Wellesley Books Newsletter April 17th, 2024 | |
Can you hear it? It's robins and songbirds singing in the morning! Can you smell it? It's the magnolias and the over-zealous neighbor trimming the lawn! Can you see it? It's the colors of spring! We are nearly half-way through April and Mother's Day sneaks up fast, so be sure to stop by and grab some gifts and cards for the maternal figures in your life. | |
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Tuesday, April 23rd at 7 PM (in-person)
Acclaimed CEO, TED speaker, and Entrepreneurship professor James Rhee presents his new book, red helicopter, the inspirational true story of finding success through kindness (plus a little math). James will be in conversation with Steve Hinds, Founding President of WPS Institute and Headmaster Emeritus of The Meadowbrook School.
In kindergarten, James Rhee received a toy red helicopter in gratitude for a simple act of generosity—sharing his lunch. Decades later, the lesson from that small gift led him to develop a human-centered framework for business and personal achievement that helped him overcome seemingly insurmountable hurdles and find unprecedented success. By combining the clarity and imagination we had as children with fundamental business metrics, anyone can apply this refreshingly intuitive approach to lead change at work and at home.
“red helicopter is a transformative experience. James Rhee’s story is a must read for anyone, of any age, who wishes to think, act, and lead with balance, agility, and wisdom.” —Jay Shetty, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Think Like a Monk and 8 Rules of Love
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Thursday, April 25th at 7 PM (in-person)
Peter May, former Boston Globe sports writer and author of The Open Question: Ben Hogan and Golf’s Most Enduring Controversy, joins us to discuss his new book, Changing the Course: How Charlie Sifford and Stanley Mosk Integrated the PGA.
The compelling, little-known story of Charlie Sifford, the first Black golfer to get his PGA card, and Stanley Mosk, a crusading civil rights attorney and California Supreme Court justice, who together made history by taking on the PGA and the Caucasian Only clause in its bylaws. In Changing the Course: How Charlie Sifford and Stanley Mosk Integrated the PGA, Peter May tells the captivating story of Sifford and Mosk’s battle to end the rank racial discrimination that had been codified in the constitution of the PGA.
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Tuesday, May 7th at 7 PM (in-person)
Henriette Lazaridis, author of The Clover House, joins us to discuss her new novel, Last Days in Plaka.
Today's Athens is a city of contradictions and complexity—it is grand and scruffy, ancient and modern, full of strivers, refugees and old-timers—and nowhere more so than the neighborhood of Plaka, where the Parthenon looms overhead and two women grapple with what is right and what is true, and how to live your life when you are running out of time.
An immersive and multifaceted novel—The Talented Mr. Ripley by way of Elena Ferrante—that explores the lies at the heart of an old woman’s identity and the desperation of a young woman’s struggle to belong.
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Celebrate National Poetry Month! | |
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Monday, April 22nd at 7 PM (in-person)
On this night, we welcome Wellesley College professor Octavio R. González to discuss his new collection Limerence.
“[González’s] language is rich without being baroque; his lines are a dance until they are a gut punch. At the core of this gorgeous collection is a body of sonnets about the endlessly desiring body. At the core of both bodies is the heart.” —Evie Shockey, author of Suddenly We, The New Black and Renegade Poetics
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Monday, April 29th at 7 PM (in-person)
For our final event, we welcome poets Jason Tandon and January Gill O'Neil. They will be reading from their works, Glitter Road and This Far North.
Jason Tandon is the author of five books of poetry, including This Far North (Black Lawrence Press, 2023) and The Actual World (Black Lawrence Press, 2019). His poems have appeared in Ploughshares, Prairie Schooner, The Southern Review, Beloit Poetry Journal, Alaska Quarterly Review, and elsewhere.
January Gill O'Neil is an associate professor at Salem State University and the author of Glitter Road (February 2024), Rewilding (2018), Misery Islands (2014), and Underlife (2009), all published by CavanKerry Press. From 2012-2018, she served as the executive director of the Massachusetts Poetry Festival. The recipient of fellowships from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, Cave Canem, and the Barbara Deming Memorial Fund, O'Neil was the 2019-2020 John and Renée Grisham Writer-in-Residence at the University of Mississippi, Oxford. She currently serves as the 2022-2024 board chair of the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP). O'Neil lives in Beverly, MA.
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A Child's Library and Middle-Grade Monthly are our two book subscriptions for children aged 0-5 and 8-12, respectively. Each month, Lauren and Kali select a newly-published picture book or middle-grade novel. Subscriptions can be purchased on a month-to-month basis, or for a year, and may be shipped to the child's home or picked up in-store. Grab our April selections before they go! Rumie Goes Rafting by Meghan Marentette and Bridge to Bat City by Ernest Cline. Please click on the covers for more information. | |
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New Books for Young Adults | |
Give the gift of Wellesley with these detailed cutting boards, thermoses, tumblers, and mugs from Polar Camel and Local Love. See if you can spot Wellesley Books on the map! (Hint: the clue is in our name...) | |
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Support incarcerated readers with your purchase from April 27 to May 14!
You can buy books from Wellesley Books to support local nonprofit, Prison Book Program, all year round – but right now you have a chance to double your impact! In honor of independent bookstores and the vital role they play in our communities, a generous donor will match any purchases you make from PBP's Wellesley Books Wish List in cash. From April 27 to May 14, grab a book or two for PBP to send to readers in prison -- then share the list with a friend so they can do the same!
The Prison Book Program has been sending free books to individuals since 1972. To learn more, visit our wish list page for links.
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Book Speed Dating with Wellesley Staff | |
Need a new read to spark some flames? We asked Wellesley staff to describe one of their favorite reads in three words or less. See if anyone catches your eye... | |
"Hilarious. Heartbreaking. Boston" | |
"Heartwarming. Summer. Butterfly." | |
"Barcelona. Discovery. Suspense." | |
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"Nostalgia. Theater. Cherries." | |
"Rituals. Resonant. Sunrise" | |
"Tender. Wise. Captivating." | |
"Immersive. Stunning. Restorative." | |
"Twists. Suspense. Identity." | |
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Jojo is a 6 month old Bernedoodle. Her beautiful fur color is called blue merle. Jojo's best friend is named Charlie, and she gets REALLY excited if you say that name. Her two favorite toys are a crinkle chicken and a stuffed puppy.
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Thank you for supporting your community independent bookstore!
Sincerely,
Sarah Cyr
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