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Wellesley Books Newsletter
April 23rd, 2020
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Recently, some of us have found ourselves with more time to take a walk in the middle of the day--or perhaps more of a need to take one. The profusion of blooming trees serves as a welcome reminder of the constancy of small beautiful things in this strange historical moment. In the spirit of regrowth and persistence, we're happy to announce that
Many Graces, with whom we've partnered as a pick-up location for their flower CSAs, plans to push ahead with their spring tulip subscription, which will now launch in late May. In addition, they're offering contactless delivery of beautiful
Mother's Day bouquets throughout the Boston area, as well as a
Mother's Day monthly subscription featuring a broad range of seasonal flowers. It's hard to think of a better way to brighten up a table or a workspace than with these beautiful arrangements.
We've also been thrilled with the response to our own just-launched
Mother's Day book and gift bundles. Choose from a selection of newly-released, signed books, and we'll add assorted Mother's Day favorites from our gift department. We'll deliver them directly to homes within the greater Wellesley area.
Thank you, as always, for your ongoing support, until we can talk books again in person.
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TODAY! Thursday, April 23rd, 7:00 PM
April is National Poetry Month. To celebrate, Wellesley authors
Heather C. Bryant,
Octavio González,
Pamela L. Taylor, and
Lynne Viti join us to read from and discuss their poetry collections.
This free online event will take place through Zoom; please click here to sign up.
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Tuesday, April 28th, 12:00 PM
Phaedra Patrick
, author of
The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper
, joins us on release day to discuss her new book,
The Secrets of Love Story Bridge, in which romance, family drama and mystery combine to charming effect! This free online event will take place through Zoom; please click here to sign up.
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Thursday, April 30th, 7:00 PM
Rescheduled from March 31st! Join
contributors
Melanie Brooks
,
Nina Gaby, Alissa Hirshfeld, Marianne Leone, Amy Roost,
and
Jaimie Seaton
to discuss Fury: Women's Lived Experiences During the Trump Era.
Fury brings together a diverse community of women who reveal the impact the Trump presidency has had on each of them.
To register for this free event, which will take place through Zoom, please
click here
.
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Libro.fm Celebrates Independent Bookstore Week
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While we may not be able to serve you green eggs and ham (or moon cheese and Tang) this Saturday, we hope to celebrate
Independent Bookstore Day in full this August. But our audiobook subscription partner
Libro.fm encourages everyone to have a #VirtualBookstoreParty this week with some special offers.
Join as a new member with the code SHOPBOOKSTORESNOW and you'll not only unlock a 2-for-1 audiobook special, but you'll also give 100% of your payment to Wellesley Books. You can also choose from a range of bookish socks and 100% of your purchase will support our friends at Binc. (If you've never heard of Binc before, now's the time to familiarize yourself with this charitable organization--they're hard at work creating a safety net for booksellers across the country.)
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Bookseller Recommendations
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Nina, who has spent the last couple years of her life stealing from the rich to pay for her mother's cancer treatments, finds a mark in Vanessa, the sister of her first boyfriend, Benny. Nina needs one last big payday and remembers that Benny's father kept a million dollars in cash in a safe at the family's ancestral home, Stonehaven. And she knows the code. So Nina becomes Ashley while her boyfriend becomes Brian and together they rent out the cottage at Stonehaven. But what happens when Benny recognizes Nina on his sister's Instagram page and the truth begins to surface? A story of legacy, secrets, and fast cash that reaches far beyond just themselves.
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We all have longings that dwell within our "holy of holies," that hold our truest selves and beliefs. The main character, Ana, is a feminist in a time when women are silenced or written out of history, who bravely lives her truth, always strong, passionate and determined. From the first sentence, this book pulled me into Biblical times, walking right alongside Ana as her powerful story unfolds. Sue Monk Kidd has crafted a thoroughly engaging novel--my favorite of hers yet--built with reverence and respect for centuries of history that tell the story of Jesus. In it she has created Ana's story, "Herstory," that will forever leave an indelible mark on "History" for me. This book is going on my bookshelf right next to Anita Diamant's The Red Tent!
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Old Favorites & Comfort Reads
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On a comfort scale of 0-10, each of the 4 Frog and Toad books (
Frog and Toad Are Friends,
Frog and Toad Together,
Frog and Toad All Year, and
Days With Frog and Toad) deserves an 11! The 20 stories--5 per book--are among the most savvy and heartwarming depictions of friendship ever written. Lobel's publisher aimed these books at children between the ages of 4 and 8, but the wisdom and empathy that suffuse the Frog and Toad stories can be appreciated on many levels by childlike beings of all ages. Especially now. Read them with a childlike being you love!
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Cassie recommends:
Dirt Work by Christine Byl
If you're looking for a book that lovingly showcases the outdoors, this memoir is for you. If you're missing the chance to breathe in backcountry air, and hike all day, this is the memoir for you. If you've never stepped foot in the woods, but are looking for strong, thoughtful voices that take a hard look at what it takes to create the outdoors and public lands enjoyed by so many? This is the memoir for you. Byl fell in love working seasonally in the dirt, and mud, and rain, and sunshine for the National Parks Service and for public lands. This series of interconnected essays examines the long-held differences between academia and manual labor, between white collar jobs and blue collar jobs, and gender stereotypes within those spheres. Each aspect of the work she describes--learning how to use an axe, build stairs in the back country, how to lead a group of strangers into the woods--is so beautifully written, and thoughtfully considered that the words feel comforting, even when she is describing back-breaking labor. I wish I knew who wrote the back cover summary, because it really puts it best, "Dirt Work is a contemplative but unsentimental look at the pleasures of labor, the challenges of apprenticeship, and the way a place becomes a home."
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Bookseller Recommendations For Kids
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Set during the 1800s in Joseon, Korea, The Silence of Bones is the story of a young woman, Seol, who has been indentured to the police bureau during a time when silence is golden and curiosity can be fatal. When a noblewoman is brutally murdered, Seol is tasked with assisting a well-respected young inspector. Their friendship and her loyalty is put to the test when signs begin to point to him being the prime suspect. June Hur has crafted a masterful piece of historical fiction about an oft-overlooked period of political unrest and religious conflict.
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New Books For Young Adults
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What We're Reading Now...
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Bookseller Pet of the Week
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Clementine
Here is Clementine's story in the words of our adult book buyer, Lorna:
"Clementine is a nine-year-old long haired tortoiseshell cat with amazing green eyes.
Fun fact: like calicos, tortoiseshell cats are almost exclusively female. Because it takes two X chromosomes to make the right coloring, male calico/torties are rare--1 in every 3000. Those rare males are born with XXY chromosomes.
Like a lot of cats today, Clementine does not know what to make of me being home so very much; she is making the best of it and is still getting in her two six-hour power naps a day. Although she prefers a nice sunny spot, she has many perches and pedestals to choose from and hasn't let this questionable spring weather slow her down. When not napping, she enjoys window bird-watching, racing around the apartment scattering all the rugs, yelling from another room for no reason and conducting sweeping searches of the basement looking for invading bugs and other creatures. She is mostly behaving, has not sent any emails by walking across my open laptop, has stayed away from all Zoom meetings and is actually eating from the selection of cat food cans she has been offered, so far."
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Thank you for supporting your community
independent bookstore!
Sincerely,
Rebecca Stimpson
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