The Lost Family by Jenna Blum

12 Wednesday Sep 2018

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The New York Times bestselling author of Those Who Save Us creates a vivid portrait of a husband devastated by a grief he cannot name, a frustrated wife struggling to compete with a ghost she cannot banish, and a daughter sensitive to the pain of both her own family and another lost before she was born. This book tugged at so many emotions for me. I couldn’t wait to read the next chapter.

“This exquisitely crafted and compassionate novel offers a lesson in honesty, regardless of how difficult the truth may be. It will offer plenty of discussion for book groups.” (Library Journal (starred review))

“(Blum) takes on the difficult task of rendering generational trauma visible, and does it with such humor and empathy, you can’t help but be swept along for the ride.” (Village Voice)

“Blum avoids the sap of happy endings and easy resolutions in this perfect encapsulation of the changing times and turbulence of mid- and late-20th-century America.” (Publishers Weekly (starred review)

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The Dance of Anger : a Woman’s Guide to Changing the Patterns of Intimate Relationships by Harriet Lerner

08 Saturday Sep 2018

Posted by in Non-fiction

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“Anger is a signal and one worth listening to,” writes Dr. Harriet Lerner in her renowned classic that has transformed the lives of millions of readers. While anger deserves our attention and respect, women still learn to silence our anger, to deny it entirely, or to vent it in a way that leaves us feeling helpless and powerless. In this engaging and eminently wise book, Dr. Lerner teaches both women and men to identify the true sources of anger and to use it as a powerful vehicle for creating lasting change.

“Of all the books that have been written about the personal relationships of women and what to do about them, this is the most sound. Like a family heirloom, it can be passed from generation to generation as it is based on profound and lasting truths.” (Peggy Papp, M.S.W., The Ackerman Institute for Family Therapy)

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Every Last Cuckoo by Kate Maloy

31 Friday Aug 2018

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This lovely tale depicts the surprises and changes that come about with aging. Upon the unexpected death of her husband, Sarah finds strength and a capacity for caring that she never thought she would know without him. Amid bittersweet memories of her beloved Charles, Sarah becomes the unlikely den mother to an ever-growing bunch of lost souls. Surprising her wary family and even herself, she discovers a will to go on and share her home and thus her heart again. She likens the way her house fills with boarders to the way in which a cuckoo inserts itself into the nest of another bird and makes its home there. (Library Journal summary)

“A truly engrossing novel….An excellent book club selection.” ―Library Journal

“A story about the profound gifts of time, love, and loss. . . . Maloy’s message is about affirming the profundity of grief by expressing that energy in positive ways. This story is her generous vision of how things could be.”–The Olympian

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Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

24 Friday Aug 2018

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This is the first novel by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, who went on to write the bestselling books Americanah and We Should All Be Feminists. Purple Hibiscus is the story of a religious family in Nigeria, narrated by teenage daughter Kambili. Kambili witnesses many changes in her country while also dealing with issues at home, particularly her abusive, overbearing father. This is a beautifully written, powerful coming-of-age story.

“Breathtaking . . . Adichie is very much the twenty-first-century daughter of that other great Igbo novelist, Chinua Achebe.” —The Washington Post Book World

“The author’s straightforward prose captures the tragic riddle of a man who has made an unquestionably positive contribution to the lives of strangers while abandoning the needs of those who are closest to him.” —The New York Times Book Review

“Prose as lush as the Nigerian landscape that it powerfully evokes . . . Adichie’s understanding of a young girl’s heart is so acute that her story ultimately rises above its setting and makes her little part of Nigeria seem as close and vivid as Eudora Welty’s Mississippi.” —The Boston Globe

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Bound for Gold: A Peter Fallon Novel of the California Gold Rush by William Martin

14 Tuesday Aug 2018

Posted by in Fiction, Historical Fiction, Uncategorized

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Just published!  William Martin, local author and very frequent Weston library patron, gave a presentation about his book at the Weston Public Library on July 26th.  Now we have read it.  Expertly researched, vivid details, and nimble writing guarantee a rollicking wild read! Highly recommended.

“Plenty of skullduggery and labyrinths of mystery lace this gem about the California gold rush. The prose and plot are as sharp as a broken piece of glass. Another masterpiece from the master of historical fiction.” ―Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author

“Epic in scale, eloquent in execution, Bound for Gold is a pure delight. The great Forty-Niner gold rush comes to vivid life in William Martin’s skillful, suspenseful, and original retelling, and its resonance into the present is nothing short of mesmerizing.” ―John Lescroart, New York Times bestselling author

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The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

08 Wednesday Aug 2018

Posted by in fantasy, Fiction, Science fiction

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The children of a family living in a small Russian village love listening to fairytales. As the youngest daughter Vasya grows up, she is drawn into real magic that threatens her family and community. Book 1 of the Winternight Trilogy.

“Stunning . . . will enchant readers from the first page. . . . with an irresistible heroine who wants only to be free of the bonds placed on her gender and claim her own fate.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Utterly bewitching . . . a lush narrative . . . an immersive, earthy story of folk magic, faith, and hubris, peopled with vivid, dynamic characters, particularly clever, brave Vasya, who outsmarts men and demons alike to save her family.”—Booklist (starred review)

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The Awkward Age by Francesca Segal

03 Friday Aug 2018

Posted by in Fiction, Humor

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A widowed mother and divorced father navigate the tricky process of combining families when they move in together with their teenage children. The novel takes place in London (with a brief visit to Boston!), and is a thoughtful social comedy.

“Prize-winning author Segal offers no easy answers in this compassionate novel that surprises until the very end.” —Library Journal (starred review)\

“A very smart, soulful, compelling, elegantly written domestic novel about a wedged-together family, and what can go wrong when teenage children decide they have minds (and hormones) of their own.” —Nick Hornby for The Guardian

“A smart and droll domestic drama reminiscent of the work of those two magical Lauries, Laurie Colwin and Lorrie Moore.” —Fresh Air, NPR

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Crooked Heart by Lissa Evans

25 Wednesday Jul 2018

Posted by in England, Fiction, Historical Fiction, London

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I’m not sure I’ve ever read a funny World War II book before, until this one. Noel is a 10-year old orphan assigned to live with Vera, a single mother living outside London. Noel is very smart, Vera is very desperate to earn money, and together they make an unlikely duo. This book has a lot of humor, great characters, and just the right amount of emotion.

“I try not to say, ‘If there’s one novel you should read this summer..’ but Crooked Heart tempts me to say it.” (Scott Simon, NPR)

“Crooked Heart explores the Blitz during World War II from two utterly inventive perspectives…. A charming, slanted counterpoint to Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See.” (Library Journal, starred review)

“In ‘Crooked Heart,’ Lissa Evans’s absorbing and atmospheric comic novel, another quietly heroic orphan joins the canon….This is a wonderfully old-fashioned Dickensian novel, with satisfying plot twists….Both darkly funny and deeply touching….It’s a crooked journey, straight to the heart.” (New York Times Book Review)

“The most purely charming read of the summer…. The novel’s heart may be crooked, but it is completely in the right place. And if wanting a happy ending for this offbeat pair is wrong, I can’t imagine a reader on earth who would want to be right.” (Christian Science Monitor)

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The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir by Jennifer Ryan

06 Friday Jul 2018

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This book is recommended by a Weston library patron.

“World War II in an English village seen through the eyes of the most delicious cast of characters you’ll ever meet—The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir is a masterpiece of secrets, misdirection, village gossip, and gleeful disregard for anything but the main chance, as the Home Front learns to carry on. Seldom do you find a writer with such a deft touch—Jennifer Ryan sweeps the reader along to the very last page in a remarkable debut. “
— Charles Todd, New York Times bestselling author of the Inspector Ian Rutledge series

“There’s so much happening in Chilbury: intrigue, romance and an unforgettable cast of characters who aren’t always as they appear. The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir is a charming slice of English wartime life that warms the soul like a hot toddy.”
— Martha Hall Kelly, New York Times bestselling author of Lilac Girls

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Bobby Kennedy : a Raging Spirit by Chris Matthews

06 Friday Jul 2018

Posted by in Biography

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This book is recommended by a Weston library patron.

“Matthews is skilled at weaving tension and conflict throughout the book. One doesn’t just read the words, but experiences the tension and emotions….The depth of Bobby Kennedy: A Raging Spirit provides insight into this man’s spirit and what drove him to greatness. Matthews does an excellent job of pulling Bobby out from behind any family shadows to give us an in-depth portrait of what could have been.”  –New York Journal of Books

“If you love reading about politics, if you ever loved the Kennedys or were fascinated by them, if you love biographical history or if you just like a good yarn about a brooding soul who turns into an uplifting, magnetic force—Chris Matthews’ “Bobby Kennedy: A Raging Spirit” Should be your next read. It’s well-researched, dramatically told. It brings those times—Camelot and after—back to life.” –Lesley Stahl, Correspondent for 60 Minutes

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