Wellesley Books Newsletter | July 5th, 2023
| |
|
Happy July! We're hoping, desperately, that a beach-themed newsletter will bring more beach-appropriate weather. In the meantime, at least, summer reading is an all-weather activity, and we're stocked up on board games for those rainy days at home or in a cabin.
Later this month, we're also looking forward to the return of July Jubilation, Wellesley Square's annual Saturday of sidewalk sales, family activities--we're traditionally right next to the bouncy castle--live music, and outdoor classes. Fingers crossed for sunshine!
| | |
|
Tuesday, July 11th at 7 PM (in-person) | |
Howard Fishman, frequent contributor to The New Yorker, joins us to discuss his fascinating new book about a mid-century singer/songwriter whose haunting music never found recognition, To Anyone Who Ever Asks: The Life, Music, and Mystery of Connie Converse.
"So powerful…A totemic accomplishment and indispensable guide…written with Robert Caro-esque thoroughness."
–Los Angeles Review of Books
"Fishman succeeds wildly in uncovering the anguish and beauty in Converse’s bewildering story."
–Publishers Weekly
Connie, Howard, and the book were featured in a recent Boston Globe article, which you can read by clicking here.
| | |
|
Saturday, July 15th, 11 AM to noon (in-person) | |
Local author Ann Curch Gagliano, illustrator of Reena and the Diwali Star, joins us for a Meet & Greet during Wellesley Square's July Jubilation to celebrate her new book, Penelope Price: A Problem in Pickleberry.
A Problem in Pickleberry is the first book in a series for children that follows Penelope Price’s unique personality, problems, and adventures throughout her city.
No registration irequired for this event, so don't hesitate to come any time between 11am and noon to say hi!
To learn more about July Jubilation, click here.
| | |
|
Thursday, July 20th at 5 PM (in-person) | |
Daniel Silva, author of more than two dozen novels including The Kill Artist and Portrait of an Unknown Woman, joins us to discuss the brand new release in his Gabriel Allon series, The Collector.
In this electrifying new thriller, Gabriel Allon undertakes a search for a Vermeer masterpiece stolen during the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum heist, uncovering a conspiracy that could bring the world to the brink of nuclear Armageddon.
"A world-class practitioner of spy fiction."
–Washington Post
| |
Bookseller Recommendations | |
|
|
Gillian recommends:
The Art Thief by Michael Finkel
The absolutely riveting true story of a brazen young art thief who strolled into dozens of museums around Europe and just took things! I couldn't put it down!
| | | |
|
|
Lorna recommends:
Good Night, Irene by Luis Alberto Urrea
Urrea's new novel is a fictionalized account of his mother's service in World War II as a volunteer "Donut Dollie" in the Clubmobile Corps for the Red Cross, behind the front lines. Good Night, Irene is a moving and deeply emotional tribute to the women who so valiantly served the troops while facing the dangers and horrors of war themselves.
| | | |
|
|
Tracy A. recommends:
Wandering Souls by Cecile Pin
This book grabbed my attention from the first page and held it the whole way through. This is the highly readable story of three Vietnamese adolescent refugees forced to set up a new life in a new land without the rest of their family. The structure of the book kept me highly invested: the author uses chunks of narrative from the perspective of the oldest of the three siblings, historical research in the form of news articles and press releases, voices from lost family members (a.k.a. wandering souls), and an unnamed narrator whose identity is fittingly revealed at the end. I found myself putting the book down to Google some horrendous events involving the Vietnam War that I was completely unaware of. An excellent debut! I look forward to seeing what this author writes next.
| | | |
Bookseller Recommendations for Young Readers | |
|
|
Ashleigh recommends:
The Grimoire of Grave Fates, created by Hanna Alkaf and Margaret Owen
Imagine a magical school where everyone is welcome; everyone's diverse voice is heard and valued; everyone's history is respected; and everyone hates the same vindictive, small-minded, aged professor... Who would you look to for his murder? Galileo Academy for the Extraordinary is about to disembark from its current port (it lands in cities around the world to represent its diverse student body) when Professor Septimus Dropwort's body is discovered by the guardian gargoyles. Told from the perspective of myriad students, each written by a different YA author, the mystery must be solved for the school to continue its journey. With contributing authors such as Darcie Littlebadger, Hafsah Faizal, Kwame Mbalia, Victoria Lee, and more, this is the representation we've been waiting for in a school for the magically gifted. Excellent LGBTQIA+ rep, disability visibility, mental health rep, fighting back against prejudice and bigotry--it has everything for the YA fantasy reader in your life.
| | | |
New Books for Young Adults | | |
|
|
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 Amy 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. They make a great gift!
Our July 2023 selections are How the New Seven Wonders of the World Were Built by Jiri Bartunek, Tom Velcovsky and Jan Sramek and The Demon Sword Aspirides by Sarah Jean Ho. Please click on the book covers for more information.
| |
| |
Waboba! Fun to play, fun to say! Waboba makes water-friendly bouncy balls, flying discs, and other outdoor games, even for your dog. Grab them here before you head to the beach--they can be hard to find on the Cape and at other oceanside retreats. | | |
|
|
Kala
publishes July 25th
Sally
| |
| |
|
Harry Pawter
Harry Pawter is a two-year-old Goldendoodle named after, well, you know. (He's also at least the third Harry to appear in our newsletter as Dog of the Week--though according to our records, perhaps the first Harry P.) True to his genes, he is excellent at playing fetch--really, he loves nothing more. He can chase after a ball ad infinitum, particularly in the water. I hope this summer brings you all the running and retrieving you could ever ask for, Harry.
| | |
|
Thank you for supporting your community independent bookstore!
Sincerely,
Rebecca Stimpson
| | | | |
