Tobago looking not so happy about all the rain

A Darker Mischief

     Fam, I have just been reading the most delicious chiller and I have to share it with you. I now know that one of my favorite genres has a name: dark academy or something like that. They're those works in which the protagonist learns and must combat a usually secret group working their evil in a privileged elite educational institution. If you, like me, can't get enough of this put Derek Milman's A Darker Mischief on your must read list.

     "Boarding school isn't exactly what I expected. When I learned I'd be leaving my shabby public high school, I got consumed by fantasies about my new life."

     For Cal, Milman's protagonist, the boarding school reality falls far short of the fantasies. What hurts the most is the loneliness. A sophomore transfer, he doesn't fit in with any of the cliques that dominate Essex Academy social life. He feels like an outcast, a lone wolf. 

     One night, walking alone through campus, he sees a group of students dressed to the nines in tuxedoes and gowns and carnival marks. He follows them to an abandoned building...

     ...one of the things that makes the campus different is the sheer number of abandoned buildings it has accrued in its centuries long history...

     ...where these beautiful people are dancing and drinking champagne 🍾. He determines to become part of this group, seeing it as "a gilded path out of desolation."

     Cal begins hearing rumors of a possibly only mythical secret society that recruits freshmen and sophomores. He manages to get an invitation to rush the Society, a prestigious secret society dedicated to the unearthing of campus secrets. After passing some strange and difficult challenges he and Luke, the boy he has a serious crush on, are both accepted...

     ...So the fantasy comes to life?...

     ...Well not exactly. The Society has done some pretty awful things. Possibly even murder. They have ways of covering their misdeeds up. And they know enough of their dark secrets to keep the members in line. Shall we say membership has become a waking nightmare Cal and Luke may not be able to escape from?

On a purrrsonal note, Can you believe I've blown through my stash of library books before New Years Eve? Actually I can. Every Christmas vacation I get so much joy from cat 🐈 😻 🐈‍⬛️ snuggling and reading 📚 near the Christmas 🎄. Today I'm still in the mama 🐻 🐻‍❄ 🧸 Christmas pajamas Eugene surprised me with yesterday. Tobago is definitely feeling the love. Anyway Orono Public Library is holding a bunch of inter library loans for me. If I can't pick them up tomorrow the earliest is Thursday. But not to worry. I have my stash of books I've purchased or been given for occasions just like this. 

A great big shout out goes out to my best little cat in the world, precious ❤️ Tobago. 

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My Christmas tree. Very eclectic. Very lovely.

This Place Is Still Beautiful (YA fiction)

     "The thing is, a lot of people agree with him! They think me talking publicly about racism is more offensive than an actual hate crime. People would rather I just kept my mouth shut and looked sad. Then they could white knight in and express sympathy without feeling uncomfortable." 

       Sisters Margaret (19) and Annalie (17), co narrators of Xixi Tian's This Place Is Still Beautiful, couldn't possibly be more different. Margaret is the academic achiever and the social justice warrior. In high school she'd made herself known and unpopular for her adherence to see something, say something. She'd been very happy to leave her small Illinois town behind for college in New York City. Annalie, in contrast, loves her town and its customs. She's more average academically, more social and popular with peers. When Margaret graduated high school she no longer felt tarnished by her sister's reputation. 

     The summer after her first year of college Margaret has started a prestigious internship. But when Annalie calls and tells her that a racist slur has been painted on their garage she drops everything to return and get vengeance...

     Only to discover that her mother and sister haven't even called the police. While she wants the ones responsible caught and punished, they want the incident to blow over and be forgotten as soon as possible. 

     It's going to be a very long summer.

     The public opinion too is split, especially when a video of the incident from a doorcam shows up on social media. While some are outraged by the act, others think Margaret should stop playing the race card instead of ruining some boys' bright future over a trivial prank.

     This Place Is Still Beautiful, with its complex and nuanced look at issues and relationships is well suited to the cognitive and emotional development of YA readers.

On a purrrsonal note, I'm having a relaxing vacation after a very hectic semester. I'm starting in on my spring cleaning and getting ready for my hopefully last grad school semester. 

A great big shout out and best wishes for a safe and joyous New Year's Eve goes out to my readers. 

Jules Hathaway 

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Tobago on Christmas enjoying a new catnip toy.

In Nightfall

     It's Christmas morning. Eugene and I are with our kids at Amber and Brian's place unwrapping gifts 🎁. Amber hands me a large one and I'm all excited. She knows how much I love the offerings of Once Upon a Book Club. They pair most excellent YA selections with gifts that are items mentioned in the narratives. (You might want to check them out. www.onceuponabookclub.com). And the featured book looks really good.

    That evening after all the festivities I start reading In Nightfall and realize that Amber chose well. The spooky ambiance quickly envelopes me. I am not just reading about the small town of Nightfall, Oregon. I am there.

     Probably Theo and Marcos shouldn't have thrown that out of control party. They were on the verge of having their dad's place to themselves for the summer. But now he feels that he can't trust them. Their mom's place isn't an option. So now they're driving cross country from sunny Arizona to the rainy coast, destination: Nightfall, Oregon--population 846 souls to the home of a grandmother they've never met.

     Nonna's house is sorta eerie, especially Theo's assigned room populated by creepy looking porcelain dolls. And when the siblings tell their dad that they're going to check out the town Nonna insists that they don't stay out after dark and don't talk to strangers. 

     Needless to say, they break both rules that night, being quickly drawn into the teen social scene. They're accepted by a trio of strikingly beautiful girls and invited to a beach bonfire the next night. The summer seems more promising than they anticipated. 

     But there are these red flags: an ominous painting, sinister chapters in the town's history, the fact that the creators of a horror podcast are in town investigating. 

     Maybe Theo and Marcos should have listened to Nonna. 

On a purrrsonal note, Christmas 🎄 was really wonderful. In addition to unwrapping gifts and brunch at Amber and Brian's there was the traditional party at the in-laws. What really made my Christmas was spending special time with my kids. Maine winter weather being what it is, that's something I can't take for granted. 

A great big shout out goes out to Eugene,  our kids, and their significant others. 

Jules Hathaway 

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It Sounds Like This

     Frenemy is by far one of the best newly coined words of this century. I instinctively knew the meaning the first time I heard it. I think we all did, probably because so many of us have had to deal with one. 

     This is definitely the case for Yasmin, protagonist of Anna Meriano's It Sounds Like This. She and Sofia are band geeks and supposedly best friends. But even before the incident there's something about their relationship with Sofia getting in a dig whenever she can and Yasmin rationalizing it.

     Yasmin doesn't go to the party right before the beginning of the school year. But when she sees a video of Andy, Sofia's boyfriend, harassing a first year student, she does the right thing and reports him. He's suspended from school for two weeks and from marching band for the whole season. Unfortunately since the video also shows underage drinking almost all the band's low brass section meets the same fate...

     ...And you can't have a competitive marching without a low brass section...

     ...Yasmin is a team player. Second only to Sofia in the flute section, she relinqishes the spot to take up the sousaphone she nicknames the Dragon. Only learning a new instrument and carrying thirty extra pounds in marching formations are not the only challenges she faces. Her just assembled section has to become a cohesive unit...

     Meanwhile Sofia is ramping up the meanness and taking it to social media. And Yasmin is still in forgive and move on mode.

     It Sounds Like This is the rare book that works issues we don't discuss enough into a narrative with a strong plot line and believable characters. I strongly recommend it for school and public libraries. 

On a purrrsonal note, it's Christmas. In a few minutes Eugene and I will unwrap gifts 🎁 with the kids and then go to his family's party.

A great big shout out goes out to our wonderful kids!

Jules Hathaway 

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The Mary Shelley Club

         "This game used to be candy. A sugary addictive treat. Now there was only the sour aftertaste and the seeping knowledge of just how bad for you it was. The excitement that had eclipsed everything before was eroding, eaten away by what we were doing."

     Rachel Chavez, narrator of Goldy Moldavsky's The Mary Shelley Club,  had been home alone that night. She'd heard footsteps downstairs. It was two masked men. One ran away.

     The other didn't. 

     A year later Rachel and her mom have moved to give her a fresh start. She's going to--you guessed it--a private school for super rich kids. She's pretty inconspicuous until she manages to piss off an elite mean girl, Lux, at a party in an abandoned house, going from unknown to pariah.

     Now Rachel is a huge horror movie fan. At a showing of Evil Dead II she meets Freddie who inadvertently tips her off to a group of pranksters in the school. It turns out that he's a member of the ultra secret Mary Shelley Club. They watch horror movies and play games--ones that turn ordinary life events into revenge ops. The members take turns planning and orchestrating. 

      Rachel finds participating in her first game--one in which a bully is humiliated--exhilarating and affirming. 

     "If I was a monster, then so was everyone else in this club. And for once I didn't feel like such a freak.

     We could be monsters together."

     But then someone is seriously hurt in one game. And the next turns deadly. 

     If you enjoy twisty chillers built around the evil that can lurk in the human heart and soul you owe it to yourself to read The Mary Shelley Club. 

On a purrrsonal note, it's Christmas Eve morning. The snow ❄️ is coming down. Eugene is out plowing. I'm praying that the white stuff will stop in time for it to be safe for my kids to drive up. Without them it just wouldn't feel feel like Christmas. 

A great big shout out goes out to Eugene and all the other blizzard battlers. 

Jules Hathaway 

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This is our oversized but lovely Christmas tree photographed from my favorite vantage point--snuggling on the sofa with Tobago and a good book.

Violent Advents

     During my childhood Advent was a special time of the year. As our devout Episcopal parents observed all the seasonal rites Harriet and I behaved well enough to stay on the nice list, helped bake and decorate cookies and trim the tree, sent our lists to Santa, and waited forever for the big day. Eugene and I made sure our children had similar experiences except much less religion. We really enjoyed watching the seasonal TV programs together. 

     Violent Advents: A Christmas Horror Anthology puts a whole different spin on the season. It's a literary Advent calendar. Only each day instead of opening a door and receiving a small candy 🍬 or miniature toy you get transported to realms where everything traditionally merry and bright becomes gruesome and malevolent. These are holiday stories you won't want the kids to get their hands on. 

*In There's Gnome Place like Home for the Holidays an ugly ornament with homicidal intentions hidden in a bag of glittery decorations comes to menacing life. Maybe  Belle and Nicole shouldn't have waited till the last minute to do their Christmas decor shopping. 

*A tree decoration also figures prominently in The Ornament. Fifteen years ago at an extended family holiday gathering Jenna had slain her mother and grandmother, supposedly told to do so by a malevolent entity trapped in a silver ball. Now the family has gathered, Jenna is back, and the silver ball has been unpacked. Is history going to repeat itself?

*Have you put your tree up yet? Most of us have nothing to worry about beyond our season's beloved symbol being knocked over by a rambunctious dog or climbing cat. Certainly not being devoured by it.

*Two of my favorites are A Slay Ride, With Skeletal Remains and Emuki. In the former a man who takes his neighbor's car for a Christmas Eve joy ride learns that he's made a very bad mistake. In the latter a little girl comes face to face with with the entity who punishes children who open their presents 🎁 early.

     And there are so many more genre gems. If you're a true chiller lover you'll find Violent Advents to be the literary equivalent of a box of the really good gourmet Christmas chocolates. Mmm mmm good. 

On a purrrsonal note, we had snow ❄️ last night. Now that the stage is set for a white Christmas I don't want to see a flake until next Thursday. Christmas just doesn't feel like Christmas unless I can see my kids.

A great big shout out goes out to all the very talented writers who contributed to this most excellent anthology. 

     And here's another really good reason to buy a copy: all royalties go to the British Heart Foundation and the American Heart Association. 

Jules Hathaway 

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Me on the last day of school. Can you tell I'm psyched for vacation?

The Dare (YA chiller)

     If I'm in the mood for a chiller with a complex and well scripted plot and lots of twists that keeps up the suspense from beginning til end one of my favorite authors is Natasha Preston. The Dare definitely doesn't disappoint. 

"Senior pranks are a rite of passage. Sometimes they're fun and sometimes they're killer. 

     They're the last dumb thing you do in high school before you get to do a whole bunch of dumb things in college. 

     But if you go to my school, they can stop your college dreams dead."

     Marley, Preston's narrator, really looked forward to senior pranks as a sophomore. Now as a senior she views them with dread. They've morphed from juvenile to expulsion and arrest worthy deeds. And he who issues the dares does not take no for an answer. 

     Marley and her besties--Atlas, Jessie, and Luce--pass their first dare, stealing a watch from a recluse's home just fine. Their next dare is to drive blind (without lights) at night down a treacherous road. They hit something. At first they think it's a deer or maybe a bear. But it's a very dead human being. 

     The friends panic. If the truth gets out they will end up in prison instead of college. They bury the body and swear each other to secrecy. 

     But Marley senses that her friends are drawing away from her, keeping secrets. Could they be setting her up to take the fall so they can safely go on with their lives?

On a purrrsonal note, my daughter, Amber has just given me a copy of the the latest book she has a story in. Violent Advents: A Christmas Horror Anthology looks quite promising. Just not now with darkness fallen and a storm on the way.

A great big shout out goes out to the talented writers who keep us supplied with chillers.

Jules Hathaway 

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Happy holidays from Jules and Tobago (best little cat in the world)

The Big Reveal (YA fiction)

     Jen Larson's The Big Reveal is an expose of the misogyny and fat shaming so prevalent in our society set in a highly engaging coming of age narrative. 

     Addie is a full figured teen ballet dancer. Although she's very talented and dedicated there are people who don't think that she belongs in ballet because she's full figured. But Addie isn't listening to the haters. She's applied for a highly competitive summer program for aspiring professional dancers. And she's accepted...

     ...which turns out to be a hollow victory because the scholarship money she needs isn't forthcoming. Her mother advises her to just forget about it. Her school besties 💓 are determined to help her come up with the cash. They help her create a series of secret burlesque by invitation only shows which are a huge success...

     ...until someone clues the administration in and the friends are busted. Now they have to appear before the honor board on an immoral conduct charge...

     ...even though the boys soccer team faced no consequences for celebrating a victory by streaking across the quad. 

     Addie is a spirited narrator with a highly engaging persona and a story that can lead to meaningful discussions of issues we don't talk about nearly enough. It's a powerful acquisition for school and public libraries. 

On a purrrsonal note, my winter break began today. Almost a month with no homework!!!

A great big shout out goes out to my fellow Black Bears.

Jules Hathaway 

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How We Fall Apart/They're Watching You (YA chillers)

     If you like your chillers set in bastions of privilege, deceit, and treachery--elite private schools; if you want the suspense high and the stakes higher, after you read my two latest recommendations you'll be putting me on your bestie list.

     Sinclair Prep, the setting of Katie Zhao's How We Fall Apart, can claim to be number one on a number of fronts: debate championships, standardized test scores, university acceptance rates. They accept a very competitive or driven by parental pressure student body. 

     Jamie was the top student, a ruthless single minded competitor. The few times someone bested her something happened to them, leaving her triumphant. She was the girl everyone feared and envied...until at a school function the program is interrupted by a rogue slide: "I will end you. Jamie Ruan. Mark my words." And Jamie disappears.

     Jamie had four best friends: Akil, Krystal, Alexander, and Nancy, the narrator. They are quite alarmed when an entity called 

The Proctor makes the following post on the school's gossip app:

"Jamie has four former friends. Each friend has a secret. One day, Jamie goes missing. Which friend is guilty and deserves punishment?

a) the one who sunk the lowest to get highest 

b) the one who ruined a girl three years ago 

c) the one hiding a criminal 

d) the one who traded conscience for grades 

     The clock is ticking. The Proctor is going to reveal their secrets one by one, potentially destroying their lives, unless the friends can stop them. 

     Chelsea Ichaso's They're Watching You is only for the hard core chiller affecianado. Unless you can deal with gruesome ancient rites, human sacrifice, and an underground labyrinth of deadly chambers I wouldn't open the book. But if you can...

     ...I've found you a new favorite. 

     Maren's roommate, Polly, has gone missing. The police have stopped looking for her, convinced that she's run away, needing a respite from academic pressures. Polly's parents, too, believe that. But Maren refuses to. A junior, she'd roomed with Polly since year one. And right before her disappearance she'd noticed some alarming changes in her behavior. So she's trying to solve the mystery of Polly's disappearance. 

     Going through Polly's possessions in an attempt to find clues, Maren finds an invitation to the top secret Gamemaster's Society. She decides to try to get in. Someone in the group might know where her friend is.

     But when Maren is initiated into the society she discovers a hidden realm of privilege, power, cruelty, and evil. She'd better find Polly before the ritual that will require a human sacrifice. 

     Either of these high suspense narratives would make a purrrfect 🎁 for a YA chiller lover. 

On a purrrsonal note, I'm done with homework for this semester. Last night was Academic Showcase (which I aced) and my program's lovely Christmas 🎄 party.

A great big shout out goes out to all who participated. 

Jules Hathaway 

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Prepped (YA fiction)

     Can you imagine growing in a survivalist community whose motto is "Always be prepared for the worst day of your life."? That's the plight of Becca, narrator of Bethany Mangle's Prepped. She and her parents and little sister, Katie, live in one founded by her grandparents. Financial priorities are assigned to equipment to survive catastrophes as opposed to say food and shoes. Dangerous disaster drills are routine for anyone over 13. Marriages are arranged for genetic diversity. After all after an unspecified global catastrophe they are supposed to repopulate the world.

     Becca wants no part of this dystopia obsessed community. Unlike most of the community's kids who are homeschooled, she goes to a public high school. She catches poignant glimpses of the world she'd like to belong to. She's applied to her dream college and has been accepted with a generous financial aid package. 

     But her father has been killed in a car accident. Her mother is showing no signs of grief. In fact the whole community seems to be acting stranger than usual. 

     Becca has always protected Katie. How can she abandon her?

On a purrrsonal note, my sister never lived in that kind of community. But she belonged to fundamentalist churches that looked forward to the rapture like kindergarten kids look forward to Christmas. I fail to see the appeal.

A great big shout out goes out to the students at UMaine and other fine colleges and universities who are finishing papers and cramming for finals. 

Jules Hathaway 

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Undue Burden

     What would a woman carrying a baby with possibly life threatening heart defects, a woman whose pregnancy threatened her own life, and a fourteen-year-old girl pregnant by incest have in common?

     You'll find the answer in Shefali Luthra's Undue Burden: Life and Death Decisions in Post-Roe America. It takes an in depth look at the desperate circumstances so many of our fellow citizens are placed in and those of us capable of becoming pregnant can find ourselves in in a post Dobbs nation. It's a lot more complicated than abortion being legal in some states and not in others.

     Although going to another state can sound good in theory, it often is difficult at best in real life. The expense of a long drive or flight and hotel stay, in addition to the costs of the procedure itself can put abortion out of the realm of possibility for all but the relatively well off, leaving poor and working class women and women of color especially at risk. For undocumented women crossing a state line would put them at risk of being discovered and deported. 

     Women in destination states, those with liberal abortion laws, are also at heightened risk with influxes of pregnant people coupled with the limited number of practitioners making many go further into their pregnancies, substantially increasing the risk and cost of the procedure. 

     And you don't have to be seeking an abortion to be affected with ob-gyns understandably reluctant to take on high risk pregnancies and miscarriage management. 

     And that's just the tip the iceberg. If you have the potential to become pregnant or love someone who does consider putting Undue Burden on your to read list.

On a purrrsonal note, three years after the birth of my younger daughter I was pregnant with a fetus without a heartbeat. After weeks of  bleeding I came down with chills and fever--an infection that could have killed me if terminating my nonviable pregnancy had not been an option.

A great big shout out goes out to the people fighting the bans and restrictions. 

Jules Hathaway 

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We Still Belong (juvenile fiction)

     Did you ever have a day when you expected things to go well only to experience the opposite, a day when your feelings cycled between sadness, frustration, and embarrassment? If so (and haven't we all?) You'll relate to Wesley, the narrator of Christine Day's We Still Belong. 

     Seventh grader Wesley is up early on a Monday,  homework all done, with a lot to look forward to. She's about to see her first piece published in her school paper. Her English teacher acknowledges the work of students who get published in it. And she's put a lot of time and effort into making an invitation to her school dance for a special boy. 

     Only the other students don't seem to notice her piece and her teacher doesn't mention it. And she learns via social media that Ryan is going with someone else. 

     But the day isn't over. Wesley is about to get her chance to shine and learn that she and her voice matter immensely.

On a purrrsonal note, today at UMaine we got to make zen gardens. I still have mine from last year. So I made one for Catherine. 

A great big shout out goes out to everyone who participated. 

Jules Hathaway 

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Spilled Ink (YA fiction)

     The last time he whose name I will not mention was sworn in as president there was a surge in hate crimes and white supremacist and xenophobic violence and disregard of the humanity of marginalized peoples. As we approach his second term in office I don't expect any better. That's why books 📚 like Nadia Hashimi's Spilled Ink that speak the truth are precious gems and so timely.

     Yalda, Hashimi's narrator, and Yusuf are 17-year-old twins. Their town has seen an influx of refugees of color. Many residents have gone out of their way to provide their new neighbors with shelter, food, and clothing and help them adapt to life in a strange new country while others have been not so nice. 

     Yusuf has his heart set on being a musician. He's really thrilled when his band gets it's

 biggest gig ever. Unfortunately a member of another band makes uncalled for racist comments. When Yusuf tries to stand up against the hate speech tempers flare in person and online. People stop eating at the twins' family's restaurant. 

     One night Yusuf goes missing. His family finds his battered, unconscious body beneath a broken balcony. He either fell or was pushed. 

     In her author's note Hashimi tells readers: "Yalda and Yusuf are imagined characters who inhabit a fictional world. But buried in their story are the hard truths that inspired Spilled Ink--the reality that hate and fear cause immense harm to people, property, and communities."

On a purrrsonal note, last Thursday was the clothes swap that was my idea. It went really well. And I have the stats from the blood drive: 99 pints; 17 new donors; no one fainted.

A great big shout out goes out to all who participated in both events, especially 😀 🙌 👏 👍 our new donors. 

Jules Hathaway 

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Not Like Other Girls

     "This is a book about a friend breakup between two teenage girls and how navigating that loss is so distinctly devastating. This is a book about first love. It's a book about being seventeen and restless in your hometown. It's a book about privilege and power and entitlement. 

     It's a book about sexual assault."

     Often when girls and women have been raped they don't realize it. We've been told that rapists are sketchy strangers, not people who we know and trust. We've been told if we didn't wear this, go there, do that nothing could happen. So if something does it's on us. But unrecognized sexual assault can really traumatize victims as we'll see in Meredith Adamo's Not Like Other Girls. 

     Starting her senior year, Jo, Adamo's narrator,  is being shunned by most of her peers. It's because of the six nude photos of her someone sent around. At school she's way behind in her work and on some kind of academic probation. She has only one goal--getting the fuck out of high school.

     She's stunned when her former best friend and now nemesis, Maddie, covertly approaches her in tears asking her for help. She thinks she's in trouble. They agree to meet up later...

    ...only Maddie is a no show and not just for their appointment. She is gone. The media is camped out on the high school lawn. Everyone is speculating that she's been kidnapped, maybe killed. Or probably she's run away after being rejected by her dream college--the only one she applied to.

     None of this rings true to Jo. She's decided she's going to find Maddie not realizing what dirt she's going to discover or how dangerous her quest is going to be...

     ...or that she'll have to remember a horrible thing Maddie's older brother did to her when she was only fifteen. 

     Not Like Other Girls is a truly twisty mystery and so much more. I highly recommend it not only for the YA crowd, but for college undergrads. 

     Adamo herself was sexually assaulted without realizing it. She hopes that Jo's story will help sexual violence survivors feel less alone. 

On a purrrsonal note, Tuesday and Wednesday we had the UMaine Red Cross blood drive. I ran the canteen as usual. It went really well. We had 99 successful donations including 17 first time donors. 

A great big shout out goes out to all participants. 

     

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The Glass Girl (YA fiction)

        It started out innocently enough with a drink provided by her beloved grandmother when she was rather young. 

     But 15-year-old Bella, narrator of Kathleen Glasgow's The Glass Girl, has found alcohol to be her refuge. She has a lot to deal with. Her grandmother has just died. Her first realad boyfriend has dumped her. After an acrimonious divorce her parents can't be in the same room without fighting. She can see what it's doing to her little sister. 

     So she uses alcohol 🍸 to take the edge off her feelings. After all doesn't everyone?

     Except her grades are slipping. She's alienating her friends. And after a night of partying she nearly dies of alcohol 🍸 poisoning and goes from hospital to rehab. 

     Bella's narrative reads like she is talking to a trusted best friend. She's vulnerable, likeable, authentic. So I was not surprised to read in the author's note that Bella's experiences mirror her own.

     I would highly recommend The Glass Girl to high school and college student, parents, and professionals who work with teens and young adults. 

On a purrrsonal note I haven't had a drop of alcohol since the night before my stroke--well over a year and don't miss it. I have no more desire to sip one of Eugene's beers than I have to try Tobago's Fancy Feast. Coffee is a whole different story. I can't have it because it raises my blood pressure. It's a daily battle. I crave it every time I smell it. And before you suggest decaf it is nothing like the real thing plus some decafs contain caffeine. I wonder if I will ever stop craving my favorite beverage. 

A great big shout goes out to everyone fighting their substance cravings.

Jules Hathaway 

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