Playin' Hard (YA romance)

     High school relationships can be challenging because of physical, hormonal, and emotional changes, increased responsibilities in and out of school, and the need to chart the next life phase, whether or not higher education is involved. They can be further complicated by the expectations laid on teens by parents and by society. That's the plight of the co narrators of Whitney D. Grandson's Playin' Hard. 

     DeAndre's father is a basketball legend, the winner of not one, but five, championship rings and determined that all of his sons follow in his footsteps. He's been training them for this destiny since early childhood. Nothing is to come before athletics: not friends, not romance, not even academics. He's the only parent in the house. The boys' mother ditched them when they were quite young. 

     Cree, whose mother died in childbirth, is the only child of a very disengaged and distant father and his second wife. He is, however obsessed with her weight, fearing that she will lose too much. He's always nagging her to cut down on the dancing that is both a passion and a safe space for her. She yearns for him to understand how much it means to her and take an interest. 

     "At Moorehead High School the Baller's Club was the cause of many female meltdowns. The club consisted of four boys who played on either the basketball or the football team. Tremaine Dickinson was one of them, along with Marcus Hamilton, Chris Casey, and DeAndre Parker. Together they went through girls like they went through Jordans."

     The boys are as well known for their one night stands off the field as they are for their athletic prowess on it. They exude attitudes of toxic masculinity and entitlement. For this reason Cree and her bestie, Troiann, have avoided the group like COVID. Then Cree says something in class that intrigues DeAndre. He wants her as a friend, perhaps even more. 

     The road to potential love is rarely smooth. In this case it's punctuated with more potholes that Maine in February. Can two teens prevail against really steep odds? If you're anything like me you'll really be rooting for them.

On a purrrsonal note, I finally had a chance to attend fiber arts club for the second time this semester. They're really nice, super talented people. I usually have a conflict with my paparazzi responsibilities or I'd go more often. I'm working on a scarf that I started well over a year ago. I lost my Knitting skills because of the stroke and had to relearn them. The quality is back but not the speed. 

A great big shout out goes out to UMaine's skilled and convivial Fiber Arts Club and those of who enjoy knitting, crocheting, cross stitch, and all the other fiber arts.

Jules Hathaway 

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The star of the dirty coffee event greeting guests like the purrrfect hostess.

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Grand Theft and a Little Death (YA chiller)

     If you're anything like me you've read at least one book that leaves you frustrated, not because it's so lackluster, but because it's so good. The characters and their narrative have come alive so vividly you want to know what happens next. Usually you don't find out.  But if you're really lucky the author creates a sequel that is as good as the first.

     A few years ago my older daughter, Amber, who knows my taste in books as well as I do, gave me a copy of Kylee Awiech's Soon-to-be Dead Boys. For me it was love at first sight.

     Since the age of thirteen Ellie, Awiech's protagonist,  has had a vocation to be a detective. (Something I can relate to having felt the same calling after falling hard for the Nancy Drew series). She's climbed through the ranks of Pathfinders, an organization to interest youth in law enforcement careers. She knows her calling creeps many people out. Even her long term bestie, Anika, has misgivings. But she's committed. 

     There have been these purple papers showing up around school listing boys behaving badly with female classmates. And the writers aren't just naming names. They're promising vengeance. On a pathfinders exercise she discovers of the named boys floating in the river. And he isn't the only one to meet up with the grim reaper. 

     Toward the end of the book Ellie voices thoughts that stuck with me because they're highly perceptive and unfortunately too relevant in today's world. "But what are we supposed to do when it seems there's no system of justice to step in either. There are so many stories of boys getting away with assault and everyone worrying that punishing them at all will ruin their lives."

     The idea that someone has to take action when those officially designated to do so are asleep at the wheel is as much  a unifying theme between Soon-to-be Dead Boys and Grand Theft and a Little Death (also gifted to me by Amber) as the cast of Ellie's family, friends, and colleagues. The they again is the police. Stolen cars have been showing up with alarming regularity in front of Sophie's grandmother's house. The police are taking notes.  Nothing else. Their questioning is really stressing the older woman out. Sophie is desperate for someone to do something. She goes to school with Ellie. 

     Ellie is still recovering from the trauma of her first case. And she's having a hard time actualizing the upcoming transition from high school to college or work. She feels like everyone else knows what they're doing. She dreads the breakup of her friend group. And she's having bad panic attacks at the worst possible times.

     But all that won't stop her from getting involved. She's able to connect the thefts with an app developed by a classmate and two alums of her school. Digging deeper she learns that there's a mob connection. And she's probably on their snuff list.

     The relatable characters and roller coaster ride of a plot aren't the only strengths of this most excellent book. The realistic and relatable portrayal of Ellie's panic attacks can really help people who also have or have struggled with them to not feel shame and hopelessness. I know from personal how overwhelming they can be. 

     If you're a chiller affecianado with a desire for justice you need to put both books on your to read list.

     Kylee, any chance you're working on another sequel? If so, I'm really looking forward to reading and reviewing. 

On a purrrsonal note, I made a productive Goodwill/Hannaford run. At Hannaford I got grapefruits and frozen corn and broccoli (nutrition) and Fancy Feast entrees for my best little 🐈 😻 in the world, Tobago. At Goodwill I found a Squishmallow gnome and a Squishmallow tee shirt my size. You know I love my Squishmallows.

A great big shout out to Kylee Awiech for her most excellent writing. 

Jules Hathaway 

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A wonderful day

It started off this haul at Orono Thrift Shop. I especially love the silver sneakers. At campus I publicized and was paparazzi for a dirty soda event. A sweet Dalmatian was a special guest. Catherine saved all the soda cans for me to cash in for precious Tobago. I was given a really yummy turkey sandwich and sides box lunch which was good because I left my lunch at home. Black Bear Mutual Aid Fund meeting went really well. Bailey and Cam gave me a ride home where Eugene had just returned from 3 days at camp. Red letter day.

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Why I Love Horror (adult nonfiction)

     Back in my undergraduate years (Gordon College class of '83) one evening some friends of mine and I were enjoying a horror movie marathon. Some Japanese students were studying diligently in a nearby room. Every time they heard screaming they burst in, valiantly determined to save us from whatever danger we were confronting. About the third time one thought to ask why we insisted on watching movies that frightened us so much. None of us could give a coherent answer. What indeed draws some people to that genre of books and movies? I was clueless--just knew I loved me some Stephen King. My girls followed in my footsteps, cutting their teeth on R. L. Stine before moving on up to Maine's own horrormeister. Why was that the predominant genre of our read alouds? I was still clueless.

     Over forty years later and the proud mother of a published horror author (Amber, Little. White Flowers) I found enlightenment in Why I Love Horror, an anthology of essays by top adult scary story authors on their whys behind their callings edited by librarian extraordinaire Becky Siegel Spratford. 

     In the Introduction Sadie Hartmann welcomes readers "...to this gathering of voices--a kaleidoscope of perspectives from some of the finest writers in the realm of horror. A collection of essays penned by masters of the macabre, revealing their unique path that has led them here, to this way station; a place designed for you to rest from the calling of your stack of unread horror books and enjoy this time of refreshment and unity."

     Brian Keene (Brian Keene's Giant-Size Man-Thing) was a kid in the early 70s. The parents at that time had lived through the turbulent 60s and many were withdrawing into drugs and alcohol or depression and anxiety. A number of his friends were abused, and he knew what went on behind closed doors. 

     His first encounter with horror, The Man-Thing--led him to an epiphany: the grotesque looking shambling being is not always the monster. Rather it can be the normal looking person in authority committing horrific acts covertly. Mr. Policeman is not always our friend. 

     He reminds us that demand increases for horror books and movies in times of national or international turmoil. Faced with school shootings, environmental degradation, climate change, a Trump presidency..."There is a safety and comfort in curling up with make-believe monsters so that we can tune out the very real monsters all around us, if only for a little while."

     Tananarive Due (My Road to Horror) started on that path at eight when she shared a room with a great-grandmother on an oxygen machine that hissed loudly through the night. She realized that she'd eventually get older and die.

     "Meeting mortality up close in my great-grandmother's bedroom--really understanding, perhaps from photos around the house, that she had once been a little girl just like me and that one day I would be an old woman just like her--changed my life forever."

     Jennifer McMahon grew up feeling like an outsider-- dressing differently, having different desires, and having a decidedly different family configuration than her peers. She yearned to become a monster. She actually tried to become a werewolf at the age of eight.  Fortunately she discovered that creating the horror narrative without the physical transformation gave her what she needed.

     "Horror has given me a place where I am not the perpetual outsider, the freaky Monster Girl; a place where I recognize myself in the monsters, the heroes, and everyone in between."

     And there are so many more rich, diverse, complex  narratives on the theme. In the last paragraph of the Introduction Hartmann tells readers:

     "So, whether you are a lifelong devotee of horror or a curious newcomer, I welcome you to lay your bags down at this way station and stay awhile. May these essays deepen your appreciation for the genre and illuminate the power of stories to scare, surprise, and sustain us. Let's love the dark even more--not for its own sake, but for the way it requires us to turn on a light to help us see ourselves and each other."

On a purrrsonal note, today is Veterans Day. I confess to be ambivalent about it. I respect the veterans, many of whom lost their lives or came back from over there with severe disabilities. I don't want the day used to pimp used cars and other merch. I am not, however, respecting those who made the decisions that put them in harm's way. Of all the years America has been a nation there have precious few without a war--declared or otherwise--going on. And those in my lifetime, Vietnam for example, have been wars of aggression. There were NO WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION in Afghanistan and there's evidence that we knew that. We expect our kindergarteners to use their words, not their fists. Don't we deserve for the people we elect to the highest offices to use their diplomacy not their weapons? And isn't it interesting how often it's war hawks who try to cut funding for veterans' services. 

A great big shout out goes out to our veterans and their families.

Jules Hathaway 

     

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A night to remember

Last night was the pay what you can community dinner to benefit Black Bear Mutual Aid Fund and Orono Food Pantry. The most excellent food was made by volunteers. The people who run the thrift shop had rounded up a truly eclectic collection of bowls people got to keep. I got a Hello Kitty one. We got lots of people from both UMaine and Orono. What was awesome was that people were really mingling and not just sticking with their besties. Busting the town/gown barrier. Whole lot of peeps asking when we'll do it again. YASSS!!! And we netted $500 for the worthy organizations. Of course I was the paparazzi. I live for nights 🌙 ✨️ like that.

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Pretty Girl County

    "You have the pretty girls like Reya with the all-expenses-paid lifestyle. Their parents are doctors, judges, and business owners, and they are happy to foot the bill for luxury cars and rotating designer wardrobes. It's all tiny golf club sets as toddlers, diamond earrings in middle school, and fancy cars on sixteenth birthdays. An after-school job? For what?!

     As you might have guessed, I do not fall into that category. Instead, I'm standing here at the bus stop, in this blazing heat, because my parents share our one family car and I need to get to work."

     Lisa Morin and I have been besties for about fifteen years. I met her when she arrived at UMaine to start her job. I knew from our first meeting that I wanted to be her friend. We bonded over mutual interests like ending campus student food insecurity. One year she took me to an international conference on the subject. We got to know and love each other's kids. When I had the stroke she was there for me and when I got my degree she was for sure celebrating 🍾. 

     Why this trip down memory lane? Our friendship ❤️ is a story of how beautiful and life affirming a deep for better or worse friendship can be. It gets me mad when society celebrates romance and denigrates friendship. We say just friendship like it's nothing. What I like best about Anita Wilson's Pretty Girl County is that it centers around female friendship. No matter what romances are struggling or thriving the focus is on co narrators Reya and Sommer.

     The girls grew up together closely bonded in a poorer town. They were in and out of each other's homes, doing everything together, sharing hopes and dreams as their parents struggled to provide them with better lives. Reya's mom, by putting herself through law school, is able to move herself and her daughter into a mansion in a much more affluent and prestigious town. Despite attending the same school the girls pretty much lose touch. 

     In their senior year closing in on graduation Reya is in crisis mode. Her life long dream has been to get into Fashion Institute of Technology--"the Dior of fashion design programs"--for a way to get into her dream career. Sadly she's been waitlisted. In order to beat out the others on the list, she's directing and providing the garments for the school's annual fashion show...

     ...which is far from turning into the shining success she needs. Someone suggests she recruit Sommer, whose skill set is just what she needs, to be on Team Reya...

     ...Sommer, feeling betrayed and abandoned, is far from enthusiastic about the prospect. And she's having her own crises. Not only is she trying desperately to afford her dream school, Spelman, but things are about to get more precarious for her family. Her father's beloved bookstore is in the path of gentrification and slated to be demolished...

     ...unless someone with the prestige and connections of Reya's mother...

     ...so can the girls put aside hurts and suspicions to help each other? Can this friendship be saved?

     Only one way to find out.

On a purrrsonal note, the sunrise this morning was so gorgeous it almost took my breath away. Vibrant luminous shades of apricot and rose stretched across the horizon while above pink clouds drifted across a pale blue sky. It was particularly striking when Eugene and I crossed the bridge and saw everything reflected upside down in the river. Particularly vivid sunrises are one of the very few up sides to winter. 

A great big shout out goes out to you, with hopes that you too had a good start to your day. 

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