Another view of the studio. All the books shown are my journals. The
big bear has a great story. Quite a few years ago my son, Adam, and I
took the bus to the Bangor Mall and environs to maybe spend a little
Christmas cash. The wind was super strong. We could feel the bus
shake. When we arrived half the stores had lost power. And we were
so cold our first stop was to buy cocoa and hot food. But we found
enough stores to hang out at. Adam was especially fascinated by
electronics and remote control helicoptors. I had seen nothing I
couldn't easily live without. But when we got to the Things
Remembered kiosk the big bear that would have cost well over $100 was
reduced to about $30 including personally engraved heart. Adam said I
should get it because I really wanted it. I had the heart engraved
with "I hope you dance" and the date. Boxed up the bear was so big we
couldn't take it home by bus. We had to call Eugene to pick us up.
Eugene thought it was a foolish waste of money. But I consider it a
wise investment because it calls up memories of a very precious day I
don't want to forget.

The Haunting Of Maddy Clare

The Haunting Of Maddy Clare

Adult mystery
"I looked around me. The fire was gone, I was in the cool,
silent barn again; alone, with mist on the windows. The flames, the
burning beams, all of it had utterly disappeared.
I looked up. The roof was as it had been, rafters intact.
Stupidly, my panicked brain began to slow and calculate. Somehow,
there had never been a fire."
Simone St. James' The Haunting Of Maddy Clare takes readers back
to an England just recovering from the double whammy of world war and
influenza pandemic. Sarah's temp agency has hooked her up with an
unusual job--becoming the new member of a ghost hunting group. They
have a mandate to send a troubled and troublesome earthbound spirit
out of the barn from which she's wreaking havoc. Sarah's presence is
required because Maddy hates men.
Maddy had arrived at the Clare home as a child of about twelve--
filthy, barely clothed, mute, and traumatized. Inquiries into runaway
servant girls yielded nothing. So the Clares had done their best by
her until she hung herself at the age of nineteen.
Maddy's earthly remains were interred in the village cemetery.
But her spirit hung on, terrifying the woman who had taken her in with
random acts of destruction. But she's even more dangerous than the
living realize.
A vengeful ghost with supernatural powers is not the only peril
Sarah faces. Everybody in the small town knows why she's there.
Someone will go to great lengths to keep her from unearthing too many
secrets.
If you're a mystery lover make sure to read The Haunting Of
Maddy Clare--just not home alone on a dark and stormy night.
On a purrrsonal note, Saturday lived down to the meteorologists'
predictions. It rained steady all day. Sunday was sunny but
truckless. I have no idea when we'll again be with truck. But I had
a great weekend--mostly due to the nice stack of library books Emily
dropped off on Friday. :-) (Jules)
It rained and rained and rained and then rained some more. (Tobago)
A great big shout out goes out to all from preK to PhD who are going
back to school in person, online, or hybrid and our teachers and
professors who are coping with a new normal that is nothing they could
have envisioned when they made their career plans.
Tobago and Jules Hathaway




Sent from my iPod

That's Tobago checking out the books Emily delivered. I'm sure they
are good ones to share with you, my readers.

How To Be An Antiracist

How To Be An Antiracist

Adult nonfiction
"Denial is the heartbeat of racism, beating across ideologies,
races, and nations. It is beating within us. Many of us who strongly
call out Trump's racist ideas will strongly deny our own. How often
do we become reflexively defensive when someone calls something we've
done or said racist?..."
As Ibram X. Kendi points out in How To Be An Antiracist, quoted
above, the word "racist" has gone from descriptor to insult so
profound recipients can't see beyond deep hurt and indignation. Your
more liberal/progressive friends might ask how, with their good deeds
and woke attitude, they can be racist. President Trump has assured
reporters that he's one of the least racist people they'll ever get to
interview.
So in the 21st century we're all not racists?
Kendi reminds readers that's not possible. Neutrality is not an
option--only racist and antiracist.
"...One endorses either the idea of a racial hierarchy, as a racist,
or racial equality, as an antiracist. One either believes problems
are rooted in groups of people, as a racist, or locates the roots of
problems in power and policies, as an antiracist. One either allows
racial inequities to persevere, as a racist, or confronts racial
inequities, as an antiracist..."
That is only the first concept Kendi introduces readers to.
Each chapter intersectionally covers a facet of racism/antiracism
ranging from power and ethnicity through culture and behavior to class
and sexuality. Within each topic Kendi dilineates some of the
important terms many of us are working to wrap our minds around.
There is, however, nothing dry in Kendi's lexicon. Each
revelation is structured around a candidly shared phase of his life.
This novel format really brings concepts to life and inculcates a
sense of shared humanity. This is one of the reasons I believe that
How To Be An Antiracist is a must read for anyone attempting to do
just that.
The other reason is that Kendi doesn't see racist or antiracist
as set in stone. We can do our best, err, learn from the mistake and
move onward. At the end of his introduction he offers us all this
invitation.
"We know how to be racist. We know how to pretend to be not
racist. Now let's know how to be antiracist."
On a purrrsonal note, well Amber's early Halloween party is postponed
since the meteorologists are confident that Maine will catch the end
of Tropical Storm Laura. Postponed is better than cancelled. Still I
was feeling a little sad this morning. With rain due and the truck at
the shop and my being on my last library book the upcoming weekend
looked a bit dreary. Then Jodi brought over a box of pens, pencils,
and notebooks to add to my supply for the kids. And then Emily
delivered me a nice big stack of fresh library books I'm really
excited about reading. Thanks to these two chums I am OVER THE MOON
and psyched for weekend. (Jules)
That is a big stack of books. Rain will be okay. But please none of
the flashy, boomy stuff. (Tobago).
A great big shout out goes out to those two awesome friends, Jodi and
Emily.
Tobago and Jules Hathaway



Sent from my iPod

One corner of Tobago's and my ready for fall semester studio. White
ghosty thing is a beside the window butterfly chair.

Such A Fun Age

Such A Fun Age

Adult fiction
"'Okay, Ma'am.' The security guard widened his stance to match
hers. 'You are being held and questioned because the safety of a
child is at risk. Please put the child on the ground--'
'Alright, you know what?' Emira's left ankle shook as she
retrieved her cell phone from her tiny purse. 'I'll call her father
and he can come down here. He's an old white guy, so I'm sure
everyone will feel better.'"
Emira is at a friend's birthday party when Alix, the woman she
babysits for, calls with an urgent request. There was an incident at
her home. She wants her older daughter, Briar, out of the house when
the police arrive.
Emira takes Briar to a local upscale grocery store. A White
woman sees a Black woman with a White child and summons the store's
security guard. Pretty soon the guard is framing the situation as a
crime. A guy is filming with his cell phone in case things get ugly.
Emira just wants the night to be over. When the filmer
encourages her to send the video to a tv station she orders him to
destroy it. She's almost 26--about to get kicked off her parents'
insurance. She knows she has to get an adult job with benefits. She
doesn't want anything out there that could make this task any more
difficult.
Alix is lonely. She's just moved from New York City, leaving
her friends and life in the Big Apple. The people she meets seem so
stodgy. Now she decides she has to right the night's wrongs. She
makes attempts to befriend her sitter and make her one of the family.
The video is still out there. It has the potential to seriously
damage, if not destroy, their evolving relationship.
Such A Fun Age combines an engrossing plot with a candid look at
how rapidly racially centered roles, relationships, and norms are
changing. It's very timely, a must read for White people like me who
are doing our best to become truly antiracist.
Speaking of antiracist, that's what the next review will be all
about.
On a purrrsonal note, we're close to the end of the last week before
school starts. It was a good week. The highlight was a social
distanced Goodwill run with my chum, Mazie. The weather has been
lovely and not muggy. But I'm worried about Saturday. They are
saying 100% chance of rain. Which, if it's true, will cancel Amber's
Halloween party which might be my last time to see my kids until
spring (outdoors weather) rolls around again. (Jules)
I do not want a big storm. (Tobago).
A great big shout out goes out to Mazie, Amber, and all the stores
that are requiring masks. Way to protect the public's health!
Tobago and Jules Hathaway


Sent from my iPod

That's my laptop. I guess you can tell I'm a fan of Lisa Frank
stickers. :-)