#serial destiny right now is an objective nightmare

[tielt]

Trigger warning break, you can actually not read things like this.

One of my NDE I experienced something that I felt like was death. Imagine you are a set of bones and you are projected onto a plane, like a silhouette on a flat surface. Imagine the surface are many small squares of glass and these squares fracture into many slightly separated squares. The self disassociates, the squares are briefly overlapping in uncomfortable ways. You loose the thought whatever you were thinking, the decision most likely. The squares on the plane reassemble into a flat surface. You can't remember what you were thinking, but you know it was a death thought. The processor running your fork of reality experiences massive flux as many branches on your fork were cauterized. You are glad you cannot remember the thought.

This is what dying looks like.

[mariaslozak]

Witch-themed romance reads, some past, some future, with a couple of books from other genres.

Bewitched, an anthology by Lisa Higdon, Susan Krinard, Amy Elizabeth Saunders, and Maggie Shayne, whose novella Everything She Does Is Magick has a Sleeping Beauty-esque trio of aunts furtively wielding their magic to ensure the unwitting hero’s virginity stays intact until such a time as he and their protegee will fall for each other. Whether you’ll enjoy it probably depends on your feelings about the premise and if the enemies to lovers interaction between the heroine and hero strikes you as hilarious or immature.

Eternity by Maggie Shayne “Three hundred years ago, Raven St. James was accused of witchcraft...Only one man tried to free her from the hangman's noose--Duncan, the town minister, who died trying to save her. Three hundred years later, the accused witch still lives and longs for her love...At last, after centuries of loneliness, Raven has found her precious Duncan. But as he awakens to the passion of his past life, so too does the evil that tore them apart. Now Raven and Duncan must prove their love for all eternity.” (TBR)

The Witch and the Warrior by Karyn Monk, a medieval set in Scotland. “Suspected of witchcraft, Gwendolyn MacSween has been condemned to being burned at the stake at the hands of her own clan. Yet rescue comes from a most unlikely source. Mad Alex MacDunn, laird of the mighty rival clan MacDunn, is a man whose past is scarred with tragedy and loss. His last hope lies in capturing the witch of the MacSweens--and using her magic to heal his dying son. He expects to find an old hag....Instead he finds a young woman of unearthly beauty. There's only one problem: Gwendolyn has no power to bewitch or to heal. Now she must pretend to be a sorceress--or herself perish.” (TBR; have enjoyed a couple of non-medieval historicals by this author.)

A Witch’s Handbook of Kisses and Curses by Molly Harper. “Nola Leary would have been content to stay in Kilcairy, Ireland, healing villagers at her family’s clinic with a mix of magic and modern medicine. But a series of ill-timed omens and a deathbed promise to her grandmother have sent her on a quest to Half-Moon Hollow, Kentucky, to secure her family’s magical potency for the next generation. Complication One: the artifacts [she needs to unearth] are lost somewhere in what is now Jane Jameson's book shop. Complication Two: her new neighbor, Jed Trudeau, who keeps turning up half naked at the strangest times, a distraction Nola doesn't need.” (Currently reading.)

Met By Moonlight by Rosemary Edghill. “When modern day witch Diana Crossways plunges back to 1647 England, she learns that a mysterious man she saw in Salem, Massachusetts is a notorious witch hunter. He holds the power of life and death over Diana--but she also inflames his desire.” (I gave this one a B a few years back.)

Magical Memories by Donna Fletcher. Contemporary set in Scotland. “As one of the world’s most powerful witches, Tempest possesses the ability to do anything - except men her own broken heart. Many years ago, her lover was corrupted by his own magic power, and she was forced to imprison him in a mystical limbo. Unable to forgive herself, Tempest has never allowed another man to get close to her... until now. While navigating her car through a fierce blizzard, Tempest accidentally hits Michael Deeds, injuring his leg. [At her home, where she has taken him to heal, the two begin to fall for each other.] But is Michael the new love she’s been searching for - or someone from her past she dared not believe she’d ever see again?” (TBR)

Bewitching by Jill Barnett. Regency. “Alec, Duke of Belmore, did as he pleased - and he wanted to marry the beautiful, bubbly girl who had positively bewitched him: Joyous MacQuarrie, who had appeared from nowhere and turned stately Belmore Park upside down with merriment and mischief. It hardly mattered that her Scottish bloodline was shrouded in mystery. But Alec's heated desire turned ice-cold when he discovered that this winsome lady was, in fact, a witch --- whose powers of white magic were not always perfectly under control ...Too late, Joy knew she was desperately in love and that nothing could stop the course of their destiny --- the scandal threatening to destroy her and the passion that held them both spellbound in a forbidden, irresistible match.” (This charmed an A from me and became an instant favourite a long time ago.)

Thornyhold by Mary Stewart. From a different period than her wonderful vintage romantic suspense, this book has a much subtler, quieter flavour, being sweet and gentle instead of tense and gothicky. The romance is secondary. “To Cilly, the house, deep in the wild wood, was an enchantment, left to her by the cousin whose occasional, magical visits had brightened her childhood. And as she explored, she discovered more about the woman who had come to seem like a fairy godmother to her: her herbalist’s skills, her still room, her abilities to foresee and heal. She discovered also that the local people believed that Cilly had inherited not just the house but the magical spell-weaving powers that lived on in the house and garden. Slowly, she came to realise that they were right.” (This one needs a reappraisal from me as my original, long ago C+ was based on disapponted expectations.)

50 Ways To Hex Your Lover by Linda Wisdom. @ameliafeministpeabody‘s recent mention inspired me to add this humorous contemporary paranormal, first in a series, to my TBR! The heroine is “a witch who can’t stay out of trouble” and the hero “a vampire cop on the trail of a serial killer.”

Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho. Romantic historical fantasy. The author apparently has mentioned Georgette Heyer and Susannah Clarke (Jonathan Stange and Mr. Norrell) as her major influences. “At his wit’s end, Zacharias Wythe, freed slave, eminently proficient magician, and Sorcerer Royal of the Unnatural Philosophers—one of the most respected organizations throughout all of Britain—ventures to the border of Fairyland to discover why England’s magical stocks are drying up.But when his adventure brings him in contact with a most unusual comrade, a woman with immense power and an unfathomable gift, he sets on a path which will alter the nature of sorcery in all of Britain—and the world at large...” (Reading next)

The Witches of New York by Ami McKay. Gilded Age fantasy fiction. “Two hundred years after the trials in Salem, Adelaide Thom has left her life in the sideshow to open a tea shop with another young woman who feels it's finally safe enough to describe herself as a witch: a former medical student and "gardien de sorts" (keeper of spells), Eleanor St. Clair. Together they cater to Manhattan's high society ladies, specializing in cures, palmistry and potions--and in guarding the secrets of their clients. All is well until one bright September afternoon, when an enchanting young woman named Beatrice Dunn arrives at their door seeking employment. Beatrice soon becomes indispensable as Eleanor's apprentice, but her new life with the witches is marred by strange occurrences. She sees things no one else can see. She hears voices no one else can hear. Objects appear out of thin air, as if gifts from the dead. Has she been touched by magic or is she simply losing her mind? Eleanor wants to tread lightly and respect the magic manifest in the girl, but Adelaide sees a business opportunity. Working with Dr. Quinn Brody, a talented alienist, she submits Beatrice to a series of tests to see if she truly can talk to spirits. Amidst the witches' tug-of-war over what's best for her, Beatrice disappears, leaving them to wonder whether it was by choice or by force.As Adelaide and Eleanor begin the desperate search for Beatrice, they're confronted by accusations and spectres from their own pasts. In a time when women were corseted, confined and committed for merely speaking their minds, were any of them safe?” (TBR, thanks to @seashells-and-bookshelves)

Dance Upon The Air by Nora Roberts. One of the consistently best loved romances by this genre legend. “When Nell Channing arrives on charming Three Sisters Island, she believes that she’s finally found refuge from her abusive husband - and from the terrifying life she fled so desperately eight months ago. But even in this quiet, peaceful place, Nell never feels entirely at ease. Careful to conceal her true identity, she takes a job as a cook at the local bookstore café - and begins to explore her feelings for the island sheriff, Zack Todd. But there is a part of herself she can never reveal to him - for she must continue to guard her secrets if she wants to keep the past at bay. One careless word, one misplaced confidence, and the new life she’s created so carefully could shatter completely. Just as Nell starts to wonder if she’ll ever be able to break free of her fear, she realizes that the island suffers under a terrible curse - one that can only be broken by the descendants of the Three Sisters, the witches who settled the island back in 1692. And now, with the help of two other strong, gifted women—and with the nightmares of the past haunting her every step—she must find the power to save her home, her love…and herself.” (TBR)

The Witches of All Saints by Jill Tattersall. Vintage gothic Regency. “It is February, 1811, in the countryside outside Brighton, England. In every house are people who have been terrified by the most brutal murder ever to occur in the area. Not only has this murder of well-known young woman shocked and repulsed them; it has also raised their deepest suspicions and fears for the safety of their own lives. For the murder had been the handiwork of more than one person, in fact of a group. A group of witches.Tansy Tremayne, coming to live with her aunt's family on their estate, arrived at the dreadful moment of the murder itself - indeed, witnessed a part of the ritual. Witnessed and was witnessed - by one of the participants. He was wrapped in witch's robe, the thin, diabolical music of the flute playing around him. He was someone Tansy would recognize...“ (Tattersall wrote several of the better gothics in the sixties and seventies. B- from me.)