wellesley booksmith special events
all events are free (unless noted) and open to the public
| march | |
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Calling all women! Trying to balance work and family? Looking to define what "having it all" might mean to you? Marguerite Dorn, Needham resident and co-founder of the business The New Having It All, will guide us in a one-hour conversation about how books can illuminate our way. Join us as we illuminate specific works about and by women who have addressed the age-old question of how to live a balanced life. From the angst-ridden “Teen” in Sue Kaufman’s Diary of a Mad Housewife (1967) to the opt-out mothers in Meg Wolitzer’s The Ten Year Nap (2008), we consider the myriad of ways in which women can compose their lives in order to succeed in careers, raising families, caring for selves and connecting with communities. Attendees will receive a great reading list handout outlining recommended reading on the subject of work-life success for women. |
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Wilbur and Orville Riot's Rule #24: "Kids who are fun can become Riot Brothers even if they aren't our brothers." WANTED: Fun kids to join us for an interactive event with the fabulous Mary Amato, author of the Riot Brothers mysteries and the Wellesley Booksmith favorite, Please Write in this Book. Mary Amato will read from her latest Riot Brothers book, Take the Mummy and Run, as well as her hilarious picture book, The Chicken of the Family. Then she'll play a game where you make up your own stories on the spot! Mary Amato has received many accolades and awards, including a Bank Street Children's Book Committee Best Children's Book in humor award. The Chicken of the Family is a Junior Library Guild Choice, a 2008 Blue Ribbon choice of the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, and a highly commended title by the 2009 Charlotte Zolotow Award Committee. |
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We are in for a treat! Award-winning journalist Ulrich Boser will tell (almost) all about the infamous 1990 robbery of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Ulrich is a master storyteller with a major connection to the investigation of this infamous art theft! His presentation will be based on his amazing new book, The Gardner Heist: The True Story of the World's Largest Unsolved Art Theft. After thousands of leads, hundreds of interviews, and a $5 million reward, not one painting has been recovered, nor a single person arrested since the theft in 1990. Many passionate and dedicated investigators have taken the investigation of the heist into their own hands. One man in particular, Harold Smith, one of the world’s greatest art detectives, made solving this mystery his life’s work and believed he was just steps away from cracking the case, before his death a few years ago. Journalist Ulrich Boser spent significant time with Smith and has been granted access to all Smith’s research and notes. |
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Double the pleasure! Double the fun! Highly entertaining author Adriana Trigiani has just upped the ante. She's invited her good friend, actor and comedian Mario Cantone, of Sex and the City fame, to join her when she speaks about her latest book, Very Valentine, at the Wellesley Free Library. We'll get to hear both Adriana and Mario discuss her wonderful work, which has a distinctive blend of humor, heart and emotional truth. ***IMPORTANT *** Please note: The presentation will begin promptly at 7 pm, and a book-signing will follow. For the presentation, there is LIMITED SEATING and admission will be on a first come, first served basis. Everyone who wishes may participate in the book-signing portion of the event. Adriana Trigiani will be happy to sign copies of her books, which will be available for sale at the event. As reader of her audiobook, Rococo, Mario Cantone will be happy to sign paperback copies of that book. NO OTHER AUTOGRAPHS will be given by Mario. As with all events, please check our events page for last minute updates. |
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Meet author Terry Golson and two of her REAL chickens when they flock together for this EGG-straordinary event! For twenty years Terry was a professional cook and food writer, until one special hen inspired her to create the new picture book Tillie Lays an Egg, starring one of her many feathered friends. Terry actually trained her chickens to pose and perform for the beautiful, hilarious pictures in this book. Come learn all about the book, the chickens, and the author! For more information about her book, see www.tillielaysanegg.com. For more information on Terry, see www.terrygolson.com. |
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Join children's book author Erica Perl for a rollicking reading of her new picture book, Chicken Butt - it's a hoot! The classic schoolyard joke has been recast as an irreverent picture book with call-and-response parts for parent and child. The repetition in the text and wonderfully comic illustrations by Henry Cole make Chicken Butt a particularly inviting book for new readers, as does the opportunity to “trick” a parent or other adult into participating in a very silly joke! The humor builds to a surprising and satisfying conclusion. Warning: Kids will want to read this one over and over and over again! |
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Come meet charming Natick native author Alisa Libby when she signs copies of her lush new novel, The King's Rose. Engaging historical fiction with a throbbing YA heartbeat, this thrilling novel will draw readers into the intrigues and dangers of the Tudor court. The King's Rose, chronicles the intense period during which 15-year old Catherine Howard became Henry VIII’s fifth wife. The more Catherine learns about court, the more she can see the circles of danger constricting around her, the threats ever more dire! Your teens will love this read! |
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Delight in life with Joan Anderson, bestselling author of A Year by the Sea, An Unfinished Marriage, A Walk on the Beach, A Weekend to Change Your Life, and now, The Second Journey. Joan conducts popular, inspirational weekend workshops for women around the country. She will happily sign books, which will be available for purchase at the event. |
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Looking for a practical means of achieving peace and solace in our chaotic world? Join admired author Anne LeClaire, in the chapel at the UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST SOCIETY OF WELLESLEY HILLS, to hear an inspirational tale about her unusual path. In a hectic world filled with stress and noise, Anne has found a way to achieve a sense of inner calm and serenity. For the past 16 years, she has spent the first and third Mondays of every month in complete silence. In her new book, Listening Below the Noise, LeClaire shares her years of commitment to the act of silence and the many teachings this practice has brought her. Part memoir, part meditation, Listening Below the Noise will be available for purchase at the event and Anne will happily sign copies. Anne LeClaire's talk is offered as part of the UUSWH's Spring Spiritual Series. |
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Tuesday, March 31st, at noon Join the fun! Join the dialogue! Be in the know! Come to Wellesley Booksmith's lunchtime book club on Tuesday, March 31st at noon. Munch your food while we chew on ideas with Betty Sudarsky, unparalleled bookseller and experienced book club leader. Bring your own lunch, head downstairs to the Used Book Cellar, and talk with your mouth full! The book chosen for the March discussion is The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak. Drop-ins are welcome, whether or not you've read the book! |
| april | |
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Join the Newcomers Club of Wellesley at a reception for beloved novelist Barbara Delinsky at the Wellesley Booksmith. What a treat! Barbara will speak about her latest book, While My Sister Sleeps, and will answer your questions about her books, writing, and more! Bring your curiosity and enthusiasm! Light refreshments will be served. RSVP requested as space is limited at (781) 431-1160. Barbara Delinsky, a lifelong New Englander, was a sociologist and photographer before she began to write. She has written many bestselling novels over the past two decades. There are more than 30 million copies of her books in print. Published in twenty-five languages worldwide, her books regularly appear on the bestseller lists. She is also the author of a nonfiction book, Uplift: Secrets from the Sisterhood of Breast Cancer Survivors. Following the success of The Secret Between Us, a book the Boston Globe hailed as one of her best, Barbara Delinsky returns with another moving and deeply satisfying novel, this one about the unique and emotionally complex world of siblings. Once again, this New York Times best-selling author brings us a masterful family portrait. As Molly, her parents and siblings struggle to cope with her sister Robin's shocking heart attack, the complex nature of their relationship is put to the ultimate test. It’s up to Molly to make the tough decisions, and she soon makes discoveries that destroy some of her most cherished beliefs about the sister she thought she knew. For more information about the author, see www.barbaradelinsky.com. The Newcomers' Club of Wellesley is a non-profit community organization, founded in 1959, which runs fun programs for families, children and adults, including book clubs! For more information about the club, see www.wellesley-newcomers.org. |
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What are you doing for National Poetry Month? Join Wellesley Booksmith and celebrate the month with a delightful event led by poets Wendy Mnookin and Barbara Helfgott Hyett. Wendy and Barbara are poets, teachers, and... good friends! They have worked together for years, helping each other develop and revise poems, and their friendship and familiarity with each other's work contributes to lively discussion. Come hear them read from their work and participate in the give-and-take. Their poetry is emotionally honest, engaging and accessible to the contemporary reader. Wendy and Barbara will each read several poems from their new books. They will then alternate reading poems that in some way speak to each other, either through similar subject, theme or style. This opens up discussion with the audience. One popular topic is truth vs. fact in poetry, or "Did this really happen?" Wendy's poem "Maybe I Made This Up" often serves as a springboard into this discussion. |
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English history buff? Historical fiction aficionado? Just love a good story? Join acclaimed historical fiction author Anne Easter Smith in celebrating the publication of her newest book, The King's Grace. Her book draws you back in time to the age of Richard III and the dramatic story of his imprisoning the princes Edward and Richard in the Tower of London, as seen through the eyes of a young Grace Plantagenet. We are fortunate to have the fascinating, accomplished author Anne Easter Smith all to ourselves! |
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What an incredible opportunity! Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) affects nearly seven million Americans, and there is currently no cure. However, you are invited to hear, first hand, a remarkable story of struggle and triumph over the condition. Join all three co-authors - TV correspondent Terry Murphy, OCD specialist Harvard professor Michael Jenike, and courageous patient, Ed Zine - for a fascinating presentation and discussion based on their new book, Life in Rewind: The Story of a Young Courageous Man Who Persevered Over OCD and the Harvard Doctor who Broke all the Rules to Help Him. |
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Kids, celebrate Earth Day at Wellesley Booksmith and take home your very own planter made from a shoe! At this craft workshop event, local author/illustrator Anna Alter will teach us all to make our own shoe-planters and talk to us about her new book. In it, she explains how to make great stuff out of old items like t-shirts, flip-flops, and shower curtains. No need to raid your closet – we’ll provide all the necessary materials, including shoes! Anna Alter spent six years teaching preschool and art workshops to kids. She got to thinking. How could she reduce the amount of trash in the classroom and teach kids environmental responsibility in a creative way? The result is What Can You Do with an Old Red Shoe: A Green Activity Book About Reuse. The book uses poems and playful illustrations to introduce projects that result in fabulous items you can really use. Anna Alter lives in Jamaica Plain and holds a B.F.A. in Illustration from The Rhode Island School of Design. Booklist calls her latest book, "lots of fun." |
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Favorite kids' fantasy writer and passionate conservationist, T.A. Barron is coming all the way from Colorado to inspire us for Earth Day! In addition to writing numerous award-winning works of fiction, including The Lost Years of Merlin epic, T.A. Barron has written a non-fiction book, The Hero's Trail, which describes how any person can make a positive difference in the world. He has also founded a national award to honor outstanding young people: The Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes. At this event, T.A. Barron will read from his newest book, Merlin's Dragon, the start of an exciting new trilogy. He'll also be happy to answer questions and sign your books. |
If you would like a signed copy of an event book, but can't make it to the event, simply -- Call the store at 781.431.1160 up until the day before the event. -- When possible, we will be happy to reserve a signed copy, or you can pre-pay for a personalized copy. We can also ship it for you! |
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