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Category Archives: United States

The Teachers: A Year Inside America’s Most Vulnerable, Important Profession by Alexandra Robbins

30 Monday Dec 2024

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

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biography. women jockeys, case studies, interviews, teachers, vocational guidance

Interesting insight about the modern world of education and obstacles that educators face, including hardships experienced during the pandemic. 

“This deeply researched and impressive study brings home the fact that America underinvests in the education of its children—and that teachers step in to fill the gaps.”—Publishers Weekly (STARRED REVIEW)

“As a parent, I wonder about what my child’s teachers might be really going through. In The Teachers, the answer is by turns inspiring, heartbreaking and maddening. Robbins pulls back the veil on the lives of the teachers shaping who our kids are becoming — and the system that so often undermines their efforts. This book will not only make you smarter about the state of American teachers, but it will ignite you to act. Through the eyes of the teachers we come to know intimately in this book, the Teachers will change the way you think about American education.” —Rachel Simmons, national bestselling author of Odd Girl Out

“Nonfiction to read this spring…. “Teachers” reads like a great liberal arts lesson, with plenty of research to back up the book’s implications.” —The New York Times

“The Teachers is a must read… It’s an extraordinary work that combines broad scope, tight focus, telling details, and the voices of dozens and dozens of actual teachers.”—Forbes

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How to Read a Book: a Novel by Monica Wood

11 Wednesday Dec 2024

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in Fiction, Humor, romance, United States

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book clubs (Discussion groups), books and reading, drinking and traffic accidents, drunk driving, prison, widowers, women ex-convicts

“Monica Wood’s engaging novel of fresh starts follows Violet, a 20-something woman fresh out of prison; Harriet, a retiree who leads a book club inside the women’s prison; and Frank, the retired machinist whose wife was killed in the hit-and-run for which Violet served time. Shot through with clever asides and spiky feelings, the story ponders trust, reformation, and forgiveness.” — Christian Science Monitor

“Gorgeously told…A finely wrought story, with deeply memorable characters.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Told with compassion and empathy, Wood’s tender novel explores the ways people can surprise themselves and others. A deeply humane and touching novel; highly recommended for book clubs and fans of Shelby Van Pelt’s Remarkably Bright Creatures.” — Booklist

“A young female ex-con, a widower who was collateral damage, and a woman who runs the prison bookclub—three indelible voices (and let’s not forget one extraordinary parrot’s), remind us that life is full of mysteries, and sometimes the ones we believe are unsolvable as the ones that might save us. About second chances (our lives need not be apologies), the weight of forgiveness, our bond with our books, and the stubborn way love can make us see a world shining with mercy, Wood’s new novel is both incandescent and unforgettable.”   — Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of With or Without You and Pictures of You 

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Eruption by Michael Crichton and James Patterson

04 Wednesday Dec 2024

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in adventure, detective, Fiction, mystery, suspense, thriller, United States

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classified defense information, Hawaii, mystery, psychological fiction, volcanos

After Michael Crighton’s death in 2008, his wife, Sherri, knowing how special her husband’s notes and unfinished manuscript were, waited until she found the right author to complete it.  The result is the history-making eruption of Mauna Loa about to destroy the Big Island of Hawaii. But a secret held for decades by the US military is far more terrifying than any volcano. (Amazon)  – prepare for 116 hours of nail-biting suspense.

“Explosive…The action scenes will make readers’ eyes pop as the tension continues to build…Red-hot storytelling.”―Kirkus, starred review

“Eruption is so much more than just a great read. It combines the impeccable research and scientific knowledge that Crichton consistently infused into everything he wrote with the breakneck suspense of a James Patterson novel… A wild ride that takes no prisoners.”―Bookreporter

“Eruption is extraordinary……Michael Crichton and James Patterson have come together to create a novel that is as thrilling and jaw-dropping as Jurassic Park. Every page of this novel features the best gifts of two writing giants. Full of suspense, frighteningly real and absolutely unforgettable.” ―Don Winslow, #1 internationally bestselling author of The Cartel and City on Fire

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Shelterwood by Lisa Wingate

15 Tuesday Oct 2024

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in adventure, detective, Fiction, Historical Fiction, mystery, nature, United States

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Choctaw Indians, missing children tribal government, Oklahoma history, runaway children, single mothers, women park rangers

“I barely put Shelterwood down as my new favorite heroine, Ranger Valerie, uncovered the chilling story of children displaced by land barons. This book has it all—two fabulous heroines, a little-known true story, and a setting to die for.”—Martha Hall Kelly, author of Lilac Girls and The Golden Doves

“Wingate is at her best writing in her sweet spot of writing for children’s rights while introducing us to a moment in Oklahoma history that would otherwise be forgotten”. —Sadeqa Johnson, author of The House of Eve

“Wingate’s stellar latest explores a centuries-long legacy of missing child cases. . . . Wingate’s insightful depiction of her young characters’ vulnerability and resourcefulness enriches the intricate plotting, and her portrayal of the region’s history, culture, and landscape enthralls. Wingate is at the top of her game.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“A complex and fascinating tapestry woven with threads of history, mystery, and menace that proves yet again that there is no finer storyteller at work today than Lisa Wingate.”—William Kent Krueger, author of The River We Remember

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Night Watch by Jayne Anne Phillips

25 Wednesday Sep 2024

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in Fiction, Historical Fiction, United States

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amnesia, Civil War 1861-1865, families, historical fiction, mental illness, mothers and daughters, psychic trauma, Reconstruction (U.S. history 1865-1877)|, selective mutism, Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum

PULITZER PRIZE WINNER • LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD IN FICTION • A NEW YORKER BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR • From one of our most accomplished novelists, a mesmerizing story about a mother and daughter seeking refuge in the chaotic aftermath of the Civil War—and a brilliant portrait of family endurance against all odds

“A searing portrait of the cruelties of race, the insanity of war, and the tragedy of its aftermath.”
—Drew Gilpin Faust, author of This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War

“There is a luminous beauty in Phillips’s prose. Whether it is the dark interiors of war—which have become her forte—or the equally complex and fraught lives of so-called ‘ordinary’ people, Phillips brings these theaters of peace and loss, death and transcendence together with a remarkable alchemy.”—Ken Burns, filmmaker

“Gorgeous prose, attention to detail, and masterful characters . . . Set in West Virginia during and after the Civil War, Phillips’ book takes as given that slavery was evil and the war a necessity, focusing instead on lives torn apart by the conflict and on the period’s surprisingly enlightened approach toward care of the mentally ill . . . Pitch-perfect voice . . . Haunting storytelling and a refreshing look at history.”—Kirkus, starred

“Exquisite attention to detail propels a superb meditation on broken families in post–Civil War West Virginia . . . A profound sense of loss haunts the novel, and Phillips conveys a strong sense of place . . . The bruised and turbulent postbellum era comes alive in Phillips’s page-turning affair.”—Publishers Weekly, starred

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The Many Lives of Mama Love by Lara Love Hardin

09 Monday Sep 2024

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in Biography, memoir, United States

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autobiographies, heroin abuse, Lara Love Hardin, literary agents, United States, women ghostwriters, women prisoners

This was one of the best memoirs I’ve read in a while. While raising their kids in a California suburb, the author and her husband are arrested for a series of crimes stemming from their drug addiction. In jail and in recovery, Lara finds the power of her voice in this compelling story.

“Grips you as suddenly as any psychological thriller… Readers will experience the lows and highs of addiction, incarceration and rehabilitation as Love Hardin assembles the pieces of her shattered life into something beautiful again in this inspiring chronicle.” —BookPage

“A hilarious and heartbreaking confession that will not let you go until it is done—and then it will haunt you. It will give you hope in what is possible for each of us if we allow others—and ourselves—to move beyond our shame, find redemption, and write a new, more inspiring story of our lives.” —Lori Gottlieb, author of the New York Times bestseller, Maybe You Should Talk to Someone

“A compelling and timely rebuttal to the perverse and unjust notion that people who are convicted of crimes can only be criminals. This critically important idea is essential for a nation that has been so derailed by destructive “law and order” narratives that have left us both less just and less safe.” —Bryan Stevenson, author of the New York Times bestseller Just Mercy

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The American Daughters by Maurice Carlos Ruffin

03 Tuesday Sep 2024

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in Fiction, Historical Fiction, United States

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Civil War 1861-1865, enslaved women, freed persons, Louisiana history, New Orleans, slavery, women

“I knew from page one that this wasn’t going to be a typical journey through a familiar history. Wonderfully structured with a genius conceit, Maurice Carlos Ruffin’s The American Daughters is a thoughtful, courageous, exciting invitation to look beneath the surface—to uncover, peel back, find, and examine the hidden, lost, and missing fragments of the record, the recovery of which will lead us to discover the spirit of resistance embodied by our ancestors and awaken it in ourselves. . . . A splendid work.”—Robert Jones, Jr., New York Times bestselling author of the National Book Award finalist The Prophets

“Maurice Carlos Ruffin’s third book is a tour de force. An intelligent and haunting novel that grapples with the legacies of American slavery, The American Daughters features a sparkling cast of engaging Black women that you won’t soon forget.”—Lauren Wilkinson, author of American Spy

 “Ruffin’s dignified prose and focus on the bonds of women of color help elevate the novel from the tropes of slavery narratives, and he paints a vibrant picture of antebellum New Orleans. Readers won’t be able to resist this stirring story of freedom by any means necessary.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“A high adventure, a revealing history, and a chronicle of one woman’s self-realization. Ruffin also displays some of the cunning imagination and caustic wit he showed in his previous work by interspersing his narrative with imagined transcripts from the past, present, and even the future. Black women as agents—literally—of their own liberation. Who wouldn’t be inspired?”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

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The God of the Woods by Liz Moore

19 Monday Aug 2024

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in adventure, detective, Fiction, Historical Fiction, mystery, suspense, thriller, United States

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camps, detective and mystery, family secrets, historical fiction, missing children, missing persons, rich people, thrillers (fiction)

A literary mystery set at a summer camp, where two siblings vanish years apart. Well written and haunting.

“A rare gem, an immersive and enthralling literary thriller: a novel about love in the aftermath of tragedy, and about families of the very best—and the worst—kind.”—Paula Hawkins, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Girl on the Train

“Liz Moore’s extraordinary new literary suspense novelreminds me of Donna Tartt’s 1992 debut, The Secret History. . . . [T]he vital connection for me was a reading experience where I was so thoroughly submerged in a rich fictional world, that for hours I barely came up for air. . . . The precision of Moore’s writing never flags. . . . Unforgettable.”—Maureen Corrigan, Fresh Air, NPR

“Rich in background detail and secondary mysteries . . . this ever-expansive, intricate, emotionally engaging novel never seems overplotted. Every piece falls skillfully into place and every character, major and minor, leaves an imprint.”—Kirkus, STARRED review

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Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll

12 Monday Aug 2024

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in crimes against, Fiction, Historical Fiction, murder, murder and investigation, thriller, True crime, United States

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college sorority members, crimes against, serial murders, Ted Bundy, thrillers, Victims of violent crimes

This novel is based on the real-life crimes of Ted Bundy, though he is deliberately never named. Instead, Bright Young Women focuses on the lives of the women he crosses paths with and forever changes. This is a powerful story about violence, anger, and how women navigate the world.

“An unsettling and thrilling page-turner… Knoll’s haunting, must-read account will captivate [readers] until the end.”—Library Journal (starred Review)

“Bright Young Women is a fearless and intoxicating ride into the aftershocks of a series of brutal murders. Knoll explores in vivid, pointillist prose the effects on the ‘bright young women’ of the title, both the victims snuffed out in their glorious prime, and those left behind in their wake. It’s a compelling, almost hypnotic read and I loved it with a passion.”
—Lisa Jewell, New York Times bestselling Author of Then She Was Gone

“Stunning… By focusing on the women affected by her Ted Bundy stand-in instead of the nuances of his criminal psychology, Knoll movingly reframes an American obsession without stripping it of its intrigue. The results are masterful.”—Publisher’s Weekly (Starred Review)

“Blistering and powerful, Bright Young Women is an almost unbearably vivid story of sisterhood and survival. With razor-sharp skill, Jessica Knoll deconstructs the myth of a criminal mastermind, revealing the women he seeks to destroy as the truly brilliant ones.”
—Flynn Berry, New York Times bestselling author of Northern Spy and Under the Harrow

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Chasing Beauty : the Life of Isabella Stewart Gardner by Natalie Dykstra

08 Monday Jul 2024

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

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art, biography, collectors and collecting, Isabella Stewart Gardiner 1840-1924, United States, women art collectors

If you enjoyed The Lioness of Boston, you’ll love learning even more about the life and art of Isabella Stewart Gardner in this wonderfully written biography.

“Marshalling vivid facts, fluent insights, and narrative radiance, Dykstra fully captures Gardner’s dynamism, intrepidity, creativity, and singular achievements”— Booklist (starred review)

“The complex, magnificent life of Isabella Stewart Gardner pours through the pages of Natalie Dykstra’s wonderful, definitive biography. Gardner left an incomparable legacy; at long last, she has found a biographer who can match her in range, profundity, and eye for detail. It is thrilling to watch the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum rise again in this powerful, timely book.” — Rachel Cohen, author of A Chance Meeting: American Encounters

“Dykstra’s deeply researched biography reveals the complex modern woman behind Isabella Stewart Gardner’s trademark gauzy veils. It’s such a compelling tale, how a woman born into a Victorian world of privilege and propriety stepped outside the dos and don’ts of her social set to become an incomparable entrepreneur and cultural visionary.”  — Wanda M. Corn, author of Georgia O’Keeffe: Living Modern

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