Author Archives: Weston Public Library Staff

Atmosphere: a Love Story by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2025)

19 Friday Dec 2025

Posted by in 20th century, adventure, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Travel, United States

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Selected for the Novels at Night book club at the Weston Library on January 6, 2025! Read it and join the conversation.

“A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: TIME, NPR, People, Good Housekeeping, them, Marie Claire, Book Riot, Library Journal, Chicago Public Library, She Reads”- Amazon

#1 NEW YORK TIMESBESTSELLER• GOOD MORNING AMERICABOOK CLUB PICK • From the author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones & The Sixcomes an epic new novel set against the backdrop of the 1980s space shuttle program about the extraordinary lengths we go to live and love beyond our limits. – Amazon

“Thrilling . . . heartbreaking . . . uplifting . . . the fast-paced, emotionally charged story of one ambitious young woman, finding both her voice and her passion.”—Kristin Hannah, author of The Women

“NASA? Space missions? The ’80s? This is a collection of all the things I love.”—Andy Weir, author of Project Hail Maryand The Martian

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Nothing More of This Land: Community, Power, and the Search for Indigenous Identity by Joseph Lee

12 Friday Dec 2025

Posted by in Biography, History, memoir, nature, Non-fiction, United States

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256 pages, lively , crisp new knowledge and perspective about our favorite Massachusetts summer island’s history and oldest residents.

“With lucid intimacy, Lee traces the story of the Aquinnah Wampanoag across centuries and shorelines, anchoring sweeping histories in the particular texture of lived experience. The past is not background here—it presses forward, unresolved. At its core, this is a book about how to stay in relationship with a land, a people, and a culture that colonialism has scattered and strained. What begins as personal memoir opens into a broader reckoning with Indigenous identity in motion. Lee writes not to restore some lost purity, but to chart a map forward—one that embraces contradiction, survival, and the quiet force of continuity. Few books manage to feel this intimate and this expansive, this tender and this unflinching. It’s not just beautifully told—it’s deeply earned.”—Morgan Talty, national bestselling author of Night of the Living Rez and Fire Exit

“Nothing More of This Land is written with scrupulous attention to nuance and ambiguity. It is an exploration of a complex heritage that is self-searching, deeply intelligent and honest. But it is also a book about America, the public realm, what an Indigenous identity means in this country, and how this has molded the life of Joseph Lee, who is a brilliant and sensitive chronicler of his own destiny and that of his community.” —Colm Tóibín, bestselling author of Brooklyn and Long Island

“A wise meditation on belonging, Lee offers the reader a global perspective on what it means to be Indigenous. Lee’s desire for reciprocity and community will move readers to think about our planetary future. A journalistic feat, heartfelt, well-researched, and vital.”—Deborah Jackson Taffa, author of National Book Award finalist Whiskey Tender

“A potent exploration of what it means to be Indigenous. . . . A deft combination of affective memoir and keen journalism, this profound examination on identity and place impresses.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

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A Guardian and a Thief by Megha Majumdar (2025)

05 Friday Dec 2025

Posted by in action, Fiction

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She did it again!  I couldn’t stop reading her first book The Burning, once I opened to the first page.   Now again, her second novel just 205 pages held me spellbound with heart pounding.

“An electrifying depiction of dignity and morality under siege. . . . With gorgeous writing and the pacing of a thriller, A Guardian and a Thief transports the reader to a world ravaged by drought, burning heat, and severe food scarcity. . . . The way Majumdar manages to connect all the storylines with a resolution that unfolds both globally and in one small living room is genius.” —Kirkus (starred review)

“Devastatingly powerful. . . . With this incredible story, Majumdar has given us something precious: truth.” —BookPage (starred review)

“Luminous. . . . Majumdar conjures a city at once deteriorating and resilient, where markets sell seaweed and synthetic fish, and the city’s ‘remaining benevolent billionaire’ lives on a heavily guarded man-made island in a widening river. . . . There’s no clear-cut villain here, just people attempting to survive and protect their own. Majumdar proves once again that she is a master of the moral dilemma.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Majumdar brilliantly blurs right and wrong, ethics and legality. . . . [An] exquisitely wrenching novel.” —Booklist (starred review)

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A Marriage at Sea: A True Story of Love, Obsession, and Shipwreck by Sophie Elmhirst

24 Monday Nov 2025

Posted by in adventure, Biography, nature, Non-fiction, suspense, Travel

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 Only 246 pages – quick heart-pounding read!

“This is nonfiction that reads like fiction – the best kind. Elmhirst’s retelling is a triumph, second only to the seemingly impossible feat of Maurice and Maralyn themselves. You won’t be able to put it down.” – USA Today

“Remarkable… I found myself, alternately, holding my breath as I read at top speed, wandering rooms in search of someone to read aloud to, and placing the book facedown, arrested by quiet statements that left me reeling with their depth.” – The New York Times

“Such an emotionally vivid portrait of a couple in isolation that I was shocked it wasn’t fiction. How could a writer get so deeply into the minds of two real people in such extraordinary circumstances? … So brilliantly depicted.” – Elle, Best Books of Summer

“A beautiful meditation on endurance, codependence, and the power of love. A dazzling book.” – Patrick Radden Keefe

“An enthralling, engrossing story of survival and the resilience of the human spirit.” —Bill Bryson

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What Kind of Paradise by Janelle Brown

17 Monday Nov 2025

Posted by in Fiction, Historical Fiction, mystery, suspense, thriller

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As long as she can remember, Jane has lived in the woods with her father, cut off from most of society. As she grows into a teenager, she begins to investigate her past and realizes her father has not been honest with her. Loosely inspired by real events, this is a thought-provoking page turner.

“A breathtaking story of love, loyalty, family, and fate, What Kind of Paradise is an incredibly prescient and nuanced exploration of the impact of technology on society and individuals.”—Alafair Burke, author of The Note

“Sinuous, intensely satisfying, spectacular . . . Janelle Brown’s new novel is a complete knockout.”—Amity Gaige, author of Heartwood

“[What Kind of Paradise] deftly captures both the giddy enthusiasm of that period when the internet’s possibilities felt boundless, as well as the unforeseen dangers and downsides that were ushered in with the digital revolution.”—San Francisco Chronicle

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The Scrapbook by Heather Clark (debut)

10 Monday Nov 2025

Posted by in Historical Fiction, History, mystery

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“What a novel. . . . Clark has achieved an impressive feat in this beautiful and powerful novel examining the nature of intergenerational trauma, inherited guilt and all-consuming love.” —The Jewish Chronicle

“Clark’s first novel combines historical fiction with a thoughtful examination of a classic rite of passage for many young adults: falling in unrequited love. . . . Clark deftly interweaves Anna and Christoph’s interactions with glimpses of their grandfathers’ lives during the war, adding depth to the story. . . . Clark is at her best.” —Library Journal

“Phenomenal. . . a unique blend of literary and historical fiction as well as a penetrating exploration of philosophy, art, historical responsibility and guilt in the context of war. . . . The Scrapbook is worthy of reading and rereading as Clark serves up romance, history and political philosophy in ways that could hardly be more relevant.” —BookPage (starred review)

“Historical fiction strikes a complicated balance, between a need to recreate with some accuracy events in the past while at the same time communicating the relevance of those facts to the present. Heather Clark situates a contemporary love story in the shadow of—and with capacious insight into—German history both during and immediately after the Second World War. Clark navigates difficult conceptual ground with remarkable ease, making the complex legacy of the war appreciable to readers in the present.” —Matthew Longo, author of The Picnic

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When the Cranes Fly South by Lisa Ridzén (Author), Alice Menzies (Swedish Translator)

04 Tuesday Nov 2025

Posted by in Fiction, meaning of life

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INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER • WINNER OF THE SWEDISH BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD

“Engaging. . . . Moving. . . . Readers will laugh and cry. In Bo, Ridzén has created a character who can evoke empathy in anyone.”—Library Journal (starred review)

“A powerful, sneakily emotional meditation on life and death, and the foundational relationships in our lives. This is a book that will echo in your soul.”—Garth Stein, New York Times bestselling author of The Art of Racing in the Rain

“A tender tale about aging, our own and others’, and the quiet brutality of love. About what being a man is, and what being a human is, about fathers and sons and fathers and dogs. It’s really a book for anyone who’s had to say goodbye. The kind of book you give to someone when you’re really trying to say ‘I’ve been thinking about you’ but don’t know how.”—Fredrik Backman, #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove

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Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy

27 Monday Oct 2025

Posted by in Biography, memoir

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The author of the God of Small Things (2008) reveals her complicated relationship with her mother and surviving a destitute childhood. written as beautifully as her masterpiece with remarkable wit and humor.

“Booker Prize–winning Indian novelist Arundhati Roy recounts a life of poverty and upheaval, defiance and triumph in an emotionally raw memoir, centered on her complicated relationship with her mother…Her candid memoir revives both an extraordinary woman and the tangled complexities of filial love. An intimate, stirring chronicle.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Roy turns inward to reflect on a complicated relationship with her late mother, herself an activist, whose barbed love of Roy and her brother could by turns sustain and devastate.”—NPR.org

“This book pulses with compassion and moral outrage…Ms. Roy acknowledges that her difficult mother shaped the free-spirited, headstrong, risk-taking writer she became…It’s clear from this memoir that while Ms. Roy has lost her chief adversary, she hasn’t lost her fire.”—The Wall Street Journal

“The prizewinning novelist’s unsparing memoir, Mother Mary Comes to Me, captures the eventful life and times of her mother, a driven educator and imperfect inspiration.”—The New York Times Book Review

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The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett

20 Monday Oct 2025

Posted by in adventure, Fiction, Humor, Travel, United States

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Brought together by unusual circumstances, a family sets out on a road trip from Massachusetts to the West Coast accompanied by a very perceptive cat. The characters in this novel are all dealing with pain and tragedy, yet the book is quirky, funny, and ultimately uplifting. I loved this!

“A beautiful reminder that the world is full of tragedy, but life-changing joy and connection might be just around the corner.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“Hartnett’s signature blend of humor and deep emotional resonance shines through on every page. Balancing whimsy with raw emotion, Hartnett has a gift for turning life’s messiest, saddest moments into something weirdly funny and downright beautiful. Hartnett’s fans will find much to love here.”—Booklist, starred review

“The Road to Tender Hearts is the ultimate road trip novel: a zany, heartfelt blend of dysfunction, humor, healing, and Annie Hartnett’s signature poignancy and wit. This story of family, forgiveness, and moving forward is a balm for anyone who’s ever been too hard on themselves, offering a compassionate reminder that we’re all just figuring it out as we go. I was moved, delighted, and captivated from start to finish.”—Emily Habeck, author of Shark Heart

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The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami

14 Tuesday Oct 2025

Posted by in dystopian fiction, Fiction, Future, Science fiction

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Set in the near future, “The Dream Hotel” imagines a world where companies, and eventually the government, can monitor people’s thoughts and dreams. Returning from a business trip, Sara is stopped at the airport and sent to a retention center. Separated from her husband and children, she and the other female inmates try to find a way to deal with their circumstances and eventually escape them. This dystopian story is thought-provoking and unsettling.

“Stellar…There are echoes of The Handmaid’s Tale here—as Margaret Atwood does in that book, Lalami builds a convincing near-future dystopia out of current events…But Lalami’s scenario is unique and well-imagined—interspersed report sheets, transcripts, and terms-of-service lingo have a realistic, poignant lyricism that exposes the cruel bureaucracy in which Sara is trapped…And the story exposes the particular perniciousness of big tech’s capacity to exploit our every movement, indeed practically every thought…Striking…An engrossing and troubling dystopian tale.”—Kirkus, starred review

“In this sharp, sophisticated novel of forecasts and insightful takes, what I found most powerful was the great bewilderment that the characters share…Perhaps you wouldn’t ordinarily pick up a novel in search of an experience of confusion. But The Dream Hotel has a burning quality, both in its swift, consuming escalation—you can’t look away—and in the clarity and purpose of what it shows.”—The Guardian, “What if AI Could Read Our Minds?”

“Unnerving…Privacy never sounded so good.” —Christian Science Monitor

“A stirring dystopian tale of dwindling privacy and freedom in the digital age…The premise calls to mind Philip K. Dick’s The Minority Report, but Lalami’s version is chillingly original, echoing widespread fears about the abuse of surveillance technology, and she balances high-concept speculative elements with deep character work. This surreal story feels all too plausible.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

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