#the obsidian mirror

[pleas3pretendimnothere]

My mystery pain improved somewhat this month, so I was able to read four books! I'm still behind my 1-book-a-week goal, but whatever! I care more about my body feeling better. And it's too bad none of these books really stood out this month!

The Door In the Moon

By Catherine Fisher - This is the third book in Fisher's Obsidian Mirror series. The previous two books I enjoyed for their fast pacing and colorful characters. I did recommend adventure-enthusiasts read them! However, this third book may have changed my opinion somewhat...

This book feels like filler. By the end, I was asking, "Was an adventure in mid-revolution Paris really necessary?" It all felt a bit like pandering to the dramatic allure of this historical time period. The reader realizes the setting and thinks, "Uh-oh! How will our heroes get out of this one!" At least, I suppose that's what was the intended effect... It didn't pay off for me. Instead, the book shuffles things around in a way that should feel refreshing, but instead disappoints. Side characters whom I care very little for are reintroduced and made pivotal to the plot. Meanwhile, the series' most likeable characters are pushed into the background. This mix-up destroyed Fisher's usual intense pacing! And the big ending...well, it could have easily been the ending to the previous book. Why, why, why? What happened here!?

It's tough to be three books into a series and realize you've just read a worse book. You ask, "Do I still care?" And I think I do. The previous books were strong enough, so I will be finishing the series. I'll give my final verdict then!

Life After Life

By Kate Atkinson - A book opens with a woman assassinating Hitler. You, having freshly opened the scene in your mind, must decide: heroic, or campy? That question haunted my entire read.

The majority of Life is fantastic. Our protagonist Ursula Todd is reliving her own life over and over again. Each time she dies, she relives her life with new instincts, her own intuition linking her to the mistakes of her past failed lives. We as the readers see Ursula make mistakes, and then improve upon them in the next life. We see her at her lowest, and then at her highest. She makes decisions that have positive effects in some ways, and negative effects in others. Consequences riddle each small decision. Atkinson's ability to jump between lives, sometimes in ways that can be quite confusing to the reader, brings a huge amount of fun to this read. The reader constantly asks, "What will she do different? Will her life be better or worse? Do any of her decisions actually matter at all?"

And then you remember she is somehow going to kill Hitler. Huh???

Ultimately, Atkinson made it make sense. I too would kill Hitler if I realized he was the source of all despair in all my multitude of lives! Most importantly, this is emotional, thought-provoking literature. I often found myself reflecting on my own life and the decisions I make every day, how the smallest things might affect me years down the line. And then, I wonder if any of it really matters, or if it will all just end up undone.

I really enjoyed this read, but it is quite long, and the Hitler stuff comes off as quite distracting in this year of 2024. Still, I'd highly recommend you RENT IT!

Akata Witch

By Nnedi Okorafor - A thirteen-year-old American, albino girl of Nigerian parents returns to Nigeria, where she discovers she is part of a secret society of magic-users that spans the globe. It's giving Harry Potter and Percy Jackson, folks. It's a lot of fun.

Okorafor has written a children's novel that brings the readers into the world of African magic. It's tantalizing, it's magical, it's whimsical, and, in a wonderful Riordan-esque way, still quite serious! There are stakes and risk, and our adorable cast of characters must navigate huge responsibilities suddenly placed on their shoulders. And the story, the world, always, always, it's strange, and it's fun! I had a blast reading this.

Not a lot to say about Witch, but it's a delightful, quick and easy read. If you're looking for something light and refreshing like Rick Riordan, definitely RENT IT!

God Emperor of Dune

By Frank Herbert - And now for something completely different. The brilliant new Dune film inspired my return to the books, all of which I'd gobbled up. Dune was incredibly detailed and wise. Dune Messiah was a reflective finale to its predecessor. Children of Dune brought us back into the weird intrigue and horror of Arrakis. And God Emperor...um. Don't read this book....

Wow. This book was bad. I didn't think it possible, but hoo boy! The people weren't kidding when they said "Just read the first three!" This book is a miserable, patronizing slog.

There is virtually no plot. The God Emperor Leto II spends 80% of the book taking guests into his chamber and philosophizing at them. Herbert's writing is astonishingly nuanced and intelligent--to a fault. There's so much nonsense wordplay, that at some point, you just stop trying to understand any of it. You lose interest. You ask, 300 pages in, "Wait, what the hell happened to Siona???" Then, when Duncan cries out in fear of two girls kissing, you ask, "Is Dune bad??"

And the philosophy! Good god, it's dated. Hope you enjoy sexism and homophobia in your worldly discussions! Just know I spent a lot of time laughing. (That's right! Male armies always tend towards homosexuality, which always leads to self-destruction! I so agree, Frank!!)

If you loved Dune like I did, you will not love this book. If you MUST read it, I'd advise a tailored reading experience, where all the pointless nonsense is skipped. That would be a good 70%. Otherwise, SKIP IT!

[kdkeenan]

Star Trek, The Original Series: How Far We've Come Since We Boldly Went

Note: I am taking a break from “My Big Fat Weight Loss Campaign.” I hope to have positive progress soon, but right now I am stuck in the doldrum of dieting, despite Ozempic. Here’s something else to chew on. I have been rewatching Star Trek: The Original Series (ST:TOS to fans), which is the first time I have viewed the series since its original airing in the 1960s. I just watched an episode…

[jimmycarterghostland]

I have The Slanted Worlds novel by Catherine Fisher. It's book two of the Obsidian Mirror series. I'm a bit fond of this book. One thing that irritates me, though, is the emotional coldness. Like, I don't get the feeling that the characters care about each other. And that makes it hard for me to connect with them. Like, Maskelyne is supposed to be Rebecca's boyfriend, but they don't seem like it at all. Seriously, not at all! They never even kiss. Rebecca seems like his work assistant more than anything. It's weird. There's no physical affection between them, either. I hate that.

I also have a problem with the multiple POVs per chapter thing. I wish it were like the A Song of Ice and Fire books, where there is one POV per chapter. It makes things easier to read. And it would be nice if the character's ages were stated more. Plus, I hate the main villain, Summer, as a character. She's annoying more than anything.

But there is some stuff I like about the novel. Sarah, the girl from the future, is my favorite character. And the prose is good. This book has great similes and imagery. The novel could be better, though.

[thunderstruck9]

Stephen Chambers (British, 1960), Obsidian Mirror 2. Oil on gesso panel, 62 x 52 x 4 cm (framed)

[chiropteracupola]

"Are you finished with my portrait yet? Show me!" "Cipacton, I can't draw you if you keep moving!"

[artifacts-and-arthropods]

Prehistoric Mirrors from Turkey, c.6,000 BCE: these are the oldest manufactured mirrors in the world, dating back to about 8,000 years ago; they were meticulously crafted from pieces of obsidian

Above: two of the obsidian mirrors from Çatalhöyük (Turkey); this pair was found buried together back in 2012

At least eight of these obsidian mirrors have been discovered at a Neolithic site known as Çatalhöyük, which is located in Turkey. All of the mirrors date back to roughly 8,000 years ago, and each one was crafted from a chunk of obsidian (volcanic glass) that was knapped into the shape of a disc and then meticulously polished with progressively finer abrasives until a smooth, slightly convex surface had been developed.

Some of these mirrors can still produce remarkably clear reflections, even after 8,000 years.

Sources & More Info:

The Archaeologist: World's Oldest Mirrors Found at Neolithic Çatalhöyük Site

Çatalhöyük Research Project: Archive Report from 2012 (PDF download)

Çatalhöyük Research Project: Main Website

The Past: Cyber Archaeology, How 3D Modeling is Unpeeling the Neolithic at Çatalhöyük

[iron-sparrow]

Elftober 【第十九天】 Neon

ELFTOBER PROMPT LIST

[uncontrol-freak]

>692068617665206C6F7374206D7920666169746820696E20776861742773206F757473696465<

[artifacts-archive]

Obsidian Mirror

Aztec

1200-1521 CE (mirror) 16th century (frame)

Obsidian, a volcanic glass, was used to make cutting tools as well as delicate ornaments. It was valued for its reflective qualities and employed in the form of mirrors for divining. Such mirrors were associated with powerful rulers and divinities: the name of a major Aztec god, Tezcatlipoca, means "smoking mirror." The gilded wood frame of this example likely dates to the colonial period and is carved with alternating flower and step-fret symbols.

source

[ravewing]

you guys know what would be really cool if like they made a toy of the obsidian mirror yk . liek do you guys see the vision

[teejaystumbles]

I, uh, drew my OC for a change. I'm sorry Mic, I promise to come back to you guys eventually 😶‍🌫️

[pleas3pretendimnothere]

I'm going to make a little diary on here from now on! I love talking about fiction, and I tend to dislike a lot of "popular" fiction, so that leads me to reading whatever book I pick up that has an interesting summary! However, that means whenever I read a book, I don't know anyone else who's read it! I don't have any (ANY) friends that enjoy reading as much as I do, so I'm just going to put my thoughts down on here!

I started reading more vigorously last year, because last year was the first I wasn't working (I was an RN in the US, but I moved to Tokyo, where I can't work without a Japanese license). By then, I'd collected over 90 books on my bookshelf that I hadn't read, so when the New Year started, I decided it was time to tackle them! This year, I want to discuss what I read with...anyone!!! (and i don't have a twitter...) So keep reading!!

Proxy

By Alex London - Because I've been collecting so many books for so long, I tend to have a lot of YA fiction that's sat on my shelf for years and years and years going unread. This is one of those books! I fully went into this one expecting it to be another terribly developed YA novel. That can be very hit or miss--some YA novels are so bad, they become impossible to put down. It's like looking at a car crash!

Proxy was bad bad, and that's because it was disappointing. The book starts with a lot of positive surprises. It's a cyberpunk retelling of The Whipping Boy, where the hyper-wealthy are able to employ vulnerable, poor "proxies" to inherit their debts and legal punishments in exchange for an education. For cyberpunk, this is a match made in heaven. It made so much sense, I asked myself, "How has this not been done before?" And then, you quickly learn that the main character is LGBT! What a refreshing surprise from a 2013 sci-fi YA novel! All of this was setting up the book to be fresh, fun, and new. Unfortunately, it was none of those things.

The first half of the book is quite strong, setting up interesting characters with compelling dilemmas in a frightening, nonsensical world. The second half falls into the YA pitfall. As action ramps up, pacing ramps down. Things that appeared to make sense no longer do. And of course, now there is a rebel faction, and only our MC can lead them. And, wonderfully, the gay love story--spoilers here--doesn't end well! What a shocker!

Not worth anyone's time, building up an exciting novel only to crash and burn so hard. Read Snow Crash instead, and please SKIP IT!

Rot and Ruin

By Jonathan Maberry - Here is another book that's been with me for ages and ages. This one is a 2010 zombie YA novel. I have so much to say about this book, and unfortunately, it's quite like Proxy. A lot of good ideas, but poor execution.

This book has been recognized very positively, and it's clear why. The book is all about humanity. Introducing a concept like a "closure specialist"--a bounty hunter who specifically finds and puts to rest loved ones lost to the zombie pandemic--was a spectacular idea. It makes sense for any zombie world, and yet, I've never read about it! However, the extent to which this concept is explored doesn't always read well. The narrative wants you to sympathize with zombies, seeing them less as hungry packs of senseless wolves, but instead as hordes of human victims who were never properly put to rest. That's hard to understand. I mean, they want my brains! Maybe they were people once, but I could never see them as still human! Maybe that's the fault of Maberry's, or the concept of zombies itself. So while I LOVED the "closure specialist" angle, the book's goal of creating empathy for zombies falls quite flat.

My central issue was the book's pacing. For a zombie novel, it's incredibly slow from beginning to end. Even when exciting things are happening, it felt like a slog, perhaps due to our MC's frequent lack of agency. Often, characters are telling our MC pages and pages of more interesting things that happened far in their past--believe me, this apocalyptic world is cool, we'll tell you about it! The MC's brother is constantly showing the reader what a more compelling MC he would have been! What a shame! Instead, we are stuck with a rather annoying, childish young MC, whose contribution to the story, by the conclusion, feels minute.

So many good ideas, and in fact, one of the most powerful, emotional Epilogues I've read in a long time, but overall quite boring. Took me 3 weeks to read! If you love zombie fiction, this is worth a RENT IT . Otherwise, SKIP IT!

Her Fearful Symmetry

By Audrey Niffenegger - Here is a 2009 novel about a pair of young American twins who inherit their estranged aunt's London flat. Little do they realize, the flat is being haunted... That is the summary that attracted me to Her Fearful Symmetry. I see often the "Horror" genre tacked on to this one. The only horror is the book's lackluster story.

This is a beautifully written piece that left me asking, "Why?" Why was this book written? Who was it written for? Two eccentric 21-year-old sisters, who are virtually connected at the hip and share a mutual lack of ambition, move into a mysterious flat, where they both fall into the arms or the poor, emotionally damaged male neighbors who are twice their age. One man is married and struggling with severe OCD--oh, have pity on him! The other was romantically involved with the aunt. What an interesting choice!

There is a real charm somewhere in here. It's clear that Niffenegger fell in love with London's Highgate Cemetery--she even went on to give volunteer tours of the cemetery following her work on this novel, which is so incredibly sweet! Love for the cemetery reads clearly all throughout and is undoubtedly the strength of the novel, but unfortunately, it's made background to a story that left me confused and sometimes uncomfortable (I am so tired of girls in their 20s dating men in the 40s). Even worse, it's predictable in all the wrong ways. I was never surprised by the story, impressed by the concepts, or invested in a character. I just kept asking, "Why?"

And when the plot twist hit? Ugh! Silly, and overcomplicated. Trying to relay it to my husband just made him laugh. SKIP IT!

The Slanted Worlds

By Catherine Fisher - This is the second novel in Fisher's 2012-2016 Obsidian Mirror series. Thankfully, I didn't read ALL bad books this month. While this book, much like its predecessor, isn't incredibly new or special, it's executed well enough to keep me invested.

The writing isn't special, but it's approachable to readers of all ages, and luckily, the story and characters are enough to keep you glued to the page. If you're able to suspend your disbelief and consume a book about time-travel, this is great addition to the scif-fi genre! There are elements to the story that are confusing, as time-travel is doomed to be, but that is rescued by the book's colorful cast of characters. Each contender is technically working with everyone else, and yet, they all have their own conflicting motive surrounding the series' McGuffin. It's executed well enough that I am constantly wondering who is going to snap first and betray the group. That works magic for the pacing! Every character has secrets waiting to be discovered by both the characters and the reader!

There is an emotional aspect missing from this book, but the rest of it is so strange and magical and weird, that I couldn't help but zip through this one. Wonderfully paced, RENT IT!

Tada! And that was January! Thank you if you read this, and I'll be back at the end of February!

[kdkeenan]

My Big Fat Weight Loss Campaign: Part 3—The New Weight-Loss Drug Merry-Go-Round

The media is full of stories about the new class of weight-loss drugs, of which the best-known are Ozempic and Wegovy. I’m not going to get into the other drugs currently on the market. That would take up a lot of time and this post isn’t about the industry. What is the difference between Ozempic and Wegovy? There isn’t any difference. They are both a drug called semaglutide. They are both…

[gotta-bail-my-quails]

i gave up on this version so here's my unfinished masquerade ball toland submission like. ten months late

yes i do not know how to draw pants, yes he is wearing his chains from prison around his neck to a ball presumably filled with people who would love to put his ass back in prison. he's funny like that

[fabledfoxglove]

Love it when the universe sends you “gifts”

I’ve been wanting an obsidian mirror for a while now, not strictly for divination per se I just really like obsidian. Anyways I had never seen one in person anywhere I went, and I was hesitant to buy it online bc everything’s drop shipped garbage nowadays. Today was the day of the season ender of this witchy market thing I go to, and what do you know it one of the first vendors I walk past has obsidian mirrors.

Thanks universe!

[bendiciones444]

does anyone have tips on scrying ♡