Wellesley Books Newsletter | February 17th, 2021
The snow is melting, but more of it is on the way! For the snowy weekend ahead, we'll fill you in on one more edition of our booksellers Four Favorites of 2020. Representing Geoff is an illustrated Geoff, whose favorites include Snapdragon, Pet, Lightfall, and Game of Fox and Squirrels. At center, Peter displays his favorites: Valentine, A Burning, Memorial Drive, and The Butcher's Blessing. On your right, Lorna, who has photographed all our favorites for us, shows off her four which include Skunk and Badger, A Long Petal of the Sea, A List of Things that Will Not Change, and Apeirogon. For more of our favorites, be sure to follow us on Instagram @wellesleybooks, or on our Young Adult Twitter @wellesleybksYA.
New! Middle-Grade Subscription Club!
We're thrilled to announce a new subscription service for kids ages 8-12! Each month, our school liaison, Rachael, and children's buyer, Lauren, will 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 the book up from the store or have it mailed to you.. Click on the link below for our FAQs about the program.

The February 2021 pick is The Mysterious Disappearance of Aidan S. by David Levithan. To find out more about our subscription service, click here.
Upcoming Online Events
Friday, February 19th at 7:00 PM
Kids, don your jammies and join us for a Bedtime Story with the author/illustrator herself! Lori Joy Smith reads We Adopted a Lamb, an irresistible and unique twist on the pet story for fans of cute baby animals.

This online event will take place through Zoom. In order to gain access, attendees must register by clicking the link below:
Thursday, February 25th at 7:00 PM
The pandemic has scuppered many long-awaited travel plans. If you or a loved one will be kept home this year, fear not! Wellesley Books has just the solution: a moderated Zoom soirée to talk about books and dream of being in the City of Light!

This ticketed online event will take place through Zoom. In order to gain access, attendees must register by clicking the link below:
Friday, February 26th at 7:00 PM
Kids, don your jammies and join us for a Bedtime Story with the author herself! Erin Dionne reads Balletball, in which a young ballet fan learns that her love of dance might just lead to a love of baseball.

This online event will take place through Zoom. In order to gain access, attendees must register by clicking the link below:
Tuesday, March 30th at 7:00 PM
Emily St. John Mandel, author of Station Eleven, joins us to celebrate the paperback release of her bestselling 2020 novel, The Glass Hotel. Emily will be in conversation with Lily King, author of Writers & Lovers.

This online event is ticketed and will take place through Zoom. In order to gain access, attendees must register by clicking the link below:
Bookseller Recommendations
Sofia recommends:
The Rib King by Ladee Hubbard
If Bon Joon-ho's Parasite had taken place in the early 20th century American Midwest, it would look something like The Rib King. When a wealthy family falls on hard times, they sell their cook's meat sauce to a businessman. The catch? He uses a racist caricature of the groundskeeper, Mr. Sitwell, to promote it under the brand "The Rib King." Neither Sitwell nor the cook see a dime of the profits. When the Rib King's popularity skyrockets, Sitwell's behavior becomes increasingly erratic. This engaging, character driven novel deals with timely issues such as race and class, and it has some great plot twists that I loved!
Jess recommends:
The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse
Around the lobby of Le Sommet, glass boxes hang with medical debris from the hotel's past—a sanatorium—making it visible to guests. It's current darkness, a killer wearing the sanatorium's old breathing masks, haunts its grounds. But Elin, a detective on personal leave, doesn't know this before she and Will arrive for her brother's engagement party. Haunted by her own memories and wanting to confront her brother, she's thrown into the case when the fiancée, one of the hotel's managers, goes missing. Trapped in the hotel by an intense snowstorm, an avalanche blocking the mountain road to safety, she has to find the killer to right the wrongs of the past. All I have to say is while reading The Sanatorium, I was very uneasy about taking the dog out at night while it was snowing.
Cassie recommends:
Fireheart Tiger by Aliette De Bodard
Reading Fireheart Tiger is like trying to watch the individual flames of a bonfire. Pretty in their own right, each flame, each character, each piece of dialogue, each sentence adds to a blaze that will leave you in awe. A queer love triangle, magical politics, betrayal, magical girls, ruthless girls, kindhearted and cunning girls, this novella has it all. Thanh is a royal member of the court in Eldris, who has fallen in love with the princess of the neighboring, domineering kingdom, Ephteria. Sent there as a political diplomat at a young age, Thanh is back in Eldris to help her mother negotiate with the Ephterians. But then the princess shows up. And the fire that burned the palace is back to haunt Thanh. But possibly, the fire wants something else. This novella is a perfect, warm read while you're waiting for the snow to melt and the world to thaw outside.
Pre-Order Now! Books For Your Future Shelf
(Available 3/02/21)
Kazuo Ishiguro
(Available 3/23/21)
Jacqueline Winspear
(Available 3/02/21)
Viet Thanh Nguyen
(Available 3/09/21)
Imbolo Mbue
(Available 3/30/21)
Kaitlyn Greenidge
(Available 3/30/21)
Melissa Febos
New in Hardcover
Ibram X. Kendi
& Keisha N. Blain
Kate Russo
Vendela Vida
Sarah J. Maas
Patricia Lockwood
New in Paperback
Margarita Montimore
Lily King
Emily St. John Mandel
Richard Ford
Brandon Taylor
Daniel Silva
Quan Barry
Alex Hutchinson
Ann Napolitano
Colum McCann
Alexandra Chang
Picture Book Subscription Club: A Perfect Gift!
A Child's Library is a subscription service for children ages 0-5! Lauren, our children's book buyer, selects 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 February 2021 pick is Milo Imagines the World by Matt de la Peña. To find out more about our subscription service, click here.
Bookseller Recommendations
Rebecca recommends:
Two Many Birds by Cindy Derby
This is the best picture book ever and Cindy Derby is a mad genius. Okay, that's hyperbole, but don't miss it if you like rule-breakers, detailed full-page illustrations, divine silliness, and birds. You can look at this book again and again & find new jokes every time. PS Make sure to look at the endpapers too!
Pre-Order Now! Books For Your Future Shelf (Kids Edition)
(Available 3/02/21)
Tui T. Sutherland
(Available 3/02/21)
Katherine Applegate
(Available 3/02/21)
Michelle Obama
(Available 4/06/21)
Dana Simpson
(Available 3/23/21)
Dav Pilkey
(Available 2/23/21)
Ransom Riggs
New Releases
Neal Shusterman
Namina Forna
Meg Grehan
Nicole Lesperance
Rucker Moses
and Theo Gangi
In the Gift Department



A new trend or an old trend? Either way, check out our refillable glass bottles for soap, our reusable straws, and our market bags. Plus new kitchen towels from The Neighborgoods.


It's also your last chance for 50% off all winter and holiday merchandise down in our Used Book Cellar.
What We're Reading
Colleen
Cassie
Rebecca
Dog of the Week
Meet Millie
Millie is a one and a half year-old King Charles Cavalier. She's not too upset about her breeding job not working out because now she has a nice home in the suburbs with nice people who want to play catch with her and give her warm jackets to wear. Plus they're super easy to convince that staying curled up on the couch, with a good book, is better than doing something important like shoveling the driveway.
Thank you for supporting your community independent bookstore!
Sincerely,
Wellesley Books
82 Central Street
Wellesley, MA 02482
781-431-1160