Wellesley Books Newsletter | September 30th, 2020
An Important Message from Wellesley Books

As we head into autumn and start to look ahead to the upcoming holiday season, Wellesley Books is working
hard to offer our customers a safe, relaxed, stress-free local shopping experience. We are offering online ordering and curbside pick-up, extended hours and our new gift annex, but the reality is that this year we can only welcome a smaller number of customers into the store at once. In order to avoid last-minute disappointment, we strongly urge you to start your holiday shopping now.

The books you are most excited about may not be available later. Publishers and vendors are warning us to expect significant supply chain problems as we approach December. Printers and distributors are working at limited capacity and shipping delays are inevitable. Restocking of titles after our initial allotments run out will be unreliable. Many spring book releases were delayed until now, exacerbating these issues. You will need to give yourself plenty of extra time for mailing as well.

The solution: pre-order now! In the upcoming weeks, we are looking forward to releases of new books by Barack Obama, Jerry Seinfeld, Ottolenghi, The Barefoot Contessa, Tana French, and many more. There’s a sequel to
and Jane Smiley. There’s even a new collection from our friend David Sedaris.

Imagine what a relief it will be come December to have your copies of the year’s most popular books and gift items already in hand. Shop our website today, give us a call, or come visit us at the store -- and, of course, make sure to visit our annex!
Upcoming Online Events
Friday, October 2nd at 7:00 PM
Kids, don your jammies and join us for a Bedtime Story read by the author herself! Beth Ferry, author of Stick and Stone and The Scarecrow, reads The Bold, Brave Bunny, her heartwarming new picturebook.

This free online event will take place through Zoom. In order to gain access, attendees must register by clicking the link below.
Thursday, October 8th at 7:00 PM
Arden Myrin, comedian, actress (seen on such shows as Insatiable and Grey's Anatomy), and podcaster, presents Little Miss Little Compton, a hilarious and heartfelt memoir about navigating adulthood and her rise on the comedy scene despite an unconventional upbringing.

This free online event will take place through Zoom. In order to gain access, attendees must register by clicking the link below: 
Friday, October 9th at 7:00 PM
Kids, don your jammies and join us for a Bedtime Story read by the author herself! Gabi Snyder reads Two Dogs on a Trike, her new picturebook starring 10 traveling dogs and one very tenacious cat.

This free online event will take place through Zoom. In order to gain access, attendees must register by clicking the link below:
Wednesday, October 14th at 6:00 PM
Join us for an evening with the charming and talented founder of Milk Street, Christopher Kimball. In addition to discussing his new cookbook, Cookish, Christopher will lead a cooking demonstration, and attendees will receive copies of the recipes he prepares! 

This is a ticketed event. Your $5 ticket can be used as a coupon off a copy of Cookish bought from Wellesley Books.
A Child's Library is a subscription service for children ages 0-5 (or anyone who loves picture books)! Each month, our children's book buyer, Lauren, will select one newly released picture book to be sent or picked-up from the store. The purpose of A Child's Library is to help foster a love for books within the child's home. It makes a great baby shower gift of holiday gift!

The October 2020 pick is Louis by Tom Lichtenheld. To find out more about our subscription service, click here.
Bookseller Recommendations
Sally recommends:
Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam (pre-order now for 10/6 release)
A couple and their four children leave Brooklyn for a vacation in the Hamptons. Renting a lovely house in a very secluded, wooded area where cellphone service and GPS are out of reach they begin to relax and unwind, happy to be out of the city for a bit. On their second night, there is an ominous knock on the door. The rest of this unsettling story, told by an all knowing narrator, reveals some catastrophic emergency which has started in NewYork City and appears to be affecting much of the world. Issues of race and class along with impending danger make this a roller coaster of a read.
Cassie recommends:
The Invisible Life of Addie Larue by V. E. Schwab (pre-order now for 10/6 release)
With The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, V. E. Schwab took a knife to my chest, cut my heart out, pinned it to paper, and exposed it for the world to see. Its characters are clever and wicked and delightful and joyous and profoundly sad and trying their damnedest. In 1700’s rural France, a woman makes a Faustian deal for more time and freedom and, as a result, walks through the world without a single person being able to recognize her. Until one day, three centuries later, she walks into a New York bookstore. And the man who works there remembers her name. What lengths will we go to, to leave a mark on the world? Schwab’s gloriously imaginative and detailed novel considers the grand and the simple. Two lovers. The devil. Can anyone win at the end?
Andy recommends:
Devolution by Max Brooks
A grim, frightening take on the legend of Bigfoot, Devolution examines what separates man from beast. Detailing the story of a small high-tech community beset by mysterious primates through journal entries and interviews, it is a gripping survival story and a brilliantly realized look at Bigfoot in the 21st century. A great book for fans of cryptids, the wilderness, and stories about the darker side of nature.
Jane recommends:
Goodnight Beautiful by Aimee Molloy (pre-order now for 10/13 release)
A young couple moves to upstate New York where the husband opens a psychotherapy practice. One night, he disappears…With that, Aimee Molloy writes a creepy, twisty-turny, stay up all night thriller - the perfect escape read!
New In Hardcover
Nick Hornby
Deepak Chopra
Natalie Zina Walschots
Jodi Picoult
Bill Clegg
Marilynne Robinson
K-Ming Chang
David S. Reynolds
Billy Collins
Naomi Novik
New In Paperback
Tan France
Paul Hendrickson
Daron Acemoglu
and James A. Robinson
Adrian McKinty
Thomas Harris
Lili Reinhart
Ben Lerner
Elaine Sciolino
Catherine Steadman
Casey Cep
Bookseller Recommendations for Young Readers
Jess recommends:
Campbell, Indiana is obsessed with prom season and Liz Lightly, having missed out on a music scholarship to her first-choice school, finds herself signing up because there's a $10,000 scholarship prize. While she has a fallout with her best friend, dodges the school's own social media account, and reunites with an old best friend, she also hangs out with the new girl, Mack. Mack's a drummer and seems to really like her. This book is so sweet and fun and really refilled my heart.
Lorna recommends:
Skunk and Badger by Amy Timberlake
Badger is happy living in his Aunt's brownstone doing important work with rocks, until Skunk appears on his doorstep. The fact that Skunk is moving in as his new roommate astonishes him. I loved this funny and clever story (that comes with charming illustrations from Jon Klassen), and it will become a favorite family read-aloud.
New Books For Kids
Sy Montgomery
Chris Colfer
Cynthia Kadohata
New Books For Young Adults

Zoraida Cordova and Natalie C. Parker
justin a. reynolds
Nic Stone
Marie Lu
In the Gift Department
The wait is over! It's a new season at the Wellesley Books Annex (located two stores down from the bookstore), bringing you all the fall flavors—caramel, cider, butternut squash, and pumpkin! Check out our new candies, teas, and kitchen condiments, along with wool blankets, felted pumpkins, cute seasonal items, and the rest of our new merchandise. PLUS 2021 calendars. Yes, 2020 is finally nearing its end. Don't forget to shop early this holiday season!
What We're Reading Now...
Gillian
Geoff
Andy
Colleen
Sally
Jess
Lauren
Cassie
Rebecca
Boston Book Festival: Virtual Events October 5th-25th
The Boston Book Festival is going virtual this year and while we'll miss the in-person events with our favorite authors, you can still attend! Check out the schedule here, and the full title list here.
The Wellesley Free Library Foundation Virtual Gala:
Celebrating the Library We Love
The Wellesley Free Library Foundation will host Wellesley’s first Virtual Gala fundraiser on Thursday, October 22, 2020 at 7:00 PM. Featuring a discussion with Susan Orlean, staff writer at The New Yorker and New York Times best-selling author, who will discuss her newest work, The Library Book, led by special guest, WBZ-TV news anchor Lisa Hughes.

Dog of the Week: Meet Winnie!
Winnie is an 11 month old English Cream Golden Retriever and the newest member of the WPD. Maybe you've met at the Red Cross Blood Drive? Or seen her around town? Winnie's main assignment is to help residents feel less anxious or afraid when dealing with a crisis. If you haven't met her yet, follow her on Instagram @winnieofwellesley and wish her a Happy Birthday on October 8th!
Thank you for supporting your community independent bookstore!
Sincerely,
Wellesley Books
82 Central Street
Wellesley, MA 02482
781-431-1160