Erica Ferencik, author of The River at Night and Into the Jungle, presents her new thriller, Girl in Ice.

Ferencik's latest opens with Val—a brilliant linguist who specializes in dead Nordic languages—struggling to make sense of her brother's apparent suicide while conducting climate research in the Arctic Circle. Amid her grief, she is called by her brother's colleague about an impossible discovery: a young girl frozen in the ice has been thawed out alive, speaking a language no one understands. Val soon journeys to the frozen North both to attempt communication with the girl and to find out the truth about her brother's death.

Erica will be in conversation with Jenny Milchman, author of The Second Mother.

Paula McLain, author of The Paris Wife, joins Wellesley Books and other independent bookstores to celebrate the paperback release of her 2021 bestseller, When the Stars Go Dark. Weaving together actual cases of missing persons, trauma theory, and a hint of the metaphysical, this propulsive and deeply affecting novel tells a story of fate, necessary redemption, and what it takes, when the worst happens, to reclaim our lives—and our faith in one another. Paula will be in conversation with Regina Brett, journalist and author of God Never Blinks.

Mary Laura Philpott, author of I Miss You When I Blink, joins us in-person at Wellesley Books to discuss Bomb Shelter, her poignant and powerful memoir-in-essays that tackles the big questions of life, death, and existential fear with humor and hope.

"Mary Laura Philpott puts words to the human condition in a life-affirming, joyful, and surprisingly funny way—even as she leaves readers in tears. I'm blown away."

–Lori Gottlieb, author

Mary Laura will be in conversation with Adrienne Brodeur, author of Wild Game.

Like binging your favorite Gilmore Girls arc, this tender-hearted romance is full of small-town charm and a cast of characters you won't want to leave. Delilah Green is a toughened New York photographer who just wants financial stability, and someone in her bed at night. Now, if only she could convince her lonely heart of that. Claire Sutherland owns the bookstore in the same small, Oregon town she grew up in, the same small town she's raising her daughter in. She just wants to convince her best friend that the man she's marrying next month is a literal s*** boot. And also if her daughter's father could grow up and communicate, that would be great. And maybe she wants to get laid. When said best friend, Astrid, hires her estranged sister Delilah Green to photograph her wedding, bringing her back to the small town she swore she'd never return to, Delilah and Claire are thrown into a whirlwind of misunderstandings, camping trips, wine nights, photography lessons, society parties, and horrendously-decorated inns. Sweet, a little steamy, and full of lonely people finding that home is a group of people, not a location.

Lyrical and evocative, Sistersong is an absolute "LOVE" for me. The powerful story of three siblings standing at a flashpoint in history, as both Saxons and Christianity stampede towards a Pagan realm whose visceral connection to the land is slowly dying. I love the swirling mists and ancient magic; the empowered Trans rep; the complex character relationships that weave and tear and evolve. It's a truly lovely debut.

Pop culture writer and noted Twitter Lesbian Jill Gutowitz unpacks the origins of her obsession with the internet and celebrity, and how they intersected with her developing queerness. Funny and heartfelt, these essays cover everything from the pangs of first queer love to the most iconic sapphic paparazzi photos of all time. At once deeply personal and insanely relatable, this is a must-read for queer women who grew up with the internet, or anyone who loves millennial pop culture.

This picture book has been passed from bookseller to bookseller here at Wellesley Books, to the delight of us all. Absurdist, musical rhymes that are SO much fun to read aloud, and awesome illustrations from the artist behind the Iggy Peck/Rosie Revere series. Give this to any kid who loves Josh Funk and Chris Van Dusen!

Gallant is a story told in the negative spaces; a story revealed not only by the words on the page but the words missing from the page. Gallant is a story told in missing words, in images, and nonverbal communication and goddamnit, Schwab’s brilliant mind has done it again.

Olivia Prior has spent her life at Merilance School for girls, an outsider, mute, where none of the girls bother to learn sign. All Olivia has of her parents is the journal her mother left behind, full of nonsense sayings, repetitions of her name, and one clear warning: stay away from Gallant. But when a letter comes from a long-lost uncle, inviting Olivia to the house, to stay with the family she has always wanted, Olivia is helpless but to come. At Gallant, there is a cousin, two housekeepers, and the ghouls that Olivia has been able to see her entire life. And a secret just beyond the garden gate that she feels drawn to. Lush writing, family secrets, and a young woman who yearns so deeply for connection in a world that refuses to give it to her weave delicately together to form this resonant and full-hearted story.

Middle-Grade Monthly is our subscription service for kids ages 8-12! Each month our children's book buyer Lauren and school liaison Cassie select a newly-released chapter book. Get your hands on the newest and soon-to-be coveted books of the year. We offer monthly and yearly subscriptions, and you can pick up your book at the store or have it mailed to you. Click on the link below for FAQs about the program.

The March 2022 pick is Pilar Ramirez and the Escape from Zafa by Julian Randall. To find out more about our subscription service, click here.

A Child's Library is our subscription service for children ages 0-5! Lauren and Cassie select one newly-released picture book each month to be sent or picked-up from the store. The goal 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!

The March 2022 pick is Knight Owl by Christopher Denise. To find out more about our subscription service, click here.