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Tag Archives: friendship

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill

21 Wednesday Sep 2022

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in Fiction, murder and investigation, mystery, Uncategorized

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Boston (Mass), Boston Public Library, friendship, libraries, murder and investigation, women authors

This is a fun mystery full of twists, following a writer who is caught up in a series of murders while working on her latest book. The story takes place in Boston and features lots of local places. The book is told as a story within a story, and I’m not sure I completely understood all of it, but I enjoyed the journey! 

“[The Woman in the Library] is a mystery-within-a-mystery, with the clues in Freddie’s story becoming more intriguing as Leo’s advice becomes more sinister. The two story lines work together beautifully, amping up the suspense before reaching a surprising conclusion.” ― Booklist

“With each new chapter, Gentill opens the door to new histories. More murders…more clues…The Woman in the Library is a page-turner from beginning to end. As Gentill’s characters grow, the desire to know more about each ensnares us, and the only way out is to read to the end.” ― New York Journal of Books

“The Woman in the Library is a sophisticated mystery with more layers than an onion, created by a master hand. Clever plot twists in Gentill’s signature refined style will make you feel smarter just by reading. Sulari Gentill has done it again.” ― Ellie Marney, New York Times bestselling author

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The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin 

07 Wednesday Sep 2022

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in chronically ill, Fiction

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arts, friendship, intergenerational relations, terminally ill

Delightfully funny and bittersweet, heartbreaking yet ultimately uplifting, The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot reminds us of the preciousness of life as it considers the legacy we choose to leave, how we influence the lives of others even after we’re gone, and the wonder of a friendship that transcends time. A charming, fiercely alive and disarmingly funny debut novel in the vein of John Green, Rachel Joyce, and Jojo Moyes  (Amazon)

“Cronin has just struck the right balance between sensitivity and sentimentality, making her one of those admirable writers who does exceptionally fine work both celebrating life and addressing death.” — Booklist

“A heart-warming story about how friendship can grow between people of different generations.” — BBC

“This multi-generational novel about friendship is something special: moving, joyful, and life-affirming.” — Good Housekeeping, UK (Book of the Month)

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True Biz by Sara Novic

09 Monday May 2022

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in 20th century, Fiction, United States

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American Sign Language, boarding schools, deaf children, deaf education, friendship, interpersonal relations, means of communication, schools

This novel takes place at a boarding school for the deaf and follows three main characters: two teens attending the school, and the headmistress. Each has their own history and experience in the deaf community, and while the book is a novel, it includes lots of diagrams and information about ASL. A page-turner that taught me a lot about an interesting topic.

“Goodness, I can’t even begin to put into words all the feelings this book provoked! . . . An eye-opening and heartfelt story about human connection and the beauty and adversity woven into the deaf community and culture. It is both an educational and electrifying peek into a family’s life as they fight to forge connections even as the outside world threatens to close the door on them. I loved this story so much, it is not one to miss.”—Reese Witherspoon (Reese’s Book Club April ’22 Pick)

“Part tender coming-of-age story, part electrifying tale of political awakening, part heartfelt love letter to Deaf culture, True Biz is wholly a wonder.”—Celeste Ng, New York Times bestselling author of Little Fires Everywhere

“Sara Nović’s gifts for character, story, and language are evident from the first page. True Biz feels like the discovery of a new written form, a love letter to language itself.”—Liz Moore, New York Times bestselling author of Long Bright River

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Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

09 Friday Apr 2021

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in Fiction, Future, Science fiction

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artificial intelligence, friendship, love, paid companions, robots

Klara and the Sun is a magnificent new novel from the Nobel laureate Kazuo Ishiguro—author of Never Let Me Go and the Booker Prize-winning The Remains of the Day.  It is the first novel by Kazuo Ishiguro since he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.  Klara is an Artificial Friend with keen observation skills and is an unforgettable narrator to this story.

“Moving and beautiful… an unequivocal return to form, a meditation in the subtlest shades on the subject of whether our species will be able to live with everything it has created… [A] feverish read, [a] one-sitter…  Few writers who’ve ever lived have been able to create moods of transience, loss and existential self-doubt as Ishiguro has — not art about the feelings, but the feelings themselves.”
—The Los Angeles Times

“As with Ishiguro’s other works, the rich inner reflections of his protagonists offer big takeaways, and Klara’s quiet but astute observations of human nature land with profound gravity . . . This dazzling genre-bending work is a delight.”—Publishers Weekly [starred review]

“There is something so steady and beautiful about the way Klara is always approaching connection, like a Zeno’s arrow of the heart. People will absolutely love this book, in part because it enacts the way we learn how to love. Klara and the Sun is wise like a child who decides, just for a little while, to love their doll. “What can children know about genuine love?” Klara asks. The answer, of course, is everything.”—Anne Enright, The Guardian

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Meet Me at the Museum by Anne Youngson

25 Monday May 2020

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in Fiction

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friendship, letters, self-actualization (Psychology), widowers

Mrs. Tina Hopgood is an English farmer’s wife, and Anders Larsen a widowed curator at a museum in Denmark. Though a common interest in one of the museum exhibits brings them together, Anders and Tina soon begin sharing increasingly personal stories and thoughts from their lives, including some never spoken of before. It is touching and uplifting to follow along as their relationship develops, solely through their letters.  Slow down and take your time with this contemplative read.

“A thoughtful meditation on buried passions, regrets, love, grief, and loneliness. But Youngson’s debut offers hope for change in its tender exploration of what it means to have experienced a life well-lived.”―The Guardian

 “A moving tribute to friendship and love, to the courage of the ordinary, and to starting again.”―Rachel Joyce, New York Times bestselling author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

 “Precise, clear, funny, poignant, and truthful. This is a work of art, dear readers. Revel in its beauty.”―Adriana Trigiani, New York Times bestselling author of The Shoemaker’s Wife and Lucia, Lucia

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Something Like Happy by Eva Woods

01 Friday Jun 2018

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in Fiction

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friendship, happiness, life changing

A sweet story of love and friendship with a wonderful overall message; if you liked Jojo Moyes “Me Before You” you’ll like this too.

“Delightful page-turning awaits readers, even with Polly’s inevitable finale. Polly is a wonderful character with a positively infectious attitude-memorable and magnetic, with a healthy dose of gallows humor. Joy shines through the tears, as this novel is a life lesson that should not be ignored.” – Publisher Weekly

“Something like Happy is inspiration in a bottle. Author Woods uses her novel- inspired by a social-media hashtag-to explore the exhilaration of new friendship, the power of loss, and the evergreen tendrils of hope.” –Booklist

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Etta and Otto and Russell and James by Emma Hooper

29 Wednesday Apr 2015

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in Fiction

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Canada, friendship, love story, man-woman relationships, memory, older women

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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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Hunting and Gathering by Anna Gavalda; translated from the French by Alison Anderson

10 Wednesday Dec 2014

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in Fiction

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France, friendship, marginality, Paris

9781594481444_p0_v1_s114x166

I discovered this diamond in the rough.  Four people, having hit rock bottom in their varied lives, who don’t even really like each other but are forced to live in an apartment in Paris because there is nowhere else, somehow rise above their broken lives.   Through dialogue alone, one learns about their back stories.  From the dust cover:  “Apart, they may be homeless, but together, this curious, damaged quartet may be able to face the world”.  This is a hopeful, uplifting book.  Their journey-to-find joy will stick with you long after you have put the book down.  I have heard from some who make it a point to re-read this book every year.

“Enjoyable, well-paced and engaging” — Houston Times Literary Supplement

“Like Amelie, Hunting and Gathering stops at nothing to make the reader feel good. Reading it reminded me of tucking into one of those beautifully constructed little cakes that you see in the windows of elegant French patisseries” Sunday Telegraph

“An elegant, ironic tale. This will be a classic.” Cosmopolitan

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Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner

08 Tuesday Apr 2014

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in Fiction

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Depression years, fiction, Florence, friendship, marriage, Vermont, Wisconsin

 

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I think this may be my all time favorite book.  I delight to recommend this book to any who haven’t read it yet.  There is little action, but you learn that it really is the very smallest of things in daily living that are the most important things that matter most in life.

From Library Journal:

“Stegner published his first novel 50 years ago. Since then he has won both a Pulitzer Prize (for Angle of Repose, 1971) and the National Book Award (for The Spectator Bird, 1976). His latest effort, an exploration into the mysteries of friendship, deserves similar accolades. With a quiet but strong hand, he traces the bond that develops between Charity and Sid Lang and Sally and Larry Morgan from their first meeting in 1937 through their eventual separation to their final get-together in 1972 when Charity is dying of cancer and is determined “to do it right,” no matter what anyone else thinks. It seems only appropriate that Charity bring them together since she has been the driving force behind the relationship. As we discover now, her bull-headedness has had its price. This is a wonderfully rich, warm, and affecting book. Highly recommended.”  David W. Henderson, Eckerd Coll. Lib., St. Petersburg, Fla. Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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