u/BirdHistorical8774

Hi, all, turning 37 this fall and (surprised but very happily!) 8 weeks pregnant. My first pregnancy was when I was 22, and a few in between, so obviously quite a wide range there. I have had very strong nausea (refuse to call it "morning" sickness because it's 24/7) with all of my babies, so that part is not surprising. It's all of the other things that are kind of shocking me with how intense they are, to the point that I wondered if I was having twins (ultrasound says no, lol). My breasts are sooo incredibly sensitive and heavy all the time, I have to pee absolutely constantly, I can barely keep my eyes open all day long and get worn out on short walks, etc. This week, expected symptoms include "light period-type cramps as your uterus expands" -- meanwhile, I've been bedridden all day with the cramps.

Is this normal?! I know my hormones were all over the place before getting pregnant, but I'm really just floored by all that I've apparently forgotten. Anyone here relate? Does it get easier? Happy to hear advice or just commiseration! 😉

Interested in your recommendations for this! Meaning, someone actively sets out to seduce the other person, and it takes time and skill to do so (not "insta-love").

I really enjoyed the 2012 Anna Karenina, for example, and thought Vronsky's pursuit of Anna was very well done. She was not looking for an extramarital relationship, and there was no love at first sight (attraction, certainly, but subdued). It was his relentless pursuit that finally paid off in the short-term.

So, looking for other movies or shows that showcase this really well! Any subgenre will do (historical, contemporary, fantasy, anything but horror). Thanks so much for your suggestions! 😊

**Edit to add: not sure why only Russian novel examples are occurring to me right now 😅, but the War and Peace BBC mini-series also had a great episode with this theme!

**Trigger warning for pregnancy loss mention**

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If I can make it to this Sunday without miscarrying, I will be further along than my last 3 pregnancies have made it. I am so anxious, having trouble sleeping, etc, which obviously isn't good for me or for baby either. Looking for some quick reads that will pull me in immediately without having to think too hard, to help make it through the week. For reference, I read Poison Daughter in one day last week. I do like slower fantasy a lot of the time, but need something fast-paced and engrossing right now. Ella Fields romantasies are another good example of the kind of thing I'm looking for. Bonus points for love triangle or 2nd guy gets the girl tropes (even ok with technical cheating if it's the female). Thank you so much!!

**Trigger warning for mention of loss**

Basically, just what the title says. I am wondering for those who have had successful pregnancies after losses, what has helped you most with managing anxiety?

In two weeks, I will be further along than the last 3 pregnancies made it, so I am feeling particularly anxious. I know that there is no "safe" point, of course (my first nephew was tragically stillborn ~20 weeks, so that's always in our minds as well), but I do think I will feel better if I make it to 9 weeks. Any insights from people who have been through this? I am so grateful to have several living kiddos to keep me busy, but increasingly am waking up at night and unable to sleep because of fears. Thank you for any encouragement!

Basically what the title says^. I've read a few books this year that have a very specific dynamic, and I want more of it: there is an arranged marriage where feelings are becoming real, *but* there is someone from home who she isn't quite over (or doesn't realise she is over) who shows up and complicates things.

Some examples of this trope are: the North Queen, Between Tides and Thunder, The Wrath & The Dawn, and (sort of) Kingdom of Villains. I would love to read more if they exist! Thanks so much! 😊

Straighten me out here if I'm wrong 😅. She's the ultimate fixer and she is just "that good," but... has she ever won an election?

Spoilers: >! Fitz lost his first election (they cheated), then he was losing his second til Rowan had his son assassinated, then Mellie lost (Vargas was assassinated though). !<

It just sort of struck me that everyone thinks Olivia is the magical silver bullet, but she actually has a 0% success rate on elections, right? Her strength was being a gladiator, not a campaign manager. Wish they had focused more on that 🤷‍♀️.

Essentially, a queen/powerful woman has an affair that is either politically charged or has deep political ramifications. I am open to either a re-telling or just an "inspired by" type situation, but I would like the woman to be the focus of the novel (not just how it impacts the males around her). Any thoughts? Thanks so much!

Guysssss, this is the most unserious season ever 🤣🤣🤣. Ignoring the GG identity reveal, which was always going to be a disaster no matter who it was, we still have:

-Bass Industries corporate server top secret password being ParkAve730 (their address?!?) 🤦‍♀️

-Ivy's leg when she and Rufus do it 🤮🤮🤢

-Georgina just being there all the time after everything she's done, like what is even happening (she is Dan's... manager, idk? After making him raise her actual child by pretending it's his 😭)

-Chuck & Blair making up more reasons why they can't be together just to drag out the dramaaaaaa

-Serena taking Dan back after he literally published an article to the whole world talking about how easily he manipulates her because she's so pathetic with all her Daddy issues **WHILE they are dating?!?

-Sweet slutty angel baby Nate telling a cop with a straight face that his booty call can't talk to the police because she's a minor, OMG 🤣🤣🤣

-And my personal biggest WTF of all time: Lily getting back with William after he GASLIT HER INTO THINKING SHE HAD CANCER AND GAVE HER ACTUAL PRESCRIPTION DRUGS FOR IT?!? Like babyyyyy what are you doing--?!? I can't, you guys.

(Although I have to say that I actually did enjoy Serena in her Meredith Blake trophy wife/stepmother era when she was dating Steven, lol)

Anyway, just had to laugh/sob with people who might understand! What is your season 6 facepalm moment? 😅

Title pretty much says it all! My very old, reliable phone finally has stopped taking a charge, so I need to replace it. I am not a tech-head, but appreciate insight from those who are. What I like about my phone: good camera (better would be even better!), memory card slot (high priority for me, and I know they have started phasing this out), wifi calling, fairly durable (I always use a case and screen protector, though). That's pretty much it... I am boring and use my phone for taking too many pictures of bugs and my kids, reading on Kindle or Hoopla, and scrolling Reddit. That's really all I need it to do! I do want it to work to make calls when needed, lol.

Any recs? Thanks so much! Cheaper is great, but can compromise for the features above.

Hi! Trying to understand things from the shopper's POV a little bit better, so I really appreciate the insight.

As an aside: I do get that it's a luxury service. I make the budgetary sacrifice to pay Instacart annual fees, marked up prices, service fees, and 20% tip on every order because one of my kids has severe cognitive disability and is massively triggered by grocery stores. He is physically in pain from his sensory issues in loud, bright, crowded places, and I don't have any respite care due to the severity of his needs, so even though we can't really afford it in this economy, it's worth it to us.

Ok, that being said, my question is: do you all see the time slot the customer selected on orders, especially priority/express orders? It's been happening more and more frequently that I pay the extra $5 for priority time slot because we have to leave the house for therapies, etc, and then I get zero notification until someone has started shopping that it will be delivered 1.5+ hours later than the time I selected (or I notice it's getting close to delivery time, no has picked it up, so I open app to cancel, and I can't because someone is heading to the store 15 min before the 2 hour window closes). We won't be home at the later point (or sometimes, I've chosen, say, a 6pm-8pm slot well ahead of time, and then it gets bumped to 10pm when we will all be in bed). But since someone has already picked up the order, I'm charged $20 to cancel it, even though I didn't get notification at any point beforehand so I can cancel it earlier. I'm trying to figure out why this is suddenly happening and how I can best handle it to avoid canceling an order someone is working.

I would think the app should show the time frame, so for example, if the order says deliver between 6-8pm, and it's 7:50pm, it would automatically cancel it or notify the shoppers that it's now outside the delivery window and check in with the customer to see if they still want it. Apologies if I'm not articulating it well; I just have no idea what the order interface looks like for shoppers. Does it give you any info at all about time frame, priority/express, etc? Appreciate any insights!

Have just finished Arden's The Unicorn Hunters, which was just so phenomenally up my exact alley that I'm not sure where to go next. There is a highly specific niche where magic is a little vague, coziness can be found even among the horrors, rambling and gorgeous, scatty, run-on sentences are the way of things, and men and women can both just be humans with stories worth telling: complex, not entirely selfless (but better for having been loved by a true friend, family member, or pet), eminently practical, and still actually quite Good, for all that. I am looking for more books that dwell in or touch this niche and hoping you all can lead me to it!

Novik's Spinning Silver and Scholomance (and~ Uprooted and Summer War) live here, as do nearly all of McKinley's works (but most especially, my all-time favourite novel, Spindle's End 💗). I liked Arden's Winternight a good bit, but it was just over the line of being a bit too creepy for my sensibilities at times. I don't go in much for ghost stories. I *think* Johnathan Strange & Mr. Norrell can be mentioned here as well, though lacking the female-driven plots of the others. Then there's the Chronicles-that-shall-never-be-finished, of course. Actually, Kushiel's Dart also scratched this itch a bit, but the BDSM was too much for me personally to continue much further in that world. Patricia Wrede gets this right frequently. Probably many others I'm forgetting... anyway, I'd be quite eager to hear your suggestions before I leave on holiday this weekend! Many thanks!