I am the oldest of 6. Last year I got all of my siblings great personal gifts except my little brother who had been a complete asshole all year so I got him a book entitled “How to not be an asshole”
I think he got the message
Edit: wow thanks for the karma and the gold Here’s the link to the book How Not to Be a Dick: An Everyday Etiquette Guide https://www.amazon.com/dp/1936976021/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_U4AiCbB1RSWGA
These American Girl books really helped me. My parents explained a couple things, but if I didn't want to ask I could look at these books: https://www.amazon.com/Care-Keeping-You-Younger-American/dp/1609580834
edit: Spelling
Also, they are in two parts now, which is pretty cool.
Yes! Get all the American Girl books. There's a whole series on how a girl's body develops, how to deal with peer pressure, etc. Here's an Amazon link so you get an idea of what they're like. Start with this one, and get as many as you can where they are listed as "Customers who bought this also bought". I'm a female and have daughters, and I feel comfortable talking about this stuff, but it really helps if I forget to talk about something or if my kids forget what we've talked about.
p.s. You're an awesome person! Best wishes to you and your niece!
Hey all!
<strong>Sufficiently Advanced Magic</strong>, the first book in my Arcane Ascension series, is currently on sale on the US Kindle store for 1.49.
Sadly, it only appears to be for the US store right now. (Amazon is the one that put it on sale, not me.)
For those of you who haven't heard of the book, Sufficiently Advanced Magic is a love letter to Japanese RPGs ("JRPGs") like Final Fantasy, Bravely Default, Tower of Druaga, Tales of Symphonia, Fire Emblem, and Azure Dreams. It also has similarities to some shonen anime, most notably Hunter x Hunter.
The content of the book is split between dungeon crawling sections - some solo, some with a small group - and sections where the central protagonist is learning magic at a magical academy.
The series has a heavy focus on learning the rules of magic and how to exploit them. As such, there's a tremendous amount of magic system detail, which may not be fun for everyone. If you enjoy trying to figure out how a magic system can be used in creative ways, you might like this sort of thing. If you tend to prefer more whimsical and open-end magic, it's probably not for you.
There's a great book for girls that age called "The Care and Keeping of You" they have it on Amazon and a lot of bookstores like Barnes and Noble. That helps a lot- especially if you read it before giving it to her to prepare for the incoming questions. It's also best to stock up on some pads (day use and overnight) before she starts so they're ready for her when she needs them. It's all new for her so going with you to buy them may feel embarrassing and awkward. Pre-teen girls have too many emotions to begin with, so avoiding that can help. Keep in mind that this stuff can start early- my mom got her first period at age 10- it's best to prepare as early as then. Hope that's a little helpful! (source: female. Also a nanny for a ten year old with loads of puberty questions)
EDIT some words
You might enjoy Motel of the Mysteries.
>It is the year 4022; all of the ancient country of Usa has been buried under many feet of detritus from a catastrophe that occurred back in 1985. Imagine, then, the excitement that Howard Carson, an amateur archeologist at best, experienced when in crossing the perimeter of an abandoned excavation site he felt the ground give way beneath him and found himself at the bottom of a shaft, which, judging from the DO NOT DISTURB sign hanging from an archaic doorknob, was clearly the entrance to a still-sealed burial chamber. Carson's incredible discoveries, including the remains of two bodies, one of then on a ceremonial bed facing an altar that appeared to be a means of communicating with the Gods and the other lying in a porcelain sarcophagus in the Inner Chamber, permitted him to piece together the whole fabric of that extraordinary civilization.
(This self-promotion post was pre-approved by moderators.)
Six Sacred Swords is my first book in the new Weapons and Wielders series. The story follows Keras Selyrian, a talented swordsman who begins a journey to seek out the titular Six Sacred Swords. The story is heavy inspired by Japanese adventure and role-playing games, such as Final Fantasy, Bravely Default, and Ys. This one in particular is most strongly inspired by The Legend of Zelda, and you'll see some obvious Zelda influences in there if you're a fan of the franchise.
This is much more of a adventure focused book than most of my previous novels, with most of the story involving exploring dangerous uncharted wildernesses and dungeons. It's also a smaller scale story in terms of the size of the cast and the focus - it's more about an individual adventure than something of world-scale importance. (At least for now.)
This book takes place in the same setting as <strong>Sufficiently Advanced Magic</strong>, but years earlier. You can read the series in either order. Notably, Sufficiently Advanced Magic is currently on sale for 0.99 on the US and UK Kindle stores to celebrate the launch of Six Sacred Swords. If you're trying to figure out where to start, Six Sacred Swords is more of an adventure with characters that are already very powerful, and Sufficiently Advanced Magic is better if you're in the mood to start with younger characters that are coming of age and just learning magic.
Thanks to /r/fantasy for the amazing support you've always given my books, and feel free to post if you have any questions!
Hey all! <strong>Sufficiently Advanced Magic</strong> is the first book in my Arcane Ascension series, and it's currently on sale for $1.49 in the US Kindle store.
The sequel, <strong>On the Shoulders of Titans</strong>, just came out earlier this week, so it's a great time to pick it up if you're interested.
For those of you who aren't familiar, Sufficiently Advanced Magic is a mix between a dungeon crawler novel and a magical school story. It focuses on Corin Cadence learning magic and attempting to climb the Serpent Spire, a colossal tower that his brother vanished into five years before.
Stylistically, the series is heavily inspired by Japanese role-playing games like Final Fantasy, Fire Emblem, the Tales series, and The Legend of Zelda. The magic system is strongly inspired by the job class system in some of the Final Fantasy games and Bravely Default.
This means the story deliberately includes a lot of game-like elements, but explains them within the context of the setting. So you'll see justifications for things like respawning monsters, ever-changing dungeons, and analogues to character classes and leveling up.
If you like game-like fiction, you might enjoy this. If you tend to prefer for your magic to be more mystical and unexplained, you probably will not like this book. There's a huge emphasis on learning the rules of magic and figuring out tricks with them, which isn't for everyone.
Thanks to everyone who has supported my books so far, and I hope anyone who checks the books out enjoys them!
Hey all,
I know some of you enjoyed <strong>Sufficiently Advanced Magic</strong> and have been waiting for the sequel to come out on audible. It's out today!
If you're not already familiar with the series, my Arcane Ascension books aren't full-on LitRPGs. Instead, they're more of an epic fantasy series that takes place in a world that runs on RPG-like mechanics (but those mechanics are treated as a normal part of that world and integrated into society). There are no "players" from our world, and it's not actually in a video game - it's just a fantasy world that runs on game-like physics.
For example, there are gigantic dungeons with respawning monsters and treasure, but those are explained from an in-universe perspective and integrated into the local society and culture. Similarly, there are analogues to character classes called "attunements" that can be leveled up over time - but the levels are generally measured based on the color of your aura, rather than a numeric value. (Measurements for things like mana levels do exist, though, and they're plot relevant).
All and all, it's a game-like world, but not quite what most people would call a LitRPG.
Anyway, if you're in the mood for that sort of thing, feel free to take a look, and I hope you enjoy it!
Get the book The Care and Keeping of You.
It's a great way to discuss body changes in a matter of fact, age-appropriate way. And it will provide a natural opening for you to mention the bad bloody nose.
Btw - have you ever tried taking vitamin K? Some people are vitamin K deficient and therefore their blood doesn't clot as well. For our family,, bloody noses is the most common clue we need to up our vitamin K levels. I haven't noticed a hormonal correlation, but it may at least reduce the severity of your bloody noses.
Saw someone mention my book here earlier and I remembered that some people in the subreddit might be interested.
For those of you who aren't already familiar, Sufficiently Advanced Magic is a novel with a mix between dungeon crawling and time spent learning magic at an academy.
It's set in a world that's heavily inspired by Japanese RPGs like Final Fantasy and the Tales series, but where game mechanics are treated like normal elements of the world. For example, there are justifications for respawning monsters, dungeons with rooms that constantly changing, character classes, levels, etc.
There's a heavy emphasis on learning the rules of how magic works. If you enjoy that sort of thing, you might like these books.
Hey all!
<strong>Sufficiently Advanced Magic</strong> is the first book in my Arcane Ascension series, a novel series inspired by Japanese role-playing games (e.g. Final Fantasy, Bravely Default, Lufia, Fire Emblem, etc.) and similar anime.
It's told from the perspective of Corin Cadence, a seventeen year old who is seeking to climb the Serpent Spire, a colossal structure filled with monsters and traps. His primary goal is to find his brother, Tristan, who disappeared into the spire five years before.
To do this, he'll need to learn magic, and find all the help he can get.
The content of the novel is split between dungeon crawling sections in the spire (and other locations) and Corin learning magic at a university. As a fair warning, the magic system discussion gets extremely detailed. My style is to try to make sure that all of the spells, items, etc. the main character uses to solve his problems appear to be properly explained in advance. This type of style doesn't appeal to everyone.
Due to the JRPG inspiration, the magic and the setting come across as very RPG-like. This is deliberate; my intent was to draw from RPG tropes and create a setting where these tropes are organically integrated into the setting in ways that make sense. This isn't going to appeal to every reader, either.
If you're still reading and interested, you can check the book out here!
As most everyone replying has said, buy both! However, do not get OB tampons as they do not come with an applicator. Try to find something with a plastic (vs cardboard) applicator, as they are easier to insert. And avoid scented products, because those can cause general groin irritation.
Quick edit: Further advice. I found that having books about growing up helped me with knowing about my period. This was the book I liked most. It's slightly outdated, and might be embarrassing to buy for your daughter, but I guarantee it (or a similar book) will help both of you when the time comes.
Hey all,
<strong>Sufficiently Advanced Magic</strong>, the first book in my Arcane Ascension series, is currently on sale for 0.99 on the US and UK Kindle stores.
The Arcane Ascension series focuses on a group of magical university students who are training for military service and entering colossal dungeons called "Spires". Our central protagonist, Corin Cadence, has a personal reason for wanting to do this - his brother, Tristan, disappeared into the Serpent Spire five years ago and never returned.
The series focuses on a mix of learning magic at a university and dungeon crawling. It's strongly inspired by anime and Japanese RPGs like Final Fantasy, Bravely Default, Ys, Lufia, and Azure Dreams.
This sale is also a part of my launch celebration for my latest book, <strong>Six Sacred Swords</strong>, which takes place in the same universe at an earlier period of time. That book focuses on Keras Selyrian, a veteran swordsman from another continent, searching for the legendary Six Sacred Swords. It's similar in style to the above, but a little more adventure focused, and the protagonists are powerful characters from the start.
My mom was also useless here, so my dad took me to see my female primary doctor who kindly recommended this book. It includes pictures on how to shave your body, how to insert a tampon, how to measure and choose bras, and other things that she will have to learn about herself and her body. It's a little awkward, but as long as your supportive and go through it with her, I think it will be a good experience for you both!
The Care and Keeping of You: The Body Book for Younger Girls, Revised Edition (American Girl Library) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1609580834/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_nk0aGbGPCNW4N
Journals, adult coloring books, art supplies.
First of all, I just want to say that you are a great dad for thinking of this ahead of time. It really shows that you care about your girls and their well-being through what can be a very tough time.
As far as advice goes, I know 9 seems young, but you may want to talk with her sometime soon about what to expect. Sometimes girls can get their periods early, even as young as 9 or 10, and it is better that she is aware of the possibility, rather than being frightened and uninformed if it happens before you get around to it.
Are your daughters close with your sister? They may feel more comfortable having a female to look up to and for guidance with these types of things. She can also be a good person for you to bounce questions of if as well.
There are also some awesome books out now about puberty, periods and everything else that goes along with it. I highly recommend “The Care and Keeping of you” it’s a series of 2 books, one for both younger and older girls.
Amazon Link Book 1: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1609580834/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_KpSdEbE2VAFMC
Amazon Link Book 2:
The Care and Keeping of You 2: The Body Book for Older Girls https://www.amazon.com/dp/1609580427/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_YsSdEbH5079KS
That's very kind of you!
All my books are on there. The most popular one is <strong>Sufficiently Advanced Magic</strong>. It's a RPG inspire magical academy novel. If you like detailed magic systems and an emphasis on people studying the rules of magic, you might like it!
Thank you ☺️
And absolutely! I bought this book: Retrain Your Brain: Cognitive... https://www.amazon.com/dp/1623157803?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf
I actually think I found it through someone else on this sub. It breaks down CBT in a way that allows you to “be your own therapist.” It guides you through 7 weeks the same way a therapist would: how does anxiety/depression affect X area of your life, what are your values, what are your goals for the next 7 weeks across all areas of life, track your activities/their importance/your enjoyment level, etc.
I’m only on week 2, but already I can see a difference in how I react to my anxious thoughts. At first I didn’t think the book would be right for me. A lot of the examples given are simplistic, more geared toward people with specific phobias, not GAD/panic disorder, etc. but once I got deeper into it I realized that it’s actually a great place to be honest with yourself and confront your anxiety in a non-intimidating way.
I would definitely recommend it!
There is an awesome book that I got my girls. I think it was. An American girl book. It went through all the changes. We would read a section every night. Then discuss. this book
> "Quality" means nothing without privacy and comfort. > > This just feels like separating the rich from the poor even further.
Indeed, just take a standard dystopian sci-fi book and you will notice the poor people living in a container.
Have a little ambition, please.
You are looking for the newish genre LitRPG. A tremendous example of which is Sufficiently Advanced Magic by Andrew Rowe on here as /u/salaris
Here is the blurb from GoodReads.com: >Five years ago, Corin Cadence’s brother entered the Serpent Spire — a colossal tower with ever-shifting rooms, traps, and monsters. Those who survive the spire’s trials return home with an attunement: a mark granting the bearer magical powers. According to legend, those few who reach the top of the tower will be granted a boon by the spire’s goddess.
>He never returned.
>Now, it’s Corin’s turn. He’s headed to the top floor, on a mission to meet the goddess.
>If he can survive the trials, Corin will earn an attunement, but that won’t be sufficient to survive the dangers on the upper levels. For that, he’s going to need training, allies, and a lot of ingenuity.
>The journey won’t be easy, but Corin won’t stop until he gets his brother back.
It is incredibly readable, I couldn't put it down. There are definitely some criticism to be made of it, but no more than a lot of other fantasy stuff that is well regarded and eminently readable.
In terms of the middle ground of great quality and decent cost I think the overall best package at the moment is the Alan Lee illustrated boxset from last year:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hobbit-Lord-Rings-Boxed-Illustrated/dp/0008376107
Nonverbal communication can mean different things depending on the situation. I recommend more research. That helps my anxiety.
However, I have to say that a hostile family environment is what caused my anxiety, and if it's the same for you I recommend therapy as the solution if you can. Or find good books on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (I'm reading 7 week CBT https://www.amazon.com/dp/1623157803/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_imm_t1_ix53FbWGQHG9B).
What I've learned from my mother (who had an even worse family) is that a lot of the toxicity she grew up with is not the norm. Her family says things and mean absolute poison, but other people can use the same phrases or nonverbal movements and not have the vitriol behind it. You might never be comfortable with the movements, but take a deep breath and analyze each situation before you (over?) react. I also find that remaining calm and open when people explode in anger can not only defuse the situation, but also leaves me feeling better than when I get angry too. Just don't stonewall if you care about the relationship (look up Gottman's 4 horsemen).
Andrew Rowe's Sufficiently Advanced Magic might fit the bill., though plays with the formula a bit.
It is a fun mix of LitRPG (it's fantasy world contains elements of litrpgs but that are just part of the world) and Xianxia.
It has one male MC and POV.
The MC does get some special advantages (but not always seen as such), and I assume this increases as the series goes on.
And the ebook is on sale at amazon right now for $1.49!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XBFD7CB/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1
Those LoTR books are gorgeous. I’d love to get a set like that.
edit found them on Amazon. Only $50 Canadian. Not bad.
The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings: Deluxe Pocket Boxed Set https://www.amazon.com/dp/0544445783/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_A8EY4CHCMG45A92Q3PNE
I got these for Christmas a couple years back. Used them to read the series for the first time and I absolutely love them. The font is small but manageable.
> "Just say it had some kind of ritual function."
Motel of the Mysteries is a really fun book kinda lampooning this.
Future archaeologists excavate a modern-day motel (well, a late-70s motel, given when this was written), and completely misinterpret almost everything about the place.
Makes you think about what we're getting completely wrong about the things we're finding from our ancestors.