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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The Bitter End (YA chiller)

     Are you ready for a winter immersive reading experience? Have I got a book for you. Alexa Donne's The Bitter End is a purrrfect read for a blizzard night with the wind howling like a banshee, snow ❄️ piling up, and maybe a power outage. 

     "Ms. Silva squirms under our hot gazes. It's seven against one.

     'I went out this morning to inspect the storm damage. We're completely snowed in. The drifts are five, six feet? Roads completely blocked.' She wrings her hands. 'Not that it matters. We can't call out, so there's no one to reach even if they could get here by car.'"

     The where is an isolated big old house on top of a mountain. The road up the mountain is sketchy even under the best of conditions. Under five or six feet of snow ❄️ it would be extremely hazardous even if they had a car or truck. Which they don't.  

      "So what is this? A digital-detox wellness weekend with noted hard-ass guidance counselor Ms. Silva. She's literally reported seniors to colleges for lying on their applications, and she got one kid's acceptance rescinded a few years ago, rumor has it. Somewhere there's a dartboard with her face on it, riddled with holes."

     The eight students (before they get distracted by weightier matters like staying alive) would gladly put some more holes in it. They all had signed up for more glamorous, exciting Senior Excursion options, only to be bumped to this nightmare at the last minute. They are not happy campers...

     ...nor are they a group you'd want together under the best of circumstances...

     ...never mind in a scene straight out of a survivalist nightmare. Whole lotta bad blood between these kids ever since an eventful party three years earlier. 

       At their first supper one of the students, Eden, drugs the chaperone so they can party. Do they ever! The next morning one of the boys is dead...

     ...And there's no way to call for help...

     ...And another blizzard is intensifying.

     If you're a real chiller affecianado you won't want to miss out on The Bitter End or on Donne's two previous cliffhangers: The Ivies and Pretty Dead Queens. 

On a purrrsonal note, here in Central Maine the temperatures are dropping. We're in for 2 days of really dangerous windchill, possibly accompanied by more snow. But aside from that I am living my best life. I had an amazing day yesterday. The morning was First Friday Bagels. I had my favorite: sweet cinnamon. In the afternoon I was paparazzi for a SWell event on planners where I got some seriously good stuff including 4 adorable squishies for little little land. Catherine complimented me on my running. More people asked for poster board for Operation Valentine. And so many people are so excited about it. It's like real world viral.

And the few with whom I've shared my next project idea are excited for it. 

A great big shout out goes out to all the groups who are participating in Operation Valentine. 

Jules Hathaway 

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Part 2

This is the book wrapped up and the valentines card I made for Eugene. 

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Good stuff

The earrings are the ones Amber gave me Saturday. Aren't they absolutely gorgeous? And the book has an interesting story. Yesterday on campus there was a blind date with a book event. There was a table full of beautifully wrapped books. Each had a description. They were free. I found one I thought would be awesome. When I unwrapped it I discovered it was on my to read list. I'm really looking forward to reading and reviewing it. There were also Valentine card making materials and I made cards for Eugene and my friend Bailey. 

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Why Facists Fear Teachers (adult nonfiction)

     Remember we recently looked at a book that described all the ways oligarchies put almost all of us in serious peril? Why Facists Hate Teachers: Public Education and the Future of Democracy looks at the crisis from another angle, offering a ray of hope in the form of public schools and teachers. Author Randi Weingarten, former teacher and elected president of the 1.8 million member American Federation of Teachers, speaking from history and the personal experience of herself and colleagues, makes a cogent case why we all have a stake in public education. 

     As I think you're aware, public schools and teachers are under attack on many different fronts. There are book banners gunning for unprecedented numbers of volumes, especially those having to do with LGBTQ+ issues and the lived experience of people of color, and historical revisionists diligently whitewashing curricula. There is the taking away of needed resources as in the dismantling of the Department of Education. There are the voucher and charter schools trying to dismantle and replace public schools. 

     It's nothing new. Facist regimes have always early on targeted schools and teachers. Weingarten starts the book off with a description of the courageous resistance of teachers and students to the Nazi occupation of Norway in 1940. So why do they do this? She goes into great detail on four reasons:

*Teachers teach critical thinking, a skill abhored by authoritarians and dictators;

*Teachers create safe, affirming, and welcoming communities for all children and provide the resources that will enable all to thrive;

*Teachers provide opportunities for all which is anathema to those who want to perpetuate a very unequal status quo.

*Teachers build strong unions. Unions are a very strong force against facism.

     In her conclusion Weingarten gives readers a path forward and reasons for optimism but not complacency. I see Why Facists Fear Teachers as a must read for all who care about the future of public education and participatory democracy. 

On a purrrsonal note, I think it's so important to show up for our beleaguered teachers and school librarians. Talk to them. Find out what they need whether it's supplies or advocacy. Let them know you're there for them. Attend school committee meetings and town council budget meetings and don't be afraid to speak up. And if you have the time and inclination run for school committee/board. All too often conservatives try to pack committees with banners, censorers, and other similar minded people. From my eleven years on the Veazie School Committee I can tell you that you do have power and can make a real difference.  

A great big shout out goes out to public school teachers and librarians and their allies. 

Jules Hathaway 

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Me and Eugene...

...at his birthday lunch. He was having a great time. But he does not like having his picture taken. I'm the opposite as you can see. It was a wonderful lunch. The food was divine. I really enjoyed the conversation. Truly a day to remember!

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