weekly digest #28
july 6-12, 2026: platner news, bookshelf organization, the mysteries of udolpho, do androids dream of electric sheep?, the other bennet sister, the dream is over, tackling the mending pile
Maine is in the national news because of Graham Platner again. After winning the primary despite his nazi tattoo, sexting scandal, racist/misogynistic/homophobic reddit history, past employment with Blackwater/Constellis, and alleged violence towards women, a rape accusation from a former girlfriend caused the state party to officially denounce him. Platner withdrew his candidacy, leaving the state party two weeks to find a replacement to run for Susan Collins’s senate seat, with no procedures in place to do so. (Why would there be? The primary is the procedure.) I didn’t vote for Platner in the primary1 and had been trying to decide if I would hold my nose to vote for him in the general. I’ve voted against my morals for “the lesser of two evils” in I think every general election of my lifetime. I probably would have done it again.
We’ve been talking about Platner and the Democrats’ plans every night at dinner. He’s been a frequent topic of discussion at our table for months as each new scandal broke. The three of us are differing degrees of liberal/leftist, but we’re all registered Democrats in the state of Maine, and we all want to see Susan Collins defeated. I liked Platner’s platform but was disturbed by the man himself. We’ll see what happens next.
In significantly less important news, I finally got the last shelf put up in my room and all of my books have a home now. The styling still needs some work – a lot of knickknacks need to find their places – but the organizing is done. There’s an awkward gap between the TV and the top shelf (I had to space the shelf heights based on the placement of the light switch and the heater) and I think I might make some sort of garland or something to hang there. I’m not sure yet so please comment if you have any bright ideas.
reading
I finished The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe (published 1794). After her parents’ deaths, virtuous and beautiful Emily St. Aubert is placed in the care of her aunt. Unfortunately her aunt marries the dastardly Montoni, who whisks them away to his estates in Italy2, eventually imprisoning Emily in the decrepit, possibly haunted castle Udolpho. Would you believe that after our heroes escape from Udolpho, they wind up in another spooky castle back in France? Thankfully this new spooky castle has been inherited by a wholesome, non-Italian family man, who repairs the decaying ramparts and discovers (spoilers) the pirates who have been making spooky noises to convince the locals that the castle is haunted. It’s all a little convoluted; don’t worry about it. Christian goodness saves the day and Emily lives happily ever after with her stalker husband.
I’m glad I read Udolpho, and it definitely picked up in the final third or so, but I feel confident in saying that I won’t be reading any more of Ms. Radcliffe’s novels.
I had a long-awaited library hold come in and shifted gears to read Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick (published 1968). Rick Deckard is a bounty hunter in post-apocalyptic San Francisco, responsible for tracking down androids who have escaped from servitude on Mars by killing their human masters. Since the androids are visually indistinguishable from humans, Deckard must confirm they’re robots by administering an empathy exam. It’s a philosophically interesting novel – like any story about robots, it asks what makes us human and when does something become truly alive? As the androids are becoming more complex and convincing, the humans still left on Earth are devolving due to constant exposure to radioactive dust. The people who have been most affected by radiation are no longer considered fully human, but are part of a legal subclass similar to the androids. Both groups have no freedom of movement or sexual rights. It’s a nicely drawn parallel. I liked this novel but I didn’t love it – I’ve been spoiled reading so much Le Guin recently.
I’m planning to reread all six of Jane Austen’s novels next, starting with Northanger Abbey and working in chronological order. (Northanger Abbey was published posthumously but was completed in 1799 (Austen sold it to a publisher in 1803 but they never printed it) so I’m considering it the first of her novels even though Sense and Sensibility was technically published first.)
watching
My mom and I are half way through The Other Bennet Sister. I’m generally skeptical of retellings or sequels to classics, but I had heard enough praise of this one that I was curious. (Plus I’ve obviously been thinking a lot about Austen lately.) It’s theoretically interesting to explore the prospects of a woman like Mary who was expected to maintain a certain social status despite her lack of fortune – unlike her sisters, she also lacks conventional beauty, wit, and charm. So far, though, the show’s answers have been somewhat shallow. She should believe in herself! Her mother was wrong to treat her poorly! She’s beautiful in her own, special way! I’m withholding judgment until I see where the story goes, but so far I’ve found the show pleasant but a little empty.
listening
I haven’t listened to much music this week, but I did play PUP’s The Dream Is Over a handful of times. It’s a perfect album to blast from the speakers while moving books around. DVP and Sleep In The Heat are bangers; Pine Point is haunting.
eating & drinking
For dinner my parents made chicken chili, miso peanut ramen, rosemary-garlic roasted chicken and gnocchi (the instructions for this recipe would probably cause you to burn your mushrooms, but my mom adjusted the cooking times so they actually made sense and the result was pretty good), napa chicken salad, briam, and crispy bean cakes. We had charcuterie and local vegetables for dinner on Saturday night on the porch of the restaurant attached to a small pig farm. The food was good but the highlight was a strawberry shrub that tasted how I’ve always hoped strawberry lemonade might.
One night after dinner I was still hungry and made some fucked up microwave nachos (whatever cheese is in the fridge + tortilla chips + 30 seconds on high), a snack that I never make in the light of day but always hits the spot. My mom got me some dark chocolate oreo ice cream which is a new top ten ice cream flavor for me.
making & mending
I didn’t do as much sewing as I wanted to this week because I burned a lot of energy organizing the bookshelves. I did finish the button plackets on my dress. I’ve learned that I love making buttonholes – this was the most fun part of the process so far. I used buttons cut off of an old dress that was falling apart. I think this new dress would be really cute with mismatched colorful buttons, but I’m working with what I already have. I do like the brown, and I can always switch them out later if I want something more fun.
I finally got around to some of the tasks on my much neglected mending pile. I sewed up a tear in my pillowcase, though the fabric is wearing thin in a bunch of spots, and I don’t really want patches rubbing against my face while I sleep, so this is probably only a temporary fix and I’ll need to replace it sooner rather than later. I also added new buttons to a skirt that had lost two. I didn’t have any good replacements, but my sibling gave me some from their stash that are pretty close to the originals. (Thank you Charley!) They’re all different, but I think they’re good enough for a side seam closure.
shopping
I briefly looked around the secondhand market for silk pillowcases. There are a lot of options for when mine eventually gives out. It might be worth investing in a new one, but I’m disappointed that the one I have now has worn so thin, and I wonder if an older one might be higher quality. I have to do some research. In the meantime, we’ll see how long my mending lasts.
kitsch corner
As I arranged and rearranged my shelves, I was admiring these cast iron westie bookends all over again. My sister gave them to me for Christmas years ago – I think I’ve had them for almost a decade. I bought her a similar pair for another Christmas because I love mine so much.
See you next week.
xoxo,
Franny 💋📚
I left the section blank, an ultimately useless gesture that didn’t even make me feel better about myself
There are a lot of evil Italians in gothic literature – one of Ann Radcliffe’s other novels is titled The Italian