If you’re having trouble summoning enthusiasm for the new year, you’re not alone. As I took my first cautious steps into 2025, I found comfort in these books by authors with New England ties. From self-improvement tips to practical activism to escapist romance, set your intention for the upcoming months with your first reads of the year.
Jan. 7
New Year’s resolutions are irresistible to perfectionists. (Surely this will be the year I finish writing my book, stick to my exercise routine and spend less time on my phone.) But we tend to be our own worst critics when life inevitably gets in the way of achieving our idealistic goals. In this relatable guide, author Ellen Hendriksen empowers readers with practical strategies for shifting to a kinder and healthier mindset. As a clinical psychologist at Boston University’s Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders, Hendriksen offers judgment-free anecdotal success stories to illustrate why these scientifically proven methods are effective. An insightful read for anyone feeling the mental and physical tolls of imposter syndrome and overthinking.
Jan. 14
Part poetry, part family biography, part social history, “Three Leaves, Three Roots” is an exceptional feat from Boston’s former poet laureate, Danielle Legros Georges. In this triumphant collection, she breathes life into an under-documented period of Haitian history. In the 1960s, Legros Georges’ parents and other Haitian professionals migrated to the Congo to help the newly independent country develop its infrastructure. Weaving together lyrical language with interviews and letters from her parents, political leaders and other primary sources, this collection highlights the parallels of repression and revolution in Haiti and the Congo, reckons with the deep scars of colonization, and offers an enduring hope for the resilience and solidarity throughout the African diaspora.
Danielle Legros Georges will discuss “Three Leaves, Three Roots” with Charlot Lucien at justBook-ish on Wednesday, Jan. 29 at 6:30 p.m. This event is free and tickets aren’t required.
Advertisement
‘Too Soon‘
By Betty Shamieh
Jan. 28
Arabella swings between two modes: grief and rage. She wants to be recognized for her expansive talent as a theater director in an industry determined to pigeonhole her into her Palestinian American identity. So when her next — and potentially, only — opportunity is a genderbent production of “Hamlet” in the West Bank, Arabella must contend with what it means to return to the homeland her grandmother Zoya was forced to flee. “When the country you are from no longer exists, you can’t ever truly emigrate from it,” Arabella reflects. Alternating between the perspectives of Arabella’s post 9/11 New York, her mother Naya’s younger years in Detroit and San Francisco, and Teta Zoya’s final days in Jaffa, each woman unabashedly carves her own identity in spite of the tragedies unfolding in their community, personal lives and onstage. With scathing humor and raw emotion oozing off of every page, “Too Soon” is an engrossing 80-year saga that still ends too soon, leaving you ravenous for more. Author Betty Shamieh is a graduate of Harvard College and the Yale School of Drama, playwright of 15 plays and the founding artistic director of The Semitic Root, a collective that supports innovative theater co-created by Arab and Jewish Americans.
Betty Shamieh will discuss “Too Soon” with Ricky Moody at the Harvard Book Store on Tuesday, Feb. 4 at 7 p.m. This event is free and tickets aren’t required.
Feb. 4
As a human rights activist since the 1970s, Loretta J. Ross has seen firsthand what works and what doesn’t to create lasting change. Now an associate professor at Smith College, Ross has extensive experience supporting victims of sexual assault, pursuing reproductive justice, dismantling white supremacy, and more with diverse groups ranging from the tenants in her building to the National Organization for Women (NOW) — one of the largest feminist organizations in the U.S. “Calling In” provides easy-to-digest strategies for navigating disagreements with both your allies and your opponents. This handbook invites readers to imagine “a world with more joy and forgiveness and less shame and cruelty, a world where people don’t need to feel afraid and can feel empowered to pursue the common good, even if we make mistakes along the way.” Using personal examples, Ross makes a compelling case for why building bridges is the most effective way to solve societal problems.
Loretta J. Ross will discuss “Calling In” at the Cambridge Public Library on Monday, Feb. 10 at 6 p.m. This event is free with RSVP or $30.80 with book purchase included.
Feb. 11
When Prudence goes to dinner at a high-end restaurant, she yearns for lighthearted conversation with her husband, his new colleague, and his colleague’s “Tinder girlfriend.” But when an unwelcome figure from her past is revealed as the guest of honor, Prudence suddenly has to prevent decades of repressed traumas from bubbling to the surface. This thrilling novel alternates between 2018 Washington, D.C., and 1996 Johannesburg. Prudence was a law student interning in South Africa when the country held its Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings, the post-apartheid attempt to heal the nation through reparations rather than retaliation. But moving forward from gross human rights violations is easier said than done when it’s personal. Prudence now stands on a taut line of suspense to shield her husband from the truth about her past, protect her son, and heal her own inner turmoil. Lauren Francis-Sharma is the assistant director of the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference at Middlebury College.
Lauren Francis-Sharma will discuss “Casualties of Truth” with author Mark Cecil at the Harvard Book Store on Thursday, Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. This event is free and tickets aren’t required.
Feb. 25
Following their 2018 debut chapbook “Breakfast for Dinner & Other Blasphemous Things,” Boston-based poet Zenaida Peterson returns with a new poetry collection, “In the Loud and Crashing.” Their propulsive slam poetry embodies their experiences as a Black, queer and nonbinary person. Now, they’re also exploring “what it means to live and be kinder through nature connection.” Peterson has been a stalwart of the Boston poetry community for over a decade, receiving mentorship from Boston poet laureate Porsha Olayiwola and encouraging upcoming poets, like former city of Boston Boston artist-in-residence Golden. Peterson founded and ran the Feminine Empowerment Movement Slam from 2017-2022. Other accolades include ranking third in the 2017 National Poetry Slam with the Haley House Slam team, winning one of the Women of the World Poetry Slam’s last chance slams, and representing Simmons College at the 2015 College Unions Poetry Slam Invitationals. This collection is a delightful discovery of how Peterson transforms their poems from the stage to the page.
March 4
Amanda Nguyen will be the first woman of Vietnamese descent to fly to space. But her moonshot dream of becoming an astronaut almost didn’t take flight after she was raped in 2013 while attending Harvard University. Determined to fight for change for herself and survivors of sexual assault everywhere, Nguyen decided to dedicate herself to activist advocacy, which resulted in the Survivors’ Bill of Rights Act of 2016 and the Stop Asian Hate movement of 2021. After garnering international recognition as a 2019 Nobel Peace Prize nominee and one of the 2022 Time Women of the Year, Nguyen’s memoir “Saving Five” is an introspective journey written with cinematic prose. Between recounting the worst experience of her life, Nguyen offers imagined scenes of her past selves at ages 5, 15, 22 and 30 going on an epic journey to heal her inner child, meeting personified versions of the stages of grief along the way. This book is a testament to the resilience of survivors, showing that survivors can still shoot for the stars while giving themselves grace to process their trauma.
March 11
If “A Complete Unknown” leaves you craving more behind-the-scenes stories about rock stars, look no further than the autobiography of Boston’s own Peter Wolf. The frontman of The J. Geils Band and DJ for legendary radio station WBCN shares anecdotes throughout his star-studded life. From his New York youth napping on Marilyn Monroe’s shoulder at the movies and seeing Bob Dylan’s early performances, to his Tufts University days rooming with David Lynch, through his marriage to Faye Dunaway and storied music career, “Waiting on the Moon” illustrates the serendipity that occurs when creative minds intersect. These contemplative vignettes will satisfy anyone wishing they could have been a fly on the wall for spellbinding conversations between musicians, poets, actresses and all other manner of artists.
Peter Wolf will discuss “Waiting on the Moon” with Peter Guralnick at the Harvard Book Store on Tuesday, March 11 at 6 p.m. Tickets are $38 with book purchase included.
March 11
As career and romance prospects dry up for the unnamed narrator of “Liquid,” the 31-year-old decides to marry rich. The narrator uniquely understands the benefits of “refreshingly clear terms: my time, his money” since her Ph.D. dissertation critiqued modern marriages based on feelings, as opposed to traditional Western and Islamic marriages treated as contracts. She tasks herself with going on 100 dates that summer with the academic rigor of a research project. This rom-com infused with sharp literary prose muses on the ridiculous indignities of modern courtship, the nuances of Persian literature, and the thoughtful contrast between the narrator’s despondent (yet hopeful) descent into American independence and her parents’ hard-won career paths as Iranian and Indian immigrants. Author Mariam Rahmani serves on the faculty at Bennington College.
March 11
Lord Christopher Eden is just fine and dandy (pun intended) living away from London society if it means living peacefully as a trans man in this Regency-era romance. When he discovers he’ll lose his late family’s fortune and estate if he doesn’t marry before his 25th birthday, Christopher is forced to depart the countryside and hire a valet to help him search for a wife. Christopher’s easygoing demeanor and disregard for rank initially chafes against the rigid formalities of his valet, James Harding. But as the London social season progresses and Christopher grows closer to James, Christopher must consider if a love match is right under his nose. Author TJ Alexander received their master’s from Emerson College.
March 25
After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022, the number of abortions performed in the U.S. actually increased. This statistic is a testament to the healthcare providers and communities working tirelessly to provide safe and affordable care to anyone who doesn’t want to be pregnant. Law professor David S. Cohen and sociologist Carole Joffe had the unique opportunity to conduct three rounds of interviews about abortion in early 2022, then immediately following the Dobbs ruling, and again six months later. “After Dobbs” shares the perspectives of 24 people in a variety of abortion fields with different state laws. Even though the emotional, financial and time costs of accessing abortions are becoming increasingly difficult, especially for people of color and people with low incomes, this book is a reminder that there will always be fierce defenders of bodily autonomy and there will always be abortions.
This post was originally published on here
