Black Salt Queen is the kind of debut that announces its ambitions from page one and almost always lives up to them. Published on June 3, 2025, and weighing in at 393 pages, it launches Samantha Bansil’s new series, Letters from Maynara, with an unapologetically epic sweep.
Setting & Premise
Bansil transports us to Maynara, a lush, pre-colonial island nation where elemental magic and matriarchal politics are inseparable. Queen Hara Duja Gatdula can move mountains, but her failing strength leaves a volatile sky-wielding daughter, Laya, and a calculating rival matriarch, Imeria Kulaw, circling the throne. Power is hereditary, dangerous, and finite, giving every decision a life-or-death edge.
At its heart, Black Salt Queen is about the cost of power and the vulnerabilities leaders hide. Mother–daughter tension, queer desire, and dynastic betrayal intertwine, all against a defiantly anti-colonial backdrop. Readers will recognize echoes of Southeast Asian folklore and Filipino history, yet Bansil refuses to pause for Western hand-holding; immersion is mandatory and rewarding.
Writing Style & Pacing
Expect prose that luxuriates in sensory detail—salt-sprayed sea walls, ceremonial fabrics, volcanic earth—and court conversations that bristle with double meanings. Lightspeed’s reviewer compared the deliberate build-up to Game of Thrones, and the parallel is apt: the first act is dense, even daunting, but once the pieces are in place, the final third barrels ahead with ruthless momentum.
Characterization
Bansil excels at mapping the complex loyalties of formidable women. None are straightforward heroes or villains; sympathy flips scene by scene, making alliances deliciously unstable. The sapphic threads—past and present—feel organic rather than performative, enriching both emotional stakes and political ones. Male characters exist. Still, the story’s gravity belongs unapologetically to its queens, warriors, and schemers.
Critique
The very richness that makes Maynara intoxicating can also overwhelm. Titles, honorifics, and magical terminology arrive rapidly, and readers unfamiliar with pre-Hispanic Philippine cultures may need the occasional pause to orient themselves. A handful of plot beats (an arena trial, a magically enhanced tonic) resolve quickly or feel under-explained, hinting they’re seeds for later books rather than payoffs here. None of these issues breaks the spell, but they do mark Black Salt Queen as a debut still sharpening its pacing blade.
Verdict
If you gravitate toward politically charged fantasy in the vein of Tasha Suri’s The Jasmine Throne or K.S. Villoso’s The Wolf of Oren-Yaro, Bansil’s island realm will feel like coming home—and then being promptly thrown into the surf during a typhoon. Black Salt Queen may demand patience, but it rewards that investment with sweeping stakes, morally knotted characters, and an ending that practically dares you not to preorder book two.
Recommended for
Readers who relish court intrigue steeped in non-Western histories
Fans of elemental magic systems with bodily costs
Anyone craving complex, messy sapphic relationships set against empire-shaking politics
Skip if you need instant action beats or prefer tidy moral lines. Otherwise, dive in and let Maynara’s black-salt waves pull you under.
Let’s face it — some dads don’t want ties or mugs. They want toys with microchips, glowing LEDs, and more ports than a space station.
If your dad is the kind who insists on explaining the difference between USB-C and Thunderbolt (and why it matters), this is the list for you.
These gifts hit the sweet spot between practical and just plain cool — ideal for Father’s Day, birthdays, or whenever you want to reward the man who upgraded the Wi-Fi and taught you how to use Ctrl+Z.
1. Anker Prime Power Bank (20,000 mAh, 200W Fast Charging)
For the dad who never wants to see 1% battery again This isn’t just a power bank — it’s a portable power arsenal. Whether he’s juggling devices on a road trip or keeping the family gadgets alive during a power outage, this compact beast delivers serious juice.
With 87W of output shared across three devices, it can simultaneously fast-charge an iPhone, a Samsung Galaxy, and even a MacBook. One device can get up to 65W on its own, which is enough to take a 14″ MacBook Pro to 50% in under 40 minutes. And thanks to the built-in USB-C cable (which is rugged enough to survive 10,000+ bends), he won’t have to go digging through his bag for cords.
Need to top it off quickly? A 65W charger will fully refuel the power bank in just 90 minutes. And with a 20,000mAh battery, he can stay unplugged and productive for hours — all while meeting airline travel requirements.
Specs at a glance:
Built-in USB-C cable that charges iPhone 15 Pro to 58% in 30 mins
MacBook Air hits 52% in the same time
20,000mAh capacity for all-day power
Airline-approved for travel
Comes with an 18-month warranty and stellar customer support
If your dad is the kind of guy who’d rather run out of gas than battery, this is the upgrade he didn’t know he needed.
87W Power to Share: Distribute 87W across three devices, with a single device receiving up to 65W, to rapidly charge iPhones, Samsung phones. Quickly charge a 14″ MacBook Pro to 50% in under 40 minutes.
Speedy Cable Charging: Utilize the built-in cable to elevate your iPhone 15 Pro to 58% or a MacBook Air to 52% in 30 minutes. You can also fully recharge this power bank in 1.5 hours with a 65W charger.
20,000mAh for Extended Use: Eliminate concerns about battery depletion with a 20,000mAh power bank that ensures consistent, reliable charging for all your devices, also approved for airline travel.
Lasts Longer, Charges Faster: The integrated USB-C cable is designed to endure, withstanding over 10,000 bends for dependable charging and convenient storage.
What You Get: Anker Power Bank (20K, 87W, Built-In USB-C Cable), welcome guide, 18-month warranty, our friendly customer service.
If your dad is the type who microwaves his coffee three times before finishing it, this one’s a game-changer.
The Ember Mug 2 keeps drinks at the perfect temperature — not just warm, but just right between 120°F and 145°F. It holds heat for up to 80 minutes on its own, or all day when placed on its sleek charging coaster. Whether he’s deep in grading, coding, or falling down a Wikipedia rabbit hole, his coffee or tea will be ready when he is.
What makes this mug especially “dad tech” is the way it balances smart features with everyday ease. He can connect it to the Ember app to set precise temperatures and receive alerts when it hits his preferred level of hotness (135°F is the default if he goes app-free). The mug remembers his last setting too, so once it’s dialed in, it’s hands-off.
With auto-sleep and motion sensors, it wakes up when hot liquid is poured and powers down when not in use. The built-in LED even lets him know when it’s go-time with a glowing temperature-ready signal.
And while it’s techy, it’s still practical — hand-wash safe, scratch-resistant, and water-resistant up to 1 meter (just don’t put it in the dishwasher unless you want to ruin his new favorite gadget).
Why it’s perfect:
Keeps drinks hot for 80 minutes (or all day with the coaster)
App-connected for temperature control and alerts
Auto-sensing sleep/wake features
LED light shows when your drink is just right
Durable, hand-wash safe, and scratch-resistant
Perfect for the desk, the workshop, or the reading nook — and way more thoughtful than another novelty mug.
Perfect Temperature Everytime: Ember Mug 2 offers up to 80 minutes of heat (120°F to 145°F) or all-day warmth on its charging coaster. Ideal for keeping drinks at the perfect temperature, perfect for desk use or as a thoughtful gift.
Smart or Standalone: Use the Ember app to set precise temperatures and get notifications. Without the app, the mug defaults to 135°F and remembers the last setting for a consistent experience.
Auto Sleep & Sensors: The mug wakes up when hot liquid is poured and goes to sleep based on motion detection. Features like auto sleep and memory ensure your drink is always at the right temperature.
Hand Wash Safe: Ember Mug 2 is hand wash only with a scratch-resistant coating. Fully submersible up to 1 meter, it’s easy to clean and perfect for any hot drink. Do not place in the dishwasher.
Smart LED Indicator: The LED lights up to show when your drink is at the perfect temperature, making it easy to know when your beverage is ready.
VR for gaming, fitness, or pretending he’s on the Holodeck
Some dads want socks. Others want to be Batman.
Enter the Meta Quest 3 — the next-gen virtual and mixed reality headset that transforms your living room into whatever world he wants it to be. Whether he’s solving mysteries in Gotham (Batman: Arkham Shadow included with purchase), watching concerts with friends in Meta Horizon, or just kicking back with YouTube on a floating digital screen, this is the ultimate immersive experience.
The Quest 3 isn’t just about play — though there’s plenty of that. It’s built for multitasking, with the ability to pull up multiple screens to browse the web, watch videos, and chat with friends while still being able to see the real world around him. That’s right: mixed reality blends digital objects into his actual space, so he can go from fighting ghosts to answering messages without removing the headset.
Streaming shows? It turns any room into a personal theater with a giant screen, customizable surroundings, and compatibility with USB-C and standard headphones (just bring an adapter). Want to work out without judgment? He can bust a sweat boxing, dancing, or dodging digital projectiles — no gym membership required.
Under the hood:
2X the GPU power of the Quest 2 thanks to the Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2
Precision hand tracking or enhanced Touch Plus Controllers
Access to apps like WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger right inside the headset
Wireless freedom and a lightweight build for comfort during extended use
Family-friendly with parental controls, usage tracking, and multi-user support (great if you also want to play)
Whether he’s chasing high scores, high reps, or high drama, the Quest 3 lets him do it all in a completely reimagined space.
The ultimate upgrade for dads who birdwatch with binoculars in one hand and a smartphone in the other
Move over squirrel-cams, the Bird Buddy is here — and it’s not your average backyard bird feeder. This AI-powered feeder is perfect for the dad who loves nature and data. It doesn’t just attract feathered friends; it identifies them, logs them, and sends real-time alerts the moment a new visitor drops by for a snack.
The Bird Buddy’s app uses artificial intelligence to recognize bird species, track visits from individual birds, and even detect signs of illness — yes, we’re officially living in the future. Bonus: it can also ID other animal visitors (looking at you, raccoons). The optional premium subscription lets your dad organize a digital scrapbook of his backyard wildlife and share sightings with friends or family. Think Pokémon Snap, but for birders.
With a 5MP camera and 2K video resolution, this feeder captures stunning close-ups of birds in motion, including slow-mo action shots and gorgeous HDR contrasts. It even has a wide-angle lens to make sure no fluff or feathers go undocumented.
Why it’s smart (literally):
AI identifies birds (and other critters) by species
2K video, HDR, and slow-motion features
Real-time app alerts and educational facts
Privacy-first design: focused only on the feeder, not the yard
Simple setup: app-guided positioning and Wi-Fi pairing
Multiple mounting options: hang it from a branch or mount it to a pole (hanger included, pole not)
If your dad is the kind of guy who narrates backyard bird drama like it’s a nature documentary, this feeder gives him the high-def visuals and intelligent insights to take it to the next level.
AI-POWERED BIRDWATCHING APP: The Birdbuddy app uses AI to identify bird species and individual birds, detect signs of illness, and recognize other animal visitors. Get real-time alerts when birds visit your bird feeder and learn interesting facts about all your local birds. Enhance your experience with our Premium Subscription to easily organize photo collections and share your bird photos with friends & family.
ADVANCED HD+ BIRD FEEDER CAMERA: The 2x larger sensor supports HDR for stunning contrasts and vibrant colors in 5MP photos and 2K video resolution. Unlock extra features and capture slow-motion videos of birds in flight, or enjoy a wider field of view.
PRIVACY-FOCUSED DESIGN: Your Birdbuddy Smart Bird Feeder respects your privacy. The camera is designed to capture images and videos of birds at the bird feeder, not the surrounding area. You have full control over your data and sharing in the app.
EASY SETUP & VARIOUS MOUNTING OPTIONS: 1) Download the Birdbuddy app and create an account. 2) Charge the camera. 3) Pair via Bluetooth and connect to 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi. 4) Choose the ideal spot with app guidance. 5) Mount on a pole (not included) or hang from a branch (hanger included). 6) Add birdseed. 7) Test the livestream or wait for birds!
For the multitasking dad who wants his iPad to work as hard as he does
Whether he’s watching YouTube tutorials in the kitchen, catching up on email from bed, or using his iPad as a second screen during work meetings, the HoverBar Duo 2 is the flexible, no-fuss tool every tech-loving dad didn’t know he needed.
This stand does it all. It comes with both a weighted desktop base and a shelf clamp, making it wildly versatile — desk setup, kitchen counter, nightstand, workshop bench — wherever he roams, the HoverBar follows. The quick-release clip makes switching between mounting styles refreshingly painless.
The arm is fully adjustable, capable of positioning the iPad up to two feet in the air or tucked low against the base. Combine that with universal compatibility for all iPad models (yes, even the Pro in its chunky case), and you’ve got a true chameleon of tablet stands.
And let’s talk productivity. This isn’t just a glorified iPad holder — it’s a full-blown station upgrade. With iPadOS now supporting Stage Manager, Universal Control, SideCar, and CenterStage, your dad can turn his iPad into a Mac companion, a presentation tool, or the ultimate eye-level video conferencing rig that keeps him centered in the frame — no awkward chin angles here.
Why it stands out (pun intended):
Includes desktop base and shelf clamp for flexible setup
Height- and angle-adjustable arm puts your iPad right where you need it
Quick-release clip makes setup easy and fast
Works with all iPad models and most cases
Great for dual-screen setups with Mac, or for hands-free use anywhere in the house
Optimized for iPad features like CenterStage, SideCar, and Universal Control
If your dad likes his tech practical, modular, and effortlessly cool, this stand delivers on all fronts.
Versatile Usage – Includes both a weighted desktop stand and a shelf clamp for maximum flexibility, allowing you to use your iPad or tablet in various settings such as at your desk, in your kitchen, in bed, or even as a second screen.
Fully Adjustable – The stand can hold your iPad up to two feet in the air or all the way down to the base, providing a fully adjustable viewing angle for optimal comfort during use.
Quick-Release Clip – Easily switch between the desktop stand and shelf clamp in a matter of seconds with the innovative quick-release clip, ensuring a hassle-free setup.
Universal Compatibility – Designed to fit all iPad models and sizes, even with most cases attached, including iPad Mini, iPad Pro and iPad Air, making it a perfect fit for any iPad user.
Enhanced Productivity – Transform your iPad into a desktop workstation by pairing it with an external keyboard and trackpad/mouse, ideal for hands-free video calls, Mac Sidecar, and more.
For the dad who believes “ergonomic” is a lifestyle and “multi-screening” is a sport
Some dads collect remote controls. Others master the art of seamlessly working across two computers, a tablet, and their phone, without breaking a sweat. If that sounds like your dad, the MX Master 3S from Logitech is the mouse he deserves.
This isn’t your average point-and-click. With FLOW cross-computer control, your dad can move his cursor between multiple screens (yes, even between Mac and Windows) and drag and drop files like it’s magic. It’s like copy/paste leveled up.
The clicks? Still satisfyingly tactile — just 90% quieter, thanks to Logitech’s new Quiet Clicks tech. So if he’s an early riser or a late-night tinkerer, he won’t disturb the rest of the house while organizing his files or editing photos.
The sensor tracks on virtually any surface — even glass — and the upgraded 8,000 DPI precision means his movements are lightning accurate, whether he’s on a workbench, couch cushion, or the sleek glass desk he swears makes him more productive.
Plus, with the Logi Options+ app, he can customize buttons, create app-specific profiles, and even enable AI Prompt Builder, a new feature designed to optimize prompts across generative AI tools. Yes, we’ve reached that level of geekery.
Why it’s a no-brainer:
Works across multiple computers and OSes with FLOW
8K DPI sensor tracks on any surface — even glass
Customizable buttons for different apps/workflows
New Quiet Clicks tech = nearly silent operation
Compatible with Logi AI Prompt Builder via the Options+ app
Ergonomically designed for comfort during marathon work sessions
If your dad lives in spreadsheets by day and edits drone footage by night, this mouse is his secret weapon.
Logitech MX Master 3S Standard Edition comes with a Logi Bolt USB receiver (dongle), and a USB-C charging cable (USB-A to USB-C)
Install free Logi Options+ App to enable Logi AI Prompt Builder for your Logitech wireless mouse and keyboard setups
8K DPI Any-surface tracking: Use MX Master 3S cordless computer mouse to work on any surface – even glass (1) – with an 8000 DPI sensor with customizable sensitivity
Quiet Clicks: MX Master 3S Bluetooth mouse with Quiet Clicks – offering the same satisfying feel but with 90% less click noise (2)
Magspeed scrolling: A computer mouse with remarkable speed, precision, and near silence – MagSpeed scrolling is 90% faster (3), 87% more precise (4), and ultra quiet.
For the dad who thinks a fun weekend involves Linux, soldering, and blinking LEDs
Let’s be clear: this isn’t just a gift — it’s a gateway. The Raspberry Pi 5 Starter Kit is perfect for the dad who’s always wanted to build his own server, smart mirror, retro gaming console, or weather station… but just needed the right excuse (and parts) to get started.
This kit is as plug-and-play as Pi projects get. It includes the powerful Raspberry Pi 5 board with a 2.4GHz 64-bit quad-core CPU and a whopping 8GB of RAM, giving him the horsepower to run advanced operating systems, compile code, or spin up containers like a pro. The included 128GB EVO+ microSD card is preloaded with Raspberry Pi OS, so he can boot it up and dive in without downloading a thing.
And this isn’t some bare-board, duct-tape-together setup — the CanaKit Turbine Black Case is sleek and functional, equipped with a low-noise fan and mega heat sink to keep things cool during intense tinkering sessions. Add in a 45W PD power supply and not one but two 6-foot 4K 60p display cables, and your dad will be dual-monitoring his custom Pi dashboard in no time.
What’s in the box:
Raspberry Pi 5 with 8GB RAM and quad-core CPU
Preloaded 128GB microSD card + USB reader
CanaKit Turbine Case + ultra-quiet fan + massive heat sink
CanaKit 45W USB-C PD power supply
2x HDMI display cables (supports dual 4K@60Hz)
This is a dream kit for dads who love building things from scratch — whether it’s for fun, for the challenge, or for turning your smart home into a genius home.
Quick Pain Relief: The TOLOCO deep tissue massage gun has a high penetration force of 12mm, up to 3200 rpm, which effectively relieve muscle fatigue and pain, and let you enjoy the comfortable experience brought by deep tissue massage gun, so as to restore the best state of your body
Long Battery Life: Percussion massage gun with a USB charging cable (Charging Plug Not Include), which means it can be easily charged from anywhere and can run for up to 6 hours (depending on the selected speed)
10 Professional Massage Heads: Muscle massage gun with 10 replaceable massage heads, not only helps users relax various parts of the body, but also is easy to disassemble and clean, making it very suitable for back massage, neck, arm, leg and muscle massage
Quieter Operation: Adopting high-quality quiet motor, the working decibel is only 40dB-50dB, so you can enjoy high-power, low-noise massage at home, gym, or office without worrying about disturbing others
Smart LED Touch Screen: The massager gun is equipped with an intelligent LED touch screen design and battery display design, allowing you to easily adjust the speed level and view the remaining battery. TOLOCO unique flowing light design also makes the operation more technological
Cordless and Portable: Comfytemp portable heating pad is 5000mAh battery operated (included). It’s not to be tied down to a power cord anymore. Use it freely when doing housework, driving a car, or working on the computer.
Upgrade Elastic Straps: Brandnew dual adjustable elastic strap of the back heating pad brings warmer relief and intense vibration. The heated belt better fits around your waist by adjusting the compression and size.
Aim at Pain Relief: Heating pad for lower back provides heat therapy and soothing vibration massage to relieve hip and waist pain, menstrual cramps, abdominal discomfort, stomach upset, leg arthritic, and muscle tension.
Heat and Vibration: This heated back massager has 3 heat levels and 3 vibration modes, shown by button colors—red for high, blue for medium, and green for low. The heat ranges from 113°F to 158°F. Vibration patterns change with the color: green is constant, blue is intermittent, and red is mixed.
Up to 58 Inches: The main body of the wireless heating pad measures 47.24″ × 7.87″. With the included extension belt, it can fit waist sizes up to 58 inches, making it flexible and suitable for most people. It’s a warm and thoughtful gift for a husband, wife, father, or mother—perfect for birthdays, Thanksgiving, or Christmas.
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Wrap-Up: Make It Personal
No matter how shiny the gadget, the best gift is one that shows you get him. Pair one of these with a handwritten note, a memory of him fixing your broken phone (again), or a digital playlist of the best dad jams, and you’re golden.
Happy Father’s Day to the dads who read instruction manuals for fun.
Most people kick off their summer reading with beach romances or breezy thrillers. Me? I like a little dread in my June.
Because nothing says “relaxation” like ghost-filled mansions, blood-hungry spirits, and mysterious portals to not-quite-paradise.
Lucky for us, the horror gods have blessed June 2025 with a truly unsettling lineup. Whether you’re into gothic vampires, haunted forests, or reunion horror with a meta twist, there’s something here to keep you up reading way too late and triple-checking the locks before bed.
Here are seven new horror novels that’ll inject a delicious dose of terror into your summer:
Seven doors open across the world — portals to what looks like paradise. But when twin sisters Ayanna and Olivia explore what’s beyond, one of them disappears. What follows is part speculative nightmare, part slow-burning psychological unraveling. Think Annihilation meets Everything Everywhere All at Once with a horror twist.
A writer buys a house that… well, doesn’t make sense. The floor plan has gaps. The walls feel off. And the spaces between rooms might not be entirely empty. Uketsu (of Strange Pictures fame) continues their brand of eerie, architectural paranoia — like House of Leaves distilled into a fever dream with sharper teeth.
Set in 1980s Northwest Territories, this Indigenous YA horror story explores a fragile truce between the Dogrib and Chipewyan peoples. But when an evil spirit starts whispering war into the ears of one family, the tension turns deadly. It’s a rare mix of culturally rooted storytelling, supernatural horror, and historical trauma — all wrapped up in a slim but potent package.
Schwab trades in melancholy monsters and beautiful wounds — and this novel is no exception. Across centuries and continents, three women make impossible choices, brush against the divine, and face the cost of power, immortality, and grief. If you liked Addie LaRue but wished it had more blood and biting, here you go.
Valla agrees to marry the enigmatic Count Leonid, but first she has to survive the Gottyar Wood — a place that chews up travelers and spits out nothing but bones and whispers. This is gothic YA with teeth: a forest full of nightmares, a castle full of secrets, and a protagonist walking straight into her own doom. Classic fairy tale energy, but with a sinister pulse.
Inspired by The Bacchae, this literary horror gem blends myth, feminism, and psychosexual terror on the beaches of a commune called Agape. Lena, recently widowed and finally free from her gilded cage, is drawn to the strange women living in tents by the sea — and something far older and darker awakens with her. It’s dreamy, vicious, and hallucinatory. Dionysus would approve.
Twenty years after starring in a cult slasher, final girl Ella Winters is making a comeback. A reunion doc brings the cast together in the woods — but when they start dying like their characters did, Ella realizes the past didn’t stay buried. Think Scream meets The Blair Witch Project, with a dash of Behind the Music dread.
Whether you’re looking for psychological unease, supernatural mayhem, or a creeping sense of “oh no, something is definitely wrong here,” these books have your summer scare needs covered.
And if you read one on a stormy night, lit only by flashlight, with the forest wind howling outside… you might just earn extra credit.
Let me know what you’re reading — and if you end up loving (or hating) any of these terrifying tales. You can find the rest of my reading lists, geeky thoughts, and education reflections over at mikepaul.com.
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If you’re a teacher, you know the truth: 40 hours is a fantasy.
Between planning, grading, answering emails, attending parent meetings, professional development sessions, hallway duty, IEPs, MTSS meetings, and trying to catch a breath for a moment, teaching is a job that routinely demands 50 to 60 hours per week, and sometimes even more. It’s not that we’re bad at time management. It’s that we’re swimming against a system that wasn’t designed for sustainability.
But here’s the good news: while you may not be able to control the system, you can change how you manage your time within it.
In this post, we’re going to:
Debunk the 40-hour teacher week
Explore how to design your time like a limited resource
Share seven time-saving tools that can help you win back your evenings and weekends
Provide practical, teacher-tested time hacks you can implement right away
Let’s dig in.
Why the 40-Hour Teacher Week Is a Myth
The idea of a 40-hour workweek originated from industrial labor models—you clock in, you do your job, and you clock out. But teaching isn’t just a job. It’s a calling, a performance, a planning-intensive, people-heavy, paperwork-dense act of organized chaos.
Here’s how time gets spent:
Instruction: 30+ hours/week
Lesson planning & prep: 5–10 hours/week
Grading and feedback: 5–8 hours/week
Emails and communication: 3+ hours/week
Meetings (PLC, IEP, PD, admin): 2–5 hours/week
And that’s before you factor in classroom setup, tech troubleshooting, data analysis, sub plans, hallway coverage, behavior documentation, and the emotional labor of being “on” all day.
Teaching is a job that will expand to consume every available minute if you let it.
That’s why reclaiming your time starts with a mindset shift.
Time Budgeting vs. Task Management
Traditional time management says, “Make a list and get it all done.”
But that assumes time is infinite and predictable. It’s not.
Instead, use a time budgeting mindset: you start with a finite amount of time and allocate it intentionally.
Try this:
Budget 30 minutes to plan tomorrow’s lesson. When the timer goes off, stop. Done is better than perfect.
Give yourself 45 minutes to grade a set of quizzes. Use a single-point rubric or comment bank to expedite the process.
Block off 1 hour for parent communication. Use templated responses, voice memos, or batch them in your planning period.
You wouldn’t overspend your money without consequence. Don’t overspend your time.
The 80% Rule: Done Is Better Than Perfect
Aim for 80%.
We waste enormous energy trying to make things perfect—the perfect slide deck, the perfect anchor chart, the perfect assignment. And while excellence matters, so does survivability.
Let go of perfection and embrace “effective enough.”
7 Time-Saving Tools Every Teacher Should Try
These aren’t miracle apps, but they are real tools that save real time.
As always, some of these links are affiliate links, and if you end up purchasing, I get a small fee.
Planbook is simple, flexible, and lets you align lessons to standards, shift days easily, and copy units from year to year. One hour of setup can save you dozens later.
Pro tip: Create reusable weekly templates for each prep.
Turn common feedback into keyboard shortcuts. For example: type “/mtss1” and paste a pre-written MTSS note. Huge time saver for documentation and repetitive tasks.
Create, Digitize, Erase, Re-Create: Capture ideas with the included Pilot Frixion Pen, digitize effortlessly using the Rocketbook app, store in your preferred cloud service. When done, simply wipe the pages clean with a damp cloth and start fresh.
App-Enabled for Digital Organization: The Rocketbook app allows you to scan and upload your visual work directly to cloud platforms like Google Drive, Dropbox, OneNote, etc. The app-connection ensures your creativity is accessible from anywhere.
High-Quality & Durable Materials: Crafted from reusable, premium dotted paper, the Rocketbook Core features a spiral binding and waterproof cover. The grid layout offers flexibility for everything from bullet journaling to geometric sketches.
Portable and Versatile Sizes: Available in two sizes—Letter (8.5 x 11 inches) and Executive (6 x 8.8 inches)—the Rocketbook Core is compact enough to fit into backpacks, purses, or briefcases. This notebook offers portability and versatility.
Eco-Friendly Reusability: Designed with sustainability in mind, Rocketbook notebooks help reduce paper waste with a reusable alternative. Enjoy a paper-like notebook that can be used repeatedly, allowing you to save work and erase everything else.
Use it to capture quick ideas, batch feedback, or create checklists. Label and color code for visibility. Bonus: integrates well with Gmail and Calendar.
5 Time-Saving Habits to Build This Month
Tools help. But systems sustain. Here are habits to pair with your tools:
1. Theme Your Days
Monday: Lesson planning
Tuesday: Grading
Wednesday: Family communication
Thursday: Data and meetings
Friday: Catch up + self-care
2. Use Comment Banks and Rubrics
Create a Google Doc with your most-used feedback phrases. Pair with single-point rubrics in Google Classroom.
3. Batch Like a Boss
Group similar tasks (e.g., grade all assignments from 2nd period, then all from 3rd) to reduce cognitive switching.
4. Automate What You Can
Schedule recurring parent newsletters. Use auto-responders during peak grading periods. Build email templates.
5. Reflect Weekly
Take 15 minutes each Friday to reflect:
What worked?
What drained me?
What can I tweak for next week?
Final Thoughts: Time Is a Teacher’s Most Precious Resource
You are not a robot. You are not lazy. You are not doing it wrong.
You are working inside a system that asks too much and gives too little.
But with the right tools and some intentional design, you can reclaim your time.
You deserve to leave school without guilt. You deserve a weekend. You deserve a full life.
It begins by treating your time as sacred.
The Eclectic Educator is a free resource for everyone passionate about education and creativity. If you enjoy the content and want to support the newsletter, consider becoming a paid subscriber. Your support helps keep the insights and inspiration coming!
At the heart of the book is the Innov8 Framework—eight flexible, student-centered phases designed to spark curiosity, fuel collaboration, and sustain meaningful impact. Whether you’re new to STEM integration or looking to deepen your practice, this book provides:
Step-by-step guidance through the Innov8 process
Editable tools you can use tomorrow—lesson plans, interest surveys, reflection prompts, and more
Real stories from classrooms that are already making innovation thrive
This is the blueprint for teaching that inspires. If you’re committed to preparing students for an unpredictable future—while anchoring learning in justice, inquiry, and agency—this book belongs on your shelf (and in your hands).
The Eclectic Educator is a free resource for everyone passionate about education and creativity. If you enjoy the content and want to support the newsletter, consider becoming a paid subscriber. Your support helps keep the insights and inspiration coming!
The heat has officially arrived here in Kentucky, and with it comes one of my favorite seasonal rituals: the Summer Reading Stack. You know the one. The books you optimistically pile up beside your hammock, or your travel bag, or your nightstand, knowing full well you won’t read them all, but determined to try anyway.
As I prepare to disappear into as many pages as possible between projects and planning, I’ve rounded up some of the June 2025 SFF releases that have piqued my curiosity, stirred my genre-loving soul, and whispered, “read me next.” This month’s picks include vampire spaceships, cursed couriers, underwater palaces, swan-based political coups, and so much more.
So pour yourself a tall glass of iced tea (or Romulan ale — I won’t judge), and dive into this list of stellar speculative fiction releases.
A dying queen. An heir who can’t get it together. A rival powerful enough to tear down everything. This high-stakes island fantasy features matriarchal legacy, political power grabs, and complicated magic. It’s giving Game of Thrones meets The Green Bone Saga — and I am here for it.
If you told me this book was Dracula meets Battlestar Galactica, I’d throw my credits at the nearest data terminal. Set on the spaceship Demeter (a clever nod to Stoker), this queer horror story features space vampires, interstellar travel, and a haunted AI that might need to become Blade.
When the royal road trip from hell goes sideways (thanks, arrogant prince), it’s up to Elen the courier to get everyone out of a haunted town alive. This one promises political intrigue, ancient magic, and the kind of “why am I always the responsible one?” energy I feel deep in my soul.
439 Pages – 06/10/2025 (Publication Date) – Tor Books (Publisher)
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V. E. Schwab
Out June 10 (Tor Books)
Three women. Three timelines. Vampires. Schwab’s gothic sensibilities are on full display in this “toxic lesbian vampire” novel (her words, not mine), and I’m already bracing for heartbreak, blood, and beautifully written trauma.
544 Pages – 06/10/2025 (Publication Date) – Tor Books (Publisher)
The Ghosts of Gwendolyn Montgomery by Clarence A. Haynes
Out June 17 (Legacy Lit)
A glamorous NYC publicist finds herself haunted — literally and figuratively — after a museum tragedy. Throw in a psychic caught in a ghostly love triangle and some deeply buried secrets, and this one sounds like The Sixth Sense meets Scandal with a Bronx twist.
An Indigenous warrior mother seeking vengeance in a colonized city? Yes, please. Add in morally gray alliances, godlike powers, and a blood debt that could ignite a revolution, and you’ve got a fantasy epic I’m bumping to the top of the list.
New SFF for Young Readers (and the Young at Heart)
A Forgery of Fate by Elizabeth Lim
Out June 3 (Knopf Books)
Beauty and the Beast but make it a con artist with prophetic painting powers? Lim continues to blend folklore and feminism with flair. Truyan agrees to marry the Dragon King to save her family, but we all know that kind of bargain never goes according to plan…
480 Pages – 06/03/2025 (Publication Date) – Knopf Books for Young Readers (Publisher)
Among Ghosts by Rachel Hartman
Out June 24 (Random House)
A medieval town where freedom is earned by surviving a year and a day — until a ghost, a dragon, and a murder shake the walls. Hartman’s return promises haunting imagery and a layered coming-of-age story, perfect for fans of Seraphina and The Graveyard Book.
399 Pages – 06/24/2025 (Publication Date) – Random House Books for Young Readers (Publisher)
Embrace the Serpent by Sunya Mara
Out June 24 (HarperCollins)
A jeweler’s apprentice finds herself in the Serpent King’s castle. To survive, she marries him — but finds herself drawn to someone else entirely. Intrigue, jewels, forbidden romance… this one’s for readers who like their fantasy a little dark and a lot twisty.
Inspired by Swan Lake, this sapphic fantasy delivers palace politics, magical transformations, and a mission to restore a kingdom’s lost magic. When the king dies and blame falls on the wrong person, Odile must team up with the very person she betrayed to find the truth.
That’s all for now, fellow explorers of the weird and wonderful. If you pick up any of these, let me know — I’m always up for a good bookish conversation, especially if it involves morally ambiguous magic or sentient spaceships.
Until next time: read deeply, imagine wildly, and remember… the TBR pile is infinite, but your joy is the compass.
The Eclectic Educator is a free resource for everyone passionate about education and creativity. If you enjoy the content and want to support the newsletter, consider becoming a paid subscriber. Your support helps keep the insights and inspiration coming!
I still love Cheers, 32 years after it left the airwaves. And I still love the finale, quite possibly the best finale of any TV series (but Newhart is right up there).
This week, we lost George Wendt, who played the iconic Norm Peterson. Norm is a cultural icon, even inspiring a StarTrekcharacter.
Here’s a super-cut of every time Norm enters the Cheers bar. RIP Normie, I hope your stool was waiting for you.
May is Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, and while I’m always up for shining a light on underrepresented voices, I have to admit: this particular grouping feels like it was assembled by someone who’s never looked at a map—or a history book. The AAPI umbrella includes a wildly diverse set of cultures, languages, and identities, from East Asia to South Asia to the islands of the Pacific, and even parts of the Middle East. That’s not a category; that’s half the globe.
Lumping all of that into one acronym? It’s reductive at best, erasure at worst. As Harmeet Kaur smartly noted in a piece for CNN, the label sticks mostly because there’s no better one. It’s a placeholder—an imperfect one—but still an opportunity to spotlight incredible writing that deserves a wider audience.
So, gripe acknowledged. Now, let’s get to the good stuff.
Here are a few books by Asian American and Pacific Islander authors that I recommend not just for May, but for any time you’re looking for something smart, layered, and unforgettable.
Audition by Katie Kitamura
Genre: Literary Fiction
Kitamura excels at writing characters who drift just outside the emotional current, and Audition is no exception. The story revolves around an actress and a younger man meeting for lunch in Manhattan, but the real tension lies in the question: who are we performing for, and when do we drop the act? Whether with family, friends, lovers, or strangers, we’re always auditioning. This one’s sharp, elegant, and quietly unsettling in the best way.
This book is what happens when you throw Blade Runner, Ocean’s 8, and a stack of bail bonds into a blender and hit “Hawaiian pidgin.” Edie’s just out of prison—thanks to early parole and one hell of a backstory—and now she’s got one last job that might be her ticket to real freedom (or real chaos). Fast-paced, funny, and ferocious, this is genre fiction with heart and a whole lot of grit.
Searches: Selfhood in the Digital Age by Vauhini Vara
Genre: Nonfiction/Technology & Identity
You might know Vara from The Immortal King Rao, but here she goes full throttle into personal essay and cultural criticism. Vara uses her viral AI-assisted piece about her sister’s death as a jumping-off point to explore how the internet—and tools like ChatGPT—reshape not just how we communicate, but how we construct identity. If you’re interested in where the digital and the deeply personal collide, this is a must-read.
Let’s talk drama. When trailblazing Chinese American actress Vivian Yin dies, her daughters expect to inherit her estate—but a surprise will throws everything into chaos. Think: family feud, mystery, and a possibly haunted mansion with secrets thick as fog. This is a juicy, slow-burn gothic novel with plenty of generational tension and ghostly unease.
There’s no single story that can encapsulate the entire AAPI experience—and that’s the point. These books offer just a glimpse into a kaleidoscope of cultures, histories, and identities that deserve far more than a single month of attention. So read widely, read curiously, and don’t wait for someone to tell you it’s time to celebrate—just start reading.
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