...gardeners were quite enthusiastically engaged.
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Wednesday, August 12, 2026
Tomatoes
The tomatoes are ripening in the Orono gardens. We've been able to harvest a few sun golds. YUM!!!
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Tuesday, August 11, 2026
The new porch Eugene made
Isn't it great? A lot of people couldn't build such an excellent porch. The towels are hung so he can keep his motorcycle looking good. He loves to ride it when weather allows. I don't blame him. If my eyesight was good enough for me to legally drive I would too.
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All The Fighting Parts
Well, just as I promised, this is the second in our pair of reviews exploring books that deal with trusted authority figures behaving very inexcusably badly. Only this time we cross over from state (public schools) to church and our perp is a very charismatic preacher.
"When I first pressed charges,
nobody prepared me for the pressure.
About the lens I would be under.
The weight that comes with having something to prove to people who are determined to make you small."
Sixteen-year-old Amina, narrator of Hannah V. Sawyerr's All the Fighting Parts, lets readers know right off she's no angel. She's in the principal's office--for stuff like going off campus for lunch, being paid to write other people's essays, and giving a teacher a piece of her mind--as often as an honors student is in the library. One day her history teacher makes a call home to her father...
...who consults Pastor Johnson about what to do to get Amina to listen. They decide that she'll help out around the church. Then when a friend suggests that she work for Johnson for money she likes the idea.
"I could finally dress and look the way I want to,
instead of looking and dressing only in ways I can afford."
I think most of us as teens had things we could use a little extra money for. Well the work is easy and the pay generous. All seems to be fine until he brings her into the empty church supposedly to do some paperwork...
...and a girl who gets in trouble for her outspokennes is silenced, unable to defend herself.
"I watch my abuser preach on pulpits
& still have to maintain a decent GPA.
Every day I shrink
smaller than my silence."
Then one night as Bible study is about to begin the attendees see their pastor arrested and taken away in a police car. Another victim has come forward. The congregants (including Amina's father) are sure it's a terrible mistake. Their man of God could never do something so heinous.
When Amina comes out about her experience and prepares to testify let's say the shit hits the fan.
All the Fighting Parts, narrated dynamically in free verse, is captivating and engaging. Sawyerr creates a highly credible protagonist that it's probably impossible not to care about in a narrative that exposes the evil that beloved and charismatic pastors can get away with. It can help teen victims see red flags and have the courage to come forward with the truth and adults go from skeptics to advocates and allies.
On a purrrsonal note, Saturday after our Governers breakfast Eugene and I went to camp. It was drizzling and chilly. When we stopped at home to pick up our stuff I added a sweatshirt. Eugene said I wouldn't need it. I wisely ignored him. By the time we got to Machias to get subs for lunch and when we arrived at camp it was flat out pouring. Then when we'd finished lunch it cleared up. I was grateful I didn't have to walk in the rain. With less than 2 months to make it a year without missing a day of exercise I would have walked in a damn hurricane. I spent a lovely afternoon reading on the porch. After dinner we watched a movie. The next day we drove home and Eugene was working on building a new porch. In all the heat. It came out really nice. Seeing him doing carpentry brought back precious memories of my Uncle Ken who also was gifted with tools. Yesterday I spent a blissful day in the air conditioned Orono Public Library reading and writing. Pastor Malcolm came over all HOW DID YOU DO IT??? He was alluding to the $1,000 in sponsorship. I told him the truth. I talked to people and they talked to people and people kept giving me money.
A great big shout out goes out to Eugene the sweet little boy who caught my eye nearly four decades ago.
Jules Hathaway
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Monday, August 10, 2026
Mini garden mum
Her buds are opening up so beautifully! I love the delicate blossoms 🌸. Note the sawdust from Eugene's carpentry project.
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My garden after
Actually I like it even though I'll need to get some more flowers.
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Eugene cosplaying Bob the Builder
Sunday afternoon in dangerous heat Eugene was building our new porch. He can make or fix so much with tools. When I see him at work it brings up precious memories of my Uncle Ken who was also quite gifted at building and mending. He was a contractor who was appointed inspector because of his integrity and refusal to take bribes. My father prided himself on total ineptitude with tools. He looked down on his brother for not going to college. But Uncle Ken was the one I looked up to.
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Yard sale finds
Eugene got me this cute nightlight and three books for my emergency stash at a garage sale on our way to camp last Saturday.
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Sunday, August 9, 2026
Listen to the Girls (juvenile fiction)
Way long ago before I even met Eugene a professor told me that he was sleeping with one of his graduate students. There were credible rumors that one of his colleagues had a way for females he considered attractive to earn As. Unfortunately it's still going on. Professors abuse the power differential. Graduate and undergraduate women very often don't report them. A lot of factors stand in the way: realistic fears of not being believed, possible retribution, and the are-you-sures people often present girls and women with when they claim harassment by people in power.
It's bad enough when it happens in higher education. Unfortunately the predators are also in high school and even middle school. That's why Chrystal D. Giles' very aptly titled Listen to the Girls is so important.
"The last day of seventh grade started with Jacob Parks' nose squirting blood all over Bus 1709 and ended with rumors swirling about Mr. Chavis harassing students."
Toward the end of the day rumors start flying. A news story has claimed that Mr Chavis, a popular new teacher had been accused of inappropriate behavior by students at his former school. Calla, Giles' protagonist, is initially upset.
"This has to be some kind of mean joke. Or some student who's mad about a bad grade. Right? He's literally the nicest teacher in the whole school."
The accusations and comments spread quickly. Many people are defending the teacher--claiming that a good man's reputation is being attacked and accusing the girls of lying. Then the story and comments are taken off the internet.
Calla and her best friends, Charlee and Jacoby, create an online place where the girls can post their stories. They name it Listen to the Girls. Some of the stories bear an uncanny resemblance to her experiences with Mr. Chavis: assurances of her specialness, preferential treatment, requests to keep secrets. Could the teacher she respected and trusted be actually grooming her? Could his intentions be anything but good?
Always do what you know is right to do. That's one of Calla's mother's favorite aphorisms...
...but what do you do if you don't know what the right thing is?
If my daughters were in middle school I'd gift them each with a copy of Listen to the Girls. It's an enlightening and empowering narrative that can give girls the knowledge and confidence to notice red flags in adult behavior and say something. It can help adults believe them and become allies.
Unfortunately it could become a target of banners and censors who don't want girls to be listened to and believed.
On a purrrsonal note, when I was in high school back in the '60s I was molested by a married gym teacher who told me it was our little secret. Sure that secrecy would allow him to hurt other girls, I went right to the principal who called me a vicious little liar who was trying to destroy a good man. If I didn't stop I'd be in big trouble. So I was silenced. But I somehow knew that I was not to blame--that he had committed a sin and a crime. Just the knowing protected me from feeling guilt and shame. As a mother of daughters I feel that this knowing is essential in today's world. My next review on Tuesday will deal with predation by another trusted authority--a charismatic preacher.
A great big shout out goes out to Giles for this very important and truth telling narrative.
Jules Hathaway
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Saturday, August 8, 2026
My latest Squishmallow obsession
This is the micromallow I found at Goodwill in a bag of little critters. I looked on line and found that there are lots of these precious Squishmallows. They're only 2 1/2 inches tall and so adorable. Fortunately they sell them on Ebay. Well, I'm off to camp. I hope you have a good weekend.
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My garden yesterday
I'm having breakfast at Governors before heading off to camp. So I'm posting a couple of pictures while I can. This is my garden yesterday evening. I was reading a really good book and eating fresh raspberries. Total bliss.
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Friday, August 7, 2026
Blue Beach (YA historical fiction)
During my childhood (50s and early 60s) I lived close enough to the ocean to hear waves crashing in the quiet my house settled into at night. Needless to say, I spent a lot of summer time at the beach: swimming, floating on blow up rafts, shell hunting, sand castle building, tide pool exploring, and, of course, heeding the call of the ice cream man. I did not know then that in so much of the country this experience and others involving swimming were denied Black children. So when I got my hands on Karyn Parsons' Blue Beach before autumn arrived I was over the moon. It's got a truly engaging plot to hold the interest of the YA set and is seasonally spot on.
"It would be hours before they found her...She lay perfectly still on the shore of Blue Beach, her body moving only as the tide rushed up and nudged her gently before rushing away again. A sand crab traveled across her hand, then burrowed itself into the wet shoreline."
Just that morning Dottie had been one of the stars of her town's annual Poseidon's Trident parade--riding a float dressed as a mermaid, smiling, waving, and throwing candy to children. Her outfit was a just for her creation. Now less than a day later she's caught in seaweed.
Blue, Parsons' protagonist, and her best friend, Ben, discover Dottie's body. There's a shock that comes from seeing someone who had been fully robustly alive just hours ago lying inert and vacant eyed. And there's also fear of what could happen if Dottie's body is found specifically on Blue Beach. They return her to the ocean closer to Breakers Beach.
You see the year is 1929, only a decade after deadly racial conflict was triggered in Chicago when a Black teen strayed into the water of a white beach and was killed by a white man. Blue Beach is a a Black Beach bordered on two sides by white beaches. It's owned by Blue's family. Her mother runs a concessions stand, selling everything from sandwiches and sunscreen to bathing suits. Despite the segregation a lot of whites don't want to share the ocean with Blacks. They'd love to see Blue Beach shut down.
When Ben becomes a suspect he has to go into hiding to stay out of the grasp of people who would make themselves judge, jury, and executioner. Blue resolves to save his life by finding the real killer.
One terrifying night Blue wakes up to see robed and hooded Klansmen on horses rally on the beach and burn the concessions stand. The adults insist that they were trouble makers from elsewhere. But Blue knows better. "I knew that the people who'd trespassed onto our beach in the night to terrorize and threaten us were people we knew. They were people we passed in the streets regularly. People we possibly traded polite smiles with at the market on Sundays."
Parsons as a child and teen spent lots of summer vacations at a nearby beach. It wasn't until much later that she learned about segregated beaches and the fight for recreational inclusion.
"This book is for them--for the people who refused to be denied outdoor recreational spaces where their families and their communities could share joy and a sense of belonging. I thank them for helping to create a world where children don't have to wonder if the ocean is theirs, too."
On a purrrsonal note, yesterday was quite a day. I decided against my better judgment (being warned of extreme heat by the meteorologist the night before) to make a Goodwill/Hannaford run. I was able to make it there and back without collapsing. I did make some good finds at Goodwill and got a great deal on berries at Hannaford. At home I gave Tobago a Fancy Feast entree (tuna) to celebrate my $1,000 in sponsors. I went to the end of the readathon party in late afternoon. It was fun. Amber was there too and she won a really good prize. I was glad she was there. We found the grand total for the readathon. $1,300 which is pretty darn good. Today I am going to heed the extreme heat warning and stay home.
A great big shout out goes out to all who participated in the readathon by reading and sponsoring readers.
Jules Hathaway
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Thursday, August 6, 2026
New flowers in the garden
Last night I got new flowers to fill out my garden 2 white mini garden mums...
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Wednesday, August 5, 2026
Night Objects (YA chiller)
"I already gave my statement to the police, of course. Detective Thibeaut knows everything--or rather, she thinks she does. I just need to make one thing clear. It's true that I wished him dead dozens of times. Hundreds, even. But I, Lenny Winter, did not kill that boy."
Lenny, narrator of Eli Raphael's Night Objects never in her wildest dreams imagined starting her junior year of high school at The Blanchard School, a very strange boarding school for the sons and daughters of the ultra wealthy and powerful. Just earlier she and her mother and stepfather had moved into a houseboat in a small town in Washington State. She assumed she'd attend the local public high school...
...But then tragedy struck. She and her mom, both astronomy enthusiasts, had kayaked to an island to do some serious star gazing. Only shortly after they arrive her mother begins exhibiting alarming symptoms and insisting they go home. Before they arrive at the marina she is unconscious. By the next morning she is dead.
"Yes, it is shameful to say that I considered dying. But this is a story about the truth. So, I will tell you that, seven months after my mother died and I was sent to Blanchard, I found myself back in the ocean before dawn, next to another corpse, terrified, gagging on frigid saltwater, kicking against the bottomless darkness."
With this gruesome little clue dropped as early as chapter four, you know Lenny's boarding school experience is not going to be the idyllic life pictured in promotional brochures. She's grieving the loss of her mother. She fears that Blanchard is only the first step in her increasingly distant stepfather transferring custody to her father. And she very much doesn't fit in with her classmates. Her previous schooling has in no way prepared her for the academic rigor and strangeness. She struggles to pass her classes. And it's obvious that she's not an offspring of the rich and famous...
...which makes it feel strange when she's tapped (chosen) for The Pascalianum Club, a secret organization that's been at the school for over 150 years. They're really into rituals and ceremonies passed down through the decades. A lot of rule breaking and viciousness. But becoming a member sets one up for lifelong success through connections with all the right people, many of them alumni. Lenny is, indeed, troubled by much of what she observes and experiences. But with her new family she does not feel so heartbreakingly alone and vulnerable.
So how does this lead to swimming with a corpse? Who exactly is the newly deceased? Why would Lenny be suspected? And what's going to happen moving forward?
There's only one way to find out. If you're a true chiller affecianado you're gonna love the quest.
On a purrrsonal note, I'm going to share a bit of personal news that still has me stunned. As regular readers know, I've been participating in a readathon put on by Friends of the Orono Public Library to raise funds for the library expansion. I started with very modest sponsorship goals and kept having to raise them when I met them. Yesterday I was $40 short of $700 with one uncollected sponsorship to go. Only the librarians told me I was over $900. A very large check had been deposited in my envelope without me knowing. And someone was going to round it up to $1000. Imagine that!!! People keep thanking me. But for me it's a dream come true. I'd felt bad when Friends had sent out an appeal for people to donate because I couldn't. So having the chance to raise money for such a wonderful project by doing something I love to do? Like I said, dream come true. It's like thanking Tobago for chowing down on Fancy Feast entrees.
A great big shout out goes out to my fellow readers, our sponsors, and Friends of the Orono Public Library for providing this most wonderful opportunity.
Public libraries are amazing resources for communities providing access to books and so much more. In today's charged political climate book challenges and funding cuts are limiting what so many can do to serve their communities. It's probably going to get a lot worse. If you are fortunate enough to have access to a public library PLEASE do what you can to support and advocate for it. Don't let it be a case of not knowing what you have until it's gone.
Jules Hathaway
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Tuesday, August 4, 2026
Summer favorites
This summer my favorite flowers are begonias and Johnny jump ups. Begonias because of their redish leaves and pink flowers. Johnny jump ups because of their delicate purple and yellow flowers and their ability to self propagate. They've been jumping up all over my little garden.
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Another hard working pollinator
Please do whatever you can to support our endangered friends. So much of our food supply depends on them.
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Pollinator picture
I'm especially proud of this one. Bees and butterflies are really hard to photograph because they are usually in motion.
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Monday, August 3, 2026
When We Almost Came Undone (YA fiction)
It was March of 2020. We UMaine students were struggling to wrap our minds around the concept of a deadly pandemic and more specifically what it would mean for us. Would we be able to return after March break? We were devastated when we got the news and had so little time to adjust. Some people had no place to go. Some did not have the technology or know how to manage the transition. We were saying goodbye to friends we might never see again.
There were people, though, who had it a lot worse, having to fear not only a pathogen with no vaccine and its devastating impact on daily life, but those mandated to serve and protect. Georgia K. Boone brings this vividly to life in her highly engaging When We Almost Came Undone.
"...It's [texting] distracting me from the fact that that I'm at home right now instead of at the hospital, where I should be. Where we should all be, pacing and biting our nails, and waiting for my other sister, Mel, to wake up. We can't, though, because we're in the middle of an unpredictable hellscape with a mysterious sickness that no one's heard of before...The infection lurks like a bandit in the night, ready to take over our lungs and suffocate us as we sleep."
Tia, Boone's narrator, on top of having to cope with the probability of her high school graduation and first year of college being virtual, may very well lose her sister. Mel is in a medically induced coma because of an attempted suicide by overdose. The doctors don't know if she'll ever wake up. Her parents, needless to say, are distraught at the prospect of losing their middle child. Tia notices her parents covertly watching her, maybe wondering...but depression isn't something her family talks about.
Tia also isn't getting along with her long time best friend, Drew. He accuses her of being apathetic because she won't accompany him to all the Black Lives Matter protests.
"Does it suck that an unarmed man was killed by police officers? One hundred percent. Does it suck that, like me, this dude was Black, which exactly no one should be shocked by? Also, one hundred percent. But he's not the first, and not the last, and I don't really have the energy."
When her oldest sister, Alexis, the most centered of the three siblings, invites Tia for a visit it seems like a most welcome reprieve, even though Alexis is over the moon over her new pandemic puppy and Tia is no fan of canine companions--especially when, shortly after her arrival she falls in love with a beautiful girl who seems to reciprocate her feelings.
But Tia can't shake the questions lingering in her mind. Will Mel recover? Might she try again and succeed? Will she and Drew ever recover their friendship? Is Colby too good to be true?
On a purrrsonal note, last Wednesday was a truly blessed day with purrrfect weather. It was my 37th wedding anniversary. Eugene left me a beautiful card and a Batman Squishmallow. The vigil went well with a good turnout and high energy and 182 honks. I get some good bargains at the thrift shop. Eugene took me out for dinner at Applebee's. At home we ate molasses cake that I'd baked in the morning. Later he gave me money for the Readathon. The next evening when Bailey came over to pay her sponsorship she gave me extra money from Cam. When my last sponsor pays up I'll be only $10 away from $700!!!
A great big shout out goes out to Eugene, my one and only soul mate with whom I hope to have many more years together.
Jules Hathaway
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Sunday, August 2, 2026
Good friends making good memories
Summer concerts are just one of the ways the Orono Public Library makes summers truly memorable.
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Saturday, August 1, 2026
The 57 Bus (YA nonfiction)
I'm sure you're familiar with this. A crime so out of the ordinary--so egregious--catches the public's attention. People are up in arms demanding the ultimate penalty for the perpetrator--or at least locking him up for a substantial period of time if not for life--even if he is a juvenile whose cognitive development is not complete. Spurred on by news and social media we make snap judgements based on incomplete knowledge and hold on to them tenaciously.
I can give you an example from Penobscot County where I live. A woman starved her five-year-old daughter to death. The public's verdict was unanimous: she's a monster deserving the death penalty or life in prison without possibility of parole. Never mind that something other than inate evil could have driven her to this act.
In The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime that Changed Their Lives Dashka Slater shows young readers that behind what seems like a cut and dried hate crime there are layers upon layers of complexity.
Sasha lived in a middle class neighborhood and attended a very small private school. They had been diagnosed early on with Aspberger's. They were cognitively advanced with a special passion for languages but socially awkward. They did not identify with masculinity or femininity and used they/them pronouns.
Richard lived in a less privileged neighborhood and attended Oakland High, a public school with high truancy and mediocre graduation rates. He was in his third high school. He'd spent a year in a group home after an arrest for fighting. Although he's been in trouble, he's trying to clean up his act with the help of a mentor. His mother had been a very unprepared 14-year-old when she gave birth. She worked food service and wanted better for her son.
The two teens' paths would never have crossed but for the 57 bus, a vehicle that many students took to get home from middle or high school. On a fateful day in 2013 Sasha falls asleep wearing a gauzy white skirt. Richard is clowning around with friends. He flicks a lighter and touches it to Sasha's skirt.
"This is a true story. All the people in this book are real, although in some cases pseudonyms or initials were used. Young people are identified by first name only.
The details of the story were pieced together from a variety of sources, including interviews, documents, letters, videos, diaries, social media posts, and public records...Information from firsthand accounts was corroborated with official records whenever possible, unless those records were sealed or are not available to the public."
Slater has certainly done due diligence in crafting a book that is as relevant for adults as it is for the teens that form its target demographics. It challenges readers to develop and utilize critical thinking skills about horrific crimes rather than jump to conclusions. Although it is a slightly older book, it is well worth the effort it takes to locate and borrow or buy it.
On a purrrsonal note, I had a wonderful Tuesday. The predicted rain that would have canceled everything did not arrive. I had lunch with Amber in her back yard. Really good vegetarian Chinese food. The kids in the children's garden were so cute. I had fun taking pictures. The Darlings ice cream truck was right on time. The ice cream 🍦 was really special in a way it couldn't be if I could have it any old time. People at the concert were asking if I got my ice cream to which I'd reply that if the Darlings truck came and I didn't get ice cream they'd better call 911. The concert was super--a duo playing evocative music from my teens. Lots of good photo ops and conversations. And I got home in time for some blissful outside reading near my beautiful flowers.
A great big shout out goes out to my older daughter, Amber, who is also my favorite horror story author.
Jules Hathaway
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Friday, July 31, 2026
Medicine Wheels (YA fiction)
You probably don't imagine me as a skateboarder. As a stroke survivor with residual brain damage I don't need my neurologist (or my children) to tell me what a no good very bad idea that would be. But when I was in junior high it was a whole different story.
I was eleven when I learned about skateboards and passionately yearned for one. My mother had problems with that. It wasn't as acceptable then as it is now. Skaters were pictured as the kind of boys who hung around gas stations and dropped out of school--not college bound girls from "respectable" families. My father loved the idea because my mother hated it. He bought me the most expensive board he could get.
It wasn't easy. I had no one to teach me. So I had to figure it out. I got banged up a lot at first--luckily no broken bones. But when I got the hang of it I was addicted. I was also into bike tricks like standing on the seat, no hands. Seeing the expressions on people's faces was priceless.
So when I discovered Byron Graves' sophomore novel, Medicine Wheels, (Rez Ball was his brilliant debut) at the Orono Public Library I snapped it up like precious Tobago would a Fancy Feast entree. I was captivated from the first page on.
Bryce, Graves' protagonist has been having a hard life ever since he lost his father. His mother has drunk too much, been unable to hold a job, and taken up with men totally unable to handle the realities of relationships or parenting. Two years she fell in with Doug, an extremely volatile, vicious drinker, pulling Bryce away from his extended family and tight knit community.
"They get back from a trip to the liquor store that's right on the edge of the rez line for snacks, cigarettes, and beer. Acting like they're in love. Pretending we have a happy home."
One night after extreme domestic violence Bryce and his mom take off, ending up in a seriously sketchy motel. When she leaves without paying Bryce is locked out of the room with only the clothes on his back. His mother is in jail for parole violation.
Fortunately Bryce's grandmother is able to take him in and he gets to reunite with his friends and connect with his father's legacy. His dad was a highly respected skateboard champion. Bryce has never skated. But talent and dedication have him catching on quickly.
But Bryce's life still has plenty of challenges. He worries about his mom--not only whether she'll ever get well but whether she'll take him away from the place where he feels at home. His beloved grandfather is dying of cancer. And an oil company is trying to build a pipeline with potentially devastating consequences for his reservation.
Graves really knows how to create a believable world and characters it's impossible not to care about and situations that feel urgent because they are urgent. The real life water protectors are fighting poweeful oil companies against steep odds to protect this irreplaceable resource for future generations and the future of our one and only planet.
Medicine Wheels was created in partnership with We Need Diverse Books. There are some wonderful eye opening, thought provoking engaging reads by indigenous authors that have have so much to teach us. We must support and uphold their important work, especially as censors and banners strive to restrict the diversity of the voices we have access to.
On a purrrsonal note, the part of the book where Bryce's grandfather was dying really got to me. I was remembering when my beloved Joey cat was at the end of his life because of cancer. That last summer we could share was sad but also precious beyond measure. I was reading on the Mt. Hope bus and as we arrived at and departed from Walmart I was crying. And I didn't give a damn what people thought. Any book that can stir up feelings like that is powerful beyond measure.
A great big shout out goes out to Graves for crafting such an eloquent, engaging, and hopefully enraging narrative. I can't wait to see what he comes up with next.
Jules Hathaway
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Thursday, July 30, 2026
Concert
I certainly wasn't going to miss out. I chose strawberry 🍓 😋 shortcake 🍰, a favorite since I was a child growing up in Beverly, Massachusetts. All the more special since I have to seriously limit how many treats I have. When people asked me if I got my ice cream 🍦 I said that if the Darlings ice cream truck arrives and I'm not lining up it's time to call 911.
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Concert
A lot of people shared my enthusiasm for the Darlings ice cream truck, lining up for one of the sweetest treats of summer.
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Concert
This is my absolute favorite truck in the world: the Darlings ice cream 🍦 truck. Every summer it goes around to all kinds of events raising money for good causes. It was in Orono Tuesday at the weekly summer concert raising money for the library expansion. Good music, good ice cream, a great cause--who could ask for more?
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Little friends
The three little Squishmallows I found at Bangor Goodwill Monday.
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Wednesday, July 29, 2026
Wild Tongues Can't Be Tamed (YA anthology)
"I am so excited to share this anthology with the world. Too often individuals from the Latinx diaspora are placed into a box, into stereotypes, that society deems necessary in order to define. But we are so much more than the myths, than the stereotypes, than what white people and Western ideals want us to believe."
Saraciea J. Fennell, editor of Wild Tongues Can't Be Tamed wants to shatter the myths and stereotypes and break open the constricting boxes many people feel the need to put Latinx people into. She wants readers to get a sense of the eloquence and diversify of the writers--some deservedly famous, some just starting out--whose work has been included in the book. Indeed each one has a distinctive and meaningful tale to tell. But there are some recurring themes.
One is being constantly asked "What are you?" by people who feel a need to boil your existence down to one word--asking if you are Mexican or Black and refusing to believe you can be both or even more. Being frustrated by their refusal to believe your real identity.
Colorism plays a role with people with lighter skin and better hair being seen more favorably. Families with a wide range of skin tones startle some people.
Some writers talk about a need to discover their roots, where they come from, and their family history in order to understand who they are.
One of the writers is considered to have given up his culture by assimilating too much. But there are pressures to assimilate and give up cultural identity. Some writers are fluent in Spanish while others don't know or know very little. Both statuses have consequences.
I think these powerful stories can really help non Latinx people (like me) better understand the complexity and individuality of people who whites share this nation, sometimes reluctantly, with. I recommend Wild Tongues Can't Be Tamed for its YA target demographic and way beyond. One feature I really like is a series of thought provoking discussion questions at the end that would make the book excellent for secondary classroom curriculum inclusion.
On a purrrsonal note, I spent much of Monday running errands. First in Bangor I went to Hannaford to get molasses and Cool Whip to make Eugene a molasses cake 🎂 🥮 for our anniversary. I also got Fancy Feast entrees and cat treats for precious Tobago and raspberries and blueberries for me. I was so close to Goodwill I had to stop in and get three little Squishmallows. Then I had to go to Orono to put Tobago's money 💰 in her savings account. Because I had to take six buses my errands took five hours, much longer than it would if I could drive.
A great big shout out goes out to the people who work in produce in Hannaford stores around Maine. They arrange the fruits and veggies so beautifully. Like the garden of Eden without the serpent.
Jules Hathaway
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Tuesday, July 28, 2026
Yard sale finds
This couple about to move to Florida was in the last day of their yard sale. EVERYTHING had to go. These are some of the treasures I found for a quarter apiece.
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Goodwill finds
The dress has functional pockets. And the overalls are quite whimsical. Purrrfect for garden volunteering?
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Goodwill finds
I found this shirt in the boys section. Why does everything have to be binary? What's masculine about a cat scarfing fast food?
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Goodwill finds
I miss the days I could eat all of the foods on this shirt. Don't they all look so delicious?
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Monday, July 27, 2026
Yesteryear (adult fiction)
"And who was I?
A flawless Christian woman. The manic pixie dream girl of this nation's deepest, darkest fantasies. The mother every woman wanted to be, and the wife every man wanted to come home to. Like a nun in a porno, it didn't make sense, but also, by God: it worked.
My name is Natalie Heller Mills, and I was perfect at being alive."
Natalie, protagonist of Caro Claire Burke's Yesteryear, feels herself truly blessed. She, husband Caleb, and their five children (she's pregnant with the sixth) live on a beautiful supposedly organic farm. To her many social media followers she epitomizes the perfect traditional Christian wife and mother. Her children are home schooled and device free. (Kind of ironic for an influencer, wouldn't you say?) The sale of tutorials and products provide a comfortable income stream.
Of course there are a few complications. Caleb, the spoiled fifth son of a well off career politician, is not exactly a competent Christian farmer. His cows die off with alarming frequency. And what he does with the violates one of the ten commandments. The children often don't comply with the instructions for the taping of supposedly spontaneous moments. Oldest daughter, Clementine, is becoming resistant to being constantly filmed. Natalie doesn't feel like she really knows her sons and daughters. There is a lot that has to be hidden from the followers such as the use of modern conveniences, the large staff required to do the work of supposedly just the couple, and the chemicals used in the veggie growing.
And there are the legions of women Natalie calls the haters--the feminists who consider her a traitor.
One morning Natalie wakes up in a horrifying alternative reality. She's in a primitive run down shack minus electricity, running water, and indoor plumbing. Her kids are her children but not her children. Her oldest runs the household. Caleb is cruel and abusive. Now she's not cosplaying but trying to survive the hard knock rural past. In one particularly graphic episode she steps into a trap. Instead of being rushed to a hospital, she is sewn up by her preteen daughter.
Natalie is desperate to escape the nightmare she's trapped in. But how?
Yesteryear is beautifully narrated in an alternating present and past format that helps readers really know the characters and situations. The suspense is kept up very well. You won't want to put the book down once you get into it. My only problem was with the very end. I found a jarring and confusing disconnect with the chapters leading up to it. I consider it, however, to be a most excellent read.
On a purrrsonal note, I hope you had a wonderful weekend. Mine was truly blessed. Saturday after our delicious Governors breakfast 😋 Eugene and I set off for camp. We took a meandering, scenic route, stopping at yard sales. We had a picnic lunch at a lake in Machias. The weather was purrrfect and there were hardly any mosquitoes. I got plenty of reading in. We drove back Sunday with a very fortunate stop at the Brewer Goodwill. Precious Tobago was very happy to have her family back.
A great big shout out goes out to my wonderful younger daughter, Katie. She's a lifelong lover of reading. We let each other know about the really good books we find. She shared an insight that really helped me write this review. I really appreciate that.
Jules Hathaway
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Sunday, July 26, 2026
Fairy houses #5
I hope you found these creations as inspirational as I did. It's a low cost craft and so much fun. I bet what you can bring to life will be totally unique and beautiful!!!
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Fairy houses #1
These are the fairy houses in the children's garden that inspired me to transform my home garden into an enchanted garden.
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Saturday, July 25, 2026
Oxford Blood (YA chiller)
Fam, if you are on the lookout for a chiller that takes place in an elite higher educational institution--exposes the scorpions scurrying around through the hallowed halls--you'll really want to get your hands on Rachel Davis Featherstone's Oxford Blood. It's all that and a whole lot more.
Eva, Featherstone's narrator, for most of her life worked towards a really challenging goal: studying English at Oxford University. She dreams of analyzing the world's great literature in the company of insightful peers and world class professors. It was also her dead mother's dream for her.
Eva and her best friend, George, have been invited to Oxford for Interview Week, a time when they will get a taste of on campus life while being scrutinized by the professors who are looking for the best fits for their programs. Needless to say there are more prospective students than places. Eva and George are at a disadvantage--public school students going up against the privileged students of elite private boarding schools, many of them Oxford legacies. Eva also has the burden of being Black, racially mixed, and female.
Eva quickly discovers that not getting accepted is by far not the worst thing that can happen to her. Walking across campus very late her first night there she stumbles on George's body lying in a pool of blood. The last thing she had said to him was "Fine! You stupid idiot! Do your stupid dare. Go ahead and die." Needless to say she's a suspect. But she's not a detective's daughter for nothing. She's determined to not only clear her name, but learn and expose the identity of the killer.
Except she might not live long enough. She's learning some dark long buried secrets that people in high places will do what it takes to prevent from being revealed.
If it was just a spine chilling roller coaster ride of a chiller Oxford Blues would be a most excellent buy or borrow. But it also touches on important social justice issues. The privileged sons of the rich and powerful have quite a few unearned advantages. And racism is epitomized in the university's refusal to take down a prominently placed statue of an infamous slave owner.
On a purrrsonal note, Thursday and Friday were stay at home work days. Of course I've been binge reading for the readathon, writing, keeping up this blog, and doing the cooking, laundry, gardening, and chores. Keeping precious Tobago company. I'm collecting my readathon sponsorship money 💰. I may be bringing in over $500. And I'm working on getting the backpacks filled with school supplies ready for the kids in the trailer park I am proud to call home. I have no clue what I'm doing this weekend. I'm packed in case it's going to camp. I plan to post this first thing when I get up tomorrow in case Eugene and I go somewhere where I can't post. Like camp.
A great big shout out goes out to my generous sponsors.
I hope you have a great weekend.
Jules Hathaway
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Friday, July 24, 2026
My garden
A detail from my garden. The lake these critters are sitting around is really a coaster. My enchanted garden is really bringing out my creativity.
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Thrift shop find
This is one of the cat shirts I scored. It has a real 60s psychedelic vibe. And of course it is feline centric.
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Thrift shop find
This dear polar bear and her penguin 🐧 pal are real collectibles that I scored at a fraction of their original cost. But what won me over was her sweet little face. Simply irresistible!
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Dumpster find
I found this adorable vampire bat in the thrift shop dumpster along with some other critters and real working Halloween fairy lights. She's going to Amber who goes all out with Halloween decorations. You'll get to see them this fall here on this blog. It's amazing what she can accomplish with a small amount of space. Dumpster diving diverts useful objects from landfills. I highly recommend it.
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Thursday, July 23, 2026
The Dream & The Hope (YA nonfiction)
Garen Thomas and Lori Rozsa's The Dream & The Hope: The Historical Rise of Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Nation's Highest Court gives YA readers an inspiring and empowering shero. Jackson was born in 1970 into a loving, affirming family with respect for their heritage. Their support enabled her to withstand and transcend the racism she encountered from childhood on and still, at the pinnacle of her career, experiences.
Her biography will be especially appealing to the YA crowd. Rather than a dry as dirt chronological recital of events and dates, it portrays Jackson as a complex, intriguing human being with hopes and fears, triumphs and setbacks, and plenty of challenges.
Jackson decided early on that she would become not only a lawyer, but a Supreme Court justice. She pursued this goal with single minded determination. But she also led a well rounded life that included friends, fun, marriage, and motherhood.
Teen and preteen readers will really enjoy this close up and personal biography of a determined woman who will continue to influence our world for decades into the future.
On a purrrsonal note, Tuesday and today were really awesome. Tuesday Bailey and Cam dropped by and really liked my magic garden. Then it was garden day. I took pictures at the children's garden. The kids were so cute! Then I weeded at the community garden. Finally I was paparazzi for the library's summer concert. They had a large band playing jazzy music. I couldn't help dancing. They had a singer with awesome pipes. I got to talk to her after the concert. Today I checked out the thrift shop and got great bargains. The vigil was great. We had a good size group. We got 182 vehicle honks. The weather both days has been perfect. Big thunder storms were predicted for this evening but so far nothing. I get to be outside with my enchanted garden.
A great big shout out goes out to all who participated in the events I participated in.
Jules Hathaway
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Wednesday, July 22, 2026
Garden view 4
This is my favorite. Hope you can see why it's my favorite ambiance for evening reading. I hope you have a favorite reading place.
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My garden view 1
I am so over the moon about my enchanted garden I'm sharing several views from several angles so you can see how magical it is. Reading near it in the evening feels blissful and purrrfect.
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Tuesday, July 21, 2026
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