One of our favorite authors, Claire Cook, will discuss and sign her new book, "Summer Blowout," on Wednesday, June 18 at 7 p.m. at the Duxbury Free Library.
Here's a sneak preview of the book, which will be published in June...
A string of faux Italian beauty salons run by a lovably insane Boston Irish family makes "Summer Blowout" as head-turning as a fabulous new do.
Bella Shaughnessy is addicted to lipstick with names like My Chihuahua Bites and Kiss My Lips, an occupational hazard, since she works at Salon de Paolo, her family-run beauty salon, along with her four half-brothers and sisters. The owner is her father, Lucky Shaughnessy, a gregarious, three-times divorced charmer with Donald Trump hair who is obsessed with all things Italian. After Bella's own marriage flames out spectacularly when her half-sister runs off with her husband, Bella decides she has seen enough of the damage love can do. She makes a vow: no more men.
But then Bella meets a cute entrepreneur, and despite their bickering, they can't seem to stay away from each other. He also gives her the business idea of her life: a makeup kit for everyone. A small, well-tressed dog also finds her way into Bella's life, and her heart, and she decides to chance that, too. When the whole clan heads to Atlanta for a big Southern wedding, sparks fly - in a summer blowout no one will ever forget.
who will discuss their new book Burning Up the Air: Jerry Williams, Talk Radio and the Life in Between
On Sunday, April 13, at 2 p.m. in the Merry Room at the library
SPECIAL GUEST: RADIO LEGEND PAUL BENZAQUIN!
This event is FREE, but please call 781-934-2128 to register or click here to e-mail us if you would like to register for the event, or if you are unable to attend but would like to order a copy of the book to be signed by the authors. You can then pick up the book at Westwinds at a time that is convenient for you.
At the peak of his influence on WRKO Radio in Boston in the mid-1980s, when he helped repeal a seatbelt law and ran a one man wrecking crew against Michael Dukakis's presidential campaign, Jerry Williams was dubbed "The Dean of Talk Radio." What few knew was that Jerry wasn't merely the Dean, he was also arguably the Inventor. It was in 1957 that the Brooklyn-born talk show host first put listeners on the air at the old WMEX in Boston-after primitive time-delay technology made it possible to bleep callers' naughty words. From then on, while guys named King and Limbaugh were cutting their teeth at the microphone, Williams set standards for the form. He stood up for civil rights when such talk could get you killed, questioned Vietnam long before Walter Cronkite, savaged Richard Nixon while forty-nine state were reelecting him, and put frank talk about sex on the air when Howard Stern was still a DJ. Authors Elman andTolz, who produced Williams's shows at high points in his career, had total access to the Dean's files and memories. The result is an enlightening biography that gives readers an inside view of the glories of radio and the pitfalls of fame.
"Jerry Williams changed American broadcasting with the force of his personality . . . He showed me what one man and a microphone can do." - Phil Donahue
"Whether I agreed with Jerry Williams or not, I always considered him a force to be reckoned with, and radio isn't the same without him." - Michael Dukakis
"Night after night, with an equal measure of intelligence and strength and perseverance, Jerry Williams took talk radio to a level that's rarely been achieved." - Roger Ebert
Hank Phillippi Ryan and Clea Simon discuss new books during 'An Afternoon of Mystery'
Hank Phillippi Ryan
Channel 7 consumer reporter Hank Phillippi Ryan and Boston Globe columnist Clea Simon were the featured authors during ‘An Afternoon of Mystery’ at the Duxbury Free Library on Sunday, Jan. 13.
Ryan is celebrating the release of her second book in the Charlotte McNally series, Face Time, in which the main character is – what else? – a veteran TV reporter who fights for justice, a good story for ratings, and the battle against on-air aging. Ryan’s first book, Prime Time, has been a best-seller and a favorite of critics since being published last year. For more information, visit her homepage at www.hankphillippiryan.com.
Clea Simon
Clea Simon is the author of the Theda Krakow mysteries – Mew is for Murder, Cattery Row, and the newest book, Cries and Whiskers. In addition to writing the weekly “Radio Tracks” column for The Boston Globe, Simon has authored several non-fiction works, including The Feline Mystique: On the Mysterious Connection Between Women and Cats, Fatherless Women: How We Change After We Lose Our Dads, and Mad House: Growing Up in the Shadow of Mentally Ill Siblings. For more information, visit her homepage at www.cleasimon.com.
Both authors discussed and signed their books with an enthusiastic crowd and held a question-and-answer period following their talk.
The event was co-sponsored by Westwinds Bookshop and the Duxbury Free Library.
Westwinds Bookshop is celebrating its 61st year in business. The shop, which was opened by Margaret Metcalf in 1946, is located at 45 Depot St., in the Duxbury Marketplace at Hall’s Corner. Westwinds features a full selection of books, greeting cards, toys and games. Book orders are welcome by telephone (781-934-2128) or on the Web at www.westwindsbookshop.com.
Books signed by Bill Brett are still available!
Boston Globe photographer Bill Brett autographs new book on Dec. 5
Award-winning Boston Globe photographer Bill Brett, a Hingham resident, signed copies of his newest collection of photographs, Boston: An Extended Family, at a special appearance at the Duxbury Free Library on Wednesday, Dec. 5 at 7 p.m.
The author talk featured a detailed presentation of Brett’s work, which includes photos of some of the top newsmakers in Massachusetts.
The cover of his newest book is tribute to the state’s six living governors – William Weld, Deval Patrick, Michael Dukakis, Jane Swift, Paul Cellucci, and Mitt Romney. His first book, Boston: All One Family, featured a photo of three living mayors of Boston – Raymond Flynn, Thomas Menino, and Kevin White – all holding matching umbrellas.
In his newest book, expected to be a best-selling holiday gift for booklovers who appreciate history, creates portraits of esteemed Bostonians from Nobel Prize–winner Elie Wiesel to New England Patriots superstar quarterback Tom Brady to beloved newsman Walter Cronkite, seen on Martha’s Vineyard.
Brett started working at The Boston Globe as an 18-year-old part-time photographer. In 1977, he became chief photographer and climbed the ladder to become the paper’s director of photography in 1999. He retired in 2001 but continues to shoot as a contributor to the “Party Lines” and “Names” columns.
“Names” columnist Carol Beggy offers a well-researched vignette with each portrait, and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Doris Kearns Goodwin wrote the foreword, in which she asserts that “The collection is a triumph.”
