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Tag Archives: man-woman relationships

Annie Bot: a Novel by Sierra Greer

14 Friday Feb 2025

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

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androids, artificial intelligence, autonomy (Psychology), emotions, human-robot interaction, man-woman relationships, psychology, robots

Annie is an expensive, lifelike robot purchased by Doug to act as his “girlfriend.” The more she learns and develops, the more conflicted she feels about her identity. As AI expands, this thought-provoking novel asks questions about what the future may hold.

Named a Best Book of the Year by Scientific American, Harper’s Bazaar and NPR. Named a Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Book of the Year by the Washington Post and Elle. Nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award in Science Fiction…..For fans of Never Let Me Go and My Dark Vanessa, a powerful, provocative novel about the relationship between a female robot and her human owner, exploring questions of intimacy, power, autonomy, and control.  (Amazon)

“This nuanced novel provides a fascinating look into a future we may never wish for.” — Booklist (starred review)

“Searing…dazzling…a coming-of-age thriller, a sexbot bildungsroman page-turner, a book that I excitedly described to anyone who would listen while I was reading it.” — Scientific American

“A brilliant and enraging exploration of ownership and love, and the way our creations have of growing far beyond us. Sierra Greer raises questions as current and pressing as our present-day anxieties about AI, and as ageless and enormous as the territory of Mary Shelley, about what constitutes humanity and what we owe to each other. Annie is a glorious creation– and self-creation– and I will never forget her, or this sharp and astonishing book.” — Clare Beams, author of The Illness Lesson

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Happy Place by Emily Henry 

13 Monday Nov 2023

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

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friendship, interpersonal relationships, Maine, man-woman relationships, separation (Psychology), truth and falsehood, vacation homes, vacations

A group of college friends gathers for one last summer trip to Maine, including Harriet and Wyn, who are keeping their recent breakup a secret from everyone else. This is a great romantic summer read with a little more depth than the typical beach book.

“As always, Henry’s dialogue is sparkling and the banter between characters is snappy and hilarious. Wyn and Harriet’s relationship, shown both in the past and the present, feels achingly real. Their breakup, as well as their complicated relationships with their own families, adds a twinge of melancholy, as do the relatable growing pains of a group of friends whose lives are taking them in different directions. A wistfully nostalgic look at endings, beginnings, and loving the people who will always have your back.” —Kirkus

“This sexy and profoundly romantic novel will satisfy fans of best-selling Henry’s thrilling trademark mix of witty banter and intensely emotional storylines.” —Library Journal(starred review)

“Blur[s] the lines between women’s and literary-leaning commercial fiction, departing from the fantasy spaces of bodice rippers and misty moors to depict a world that looks a lot more like, well, our own…Henry operates at the top of her—and her readers’—intelligence, telling sophisticated, heartfelt stories that are conscious of the romantic comedy conventions without being overly meta about them…Henry’s dedicated readers know what to expect: wit, charm and heart, satisfying to the last page.”—The Washington Post

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Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

18 Wednesday Oct 2023

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in Fiction, United States

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actors, man-woman relationships, mothers and daughters, northern Michigan, storytelling

While they are all home working on the family’s cherry orchard, a mother tells her daughters the story of an important summer in her past. I always love Ann Patchett’s writing, and her new novel does not disappoint, with interesting characters and beautiful descriptions of Northern Michigan.

“Patchett’s intricate and subtle thematic web…enfolds the nature of storytelling, the evolving dynamics of a family, and the complex interaction between destiny and choice….These braided strands culminate in a denouement at once deeply sad and tenderly life-affirming. Poignant and reflective, cementing Patchett’s stature as one of our finest novelists.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“As this spellbinding and incisive novel unspools, Patchett brings every turn of mind and every setting to glorious, vibrant life, gracefully contrasting the dazzle of the ephemeral with the gravitas of the timeless, perceiving in cherries sweet and tart reflections of love and loss.” — Booklist (starred review)

“Meryl Streep…is ideal for narrating Tom Lake…. Streep delivers with her signature whimsy, her cadence lilting from wide-eyed innocence to winking wisdom, blurring the nostalgia for small-town Americana with dashes of big-city dreams.” — New York Times Book Review

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Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

11 Friday Aug 2023

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

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ambition, friendship, man-woman relationships, romance, success in business, video game designers, video games

A modern love story about two childhood friends, Sam and Sadie, who reunite as barely-out–of-college adults to become partners in the intricately imagined world of video game design, finding an intimacy in their digital worlds that eludes them in their real lives.  

P.S. I never played a video game in my life but was swept away by this magnificent story and female heroine.

“Utterly brilliant. In this sweeping, gorgeously written novel, Gabrielle Zevin charts the beauty, tenacity, and fragility of human love and creativity. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is one of the best books I’ve ever read.” —John Green, author of The Anthropocene Reviewed

“Zevin… returns with an exhilarating epic of friendship, grief, and computer game development…. Zevin layers the narrative with her characters’ wrenching emotional wounds as their relationships wax and wane… Even more impressive are the visionary and transgressive games… This is a one-of-a-kind achievement.”—Publishers Weekly, starred

“Riveting… Zevin has written the book she was born to write, a love letter to every aspect of gaming…Zevin’s delight in her characters, their qualities, and their projects sprinkles a layer of fairy dust over the whole enterprise…Sure to enchant even those who have never played a video game in their lives, with instant cult status for those who have.”—Kirkus, starred

“You don’t have to be a gamer to appreciate the pulsing heart of this best-seller: In a story spanning three decades and references from Oregon Trail to Macbeth, Gabrielle Zevlin has written a modern, definitive story about work, love, and friends for whom you’d do and risk everything.”—Keely Weiss and Halie Lesavage, Harper’s Bazaar

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Touch by Olaf Olafsson

19 Friday May 2023

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in Fiction, mystery

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COVID-19 (Disease)|, Iceland, Japan, man-woman relationships, memory, older men, pandemics, restaurateurs, Reykjavík, women

Kristofer is forced to close his successful restaurant in Iceland due to Covid and suddenly decides to go to Japan after receiving a message from a woman he hadn’t heard from since the 60’s.  Both a gut-wrenching love story and a mystery, I was riveted to the last page.

“The gratifying ending is hopeful. [Touch] adds up to an affecting story about the sway one’s past can hold on the present.” — Publishers Weekly

“Olafsson’s treatment of the vast cultural chasm between Icelander Kristófer, and Miko…brings suspense and heartache to the reader.” — Library Journal

“Delicate, absorbing…Touch is weighted with questions about love, memory, and intergenerational trauma–reaching a denouement as satisfying as it is moving.” — Vogue

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Book of Everlasting Things by Aanchal Malhotra 

27 Monday Mar 2023

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in Fiction, Historical Fiction

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Hindus, historical fiction, India, interfaith marriage, man-woman relationships, Muslims, Pakistan, Partition 1947, romance

April 2023 “Novels and Night” book club choice at the Weston Public Library

“Mesmerizing…At the heart of Malhotra’s sweeping debut novel is an indelible love story…A transcendent study of the blurring of personal and political, as ordinary people deal with catastrophic historical events.”―Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“At once sweeping and intimate. With gorgeous prose and careful research, Malhotra brings to life a world rich with Indian perfumery, Urdu calligraphy, and a romance that defies time and space. A stunning book that reminds you of what it is to fall in love.”―Jenny Tinghui Zhang, author of Four Treasures of the Sky

“A long and luxurious tale of love, loss, memory, and place, told against a backdrop of tumultuous historical events…It will be difficult indeed to forget this exquisite story.”―Library Journal (starred review)

“A majestic, evocative exploration of the persistence of memory and the human connections that transcend even death.”―Booklist (starred review)

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Fault Lines by Emily Itami

12 Friday Aug 2022

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in 20th century, Fiction, Humor, romance

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adultery, families, housewives, Japan, man-woman relationships, romance, Tokyo

“Fault Lines is full of laugh-out-loud, irreverent humor, as well as heartstoppingly poignant, yet seemingly incidental, wisdom. All of the inner yearnings and tribulations of Mizuki are laid bare, offering one of the fullest, most thorough depictions of a character I have ever read. … Every line here is razor-sharp, chosen with precision, resulting in a deceptively clever, emotionally wise and truly heartbreaking novel.” — Bookreporter.com

“What’s intriguing about Fault Lines is its shrewd commentary on Japan’s societal expectations of women as either sex objects or dutiful mothers. As Mizuki eventually learns, it’s in striking a workable balance between these two dichotomies — her past life versus her present one, titillating desire versus familial obligations, who she wants to be versus who society dictates she should be — that the real work of living begins.” — Washington Post

“Mizuki is one of the most engaging adulteresses I’ve ever encountered, and a wonderfully witty guide to the morals and mores of contemporary Tokyo. I now know just how to behave while picking up children from school, or meeting strangers. Fault Lines is a moving and suspenseful novel full of the best kinds of incidental wisdom.” — Margot Livesey, author of The Boy in the Field

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The Love of My Life by Rosie Walsh

25 Wednesday May 2022

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

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identity (psychological), man-woman relationships, married people, romance, Secrecy

Despite some struggles, Emma and Leo have a happy marriage and a daughter they love, but Emma has not been honest with Leo about who she really is. While the concept sounds like many popular thrillers, The Love of My Life is a slower, more thoughtful mystery about love and family, with beautiful descriptions of London and the English coast.

“Walsh masterfully shows both [protagonists’] points of view while maintaining an intoxicating air of mystery…a propulsive thriller with heart that will keep readers guessing.”—Kirkus, starred review

“[A] heartbreaking thriller…[that] explores the complexity of secrets in marriages…Walsh cleverly integrates twists that not even jaded readers will be able to predict…that builds to an emotionally raw yet satisfying conclusion. Walsh is a writer to watch.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“The Love of My Life is a dazzling supernova of a book, it picks you up on line one and doesn’t let you go until the very end. Each chapter is filled with heart-breaking twists and revelations, and it is brimming with human warmth and intelligence.”—Lisa Jewell, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Night She Disappeared

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The New Husband by D.J. Palmer

13 Saturday Jun 2020

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in Fiction, suspense, thriller

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husbands, man-woman relationships, psychological fiction, truthfulness and falsehood

“What makes Simon Fitch so perfect?

-He knows all her favorite foods, music, and movies.
-Her son adores him. He was there when she needed him most.
-He anticipates her every need.
-He would never betray her like her first husband.

The perfect husband. He checks all the boxes. The question is, why?”  (Amazon)

“Mother doesn’t always know best in this thrill ride of a novel…gripping and twisted.” ―Karin Slaughter, bestselling author of The Good Daughter

“Plenty of twists…will keep you turning the pages as you guess…and guess again.” ―Lisa Scottoline, New York Times bestselling author of After Anna

“An acute, sensitive portrayal of family love under extreme stress…[with] a touch of Hitchcock.” ―William Landay, New York Times bestselling author of Defending Jacob

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Ask Again, Yes: A Novel by Mary Beth Keane

29 Monday Jul 2019

Posted by Weston Public Library Staff in Fiction

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forgiveness, life changing events, man-woman relationships

“Mary Beth Keane takes on one of the most difficult problems in fiction—how to write about human decency. In Ask Again, Yes, Keane creates a layered emotional truth that makes a compelling case for compassion over blame, understanding over grudge, and the resilience of hearts that can accept the contradictions of love.”— Louise Erdrich, author of The Round House

“Keane’s story embraces family lives in all their muted, ordinary, yet seismic shades… offers empathy and the long view… Tender and patient, the novel avoids excessive sweetness while planting itself deep in the soil of commitment and attachment. Graceful and mature. A solidly satisfying, immersive read.”—Kirkus (starred review) 

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