27 Monday Jun 2016
This is the best movie I have ever seen about two men and rare friendship. Based on a true story this is a poignant comedy that begins when a wealthy aristocrat who is paralyzed from a para gliding accident hires a chronically unemployed immigrant from Senegal. Their lives are forever changed. Put away your aversion to subtitled movies and check this out! This is a unanimous favorite among the Weston staff.
20 Monday Jun 2016
Tags
brothers, college teachers, detectives, families, murder, mystery, New York, thriller
This was an unsettling page-turner that I couldn’t put down. Set in a small farm town in upstate New York, the story opens with the murder of a young woman, who is killed in her home. As the story unfolds, we learn more about why she and her family moved to this house, which has a dark history. This is suspenseful, creepy, and beautifully written.
“A dynamic portrait of a young woman coming into her own [and] of a marriage in free fall. . . . It rises to [great] literary heights and promises a soaring mix of mysticism.” —Booklist (starred review)
“All Things Cease to Appear is a riveting ghost story, psychological thriller, and literary page turner. It’s also the story of four women: Ella, Catherine, Justine, and Willis. With masterful skill and brilliant empathy, Brundage brings each of them to vivid and remarkable life. At its heart, this is a story about women’s grit and courage, will and intelligence. It’s a powerful and beautiful novel.” —Kate Christensen
13 Monday Jun 2016
Posted in Fiction
A moving story of family life with a cast of well-developed characters headed by a flawed but likable protagonist named Isabel. We meet Isabel as she navigates her mid-life marked with losses small and large and wrestles with the problematic notion that “every happy moment is already on the way to becoming nostalgia”. Author Lauren Fox is a gifted writer who pens her novels with wit and keen insight into relationships.
“Isabel (and Fox) has such an offbeat way of looking at things that you’ll eagerly keep reading just to see what she’s going to say next”. –Kirkus Reviews
“As Fox deconstructs the myth of perfect womanhood, her humor and humanity remind us that love’s the only lifeboat through grief.” —People Magazine Book of the Week
06 Monday Jun 2016
Posted in Biography, Humor, Non-fiction
Tags
anecdotes, biology, geobiology, Hawaii, laboratories, life journey, Minnesota, North Pole, paleobiology, plant culture, research, U.S.
I was riveted by Hope Jahren’s interview on NPR and startled by the sincere gratitude of those women in science fields who called to thank her for writing this book. Hope is a fighter. She is passionate about the plant world. She has fought tooth and nail to practice “her science” and not let academia dictate, squelch, or underfund her path……and she writes in beautiful prose…and she includes some hysterically funny experiences. Hope is best at teaching, nurturing. Open these pages and walk into nature with an inspirational guide.
“Lab Girl surprised, delighted, and moved me. I was drawn in from the start by the clarity and beauty of Jahren’s prose, whether she was examining the inner world of a seed, the ecosystem around the trunk of a tree, or recounting her own inspiring journey. With Lab Girl, Jahren joins those talented scientists who are able to reveal to us the miracle of this world in which we live.” —Abraham Verghese
“Some people are great writers, while other people live lives of adventure and importance. Almost no one does both. Hope Jahren does both. She makes me wish I’d been a scientist.” —Ann Patchett
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