romance)

* eragon (dragons other world action adventure)

* interview with a vampire (past and present?)

*the christi Agatha that took place on the nile and the one on the train (orient express) theyre who done it's

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huh. i just thought 'it's ok to not know what the hell is going on when you start learning something new' and it soothed my anxiety significantly