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March 18, 2015     

Can't you just feel the change in the air? Give us a couple of 45 degree days after a long snowy winter and we get positively giddy! The snow is finally melting, the parking lot is almost back to normal, and there are lots of new books we are excited to share with you. Add some fabulous upcoming events -- and a Tournament of Books -- and you have one hopping bookstore! Come on in and celebrate Spring with us!

Sasha Martin On Tuesday, March 24th at 7:00pm, come meet food blogger Sasha Martin as she presents Life From Scratch: A Memoir of Food, Family, and Forgiveness. In this book, Martin cooks a meal from each of the 195 countries in the world, taking her husband and young daughter on a nearly four-year global epicurean tour from the stove-top of their Tulsa home. As she writes, Martin begins reflecting on her personal history with food and cooking, ultimately delving into her troubled past. The resulting memoir is deeper, more powerful, and more delectable than anyone could have imagined.

Stephen Kurkjian Today is the 25th anniversary of the Gardner Heist, and NPR featured a great interview with author Stephen Kurkjian, who has spent the last two decades investigating the crime. On Wednesday, March 25th at 7:00pm, Wellesley Books welcomes  Stephen for a discussion of his book Master Thieves: The Boston Gangsters Who Pulled Off the World's Greatest Art Heist. In Master Thieves, Kurkjian sheds new light on some of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum's most abiding mysteries, revealing the identities of those he believes plotted the heist, the motive for the crime, and the details that the FBI has refused to discuss. Taking you on a journey deep into the gangs of Boston, Kurkjian emerges with the most complete and compelling version of this story ever told.

 

Hallie Ephron Edgar-Award nominated author Hallie Ephron's novels have been called "gripping," "unsettling" and filled with "intensive, sustaining suspense." Join us on Thursday, March 26th at 7:00pm as she reads from her latest book, Night Night, Sleep Tight.  Her most captivating mystery yet is tinged with Hollywood glamour and set in a town where fame and infamy are often interchangeable. Night Night, Sleep Tight looks beyond the glitz and glamour to reveal what goes on behind the scenes in Tinsel Town.


Graeme Simsion The Rosie Project has been a store favorite since it was published, and is featured on our Top 25 of 2014 bookmark. So imagine our delight when we found out we would be hosting an event with Graeme Simsion on Friday, March 27th at 7:00pm! Graeme will be talking about The Rosie Effect, the highly anticipated sequel to The Rosie Project, starring the same extraordinary couple now living in New York and unexpectedly expecting their first child. Get ready to fall in love with them all over again. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased in the store or on our website. The ticket is also a $5 coupon off the price of The Rosie Effect.

Gretchen Rubin author photo credit Elena Seibert We are pleased to join with Massachusetts Bay Community College in welcoming Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project and Happier at Home on Wednesday, April 1 at 7pm. Gretchen will introduce her new book, Better Than Before in which she examines habits -- how to create new ones and end bad ones. Ms. Rubin separates hype from helpful advice with her usual unassuming brilliance. Tickets are on sale now in the store or on our website and include a signed copy of Better Than Before.

Contact Us

Wellesley Books

82 Central Street

 Wellesley, MA 02482

 781.431.1160

www.wellesleybooks.com

In This Newsletter...
Bookseller recommendations
New in Hardcover
New in Paperback
In the Kids Section
In the Gift Aisle
Used Book Cellar
Dog of the Week
What We Are Reading...

Upcoming Events

Sasha Martin - Tuesday, 3/24
Stephen Kurkjian - Wednesday, 3/25
Hallie Ephron - Thursday, 3/26
Graeme Simsion - Friday, 3/27
Gretchen Rubin - Wednesday, 4/1
Bill's Book Group for Guys - Wednesday, 4/8
Terry Walters - Thursday, 4/9
Lunchtime Book Group - Tuesday, 4/14
Ronna Benjamin & Felice Shapiro - Tuesday, 4/14
Marcia DeSanctis - Wednesday, 4/15
Mary Louise Kelly - Thursday 4/16
Ann Packer & Sue Miller - Tuesday, 4/28
Rita Williams Garcia - Thursday, 4/30
Kiera Cass - Friday, 5/8

Independent Bookstore Day
Save the date! On Saturday, May 2nd, independent bookstores across the country, including Wellesley Books, will be celebrating with an all day party! Independent bookstores are more than just stores, we're community centers and local gathering places run by passionate readers. Join us for cool prizes, unique merchandise and much more. Stay tuned for more details!

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"Consumers control the marketplace by deciding where to spend their money. If what a bookstore offers matters to you, then shop at a bookstore. If you feel that the experience of reading a book is valuable, then read the book. This is how we change the world: we grab hold of it. We change ourselves."

~Ann Patchett, bestselling author and co-owner of Parnassus Books

Bill's Book Group for Guys Bill's Book Group for Guys A Quiet Flame
by Philip Kerr
Bill's Book Group for Guys is a relaxed evening in the store discussing a great book while enjoying a beer, glass of wine, or a select single malt whisky. $25 buys the book and a ticket to the event, including libations. 
 

Lunchtime BookgroupBetty's Lunchtime Book Group Dissendent Gardens
by Jonathan Lethem
Come to Wellesley Books' lunchtime book group. Betty Sudarsky, unparalleled bookseller and experienced book club leader chooses each book carefully and leads the discussion. Bring your own lunch if you like; Betty supplies snacks, drinks, and insight. No need to sign up; drop-ins are welcome.   

Bookseller Recommendations 

The Fifth Gospel The Fifth Gospel   
by Ian Caldwell

This is my favorite kind of book - well-drawn characters, a good mystery that will keep you guessing, and incredible historical details. I was not surprised to hear how long it took Ian Caldwell to write this book. Most of the story takes place in Vatican City, an unusual location that was so interesting to learn about. The main character is a Greek Catholic priest with a brother also in the priesthood, but the more traditional Roman Catholic branch. A murder, the Shroud of Turin and even the Pope play significant roles in this fabulous novel. This is one read you won't soon forget.
The Nightingale The Nightingale  
by Kristin Hannah
The Nightingale
is the story of two French sisters who offer resistance to the Nazis by employing very different but equally powerful methods.  Hannah captures the impossible choices the French women were forced to make on a daily basis and the grim realities of hunger, fear and uncertainty which were endemic under war time occupation. A fresh twist on a difficult period in world history.

10% Happier 10% Happier
by Dan Harris

Dan Harris was a competitive, jaded TV news reporter. But as he rose through the ranks at ABC News, he rarely felt happy with his success, and he struggled with the highly critical self-talk that constantly filled his mind. In 10% Happier, he tells the unlikely story of how mindfulness-based meditation, which he originally thought was just for weak-minded hippies, dramatically improved his life.
Cat Out of Hell Cat Out of Hell 
by Lynne Truss

I'm hardly a cat fanatic, or a fan of gothic/horror for that matter, but I really enjoyed this little diversion.  The humor, use of language, and pastoral English backdrop made for a perfect combination while waiting for warmer Spring days.
 

New in Hardcover

World Gone By A Dangerous Place    Lacy Eye     Wilderness of Ruin Better Than Before  Dead Wake 

World Gone By by Dennis Lehane
A Dangerous Place by Jacqueline Winspear
All the Old Knives by Olen Steinhauer
Lacy Eye by Jessica Treadway  

The Wilderness of Ruin by Roseanne Montillo  

Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin
Dead Wake by Erik Larson 

 

New in Paperback 

   Fourth of July Creek Book of Unknown Americans The Husband's Secret The Possibilities   Keep Quiet House of Outrageous Fortune   Blood Will Out      

 Fourth of July Creek by Smith Henderson
The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez
The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty
The Possibilities by Kaui Hart Hemmings

Keep Quiet by Lisa Scottoline
House of Outrageous Fortune by Michael Gross
Blood Will Out by Walter Kirn  

In the Kids Section

  • New & Recommended
It is as if the publishers knew this was going to be a dark and snowy winter, so they are releasing an abundance of great books this spring to make us dream of sitting outside, under a tree enjoying the warm weather and a good book.  Below are a few that have just arrived:

Finding Spring Finding Spring by Carin Berger
The perfect picture book to make you excited for the coming season.  Maurice, a young bear, cannot wait to experience his first spring.  He sets out looking for it, but must meet winter first.  Carin Berger's cut-paper collage illustrations are a visual treat.Ms. Rapscott's Girls
Ms. Rapscott's Girls by Elise Primavera
Eating birthday cake, getting lost on purpose, and taking the road less traveled, are all lessons the students at the Great Rapscott School for the Girls of Busy Parents must learn.  A lighthouse setting, fun characters and black and white illustrations make this a great read aloud!

Stealing the Game Streetball Crew Stealing the Game by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Recommended by ARC Reviewer, Adham A, age 12
Stealing the Game is a great book written by a great basketball player and a great author. A middle-school boy name Chris is worried about his brother Jax. Jax has just gotten back from college and is acting different than before he left. He is more secretive than before. Chris is trying to find out information about his brother. Chris finds out his brother has scheduled a basketball game between the school team and a high-school club team. Jax has bet on the game. Chris learns that after college, Jax is not just different, he is a new person.

 Nightbird
Nightbird by Alice Hoffman
Twig wishes she could make friends with the new girls who have moved in next door but maintaining a family secret caused by a curse makes it difficult.  Try as she might, she finds herself drawn into a friendship and it just might be what she needs to vanquish the curse.  The small town New England setting is the perfect backdrop for this magical story.

Geek Girl Geek Girl by Holly Smale
Recommended by ARC Reviewer, Tara B, age 15
Geek Girl is a fast read that is difficult to put down. The author Holly Smale accurately portrays the rough emotions and indecisive behavior that comes along with being 15. The main character, Harriet Manners, is an extraordinarily bright teenager and the so-called popular girls are constantly harassing her.  She accidentally steals her best friend Natalie's lifelong ambition and lies about it. Being the same age as Harriet, I can understand where the motives behind her actions come from. Her main priority is to be accepted by her peers and she enjoys the positive attention and being treated as if she is superior. She knows exactly what she wants, but she just doesn't understand how to get there. Therefore Harriet makes bad decisions that force her to decide whether she wants to change her life and herself in order to succeed in her current opportunity -- while losing her friends and breaking apart her family, or if she wants to go back to being plain old Harriet Manners.

In the Gift Aisle

  • Easter
We have the best selection of Easter gifts ever! Cute felt baskets, bunnies, elephants and tulips to brighten up your decor, along with soft stuffed bunnies and chicks for Easter baskets. How about a fun carrot basket ready to fill with chocolate eggs? Get in the Spring mood with cocktail napkins and bunny cotton dishtowels. I think we could all use a bit of color and whimsy!

Egg maracas, jump ropes, hopping wind-up bunnies, socks, pinwheels and lots more will fill your baskets with Easter joy. Of course we do also have chocolate bunnies...

Downstairs at Wellesley Books 

  • Kid's remainders
Come downstairs and you will find a fresh selection of kids books in our remainder section, with more arriving each day. Here are some of the titles in stock now: 
Sheep in a Jeep by Nancy Shaw, illustrated by Margot Apple
Xander's Panda Party by Linda Sue Park
Charley's First Night by Amy Hest, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury
Katy Duck by Alyssa Satin Capucilli, illustrated by Henry Cole
Gideon by Olivier Dunrea
Jasper & Joop by Olivier Dunrea
The Peter Yarrow Songbook: Favorite Folk Songs illustrated by Terry Widener
Backstage Cat by Harriet Ziefert, illustrated by Jenni Desmond
Great Poems for Grand Children edited by Celestine Frost, illustrated by Brian Cronin

Trade Your Used Books:

Saturdays from 11am - 3pm
Downstairs at Wellesley Books is always open for browsing during regular store hours except during author events.
We will be happy to look for a title after the event and place it on hold for you. 

Dog of the Week 

  • Ginger
Ginger The completely adorable and charming Ginger is a 12 year-old mix of Yorkie, Chihuahua and poodle. You would never guess that Ginger was a senior dog as she has the demeanor of a wiggly puppy! Luckily, we eventually managed to get a non-blurry photo of her.


   

     

What We're Reading Now...

Single, Carefree, Mellow
Sally
A Dangerous Place
Kym
The Daughter of Time
Margaret
Area X
Bill
The Handsome Man's De Luxe Cafe
Lorna
Inherent Vice
Phyllis
 

Thank you for supporting your community

independent bookstore!

 

And speaking of change, will be my last newsletter at Wellesley Books. It has been my great pleasure over the past eight years to share book recommendations and conversation with you both in the store and via email. Talking about books with fellow book lovers is my favorite part of working in a bookstore. Thank you for being part of the conversation! 

  

Sincerely,

Kym Havens 
Wellesley Books
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