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Wellesley Books Newsletter
May 7th, 2020
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Though we're still looking forward to the day when you can safely browse again, we received some heartening news this week. We'll now have a very small staff of booksellers at the store to take your calls, ship books to your doorstep, and deliver by car within Wellesley and most surrounding towns. Beginning today, give us a call between 10 AM and 4 PM, Monday through Saturday, and 12 PM to 4 PM Sunday. Please have patience if it takes a few rings for us to pick up--for our safety and yours, we'll be following social distancing guidelines carefully. We're also open 24/7 on our website and will continue to fill your many web orders. (Thank you!) We're not able to offer curbside pickup just yet, but, when we can, you'll hear it here first!
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Wellesley residents Nicole Chapman and Jill Creevy were wondering how they could spread cheer to their friends and neighbors, while also helping local businesses, and created Smiles Delivered. You shop for a friend, we'll ring up and package your gifts, and the Smiles Delivered team will make the final leg of the journey to a Wellesley, Weston, or Dover doorstep near you. Simply call us at 781.431.1160 or send an email to orders@wellesleybooks.com and tell us you'd like to place a Smiles Delivered order.
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There's still time to buy a
Mother's Day book and gift bundle for the moms--or mother figures--in your life. But act quickly--we can only fill new orders through
5:00 PM today!
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 these bundles to your mom's doorstep, just in time for Mother's Day, within
Wellesley, Weston, Needham, Natick, Dover and Sherborn.
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TODAY! Thursday, May 7th, 7:00 PM
Amy Meyerson, author of
The Bookshop of Yesterdays, joins us to discuss her new novel,
The Imperfects.
Inspired by the true story of the Florentine Diamond,
The Imperfects
illuminates the unbreakable bonds of family and how sometimes discovering the truth of the past is the only way to better the future.
Amy will be in conversation with Christina Clancy, author of the upcoming novel
The Second Home
. To register for this free event, which will take place through Zoom, click here.
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Friday, May 8th, 7:00 PM
Kids, don your jammies and get ready for bedtime stories with local favorite author Josh Funk! Josh will read two of his most popular picture books, Pirasaurs! and The Case of the Stinky Stench, the second book in the Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast series. To register for this free Zoom story time, please click here. |
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Tuesday, May 12th, 7:00 PM
Brian McMahon joins us on release day to discuss his debut novel, Seaview Road. Insightful, heart-wrenching, and peppered with wry observations, Seaview Road is a story of family and alienation, apathy and loyalty, parent-child communication, and the agony of missed connections. To register for this free event, which will take place through Zoom, click here.
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Wednesday, May 13th, 7:00 PM
We're happy to announce that our event with Joan Lunden--which was originally scheduled to take place in person at the end of March--will now take place online! The journalist, health advocate, and former Good Morning America host presents her new memoir, Why Did I Come into This Room?. Joan will be in conversation with former WCVB anchor Kelley Tuthill. Your ticket to this event includes a copy of Joan's book; to attend, click here.
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More upcoming online events:
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Bookseller Recommendations
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Based on a true story, The Imperfects gives us a little history, a little mystery and a lot of family drama. The Millers are brought together when the youngest granddaughter discovers a 137-carat yellow diamond in a brooch that belonged to their recently deceased grandmother Helen, revealing a hidden life they knew nothing about. The news of the secret diamond gets out and the family has to work together to find the provenance that will allow them to keep it--or sell it--for the money they all so desperately need. This is the perfect story to get caught up in that will take your mind off everything, including your own family.
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I don't know if Samantha Irby had any idea how brutal 2020 was going to be when she decided to publish another essay collection this spring, but I'm thankful for her foresight. "Sure, sex is fun, but have you ever changed out of one cozy shirt into an even cozier shirt" is an appropriate epitaph for the entire month of April. If your head's going in a million different directions right now, making novels feel like a chore, and you like a good voice and a sense of humor that's hiding some pretty sharp cultural commentary, treat yourself to this book. |
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Old Favorites & Comfort Reads
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I'm not a big John Irving fan but this one is exceptional. You will never forget the character Owen Meany.....the rest of the story may blur with time. One keeps reading to find out what happens next. It is a coming of age story set in New England.
There are probably 20 books in my top ten. This is definitely one of them.
Don't miss this book.
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My wife and I, as well as our book group, thoroughly enjoyed The Housekeeper and the Professor. Though not a long book, it was beautifully written, enchanting, and memorable. The professor is a brilliant, eminent mathematician who, as a result of a traumatic head injury, can remember only eighty minutes prior to the present (a condition that is not merely fiction and is known to medicine). The housekeeper who takes care of the professor's small house is quite intelligent and sensitive to the unusual context in which she works: every morning when she comes to work, she and the professor must reintroduce themselves since he will have forgotten her. When the professor learns that the housekeeper has a ten-year old son, he insists that she start bringing him with her. Gradually, both the housekeeper and her son become quite fond of the professor, whose mind still has extraordinary mathematical prowess and an amazing ability to connect seemingly unconnected facts. Even under the peculiar circumstances, all three of them develop a fondness for each other and find that their lives are greatly enriched by their relationship. We highly recommend this charming book.
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Bookseller Recommendations For Kids
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Lauren recommends:
Turtle Boy by M. Evan Wolkenstein
Seventh grade is not going well for Will Levine. He's bullied at school for a facial problem that might require surgery and Will hates hospitals, his nature refuge behind school is in danger of being developed, he's just not sure about his friends, and he's studying for his upcoming Bar Mitzvah. As if it couldn't get worse, the Rabbi wants Will to do his community service hours at the hospital, visiting RJ, an older boy with an incurable disease. Though wary at first, things change when RJ shares his bucket list. As Will completes each item on the list, he learns that life is too short to live in a shell. I truly love these characters; Wolkenstein tackles grief and the many ways it manifests itself with humor and heart. I laughed and teared up in equal measure--this is perfect for fans of Rebecca Stead and R.J. Palacio.
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Moving to the middle of nowhere and learning new chores is already difficult enough, but having to deal with two new step-sisters and a stepfather who can be a bit of a jerk only makes matters more difficult for Stepping Stones' protagonist, Jen. Knisley perfectly captures the triumphs and tribulations of pre-teen life, and soon enough Jen is forced to confront her own insecurities (and learns how to stick up for herself in the process). Based on Knisley's own childhood experiences living on a farm in upstate New York, Stepping Stones is a story full of unlikely friendships, sisters, and adorable (and messy) chickens.
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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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Lucky
Lucky is a distinguished older gent who lives with Tracy and her family. This Cockapoo celebrated his 15th birthday in February. Here's to many more years of walks and snuggles!
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Thank you for supporting your community
independent bookstore!
Sincerely,
Rebecca Stimpson
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