The Fall of Iris Henley (YA chiller)

       "DON'T SAY I DIDN'T WARN YOU 

It is so easy to ruin someone's life. To take away everything that matters to them. Their friends. Their family. Their reputation. Even their future. 

     All it takes is fourteen days. A few strokes of the keyboard. A storm of whispers. And just like that, it all crumbles.

     Trust me. I know. 

     Because it happened to me. And if you're not careful, it could happen to you too."

     The first page of Jennifer Graham's The Fall of Iris Henley (due to drop February '26) has to be one of the best crafted chiller introductions ever. It's simple, direct, personal, and highly effective. I can't imagine reading those paragraphs and putting the book down. And the rest of the book lives up nicely to its promise.

"It's one of those nights I used to love. One of those nights with a packed stadium, where the football arcs like a rocket against the sky and the lights feel like a halo around all of us. Where everyone glows a little, even the kids, even the teachers and parents, all their faces painted green and gold. 

     Everyone glows a little. But we glow brightest of all."

     The we Iris is alluding to is her cheer squad. This sport is a major part of her life and identity. She works diligently on perfecting her skills at summer cheer camp as well as during the school year. She's tight with her teammates, especially her besties, Hayden and Sophie. She loves performing at the games.

     Iris hasn't had things easy. The previous spring her football player boyfriend, Rocky, was found dead in a run down cabin. He and a girl, Lynette, who he was cheating with died by gun shot wounds. Rocky was found holding the gun. Their deaths were considered a murder-suicide.

     Now it's October. The football season is underway. Homecoming is on the horizon and life is just starting to feel normal when Iris, attending a party with her friends, sees a post claiming that she shot Rocky and Lynette as revenge for infidelity. 

     Hayden and Sophie tell Iris not to take it to seriously. They think it's just a troll. She's just supposed to pretend nothing is going on and ignore the comments. 

     But there's an awful lot of them, many quite nasty. And soon there are in person and phone aggressions. School becomes hostile territory. Her locker is vandalized. And the police who originally called the deaths a murder/suicide are following Iris around, hinting that they might reopen the investigation. 

     Iris wonders when/if she'll get her life back.

     As a roller coaster ride of a chiller with twists galore and a very relatable narrator, The Fall of Iris Henley is a most excellent read for mystery loving teens and adults. But, dealing with a form of bullying all too many teens are victimized by and all too many adults ignore, it's so much more. I consider it a most worthwhile acquisition for public, high school, and college libraries. 

On a purrrsonal note, I'm looking forward to a three day weekend because I'm tired. I'm looking forward to spending most of it working on my sequel manuscript. I'm also looking forward to Valentines Day. I have a gift card to Eugene's favorite store, a homemade Valentines card, and lots of chocolates for Eugene. I'm going to lay them out after he goes to bed tonight so he'll see them first thing in the morning. Remember Valentines Day isn't just about romance. It can be about celebrating 🍾 family, friends, and that best little cat, dog, rabbit, iguana or other companion animal in the world. I'm gonna surprise precious Tobago with a Fancy Feast entree. And you don't need to splurge on expensive stuff like jewelry. My favorite Valentines Day card from Eugene in nearly 37 years of marriage was one he made when we were starting out on a very tight budget.

A great big shout out goes out to Eugene, my one and only. 

Jules Hathaway 

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Free stuff

This is all the excellent free merch the company reps gave me at the career fair yesterday. So much I had to sort it on the living room floor. Everyone I talked to (and I really enjoyed the conversations) wanted to give me stuff. Some of them had a over two hour each way drive in crappy Maine winter weather to represent at Maine's flagship University. They considered it well worth the slog. They were having a great time. They were highly impressed with the quality and potential of UMaine students as potential employees. The job hunting students were excited and enthusiastic, really rocking the business cas looks, some quite individual. The career center deserves a lot of credit for pulling together such a top notch professional event. 

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The valentine

This is the Valentines card the donors and volunteers created for the Red Cross nurses. Isn't it special? Both creators and recipients were really happy. Operation Valentine is the cat's pajamas!!!

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Family Reunion (adult fiction)

     Families can be complicated--especially when you're going beyond the nuclear to take in grands, in-laws, and aunts and uncles. I never had that experience growing up. Except for very rarely seeing my Uncle Ken and his clan the fam was strictly 2 adults, 2 kids. I was in high school before I learned what in-laws were. When I married Eugene the biggest adjustment was joining a clan with a large and growing family tree. I wasn't sure how or even if I fit in.

     The complexities and conflicts of extended family lie at the heart of Nancy Thayer's Family Reunion. It's centered on a grandmother, Eleanor, and a granddaughter, Ari, who are spend an unforgettable summer together.

     When Eleanor brings her family together to celebrate her seventeenth birthday she has decidedly mixed feelings. 

"They were all coming. Her son, her daughter and son-in-law, her granddaughter. For a moment, she was breathless. Also slightly unsettled. When the family was here for Christmas, Alicia constantly batted away at Eleanor like a cat with a toy mouse, trying to make Eleanor agree to sell the house. 

     This house."

     The house is the magnificent but needing a lot of repairs summer home that has been the family's forever. Eleanor and her mother had been cradle babies there. Eleanor had become a year round resident after her husband died. She loves the house with it's history, familiarity, and prime ocean views.

     Her daughter, Alicia, is intent on her mother moving to a nice assisted living community even though Eleanor is quite healthy and capable. She thinks her current situation is unsafe. She also very much covets her share of the money from the sale.

     Ari has just graduated from college. She has also broken off her engagement just months before her intended marriage. Her very materialistic mother, Alicia of course, is furious at her for turning down such a prime catch. 

     "As worried as she was, Ari was also angry. Did her mother expect her to marry a man she didn't love? And her mother was ashamed of her...

     Too bad Peter (ex fiance) couldn't marry Ari's mom. They'd make a perfect match."

    Ari decides to spend the summer between college and graduate school with Eleanor and her cat, Shadow, to get a break and a job. She becomes a counselor at a day camp for kids whose parents have to work and would otherwise have to leave them home alone. She and Eleanor really enjoy living together...

     ...but these unexpected challenges keep popping up. Ari finds out that she should have been more careful with birth control just as she's entering a really good relationship. Evidence of her father's infidelity turns up...

     ...and there's still the ongoing battle about the house and Eleanor's future. 

     Fans of family centered adult realistic fiction will find a real treasure in Family Reunion. 

On a purrrsonal note, yesterday and today I ran the canteen for the UMaine Red Cross Blood Drive. It was one of our best. I think between the two days we got 125 units. Noone fainted. People really enjoyed their time in the canteen. And donors and volunteers created a huge Valentines Card for the Red Cross  nurses. Today I also spent 2 hours making the rounds of the big career fair. The career center always wants me to. I enjoyed talking to the company reps. And I collected two huge bags of free merch. Someone wants to give me really cool stuff I'm not gonna say no unless I have ethical issues with their company. But with those heavy bags and my heavy backpack 🎒 I was struggling to cross campus. Suddenly a boy was offering to help me. He took my bags and backpack 🎒 and walked me all the way to the Blood drive. 

A great big shout out goes out to all who participated in the Blood drive and the career fair and my knight in shiny denim, the very kind boy who escorted me across campus. 

Jules Hathaway 

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Amber's next event

Amber just sent me this event promotion picture last night. I am so excited and proud of my daughter!!! She is showing how much of a professional writer and an approachable human being she is. I love seeing her doing a reading or answering questions. With her second book dropping this summer, some really awesome events on the horizon, and her book being ordered by more libraries and book stores I truly believe her star is rising. 

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Hello Beautiful (adult realistic fiction)

     Ann Napolitano's Hello Beautiful is a book that under ordinary circumstances I never would have picked up. Adult fiction that isn't a chiller or issue centered--the everyday life of grown ups--is a genre that I tend to pass over. But I'd run out of inter library loans. My emergency stash of thrift shop/yard sale books was really low. 

     This past summer I'd been one of the winners of the Orono Public Library summer reading challenge. Hello Beautiful was one of my prizes. I thought "Might as well."

     Obviously I'm glad I did . I have no qualms whatsoever about ditching books I just can't get into. I read it through to the end. Even though one of my favorite characters gets a terminal cancer diagnosis. 

      A tribute to Louisa May Alcott's Little Women, Hello Beautiful centers on nearly five decades in the life of a family with four daughters: Julia the planner, book loving Sophie, and the twins--artistic Cecelia and nurturing Emeline. The girls are extremely close knit, relying almost exclusively on each other. The parents seem for the most part disillusioned with marriage and life. The mother (Rose) is quite strict and judgmental. When 17-year-old Cecelia gets pregnant and insists on keeping the baby Rose kicks her out and Emeline goes with her.

      "For the first six days of William Waters's life, he was not an only child. He had a three-year-old sister, a redhead named Caroline."

     Unfortunately for William, Caroline's death had a devastating effect on his parents who parented him by what can best be described as benign neglected. Finally when he was ten he was recognized as a basketball player. Entering high school he started for the varsity team, gaining not only an identity, but a tribe. 

     When Julia and William wed it's anything but a marriage made in heaven. Julia is intent on pushing him to become a published writer college professor. Not gonna happen. When their union comes to a very messy end, not only do Julia and baby Alice leave William, but relationships in the larger family unit become strained in new and dangerous ways. 

     What I like best about Hello Beautiful is that it's told by multiple narrators and focuses on their perceptions and feelings in a way that does not create heroes and villains, but flawed and relatable human beings. I think it would be a wonderful read and discuss for open, honest, and trusting book clubs. 

On a purrrsonal note, I'm staying home (which is quite a privilege, one I won't have when I land a job) due to the predicted extreme windchill. The rest of the week will be super exciting. Tuesday and Wednesday I'll run the canteen for the Red Cross Blood Drive. Wednesday before that I'll make the rounds of the big campus career fair. Thursday I will be tabling for Black Bear Mutual Aid Fund. And Friday I'll be paparazzi for and participate in a Valentines goodie bag making event. I should be getting more pictures of the Valentines groups are creating for Operation Valentine. And I'm sure people will be talking about it. It should be a super rewarding week even if the weather outside is frightful. 

A great big shout out goes out to all who will be involved in the events. 

Jules Hathaway 

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Special gift

Today I have something special to share with you. This was Katie's Christmas gift to me about 20 years ago. The cup is one of my favorites. When the ornaments (angel and snowman) aren't on a Christmas tree they have a prominent place in my studio where I can see them every day. They remind me of Eugene and me. I use the box to hold stuff like erasers and pencil sharpeners. I think that we hold on to and treasure says a lot about us. So from now on now and then I'll share pictures of my treasured possessions. What objects do you treasure? What do they mean to you?

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