Come one, come all for this special Saturday Morning Storytime Event! It's a Reading and a Show! A Storytime Spectacular!

Lisa Robinson will be here to read her new picture book, Madame Saqui: Revolutionary Rope Dancer, a true story abut a young tightrope walker in Revolutionary France!  

In revolutionary France, a girl named Marguerite Lalanne longed to perform above large crowds on a tightrope, just like her acrobatic parents. Sneaking off to the fairgrounds for secret tightrope walking lessons, Marguerite finessed her performance skills, ultimately performing for crowds as a young rope dancer. And eventually, Marguerite would perform as Madame Saqui, waltzing and pirouetting across- and never falling off- countless ropes above adoring crowds. A nouvelle chérie de Paris, Madame Saqui cemented her place in circus history, winning the adoration of the French people and royalty alike, including Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte.

But that's not all, folks! Lisa and her daughters are circus artists themselves, and they will be bringing their own tightrope act to the bookstore! We hear there might also be juggling! A great read, an act of daring and artistry, and a little bit of whimsy! What more can you ask for on a Saturday Morning? Make sure to be here! 
 

We're teaming up with Fugitive Productions two phenomenal historical fiction writers to the Twenty-Nine Rustic Mediterranean Restaurant in Sudbury! 

Join us for an evening of food and conversation as two acclaimed Massachusetts historical fiction novelists speak about their powerfully written books about defining (and defying!) women.

Kerri Maher, author of The Kennedy Debutante, has a brand new book exploring the life of Grace Kelly, The Girl in the White Gloves. She'll be in conversation with Whitney Scharer, who successfully debuted her first novel, The Age of Light, last year. 

Called stunning, daring, and deep, The Girl in the White Gloves is a vivid reimagining of the exhilarating and sensationalized life of Princess Grace of Monaco. Hungry for her art and hopeful for the future, young Grace Kelly has the world at her feet. MGM’s rising queen is poised to win the Oscar, but she chafes at the studio’s increasing restrictions on her life. When an unexpected friendship develops between her and Prince Rainier of Monaco, she faces the tempting possibility of a new role—one that offers the power and stability she craves.

But life isn’t like the movies. Twenty years into her crumbling marriage, Grace finds herself frustrated and disillusioned. Conflicted by notions of family, career, and the very nature of womanhood—notions Grace herself shaped for a generation of women—the world’s loneliest princess searches for purpose beyond the labels and headlines.

A Hollywood darling, a fairy-tale princess, and a wife starved for autonomy, Grace Kelly is a woman divided. And though she is confined by public perception and societal conventions, one thing is certain—she will never bow to them.


Called stellar and intoxicating in starred reviews from Booklist and Publishers Weekly, The Age of Light follows Lee Miller, muse of famous Parisian Surrealist Man Ray. Though he wants to use her only as a model, Lee convinces him to take her on as his assistant and teach her everything he knows. As they work together in the darkroom, their personal and professional lives become intimately entwined, changing the course of Lee's life forever.

Lee's journey of self-discovery takes took her from the cabarets of bohemian Paris to the battlefields of war-torn Europe during WWII, from inventing radical new photography techniques to documenting the liberation of the concentration camps as one of the first female war correspondents. Through it all, Lee must grapple with the question of whether it's possible to stay true to herself while also fulfilling her artistic ambition--and what she will have to sacrifice to do so. 

Mark your calendars now and check back here ticketing information as we get closer to the event! 

 
Kimberly Zieselman is an intersex woman, lawyer and Executive Director of interACT - one of the world's largest intersex organisations and advocacy groups. We are excited to have her for an evening of reading and conversation about her new memoir, XOXY. 

Kimberly's provocative and life-affirming memoir charts her journey from discovering she is intersex through to self-acceptance and becoming an international human rights defender, and the impact this has had on her personal and family life.
 

From uncovering a secret that was intentionally kept from her, to coming out to her family and friends and fighting for intersex rights, her candid and empowering story helps break down barriers and misconceptions about intersex people and brings to light the trauma and harmful impact medical intervention continues to have on the intersex community.

Written from a non-queer perspective and filled with much-needed, straightforward information and advice about what it means to be intersex, this is a vital and timely resource for intersex people and their families, as well as the general reader.

We look forward hosting Kimberly and hearing her important story!

 

We're welcoming Massachusetts author Kelly Carey for Saturday Morning Storytime! She'll be reading her first picture book, How Long is Forever? 

Mason is waiting for Nana’s blueberry pie and complains that it’s taking forever. So Grandpa challenges him to figure out how long forever really is. Is it as long as Grandpa has had his tractor? No. As long as it took Nana to grow the roses to the top of the chimney? Not even close. After a trip around the farm to figure out the answer, Nana’s pie is ready. And Mason’s finally got the answer: forever is how long he’ll love Nana’s pie and how long he’ll love Nana and Grandpa, too.


This is going to be a lovely Saturday Morning Storytime! Be sure to come in! 
 

It's Independent Bookstore Day, and you're in for a treat! We're having TWO authors in for a special Saturday Morning Storytime event! Kara LaReau, author of the new book Baby Clown, is joining forces with Mark Hoffman, author of the new book Dirt Cheap! It's going to be a fun morning full of laughter! 

About Baby Clown: 

When Frieda and Boffo Clown have a baby, everyone in the circus is over the moon. But there is just one problem: Baby Clown won’t stop crying! Frieda and Boffo try everything: putting on their silliest faces, driving him around in their tiny car. They even try taking off his red nose and big shoes. But that just makes Baby Clown cry more. Can Frieda and Boffo turn his little clown frown upside down in time for the sold-out show? Kara LaReau deftly juggles wit and warmth in this hilarious nod to parental persistence, while Matthew Cordell’s big-top-bright illustrations bring Baby Clown and his circus family to humorously frazzled life. Older siblings, in particular, will step right up to this applause-worthy picture book, joining Baby Clown in many a heartfelt “WAAAAH!”

About Dirt Cheap: 

Birdie doesn’t know much about money. All she knows is that she wants a new soccer ball that costs $24.95. The fastest way to that $24.95 is going into sales, but what to sell?

All her belongings?
Not much of a market for those.

Birdie needs something that she has in abundance and that everyone needs. So when she sees everyone in her neighborhood working on their yards, she realizes she’s hit pay dirt. Literally!

Soon Birdie is raking in the dough, with profits of all varieties: quarters, dimes, nickels, pennies, even dollar bills! Now she can buy that soccer ball, but does her business plan have any holes?

An industrious tale about striking it rich!
 

Andrew Krivak will at the Five Sparks Cultural Center in Harvard, Mass., and we'll be there selling his new book The Bear.
 

Set in an Edenic future, a girl and her father live close to the land in the shadow of a lone mountain. They possess a few remnants of civilization: some books, a pane of glass, a set of flint and steel, a comb. The father teaches the girl how to fish and hunt, the secrets of the seasons and the stars. He is preparing her for an adulthood in harmony with nature, for they are the last of humankind. But when the girl finds herself alone in an unknown landscape, it is a bear that will lead her back home through a vast wilderness that offers the greatest lessons of all, if she can only learn to listen.

The Bear serves as a cautionary tale of human fragility, of love and loss, The Bear is a stunning tribute to the beauty of nature’s dominion.

Andrew Krivak is the author of two previous novels: The Signal Flame, a Chautauqua Prize finalist, and The Sojourn, a National Book Award finalist and winner of both the Chautauqua Prize and Dayton Literary Peace Prize. He lives with his wife and three children in Somerville, Massachusetts, and Jaffrey, New Hampshire, in the shadow of Mount Monadnock, which inspired much of the landscape in The Bear.

Marianne Leone will be speaking about her memoir, Ma Speaks Up, at the Marlborough Public Library and we'll be there selling her book! 

Actress, screenwriter and essayist Marianne Leone's memoir has been called "equal parts funny, brash, poignant, insightful, sarcastic, joyful, hopeful, and tender." It tells the story of Marianne's Ma, a larger-than-life character, one who might be capable, even from the afterlife, of shattering expectations. Born on a farm in Italy, Linda finds her way to the United States under dark circumstances, having escaped a forced marriage to a much older man, and marries a good Italian boy. She never has full command of English, especially when questioned by authorities, and when she is suddenly widowed with three young children, she has few options. To her daughter’s horror and misery, she becomes the school lunch lady.

Ma Speaks Up is a record of growing up on the wrong side of the tracks, with the wrong family, in the wrong religion. Though Marianne’s girlhood is flooded with shame, it’s equally packed with adventure, love, great cooking, and, above all, humor. The extremely premature birth of Marianne’s beloved son, Jesse, bonds mother and daughter in ways she couldn’t have imagined. The stories she tells will speak to anyone who has struggled with outsider status in any form and, of course, to mothers and their blemished, cherished girls.


We're looking forward to this event! See you at Marlborough Public Library! 

Save the date for this extra special evening Storytime event! 

Uncle Bobby is getting married and you're invited to the launch party! We're excited to celebrate the launch of this inclusive and beautiful book that celebrates love and family! 


When Chloe's favorite uncle announces that he's getting married, everyone is excited. Everyone except Chloe, that is. What if Uncle Bobby no longer has time for picnics, swimming, or flying kites? Chloe just wants to keep having fun with her favorite uncle, but she's afraid everything is going to change. Can Uncle Bobby and his boyfriend Jamie show Chloe that, when it comes to family, the more the merrier? In this inspiring, love-filled story, Chloe learns just what family means.

Uncle Bobby's Wedding was produced in coordination with GLAAD. This adorable picture book is a positive example of same-sex marriage and a celebration of family.

We've got fun surprises planned for this special event! Stay tuned for more details! 

 

There are a lot of hard-working leaders and creators in our community! We are proud to bring them in for a chat, a demonstration, and some Q&A!


Fresh off a multi-million dollar rennovation and the opening of a new outdoor play space, Discovery Woods, the Discovery Museum is more popular than ever! Families from all over the state are coming to Acton to visit the beautiful Museum and the Tree House. Did you know that the Discovery Museum provides in-classroom programming to students throughout our region, and offers opportunities for all sorts of families to visit thanks to generous invitations and accomodations? 

Neil Gordon, CEO of the Discovery Museum, will be with us to talk about the Museum's growth and change over the last few years, the programming it provides to children in Acton and beyond, and why providing a safe place for children to play, learn, and grow is important to our community. 

We look forward to learning more about the Museum! 

There are a lot of hard-working leaders and creators in our community! We are proud to bring them in for a chat, a demonstration, and some Q&A!


Jay Ford, director of The Music Maker School located on 2A here in Acton, will be in our store to speak about running his school and teaching kids the power of music. He and a few of his student might even perform a few tunes!

Learn about the school's history and approach to teaching music.  Find out about the range of instruments that are taught at Music Maker. Learn more about why Jay and his wife Donna choose to run their business here in Acton and what the Music Maker means to our community.  If you've thought about enrolling your child in music lessons, but have questions about how, this is a fantastic opportunity ask!
Come out and learn more about this long-running small buisness doing great things in our community! 

We are excited to be part of the Discovery Museum Speaker Series. We encourage you to come out for this talk and then come see us! We'll be selling Dr. Lemery's book at the event!

Dr. Jay Lemery is a Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, Chief of the Section of Wilderness and Environmental Medicine, and Faculty in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at the Colorado School of Public Health. Dr. Lemery has expertise in austere and remote medical care, and in 2017, co-authored “Enviromedics: the Impact of Climate Change on Human Health,” which highlights one of the greatest human challenges of our time.

About Enviromedics:


While the subject of climate change is often in the news and social media, and its realities debated in various arenas of science and government, the health impacts are often overlooked. Here, two seasoned physicians dispel myths, clarify science, and help readers understand the threats of environmental change to human health.

Many of us have concerns about the effects of climate change on Earth, but we often overlook the essential issue of human health. This book addresses that oversight and enlightens readers about the most important aspect of one of the greatest challenges of our time. The global environment is under massive stress from centuries of human industrialization. The projections regarding climate change for the next century and beyond are grim. The impact this will have on human health is tremendous, and we are only just now discovering what the long-term outcomes may be. By weighing in from a physician’s perspective, Jay Lemery and Paul Auerbach clarify the science, dispel the myths, and help readers understand the threats of climate change to human health. No better argument exists for persuading people to care about climate change than a close look at its impacts on our physical and emotional well-being. The need has never been greater for a grounded, informative, and accessible discussion about this topic. In this groundbreaking book, the authors not only sound the alarm but address the health issues likely to arise in the coming years.


The location of this event hasn't been determined yet. Stay tuned for more details as we get closer! This is a free event with a suggested $5 donation. Light refreshments will be served. You need to pre-register for the event. To do that and learn more, please visit the Discovery Museum website. 

 

We are delighted to help with the Discovery Museum Speaker Series! We invite you to come out to Congregation Beth Elohim to listen to Dr. Winner's talk. We will be there to sell her book! 

Ellen Winner, Ph.D. is Professor of Psychology at Boston College and Senior Research Associate at Project Zero, Harvard Graduate School of Education. She directs the Arts and Mind Lab, which focuses on cognition in the arts in typical and gifted children as well as adults. She has written over 200 articles and is author of four books and co-author of three, including 2018’s How Art Works: A Psychological Exploration. Dr. Winner has served as President of the American Psychological Association's (APA) Division 10, Psychology and the Arts in 1995-1996, and received the Rudolf Arnheim Award for Outstanding Research by a Senior Scholar in Psychology and the Arts from Division 10 in 2000. She is a fellow of APA Division 10 and of the International Association of Empirical Aesthetics.

About How Art Works: A Psychological Exploration:

There is no end of talk and of wondering about "art" and "the arts." This book examines a number of questions about the arts (broadly defined to include all of the arts). Some of these questions come from philosophy. Examples include:

• What makes something art?
• Can anything be art?
• Do we experience "real" emotions from the arts?
• Why do we seek out and even cherish sorrow and fear from art when we go out of our way to avoid these very emotions in real life?
• How do we decide what is good art? Do aesthetic judgments have any objective truth value?
• Why do we devalue fakes even if we -- indeed, even the experts--- can't tell them apart from originals?
• Does fiction enhance our empathy and understanding of others? Is art-making therapeutic?

Others are "common sense" questions that laypersons wonder about. Examples include:

• Does learning to play music raise a child's IQ?
• Is modern art something my kid could do?
• Is talent a matter of nature or nurture?

This book examines puzzles about the arts wherever their provenance - as long as there is empirical research using the methods of social science (interviews, experimentation, data collection, statistical analysis) that can shed light on these questions. The examined research reveals how ordinary people think about these questions, and why they think the way they do - an inquiry referred to as intuitive aesthetics. The book shows how psychological research on the arts has shed light on and often offered surprising answers to such questions.



This is a free event with a suggested $5 donation. Light refreshments will be served. You need to pre-register for the event. Visit the Discovery Museum website for more details.