Author Archives: Weston Public Library Staff

Hammer Head: the Making of a Carpenter by Nina MacLaughlin

27 Wednesday May 2015

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I thoroughly enjoyed this description of MacLaughlin’s journey from working behind a desk at the Boston Phoenix to discovering a new career as a carpenter’s assistant.  Her construction jobs take place in the Boston area and are full of local color and characters.  She has a beautiful way with words infusing quotes and stories from her college major in the Classics.  This is a special story, very well told.  

“A former journalist tells the story of how a longing to “engage with the tangible, to do work that resulted in something I could touch” led to an unexpectedly fulfilling career as a carpenter. As she neared 30, former Boston Phoenix editor MacLaughlin came to the painful realization that the job she once thought was “the coolest job in the world” no longer satisfied her…..The carpenter doing the search, also a woman, took a chance and hired MacLaughlin, despite her total lack of experience….A surprisingly thoughtful book about taking chances and finding joy in change.” – Kirkus Reviews

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Novel Interiors: Living in Enchanted Rooms Inspired by Literature by Lisa B. Giramonti

23 Saturday May 2015

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This beautifully photographed book is the ultimate book-lover’s guide to decorating.  The author includes a listing of the sixty works of literature that inspired her, from Emily Bronte to Ernest Hemingway and many more.  What’s not to love?

“Lisa Borgnes Giramonti had families from books in mind when researching Novel Interiors: Living in Enchanted Rooms Inspired by Literature. Scouting homes in Southern California, Manhattan and New Jersey, she found details evoking British moors and New England cottages.” –The New York Times

“Conversational, illuminating and full of practical tips for discovering your own design style, Lisa Borgnes Giramonti’s easy-to-digest book matches rooms from the likes of decorator  Schuyler Samperton with richly detailed descriptions of interiors found in more than 60 novels, from Jane Austen’s Emma to Dodie Smith’s “I Capture the Castle.” –The Wall Street Journal “When it comes to gathering inspiration for a decorating project, there are tried-and-true techniques: culling fabric swatches, tearing pages from magazines, trolling Pinterest, and earmarking furniture catalogues. And there are the more unconventional methods, such as sifting through over 60 classic novels and finding modern homes that match the aesthetic described-down to the last chintz flower.” –Architectural Digest
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My Father’s Wives by Mike Greenberg

11 Monday May 2015

Posted by in Fiction

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9780062325860_p0_v4_s114x166 A light and engaging “romance novel” or possibly “chick lit” written by one of the very male co-hosts of ESPN’s “Mike and Mike” sports talk-radio show.  Greenberg’s main character, Jonathan Sweetwater, who is bothered by his lack of a relationship with his late father and distraught by his own troubled marriage decides to track down and interview his father’s six wives including his own mother in hopes of finding answers to the questions about his past.

“Turns out Greenberg knows a lot more than sports. He knows about men–the holes we dig ourselves into and the mess we make trying to pull ourselves out.” (Jonathan Tropper, author of This Is Where I Leave You)
On the surface, My Father’s Wives appears to be an examination of relationships. Fathers and sons. Husbands and wives. It is that for sure. But it’s also so much more…Fully realized characters, deft pacing and spot-on dialogue.” (Associated Press)
“Greenberg imbues his second novel with an autobiographical sense of purpose and undeniable honesty . . . A highly enjoyable walk through Jonathan’s foggy past, tumultuous present, and imagined future. Fans of Joshua Henkin and Emma Straub will enjoy Greenberg’s wry, unflinching domestic fiction.” (Booklist)

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Euphoria by Lily King

04 Monday May 2015

Posted by in Fiction, Historical Fiction

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I can’t wait to post this book on the blog and share it with everyone who is looking for a gripping page turner!  My only complaint is that it ended too soon…only 261 pages.

Masterful…Euphoria begins so deep in the action that the reader is captured on Page 1… a thrilling and beautifully composed novel…A great novelist is like an anthropologist, examining what humans do by habit and custom. King excels in creating vignettes from Nell’s fieldwork as well as from the bitter conversation of the three love-torn collaborators, making the familiar strange and the strange acceptable. This is a riveting and provocative novel, absolutely first-rate.”—Seattle Times

“Atmospheric and sensual, with startling images throughout, Euphoria is an intellectually stimulating tour de force.”—NPR.com

“Set between the First and Second World Wars, the story is loosely based on events in the life of Margaret Mead. There are fascinating looks into other cultures and how they are studied, and the sacrifices and dangers that go along with it. This is a powerful story, at once gritty, sensuous, and captivating.”—Booklist

“Atmospheric…A small gem, disturbing and haunting.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Winner of the 2014 Kirkus Prize

Winner of the 2014 New England Book Award for Fiction

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Etta and Otto and Russell and James by Emma Hooper

29 Wednesday Apr 2015

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An intriguing read by a Canadian first time author who confronts with deep compassion the struggles of big families in the wilderness whose number one strength is self reliance.  It touches on the rivalries and comaraderie between spouses and friends via spare description and crisp, concise conversation.

“Drawing on wisdom and whimsy of astonishing grace and maturity, Hooper has written an irresistibly enchanting debut novel that explores mysteries of love old and new, the loyalty of animals and dependency of humans, the horrors of war and perils of loneliness, and the tenacity of time and fragility of memory.” – Booklist Starred Review

“Debut novelist Hooper’s spare, evocative prose dips in and out of reality and travels between past and present…This is a quietly powerful story whose dreamlike quality lingers long after the last page is turned.” – Library Journal Starred Review

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The Clothes They Stood Up In; and, The Lady in the Van by Alan Bennett

24 Friday Apr 2015

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Two delightfully humorous and “veddy” British short stories which deal with the strange nature of possessions or the lack thereof.  In the first story, Mr. and Mrs. Ransome return from a night out at the opera only to find that all of their possessions have been stolen, even the roll of toilet paper. Who will they become without the belongings that they have accumulated over the years?

The second story, to be released later in 2015 as a movie starring Maggie Smith, is laugh-out-loud funny.  What would you do if a very eccentric mature woman parked her van in your driveway, refused to move and stayed for fifteen years.  This book will lift your spirits on a rainy day!

“The Clothes They Stood Up In…... is a completely charming entertainment: a small gem by one of Britain’s most versatile and gifted writers.”   -Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times
“Sharp…a happy evening’s read and a tantalizing mental challenge to those of us who, like the Ransomes, find [our] lives encumbered and [our] senses blunted by too much stuff.” -Brooke Allen, The New York Times Book Review
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The Invisible Bridge: a novel by Julie Orringer

14 Tuesday Apr 2015

Posted by in Historical Fiction

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Historical fiction at its best.   Three brothers you won’t forget.  A love story so deep that even the one you have known seems somehow less.  I was ready to book a trip to Budapest after reading only half the book only to realize that this mesmerizing Budapest, alas, is never to be again.  The Hungarian Jewish WWII experience was so different than those of other countries.  Be thunderstruck!

“To bring an entire lost world—its sights, its smells, its heartaches, raptures and terrors—to vivid life between the covers of a novel is an accomplishment; to invest that world, and everyone who inhabits it, with a soul, as Julie Orringer does in The Invisible Bridge, takes something more like genius.” —Michael Chabon, author of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay

“The word ‘epic’ seems inadequate to describe Julie Orringer’s phenomenal first novel, The Invisible Bridge. You don’t so much read it as live it. . . . Profoundly moving. . . . This is one that cries for you to linger over it, page by enthralling page.” —Financial Times

“Orringer avoids pathos and has a gift for re-creating distant times and places: a Paris suffused with the scent of paprikas and the sounds of American jazz, the camraderies and cruelties of the work camps. The ticking clock of history keeps it urgent and moving forward, and the result is, against all odds, a Holocaust page-turner.” —New York magazine

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The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

06 Monday Apr 2015

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The calm and quiet life of A. J. Fikry, a curmudgeonly widower living on an island off the coast of New England, is dramatically transformed when an orphan child is left in his bookstore.

In addition to a sweet and charming story about the love of reading, the reader will come away with a new list of books to read.  Zevin uses an unusual device to introduce new characters in her novel. Rather than describing people by their physical characteristics, she describes characters in terms of what they read and their personal reading experiences.  Which three books would define your character?

“The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry reminds us what saves us all from a life of loneliness and isolation: our sense of empathy; our ability to love and be loved; our willingness to care and be cared for. Gabrielle Zevin has written a wonderful, moving, endearing story of redemption and transformation that will sing in your heart for a very, very long time.” —Garth Stein, author of The Art of Racing in the Rain

“In this sweet, uplifting homage to bookstores, Zevin perfectly captures the joy of connecting people and books . . . Filled with interesting characters, a deep knowledge of bookselling, wonderful critiques of classic titles, and very funny depictions of book clubs and author events, this will prove irresistible to book lovers everywhere.” —Booklist

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Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

30 Monday Mar 2015

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Born into a struggling Midwestern farming family, Libby Day is traumatized in childhood by horrendous acts of violence which she refers to as Darkplace. Decades later, alienated and adrift, she is contacted by a group of crime enthusiasts known as the Kill Club who offer money in exchange for information about her incarcerated brother Ben, from whom she is estranged. Cynical at first, Libby accepts out of financial need but soon her investigations become an urgent personal quest for truth as she uncovers misunderstandings and half-truths that challenge her long-held beliefs about Darkplace. This well-written psychological suspense story will keep you on edge to the explosive conclusion.  Author of the very popular book, Gone Girl.

“Flynn’s well-paced story deftly shows the fallibility of memory and the lies a child tells herself to get through a trauma.” The New Yorker

“Flynn’s second crime thriller tops her impressive debut, Sharp Objects…When the truth emerges, it’s so twisted that even the most astute readers won’t have predicted it.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

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Heat and Dust by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala

25 Wednesday Mar 2015

Posted by in Fiction, Historical Fiction

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Heat and Dust was recently mentioned in a Boston Globe interview with Ha Jin, author of Waiting, which won the National Book Award in 1999 and his most recent novel, A Map of Betrayal.  Jin who teaches a course at Brandeis entitled “The Literature of the Migrant” describes Heat and Dust as “an exquisite novel, technically perfect.”  That was a challenge!  In less than two hundred pages, Jhabvala has created a penetrating and compassionate love story set in India in the 1920’s that leaves the reader wondering about the outcome.

“A superb book. A complex story line, handled with dazzling assurance … moving and profound. Ruth Prawer Jhabvala has not only written a love story, she has also exposed the soul and nerve ends of a fascinating and compelling country. This is a book of cool, controlled brilliance. It is a jewel to be treasured” — The Times

“A writer of genius … a writer of world class — a master storyteller’ — Sunday Times

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