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Monthly Archives: April 2022

Black Walden: Slavery and Its Aftermath in Concord, Massachusetts by Elise Lemire

25 Monday Apr 2022

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in Non-fiction, United States

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18th century, Concord, enslaved persons, Henry David Thoreau 1817-1862, history, Mass., slavery, social conditions, Walden Pond

Since we live next door to Lincoln, Massachusetts let author Lemire forever change your thoughts about the green space of Walden Pond.  In the 1700’s there was a community of enslaved individuals newly exposed to “freedom” whose stories need to be lifted up and shared.

Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts, is most famous as the place where Henry David Thoreau went to ‘live deliberately’ and subsist on the land. Lemire . . . sets about to resurrect the memory of not only the freedmen and -women who dwelled there but also the history of slavery in Concord. . . . Ultimately, Lemire conveys the idea that before Walden Pond was a ‘green space, ‘ it was, in fact, a ‘black space.’–Library Journal

Lemire has genuinely enriched our understanding not only of the history of Concord but also of the country for which that fabled town still so often stands.–New England Quarterly

Thanks to Lemire’s ingenious research, such valiant figures as Brister Freeman and Cato Ingraham can claim their just place alongside the more famous Minutemen in the town that fired the ‘shot heard ’round the world.’–Robert Gross, author of The Minutemen and Their World

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The Coroner’s Lunch  (A Dr. Siri Paiboun Mystery Book 1) by Colin Cotterell

15 Friday Apr 2022

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in detective, Fiction, Historical Fiction, murder and investigation, mystery

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coroners, detective and murder mystery, Laos, older people, physicians

Readers of literary mysteries will want to seek out a copy of The Coroner’s Lunch, the first of a series set in the country of Laos in the throes of its communist takeover during the 1970s. These engaging stories feature a strong sense of place and a sympathetic protagonist, one Siri Paiboun, a 72-year-old physician and lonely widower. Dr. Siri, who hopes to retire quietly is instead conscripted as the country’s sole medical examiner and finds his work draws him into ever more suspicious and dangerous entanglements. 

”The sights, smells, and colors of Laos practically jump of the pages of this inspired, often wryly witty first novel.” —Denver Post

”In Siri, Cotterill has created a detective as distinctive as Maigret or Poirot.” —Orlando Sentinel

”This series kickoff is an embarrassment of riches: Holmesian sleuthing, political satire, and [a] droll comic study of a prickly late bloomer.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

”A wonderfully fresh and exotic mystery . . . If Cotterill . . . had done nothing more than treat us to Siri’s views on the dramatic, even comic crises that mark periods of government upheaval, his debut mystery would still be fascinating. But the multiple cases spread out on Siri’s examining table . . . are not cozy entertainments but substantial crimes that take us into the thick of political intrigue.” —New York Times Book Review

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The Henna Artist (The Jaipur Trilogy Book 1) by Alka Joshi

11 Monday Apr 2022

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in 20th century, Fiction, Historical Fiction

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abused women, artists, Henna (Dye)|, India history 1947-, Jaipur (India)|, Mehndi (Body painting)|, Secrecy, sisters, upper class, young women

Lakshmi at 17 years old, escapes an arranged, abusive marriage leaving her village to arrive in the pink city of Jaipur where she cultivates her original artistic designs of henna as she cultivates her upper class clientele.  She can never reveal her past but one day her husband finds her with a high-spirited 13 year old sister in tow that she never knew she had and all begins to unravel…..

“Rich in detail and bright with tastes and textures, The Henna Artist is a fabulous glimpse into Indian culture of the 1950s.”—Bookpage, Starred Review

“Vibrant characters, evocative imagery, and sumptuous prose create a satisfying, unforgettable tale.”—Christian Science Monitor


“Joshi has constructed a bewitching glimpse into the past with a tough heroine well worth cheering on.”—Booklist

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The Maid by Nita Prose

04 Monday Apr 2022

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in detective, Fiction, murder, murder and investigation, thriller

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detective, hotel cleaning, hotels, murder investigation, mystery

A young woman, raised by her grandmother with a vocabulary of old fashioned expressions from simpler times, is left on her own to navigate the complex world.  Compulsively dedicated to order, she throws herself into her first job as hotel maid until one day her world is upturned with the discovery of the death of one of her regulars.  This is a light mystery – joyous, warmly uplifting.

“Molly is a likeable, neurodivergent narrator in this outstanding debut. The character-rich mystery ends with several twists that will appeal to fans of Eleanor Oliphant and other sympathetic heroines.”—Library Journal (starred review)


“Captivating, charming, and heart-warming, with deft writing and a clever, original plot, this unusual crime novel will leave readers with a warm glow.”Booklist (starred review)

“Prose threads a steady needle with the intricate plotting, the locked-room elements of the mystery, and especially Molly’s character. . . . The reader comes to understand Molly’s worldview, and to sympathize with her longing to be accepted—a quest that gives The Maid real emotional heft.”—The New York Times Book Review

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