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Wellesley Books Newsletter
October 23rd, 2019
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Halloween might just be the best holiday of all, according to several Wellesley Booksellers--well, at least according to one of us. To celebrate, we have several magical reviews below--and some magic-free ones, for the Halloween abstainers out there--as well as a few new titles on our in-store "Old Favorites" display that might send a chill down your spine. (While you're browsing, watch out for the return of the giant spiders under our All Hallows Reads table.) There's nothing like burrowing in under a thick blanket with a creepy book--the perfect escape!
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Upcoming Events
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All events are free to the public, unless otherwise noted.
Purchase the lead title
from Wellesley Books to enter the signing line
.
Tonight! Wednesday, October 23rd, 7:00 PM
Home cooks and Milk Street fans, rejoice! Transform your cooking with Christopher Kimball and Milk Street: The New Rules, a playbook of new flavors, new recipes, and new techniques. This revelatory cookbook defines 75 new rules of cooking that will dramatically simplify your time in the kitchen and improve your results. Click here to sign up for this ticketed event.
Thursday, October 24th, 7:00 PM
In Hungry, Esquire food critic Jeff Gordinier chronicles four years spent traveling with renowned Noma chef René Redzepi--with frequent visits from his merry band of friends--in search of the most tantalizing flavors the world has to offer. Hungry is a book about not only the hunger for food, but for risk, for reinvention, for creative breakthroughs, and for connection.
Wednesday, October 30th, 7:00 PM
New Yorker humorist John Kenney, author of the spot-on and mercilessly witty Love Poems for Married People, returns with Love Poems for People With Children. Kenney covers it all, from newborns, toddlers, and sleep deprivation, to the terrible twos, terrible tweens, and terrible teens.
Tuesday, November 5th, 7:00 PM
Bestselling mystery author Ann Cleeves, noted for the
Shetland and
Vera series, begins her first new series in twenty years with
The Long Call. Detective Matthew Venn is summoned back to the Devon community he thought he had left behind, as deadly secrets hidden at its heart are revealed, and his past and present collide.
Click here to sign up for this ticketed event.
Our November 7th event with Joanne Chang is sold out!
If you would like to purchase a signed or personalized copy of her forthcoming book,
Pastry Love, or any of her
previous titles, you may visit our website (please specify "signed copy" in the order comments at checkout), give us a call, or stop by the store.
Tuesday, November 12th, 7:00 PM
Join Massachusetts author George Howe Colt to learn about one pivotal football game, and its relevance in the present day, in The Game.
On November 23, 1968, there was a turbulent and memorable football game: the season-ending clash between Harvard and Yale.
The Game is the story of an iconic American year, as seen through the young men who lived it and were changed by it.
Coming later in November...
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Book Clubs & Workshops
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Rachael's Book Club for Kids
Jen Wang
Rachael Conrad carefully curates choices for children ages 8-12 who love to read. Join her for a lively discussion about a new book every month.
Parents, if your child would like to attend, please contact Rachael to reserve your spot!
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Teen Writers' Workshop
Join writing instructor (and children's book expert) Cassie Duncanson for a 90-minute workshop aimed at writers age 14 to 18. Classes began in September and will run monthly through June. To sign up, please
contact Cassie.
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Highly Educated: A Book Club for Teachers & Librarians
Adib Khorram
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Bill's Book Group for Guys
Fascinating characters, topics, and the birth of the city of Los Angeles revolve in this story of an arson fire in the LA public library, obscured in the media by the concurrent Chernobyl disaster.
Join Bill's Book Group for Guys for a relaxed evening in the store discussing a specially-chosen book while enjoying a beer, glass of wine, or select single-malt whiskey. $25 buys the book and a ticket to the event.
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Betty's Lunchtime Book Group
Nicole Chung
Betty Sudarsky, unparalleled bookseller emerita and experienced book club leader, chooses each book carefully and leads the discussion. Bring your own lunch if you like; Betty supplies snacks, drinks, and insight. No need to sign up; drop-ins are welcome.
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Bookseller Recommendations
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Gideon the Ninth would very much like to get out of indentured servitude to the Ninth House, Keepers of the Locked Tomb. But when the Emperor is looking for necromancers, Harrowhawk, heir to the Ninth House and famed necromancer, decides to throw her hat in the ring. Gideon is the only swordswoman strong enough to take on the challenges posed by the emperor. Mad Max: Fury Road by way of Deadpool featuring necromancers and sword-fighting in space. Utterly ridiculous in the most extravagant and delightful ways.
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When you sit down to read this story you will not be able to stop! Dynamic characters, a story within a story, and an intricately woven setting will fill your senses and draw you in to many fantastical worlds. Fast-paced yet so beautifully written, I found myself slowing down to absorb every last detail. Very clever and entertaining with themes of family, loyalty and self-discovery, this is a new favorite that I suggest everyone read!
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Bill recommends:
Country by Michael Hughes
Mid-1990s Northern Ireland and The Troubles serve as the backdrop for this spectacular re-telling of
The Iliad that arrives like a gut shot. Fast and energetic,
Country serves a great complement (or tonic) to
Milkman depending on your experience. Also terrific as an audio book (the author reads) because the language and cadence are such an important part of the experience. Why not make this your introduction to
Libro.fm through Wellesley Books!
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Gillian recommends:
Wild Game by Adrienne Brodeur
A family tale like no other,
Wild Game is an unflinching look at the dynamic created when a beloved mother makes her 13-year old daughter her confidante in a love affair with her husband's best friend. As the years go on, unquestioning devotion and complicity between mother and daughter are undermined by their destructive secret.
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Olive is back. In more beautiful sentences than you can count, Elizabeth Strout writes of loneliness, aging, grief, divorce, acceptance, nature, politics and most of all love, with Olive's typical feistiness and honesty.
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New In Hardcover
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Janis
Holly George-Warren |
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Bookseller Recommendations For Young Readers
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Rachael recommends:
The Okay Witch by Cara Hoffman
Thirteen-year-old Moth Hush's whole world is turned upside down when she discovers that she, too, is a witch. Moth wants nothing more in the world than for her mother to teach her about her newfound powers. Moth's mother, a witch herself, is less than thrilled, though. Not only does the Hush family come with centuries-old witch drama, the Massachusetts town that Moth and her mother live in has its own dark and complicated past that would give Salem a run for its money. With the help of a Yiddish-speaking cat, an enchanted diary, and a new best friend, Moth begins to uncover the truth about what happened decades ago and what it takes to be a witch in this magical debut.
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New Books For Young Adults
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Bookseller Recommendations For Young Adults
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Joy recommends:
Fireborne by Rosaria Munda
Bold and full of heart, this coming-of-age (and coming out) novel is all about intersectionality and family, both found and blood. It's illuminating, funny, real and a page-turner to the end!
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New in the Gift Department
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Play a spooky game while you're waiting for the doorbell to ring.
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Available for Pre-Order Now
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What We're Reading Now...
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This month we hit a new Prison Book Program milestone: five full boxes donated! We, and the kind folks at the Prison Book Program, are truly impressed by the generosity of our community. Not familiar with our partnership? Click here to learn more about the Prison Book Program and to browse its wishlist--and thank you!
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Teddy
Teddy, a six-year-old Sheltie, is bookseller Colleen L.'s beloved family companion. He loves bedtime stories and joins his humans on the bed every night in anticipation of a read-aloud. When he's not snuggling, catching a Frisbee is his favorite thing to do. Here he is pictured with his namesake--we see a bit of a resemblance in that look of steely determination.
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Thank you for supporting your community
independent bookstore!
Sincerely,
Rebecca Stimpson
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