It depends how expensive it was and what type of product it is and whether I can return it. If I can return it, I will. If I can’t, I try to think of another use for it (like I’ve definitely used acids on my arms/legs/body and also moisturizers I don’t love for my face). If it’s really gonna get kicked to the curb, then I have a “to give away” bag in my guest bathroom. I usually only dump it out and give it away once a quarter-ish so if I haven’t come back to get that product before the next giveaway, it’s gone on to its next home lol

I can be very all or nothing as well. Two things I’ve found helpful is having different “tiers” of a routine and having a visual reminder. So, for example, with my workout routine, I have to at least get on my peloton every day. That’s it. I could do a 5 minute ride. I could do a stretch class. I could watch a show and just ride.. but most of the time I end up meeting one of my other goals because I already got dressed and I’m already working out. I’ve worked out every day this whole year (and almost all of those days at least 30 minutes) and that’s never happened any other time in my whole life lol.

Then I have a desk calendar and I bought dry erase markers. On my desk calendar I have colored pens and I can put a check on that days box for each goal I meet (workout, drank all my water, did my skincare routine etc). I like “collecting” the checks! And dry erase markers are for my bathroom mirror (if you have room). For example, I wanted to use a retinol every third night. At the beginning of the month I wrote out every date and then when I actually do it I get to check off that night. It’s also helpful that I just see it every time I’m in my bathroom!

I know it has food in the title but I’d give The Kamogawa Food Detectives a try.

Or maybe Shady Hollow would fit the bill? Woodland creatures live in a nice little town harmoniously, until someone is found dead and a reporter is on the case.

You could also try Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder.

Something else I’ve gotten into over the past year or so is middle grade novels lol. To me, when I was looking for “cozy” sometimes I just wanted something comforting and low stakes. So you can count on middle grade novels for that.

Beatriz Williams is one of my top five favorite authors. I devour anything by her and I’ve LOVED these multi-author novels she has done.

The Darker Shades series is one of my favorite in that whole genre, although I have not read the newer 2023 “spin off” so I can’t speak for that one.

However, everything else I’ve read by the same author has been either a DNF or a 3ish star. None of them live up to that series imo.

I don’t know about injectables. Yes, a dermatologist will write a prescription for tret, though. I had my first appointment and just asked the prescription (for anti aging) and she said yep sure. I’m not sure how she “coded” it; I still had to pay about $70 for the 6 month supply. It replaced a lot of other stuff I had in my routine so that’s worth it to me! Then I just re-up every year and usually don’t even need an appointment. Actually this year I went to a new PCP in the same network and he refilled my prescription too. Super easy.

I have a hard cover with a magnetic front/latch. My sister has a popsocket on the back of her kindle so it’s easier to hold which is so smart. And, depending on how “lazy” your gift recipient is, you could do one of those gooseneck holders with a page clicker lol. I say that with love because I really want that set up!

Usually 2-3 at most for something that is HG status. However, are any of us counting backups of the Ole Henriksen lip balm..

Because, if so, it’s way more than 3 😂

This is an important PSA and I learned this lesson in college lol. My friend managed to fuse some bright pink plastic (from one of those little plastic drawers) into my hair with a curling wand. So.. my was not quite near the bottom but my hair was long enough and it was a small enough piece that we cut it out. I could still do all my normal hairstyles but when you pulled out that one piece it was INCHES shorter than everywhere else 😂

I didn’t read that one and I didn’t add it to my list after finishing Anita. The reviews I saw said it was a little underwhelming and that plus it being written first/before Anita, I wasn’t interested enough.

I know I’m late to this; I started What We Do in the Shadows this week—omg it’s so funny! It was recommended on a podcast that I love but I didn’t have Hulu. It’s described as a comedy horror mockumentary which on its own is funny. It’s a group of vampires living in a home on Staten Island and a documentary crew is following them. If I had to describe some of the plots, they would sound so unhinged. This has been so fun!

I’m starting to integrate more Kindle books into my audiobook rotation so it’s been nice to look through my Libby lists for books that are Kindle only vs audio.

No One Goes Alone by Erik Larson, on audiobook. I DNF’d this one but I think I’ll go back to it. I actually fell asleep while listening to it at night at about the halfway point so it was an accidental DNF. However I didn’t like it enough to try to figure out what I had missed. It’s a ghost story so maybe I’ll save it for spooky season!

Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng, on audiobook ⭐️⭐️⭐️. Set in small town Ohio in the 1970s, a daughter goes missing and is later found dead (not a spoiler). Then the book goes on to explain how her parents got to this point and some of the fractures in the family, including her siblings. Meh. This isn’t my type of book anyway because nothing really “happens” and I liked Little Fires Everywhere better.

Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xochitl Gonzalez, on audiobook ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5. Really great narration! Anita’s voice came through very passionately which makes sense in context of the story. Anita was a rising star in the art world but then found dead in 1985. In 1996, a young art student becomes interested in Anita’s story and starts to see some parallels with her own struggles.

Recursion by Blake Crouch, on audiobook. DNF for me. I just wasn’t interested and couldn’t follow the story. I think I’m just not a Sci-fi gal sadly.

The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi, on Kindle book. I’m not finished yet but I’m about 70% through. I really like it so far! I needed a fairly short and “simple” read to get me back on track as I’ve had quite a few duds this month. I added to this my list for the Book Riot challenge (can’t remember the category) so it’ll be nice to start working on some of those tasks again.

I panicked! Lol. I feel like I’ve been logging in.. a lot and I never saw anything in my portal.

All the thrillers I’ve read with that podcast-type trope or pacing I’ve enjoyed so I’m going to put this one on my list as well!

Oooooh This Poison Heart looks good! The Goodreads summary had me at “inheriting rural estate” and “mysterious walled garden” lol

Kristin Hannah is hit or miss for me. I freaking loved The Nightingale but then I read The Great Alone (which could have ended probably 4 times before it actually did) and it made me rethink what else I’d read from her. I feel like all her other books are really a mixed bag, review-wise. My sister read The Women and said it was so depressing and same about The Four Winds so I’m not convinced I’ll read either one. Definitely DNF if you aren’t feeling it!

I diligently read this thread every Sunday and throughout the week to check on new comments and yet I forget to post! This is what I’ve gotten to in April, mostly audio but maybe one or two on Kindle.

A School for German Brides by Aimie K Runyan ⭐️⭐️⭐️. Possibly a 2.5 but l’ll round up because I’m a sucker for WWII fiction even though the aforementioned school only crops up in the last 25% of the novel? A young woman is sent by her father to live with her aunt and uncle in Berlin so that she will have better prospects. It’s luxurious but political and she’s soon matched with a German officer against her will. At the same time, a German Jewish woman is navigating the new laws and is trying to leave the country. Paths cross and tensions run high. The story is neatly wrapped up in an epilogue.

The Ogress and the Orphans by Kelly Barnhill ⭐️⭐️⭐️. Cute story. A town is suffering under its selfish mayor but the blame is cast upon a reclusive ogress. The town’s children band together to solve the mystery of the mayor and stand up for the ogress.

The Fortune Seller by Rachel Kapelke-Dale ⭐️⭐️⭐️. Meh. Slow burn thriller/mystery about a group of college girls that are pretty tight knit until a newcomer is on the scene. Everyone treats her a little bit differently and then there’s a turn. Half the book is the MC figuring out what exactly happened a few years later and starting to put more pieces together.

Starling House by Alix E. Harrow ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5. Not sure if it gets an extra .5 for being more interesting than the previous string of 3 star reads. Gothic about a small town with a haunted house. Our MC is hired as a housekeeper of sorts and starts to unravel the house’s mysteries while trying to keep her younger brother in school and safe.

Did You Hear About Kitty Karr? By Crystal Paul Smith ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. A white movie star dies and bequeaths her entire estate to a trio of wealthy (and famous) black sisters. One of the sisters investigates in the present while getting a hold of Kitty’s journal from the 50s and beyond.

Shady Hollow by Juneau Black ⭐️⭐️⭐️. This is the first in a series about Shady Hollow, a town filled with woodland creatures. A fox is investigating the murder of a toad and ends up stirring up a lot more as she digs deeper. Pretty wholesome and easy listening. I liked it enough to put a hold on the second book.

Only If You’re Lucky by Stacy Willingham ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. Hm now that I’m writing this out, similar tone and characters to The Fortune Seller but I liked this better. Margot goes to college but has a hard time making friends. Lucy invites Margot into her own, popular group. A few girls move into a house rented to them by a fraternity and this book is set over the course of that year of college with some flashbacks to Margot’s past. Well at some point a frat boy is murdered and simultaneously Lucy disappears. The girls are left to figure out who Lucy was and where did she go. I thought the pacing was really good and the final twist caught me off guard!

Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfield ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. This author is hit or miss for me but I loved this one! An SNL-type comedy show writer hits it off with one of the hosts, a famous musician hottie. Their week ends on a sour note but they reconnect a couple years later during the pandemic. Romance ensues but it never turned too cheesy for me; the MCs are both in their late 30s, have careers, etc and I think the book did a good job of characterizing COVID isolation and reconnections and such.

I had a hearing in early December and still haven’t gotten an answer one way or the other. The only issue that they asked about was a grievance filed against me in another state where I’m licensed and that grievance was dismissed. I did work with an attorney and she said there is no typical or promised timeline so I’ll likely get my bar exam and MPRE results before a C&F resolution. My committee is just other attorneys who volunteer for the spot 🙃

I’ve wanted to order from them and never have. I’d be worried to after this exchange. And then I remembered that I did reach out on Instagram to ask about their monthly subscription box. I asked if they had a highlight somewhere (I did check beforehand on their site and entire insta) about maybe some prior boxes, just to get an idea of whether I wanted to sign up. The response I got back was kinda weird and unprofessional. Not rude, it just felt like someone responding off the cuff and not really answering my question, starting with “well it’s not a box, it’s one or 2 candles a month plus maybe a goodie or 2” and then four more separate messages lol. Again, not the worst interaction in the world but I definitely didn’t sign up.

The way I keep coming back to check in on everyone’s orders lol! I ordered 15 lip balms, got an order confirmation, then got a product oos email the next day. My other reminder emails only list 10 balms/2 flavors but I was charged for the whole order and it says the Citrus lip balms are “processing”.. plus they are back in stock on the site. So I’m wondering if they’ll still ship those but just separately which would be awesome!

$150 once a month for 2bed/2bath. Usually a team of two and it takes them about an hour. I don’t tip except at the holidays.

I’m currently trying to be in this boat, lol. I’m definitely better this year and I’m starting to appreciate that I’ve found by stand-bys and need to stick with those. I will let myself repurchase one of those if there’s a really good sale but limiting to only having one backup. I brought an absolutely ENORMOUS bag of skincare and makeup (some completely unused..) to Christmas this year for my whole family to dig through and take home. While that’s fun, it’s a lot of wasted money for me! For things like sunscreen, I’ll let myself have two in current rotation so I don’t get bored. I’ve actually enjoyed the feeling of finishing an entire product and then replacing it; I have a little empties drawer so I can visually keep track and it’s been fun to do product reviews and such.

I just placed an order at 6AM EST and got a confirmation so hopefully it worked. I spent too long trying to play around with which other bundles would work (like the Dewtopia duo did but the toner duo did not) and then realized I’d never get through that many serums before they expired.. even gifting some! So I just went with the 15 lip treatments lol. Definitely giving some away as gifts, assuming the order isn’t canceled. I couldn’t figure out how to change any of the flavors in the bundle so it’s just an even split across all three. It let me add the 5 bundles even though on some pages it said sold out. So who knows! 🤷🏻‍♀️

Lol I won’t give you my one rec that’s in a pot! I get your aversion though; I only use at night as part of my skincare routine but I would HATE using is during the day, multiple times.

So my tube recommendation is a newer one that I’ve been loving: the Ole Henriksen Pout Preserve Peptide Lip Treatment. I’ve only been using the original/citrus for about a month but it’s fantastic. I use it every morning and I’m about to pick up a second strawberry one. It’s lovely. Squeezes easily, has a good texture, is not tacky or stringy/sticky, and I can really see a difference in lip softness.

Thanks for sharing! This has been on my wishlist but I’ve really been doing pick up only orders for a while so this helped give me the nudge I needed lol. I really wish my Shiseido oil cleanser was in stock since it’s exactly $35. I picked up two other oil/balm cleansers to try instead.