Wellesley Books Newsletter 
  January 4th, 2016

Have you made your New Year's resolutions for 2017?  It's a brand new year, a new starting point, and a fresh, clean slate to fill with experience.  Do you want to get your finances in better shape or would you like to get yourself in better shape?  Do you want to discover a new positive outlook on life or would you like to uncover new worlds of travel?  We have the books that can help you on your path to wellness and happiness!  This week, we also feature many of our booksellers' favorite books of the year in the Bookseller Recommendations section of the newsletter -- if one of your resolutions is to read more in the new year, then we have many diverse suggestions for you.  Start your year off right -- with a captivating new read!
Upcoming Events At Wellesley Books
 
All events are free to the public, unless otherwise noted.
 Purchase the lead title  from Wellesley Books to enter the signing line!  

 
Thursday, January 12th, 7:00 PM.  Few thirty-day periods in history have been more tumultuous than the fall of Saigon in April 1975. With the US military gone for two years, the North Vietnamese Army routed South Vietnam's forces. Refugees poured into a city once known as the Paris of the Orient.  Join co-author Dick Pirozzolo (who received the Bronze Star for his work as a US Air Force information officer in Vietnam) as he discusses and signs his new novel, Escape From Saigon.




Tuesday, January 17th, 7:00 PM.  From Will Schwalbe, author of the beloved best-selling The End of Your Life Book Club, comes Books For Living, an inspiring and magical exploration of the power of books to shape our lives in an era of constant connectivity.  In this delightful celebration of reading, Schwalbe invites us along on his quest for books that speak to the specific challenges of living in our modern world, with all its noise and distractions. In each chapter, he discusses a particular book and what brought him to it (or vice versa).
  
Bill's Book Group For Guys
 
by Norman MacLean


In 1949, an elite team of smoke jumpers parachuted into a wildfire in Montana and only a few survived.  Norman MacLean, author of A River Runs Through It, provides a somber and poetic retelling of this tragic event utilizing his distinctive prose.

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.
Betty's Lunchtime Book Group
 
by Karen Russell



 Betty Sudarsky, unparalleled bookseller 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.
Bookseller Recommendations

Instead of our usual staff recommendations, this week we would like to share with you our favorite books from among those we read last year.  Our booksellers pride themselves on their discerning taste, so you can be certain these books are the cream of the crop!
Bill's Favorite:

The Sellout by Paul Beatty
"This is a tightly written, laugh-a-page satire, that delivers a powerful message on race relations and urban culture."




William's Favorite:

Christodora by Tim Murphy
"This multi-generational family drama set against the AIDS epidemic in New York is astonishingly moving and haunts me still."




Peter's Favorite:

In The Darkroom by Susan Faludi
"In writing about her father's late-in-life gender reassignment, Faludi combines the best qualities of reportage, personal memoir, and historical account - the result is a powerful and moving work that resonates on multiple levels."

 

Gillian's Favorite:

The Versions Of Us by Laura Barnett
"The three intricately woven stories raise irresistible questions about the role of chance and of fate in determining the course of our lives."




B.J.'s Favorite:

Thunder Boy Jr.  by Sherman Alexie and Yuyi Morales
"This is a tender and funny picture book, and it is a perfect harmony of words and illustrations."



Pete's Favorite:

"This guy gets to live my dream -- classic philosophy to read and mountains to hike."

 

Melinda's Favorite:

The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher
"My favorite book I read last year, but not a 2016 book was The Shell Seekers. It was as wonderful as I remembered it. Only, with this reading, I was far more interested in the mother and not one of her daughters."




Marilyn's Favorite:

Lab Girl  by Hope Jahren
"Hope Jahren's life story is fascinating but the essays about nature are beautifully written and can be read over and over."





And the favorite book of 2016 for many booksellers:

A Gentleman In Moscow by Amor Towles
"The story of the Count's house arrest is exciting, historical, lyrical, romantic, and poignant." -- Sally
"It was a bit outside of my usual read, and I found it unique, clever, and very well written." -- Phyllis
"The writing is so exquisite (and, because I had the pleasure of meeting Amor Towles at our event!)" -- Stephanie
"It's absorbing, has wonderful, nicely developed characters, a backdrop of explosive Russian history, and the most pure of love stories -- all delivered in gorgeous prose." -- Betty

New In Hardcover

The Lost City Of The Monkey God
 by
Douglas Preston

History Of Wolves
 by
 Emily Fridlund

The Red Sphinx
 by
Alexandre Dumas

Everything You Want Me To Be
 by
Mindy Mejia

Difficult Women
 by
Roxane Gay

Books For Living
 by
Will Schwalbe
New In Paperback

After The Crash
 by
Michel Bussi

The Fireman
 by
Joe Hill

The Underwriting
 by
Michelle Miller
New Books For Kids

Bad Kitty Takes The Test
 by
Nick Bruel

Egg
 by
Kevin Henkes

The Warden's Daughter
 by
Jerry Spinelli

Check out our cool new YA Twitter feed here!
Learn all about the best new titles and what's hot right now.


New Books For Young Adults

The X-Files Origins: The Devil's Advocate by
Jonathan Maberry

The X-Files Origins: Agent Of Chaos
 by
Kami Garcia

Maresi
 by
Maria Turtschaninoff


Gift Winter Clearance Sale

Huge Savings on Selected Holiday Gift Merchandise and Winter Apparel!
Shop now for the best selection.

 

Introducing Libro.fm

Wellesley Books has partnered with Libro.fm to bring you the best in digital audiobooks.  Visit our website to get more details about this great new service, or visit Libro.fm to sign up and download your next great read.  It's like Audible.com (which is owned by Amazon), so if you would rather have your dollars go to an independent, locally-owned business, then this is a terrific option. Now available as an Android App!

 

What We're Reading Now...

Sally

Bill

Peter

Stephanie

Phyllis

William

Gillian

Pete

B.J.
Dog of the Week
Moritz 

    Moritz is a Yorkshire Terrier who visited us during the Christmas rush.  He was very proud of his new sweater, which he modeled for us as if the floor was a runway!  Welcome to Wellesley Books, Moritz! 

"Books choose their readers, not the other way around. I believe
that booksellers are the matchmakers."
 -- Cecelia Ahern


Thank you for supporting your community
independent bookstore!
Sincerely,
William D. Carl

Contact us:
store @wellesleybooks.com
82 Central Street,
Wellesley, Ma. 02482
781-431-1160

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