Wellesley Books Newsletter January 24th, 2024 | |
With all of the storms that have blown through, we hope everyone has been staying safe and warm! While folks have been clearing their driveways, we've been making room for fun new gift items and welcoming new books to our shelves. And if you're already thinking about what to get your loved ones for the up and coming Valentine's Day, we have the essentials-- from cards to plushies to candies. Need a book on the language of flowers to accompany your bouquet? Perhaps a collection of love poems? Or a cookbook for the sweet-tooth in your life? We've got what you need for your special someone! | |
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Sunday, February 4th at 2 PM (in-person)
For fans of middle grade and young adult novels, we have a fantastic event with two wonderful authors!
Alyson Gerber, author of Focused, Braced, and Taking Up Space, joins us for the launch of her new middle grade novel, The Liars Society.
"A spectacular mystery filled with prep school intrigue, generational secrets, and characters who find themselves caught in a high-stakes game of deception. You want to start this series now... trust me."
–Christina Diaz Gonzalez, author of Invisible
Alyson will be in conversation with Karen M. McManus. McManus is a #1 New York Times and international bestselling author of young adult thrillers, including the One of Us Is Lying series, which was turned into a television show on Peacock and Netflix.
The event will be moderated by literary agent Allison Remcheck of Stimola Literary Studio.
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Thursday, February 8th at 7 PM (in-person)
Margot Livesey, author of The Boy in the Field and The Flight of Gemma Hardy, joins us to discuss her new novel, The Road from Belhaven, about a young woman whose gift of second sight complicates her coming of age in late-nineteenth-century Scotland.
"Margot Livesey is an incandescent writer, generous and graceful, always imbuing her characters with astonishing humanity and grace. I love all Livesey’s books, but The Road From Belhaven has become my new favorite; I felt so deeply for Lizzie that I worried about her fate with the same love and indignation and hope I would have for a flesh-and-blood friend of my youth. This book is a cold, clear, perfect lake."
–Lauren Groff, author of The Vaster Wilds
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Bookseller Recommendations | |
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Jerry recommends:
Hits, Flops and Other Illusions: My Fortysomething Years in Hollywood by Ed Zwick
Publication date 2/13/2024
A fascinating retelling of Ed Zwick’s professional career in writing, producing and directing from early lucky breaks to eventual Academy Awards. His style of writing is cleverly imbued with self deprecation at almost every turn as he tells the unvarnished truth about his journey through the Hollywood system. At times he delves into “tell-all” territory with stories about Woody Allen, Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt, to name a few - and Zwick is quick to put the stories into context for every name he mentions (including himself). From T.V. hits such as thirtysomething and My So Called Life to celebrated films such as Glory and Legends of the Fall, he focuses on the “how” and the often times messy process needed to achieve a vision.
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Elle recommends:
Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
In the distant future, prisoners are offered a chance to compete in deadly matches in exchange for a chance at freedom. Get a sprawling look into what this future looks like from the convicts forced to fight against the family members protesting the games to the viewers. Based on the realities of America's prison system, this book is essential abolitionist fiction.
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Shanna recommends:
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
The latest historical fiction from Ariel Lawhon delivers an engrossing story about a compelling real person- Martha Ballard, a midwife in 1790s Maine. Using Martha’s actual diary entries, Lawhon tells a tale of murder and how Martha helped to solve it. Atmospheric and yet fast-paced and mesmerizing. I will be recommending this book to anyone who likes historical fiction!
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Bookseller Recommendations for Young Readers | |
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Bindy recommends:
Amil and the After by Veera Hiranandani
Picking up where the story of a family’s expulsion and relocation during the Partition leaves off in The Night Diary, master of imagery and psyche, Veera Hiranandani creates another stunning work with Amil and the After. Told from the brother’s point of view, readers get a taste - and look, and smell, and feel - of what life is like for Amil and his sister “after.” What does “normal” mean after the Partition? What’s correct, expected, possible, predictable in a new place? Amil’s coping mechanisms to process his new life include asking lots of questions and getting absorbed into his drawings. Amil discovers how, in fact, humans bring all kinds of partitions upon themselves in everyday life, and what can be done to help break down the barriers from one person to another.
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New Books for Young Adults | |
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A Child's Library and Middle-Grade Monthly are our two book subscriptions for children aged 0-5 and 8-12, respectively. Each month, Lauren and Kali select a newly-published picture book or middle-grade novel. Subscriptions can be purchased on a month-to-month basis, or for a year, and may be shipped to the child's home or picked up in-store. They make a great gift! Our January selections are Angela's Glacier by Jordan Scott & Diana Sudyka, and The Misfits by Lisa Yee & Dan Santat. Please click on the covers for more information. | |
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Thoughtful, stylish, and a little bit sassy, our cross-stitch couch pillows will liven your home and evoke laughs. | |
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Heidi is a cobber dog and she’s named after the book character because like her namesake, she brings joy wherever she goes! She is 20 weeks and growing quickly. One of her favorite places to go is the bookstore. She's training to be a therapy dog!
(Featuring Heidi's mom and sibling, Elle, a Wellesley Books book-seller)
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Thank you for supporting your community independent bookstore!
Sincerely,
Sarah Cyr
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