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.

Alice Oseman, author of the graphic novel series Heartstopper (which will soon be a Netflix show), joins Blue Willow Bookshop, Wellesley Books, and other independent bookstores to discuss her latest YA novel, Loveless.

For fans of Love, Simon and I Wish You All the Best, Oseman's Loveless is a funny, honest, completely relatable story of an asexual and aromantic girl who realizes that love can be found in many ways that don't involve sex or romance.

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.

A Sunlit Weapon is a stellar addition to the Maisie Dobbs series. This is the 17th book and I admit to being a fan since the very first. This book begins in the fall of 1942; Maisie is asked to investigate the possible shooting-down of a plane being ferried to an airbase by a young female pilot. These historical mysteries follow Maisie, her friends and family along with her clients and are all the more interesting for their details of British life during wartime. I, for one, can imagine they would make a terrific series for Masterpiece PBS. The big question: who would play Maisie?

Can life be what you want it to be, how you create it in your art? How do you hold love and anger with empathy? This striking debut novel depicts the coming-of-age of a writer against the backdrop of a love story and family ties. Cole writes with such immediacy, you are perched right on his shoulder! A real-deal debut, and an author to watch!

The major theme of this book is "I wish that there had been a book like this when I was starting off as a female distance runner." Now that this book exists, you should take advantage of it. I coached XC and track at the high school level for eleven years, at Brandeis for six years, and at MIT for eight years and I wish that my athletes had a chance to read this as young athletes.

A poetic, lush, and sincere exploration of gender, identity and neurodiversity that only this author can create. Evocative imagery and dazzling magical realism dance with honest, sometimes painful self-exploration. I love every book Anna-Marie writes; they are a treasure!

I breathed this book in. I wanted to live in the world so lovingly crafted by Alfageeh and Shammas. I wanted to learn to fight next to Aiza, to study with Husni, train with Sahar, learn from Basem and Doruk. Squire is immersive and compelling from the very beginning; I couldn’t put it down. The sumptuous colors felt textural, like I could reach out and touch the course stone, or the softness of the clothes each character wears. A Middle Eastern fantasy, Squire touches on colonialism, identity, exploration, coming-of-age, found family, friendship, and nationalism. How do you continue to chase a dream when the dream reveals it’s true colors? This one is going in my top favorites of the year, easily.

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 April 2022 pick is Karthik Delivers by Sheela Chari. 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 April 2022 pick is I Color Myself Different by Colin Kaepernick (exclusive signed copies). To find out more about our subscription service, click here.