Street Cats & Where To Find Them (adult nonfiction)

     Fellow feline fanciers get ready. Have I got a book for you: Jeff Bogle's Street Cats & Where To Find Them: The Most Feline-Friendly Cities and Attractions Around the World. Here's the information you need to plan a truly memorable vaca. Or, if you're like me, daydream about someday being able to afford such a vacation. 

     Now mind you, Bogle did not start out as a friend of felines. He grew up without a ginger or a tuxedo in his home. His parents were always spreading anti cat propaganda. (He would eventually manage to convert his mother to the joys of cat parenting.) When at the age of twenty-four he was told he would have to temporarily take in a feline he was sure it would ruin his life...

     ...Needless to say it didn't...

     ..."Four hours later, Kitt was on my lap kneading biscuits into my doughy body. Roughly four hours and two seconds later, I was an unabashed cat dad who wondered, What in the hell was wrong with my parents? Biscuits in your neck, sleeping on your chest, and purring into your shoulder--what's not to love, Dad?"

     Now Bogle is a travel writer, earning his living and some pretty awesome perks doing what most of us pay to do or want to be able to afford to pay to do. His mobility and his unabashed fondness for felines combine to make Street Cats & Where To Find Them something special. He takes readers to almost two dozen locations around the world--from Chile to Iceland, from Japan to Puerto Rico--introducing us to the defining features of the place, its foods, and the felines who frequent it, and sharing GORGEOUS PICTURES of those felines. For each location he gives the basics--like where to stay, where to eat, how to get around. He also has a section on cat cafés, museums, festivals...

     But he realizes that there are a lot of street cats not as fortunate as those that live out their best lives in cafés and other shops or have their needs met by groups of dedicated volunteers. He knows that for all too many street cats existence is a frightening, exhausting struggle for survival. He fills readers in on the many organizations through which we can help these forgotten felines. 

     I am personally grateful to Bogle for affirming a concept I've intuited since the precious 16 years when Joey cat--short for Joseph Jacob Hathaway--was my beloved cat companion. The soul cat. Don't get me wrong. I've loved all my cats. And you know I adore Tobago. But Bogle affirms what I believe--that there can be the one soul cat. And if she or he becomes part of your life you are blessed beyond measure. At Veazie Vet the doctors frequently remarked that we were one of the most tightly bonded cat-human pairs they'd ever seen. 

     Anyway, if you're a fellow feline fancier I recommend that you get Street Cats & Where To Find Them. But don't stash it on a shelf and forget it. Give it prime space on your coffee table or other central location. You'll be able to flip through those gorgeous photos whenever you want. And you'll impress your cat loving friends and family members with your most excellent taste.

Well I had a simply dreamy Valentines Day. Eugene had given me flowers 💐 the night before. I woke up to find a beautiful sentimental card at my place at the table. He took me to Governors for breakfast and dinner. We went for a road trip, stopping at 2 Goodwills. He paid for the stuff I couldn't resist including a Squishmallow and a Squishmallow Squad shirt. Tobago gave me sweet snuggles and was delighted with her special treat: a tuna Fancy Feast entrée. Our house was lit with love. 

A great big shout out goes out to Eugene and precious Tobago. 

Jules Hathaway 

     

     

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Scholastic Book Fair

It was going on all last week at UMaine. I think that's great. It's a really top notch brand I love to see associated with UMaine. Well I was so darn busy with the Blood drive and career fair and Operation Valentine and my paparazzi duties I didn't get a chance to check it out til Thursday afternoon. I wasn't planning on buying anything. But when I saw the Squishmallow sticker book (if you've read this blog for awhile you know I'm obsessed with Squishmallows) I just had to have it. Then I found a couple of other items I liked. I decided to get myself a Valentines 💝 gift. I love the person I am. It's a good thing because of all my friends I'm the only one I'm spending a lifetime with. I hope you can love ❤️ or at like the person you are. Do something nice for yourself today. 

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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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