The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware

14 Tuesday Apr 2020

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December book for the Mystery Book Club at Weston.

“A classic never goes out of style. Consider the confident simplicity of the dry martini, the Edison lightbulb and Meghan Markle’s wedding dress. Now, add to that list Ruth Ware’s new novel, The Death of Mrs. Westaway… a perfectly executed suspense tale very much in the mode of Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca.”—Washington Post

“Ware’s novels continue to evoke comparison to Agatha Christie; they certainly have that classic flavor despite the contemporary settings. Expertly paced, expertly crafted.”
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review) 

“Ware’s fourth novel is her best yet, with steadily increasing tension, a complicated twisty mystery, and a sharp, sympathetic heroine who’s up to the challenge of solving it… well-crafted, gothic-tinged suspense.—Library Journal (starred review)

“Ware, who, with a run of acclaimed thrillers, including The Lying Game (2017), has established herself as one of today’s most popular suspense writers, twists the knife quite expertly here… The labyrinth Ware has devised here is much more winding than expected, with reveals even on the final pages… a clever heroine and an atmospheric setting, accented by wisps of meaning that drift from the tarot cards.”—Booklist (starred review)

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The Weight of Ink by Rachel Kadish

08 Wednesday Apr 2020

Posted by in Historical Fiction, Uncategorized

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A USA Today Bestseller
Winner of a National Jewish Book Award
Winner of the Association of Jewish Libraries Jewish Fiction Award 
An Amazon Best Book of the Year

This book just moved up into my Top 10 All Time Favorite Books!   Forewarning:  this is not an easy read.  But this book is so worth all the time it takes.  Brilliant storytelling, remarkable  characters, and their thirst for academic excellence will carry you through this mystery- in-documents across the centuries. Mirror events, eureka moments all in one delicious historical fiction story.

“A mysterious collection of papers hidden in a historic London home sends two scholars of Jewish history on an unforgettable quest….Kadish’s characters are memorable, and we’re treated to a host of them: pious rabbis and ribald actors, socialites and troubled young men, Mossad agents and rule-worshipping archivists. From Shakespeare’s Dark Lady to Spinoza’s philosophical heresies, Kadish leaves no stone unturned in this moving historical epic. Chock-full of rich detail and literary intrigue.”—Kirkus Reviews 

“A gifted writer, astonishingly adept at nuance, narration, and the politics of passion.”
—Toni Morrison

“This astonishing third novel from Kadish introduces readers to the 17th-century Anglo-Jewish world with not only excellent scholarship but also fine storytelling. The riveting narrative and well-honed characters will earn a place in readers’ hearts.”
—Library Journal, starred review

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Writers & Lovers by Lily King

27 Friday Mar 2020

Posted by in Fiction, romance

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A 31-year old woman lives in a tiny apartment and works a stressful waitressing job as she grieves the unexpected death of her mother. Along with her financial struggles and tumultuous romantic relationships, she also yearns to be an author. I loved the characters in this story, the beautiful writing, and the Massachusetts setting (most of it takes place in Cambridge).

“[I]ntimate and vulnerable… Lily King’s novel follows a deeply relatable protagonist navigating a whole menu of crises surrounded by a cast of genuine, vivid characters… the book occupies a small space, but packs it to the brim with humanity.” ―Entertainment Weekly

“[F]unny and romantic and hard to put down, full of well-observed details of restaurant culture and writer’s workshops. It’s hard to imagine a reader who wouldn’t root for Casey.”―Library Journal, starred review

“King leaves no barrier between readers and smart, genuine, cynical, and funny Casey. A closely observed tale of finding oneself, and one’s voice, while working through grief.”―Booklist (starred review)

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Malice (Detective Galileo Series Book 3) by Keigo Higashino

11 Wednesday Mar 2020

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January book club choice for the Mystery Book Club in Weston.

“Keigo Higashino again proves his mastery of the diabolical puzzle mystery with Malice, a story with more turns, twists, switchbacks and sudden stops than a Tokyo highway during Golden Week.” ―The New York Times Book Review

“This smart and original mystery is a true page-turner… will baffle, surprise, and draw out suspicion until the final few pages. With each book, Higashino continues to elevate the modern mystery as an intense and inventive literary form.” ―Library Journal (starred review)

“Fiendishly clever… Higashino offers one twist after another… Readers will marvel at the artful way the plot builds to the solution.” ―Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“The creator of Detective Galileo (Salvation of a Saint, 2012, etc.) returns with another fiendishly clever Chinese–make that Japanese–box of a whydunit… If you still miss the days of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, you can’t do better than this fleet, inventive retro puzzler.” ―Kirkus Reviews

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The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell

02 Monday Mar 2020

Posted by in Drama, Fiction, murder and investigation, mystery, suspense, thriller

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Fans of Ruth Ware and A.J. Finn will be glad to follow Lisa Jewell. Written from 3 points of view, a warped family history unravels revealing the players and events that led up to a crime investigation of 3 dead adults dressed in black, a 10 month lively baby in her crib upstairs, and missing family members once having all lived in a mansion in Chelsea.  You’ll still be guessing right up to the last page.

“No one can write a creepy domestic suspense thriller quite like Lisa Jewell.” —Goodreads

“Mesmerizing. . . Another dark winner from Jewell, who expertly teases out her tricky tale with stunning moments and richly drawn characters.” —Booklist (starred review)

“Un-put-downable . . . distinct, well-developed characters, shifting points of view, and a disturbing narrative that pulses with life create an enthralling tale full of surprises.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

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Ritz & Escoffier: the Hotelier, the Chef, and the Rise of the Leisure Class by Luke Barr

22 Saturday Feb 2020

Posted by in History, London, Non-fiction

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November’s Non-Fiction Book Club Selection at the Weston Public Library

Two men, the hotel and restaurant they created like no one else had ever experienced, run in often mysterious and always extravagant  ways ….. which created quite a scandal once exposed.

“Ritz and Escoffier, Luke Barr’s entertaining narrative history, reads like a novel…Mr. Barr has done a fine job evoking fin-de-siecle London and the characters of the two odd men who played such a pivotal role in that exhilarating time.” –Wall Street Journal
 
“In this winningly-told story, Luke Barr explores the advent of the luxe life through the saga of hotelier Cesar Ritz and chef Auguste Escoffier, whose partnership brought us not only the adjective ‘ritzy,’ itself no small testament, but also such once-novel phenomena as hotel rooms with their own bathrooms, and innovative dishes like peach Melba. It’s a charming tale of success, scandal, and redemption—complete with an unexpected villain. Warning: It will make you hungry, and a little nostalgic for bygone times.”—Erik Larson, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Dead Wake and Devil in the White City

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How to Be a Family: the Year I Dragged my Kids Around the World to Find a New Way to Be Together by Dan Kois

14 Friday Feb 2020

Posted by in 20th century, anecdotes, Biography, Non-fiction, Travel

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Heartwarming, funny, full of good intentions, journalist, Dan Kois is determined to break out of the East coast parenting bubble to find a better quality lifestyle for his wife and two preteen girls.  One year, four locations:  New Zealand, the Netherlands, Costa Rica, and small town Kansas.

“In this highly entertaining and wryly insightful book, Dan Kois shows how elastic the very concept of family is. As he recounts his family’s encounters with four foreign cultures, he illuminates not only those other societies, but also our own. He argues persuasively that we have much to learn from divorcing ourselves from our own assumptions.”―Andrew Solomon, author of Far and Away and Far From the Tree

“Lots of people talk about pulling up stakes and traveling for a year. Dan Kois and his family actually did it. He’s funny and honest about how it all turned out.”―Pamela Druckerman, author of Bringing Up Bébé and There Are No Grown-Ups

“This sometimes hair-raising adventure in family togetherness across many continents took courage even to attempt, and a lively sense of humor to describe. Kois has produced a delightful and eye-opening book about what it means to be a family in the modern world.”―Ian Frazier, author of Family and Coyote V Acme

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Atonement by Ian McEwan

07 Friday Feb 2020

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An imaginative 13-year old girl sets off a serious chain of events after she witnesses an interaction between her older sister and a young man. Set in England before and during World War II, this is a beautifully written novel about stories, perception, and memory.

“Brilliant. . . . McEwan could be the most psychologically astute writer working today, our era’s Jane Austen.” —Esquire

“Enthralling. . . . With psychological insight and a command of sensual and historical detail, Mr. McEwan creates an absorbing fictional world.” —The Wall Street Journal

“His most complete and passionate book to date.” —The New York Times Book Review

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Underground Fugue by Margot Singer

31 Friday Jan 2020

Posted by in England, Fiction

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A pleasure to read, deliberate writing – short crisp chapters, surprising twists of good storytelling, memorable characters, and compassionate and tender scenes of mother and daughter.  What else does one need to recommend this a fine book?

“Singer’s novel travels up and down the scale of sorrow, reflecting the musical and psychological connotations of her title…This haunting story…feels suspended in a murky state between memory and presence, happiness and despair.”—Ron Charles, The Washington Post

“An unusually layered debut. In short, taut chapters, [Underground Fugue] alternates between two families who have suddenly become neighbors…When terror strikes, the plot accelerates and the novel’s strands converge brilliantly.” —Publishers Weekly

“I haven’t been able to get Underground Fugue out of my mind. Haunting and breathtaking, this debut sticks, the way good literature always does, because it awakens us to the majesty—all the pain, all the joy—our lives contain.” —Lee Martin, author of The Bright Forever

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She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story that Helped Ignite a Movement by Jodi Kantor & Megan Twohey

22 Wednesday Jan 2020

Posted by in 20th century, Non-fiction

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Two New York Times journalists detail their investigation into Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein and his years of sexual assault and harassment. Kantor and Twohey provide a suspenseful, informative look at what it takes to pursue a high-profile story involving many people, some of whom were reluctant to come forward, and how their story set off a national conversation.

“‘She Said’ is riveting and, crafted by two of the country’s most talented journalists, a vibrant, cinematic read.”— CNN 

 “‘She Said,’ a chronicle of the #MeToo era by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, reveals the power of women who, together, refused to stay silent.” – The New Republic

“’She Said,’ a new book detailing the astonishing behind-the-scenes of the New York Times’s bombshell Harvey Weinstein exposé, is an instant classic of investigative journalism. If your jaw dropped at the newspaper’s original allegations against the predatory movie mogul, prepare for it to hit the floor as authors Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey recount how they uncovered the story: secret meetings, harrowing phone calls, private text exchanges with A-list actresses agonizing over whether to go on the record. Ashley Judd plays the stoic warrior; Gwyneth Paltrow, the circumspect liaison who tries to help the reporters find other sources.” – Monica Hesse, The Washington Post

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