We had a great discussion (over Zoom) of our September book, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, by Gabrielle Zevin, which everyone seemed to like (so if you haven’t read it yet, consider adding it to your [probably very long] list of “Books I Want to Read”). We hope you will join us (either in person or by Zoom) for our October meeting on Wednesday, October 16, at 7:30 pm. We will be discussing Absolution, by Alice McDermott. Please don’t feel that you shouldn’t attend if you haven’t finished (or even started) the book—Book Club is mainly an opportunity for old and new friends to get together and chat and snack. All are welcome—we would love to have some new members join our group.

The Holliston Public Library reserves several copies of each book for us—they can be found (typically about a month ahead of each meeting) on the shelves along the windows on the right as you enter the library (now behind the circulation desk). For those who want to get a head start on next month, our November book will be Three Things About Elsie by Joanna Cannon. We meet the third Wednesday of each month. We hold most meetings in person but also have a Zoom option if you can’t attend. Please contact Debbie if you have any interest in hosting a meeting.

We are still looking for a few titles to fill our calendar for the rest of the year, so if there’s a book you’ve read (or want to read) that you think would make a good book club book, please bring your suggestions to the October meeting (or email suggestions to Debbie if you can’t make the meeting).

American women―American wives―have been mostly minor characters in the literature of the Vietnam War, but in Absolution they take center stage. Tricia is a shy newlywed, married to a rising attorney on loan to navy intelligence. Charlene is a practiced corporate spouse and mother of three, a beauty and a bully. In Saigon in 1963, the two women form a wary alliance as they balance the era’s mandate to be “helpmeets” to their ambitious husbands with their own inchoate impulse to “do good” for the people of Vietnam.

Sixty years later, Charlene’s daughter, spurred by an encounter with an aging Vietnam vet, reaches out to Tricia. Together, they look back at their time in Saigon, taking wry account of that pivotal year and of Charlene’s altruistic machinations, and discovering how their own lives as women on the periphery―of politics, of history, of war, of their husbands’ convictions―have been shaped and burdened by the same sort of unintended consequences that followed America’s tragic interference in Southeast Asia.

A virtuosic new novel from Alice McDermott, one of our most observant, most affecting writers, about folly and grace, obligation, sacrifice, and, finally, the quest for absolution in a broken world.

Children's Playgroups are in full swing.

Come join us!

It’s been great getting to meet some other families. Mark your calendars-our next gathering is on Sunday, October 20th from 3-5pm. Please RSVP to Jackie for details and the address. 

Let's get together & play!

Holliston Newcomers & Neighbors is gearing up for a great 2024/2025 year! And we started off with an outstanding "Day at the Lake" Event, hosted with Holliston's 300th Committee. The community gathered at Stoddard Park on a beautiful day for live music, food, swimming and games! A huge thank you to our bands, the Dave Melo Band and Colin Fields, who were outstanding and made the day extra festive. And we are grateful for the contributions of our local businesses and member volunteers, who made the event a huge success.

As HNN gets ready for a new season of events, take a moment to remember why our mighty Club is so special. HNN brings town new-comers and old neighbors together to strengthen our community through civic and social activities. In addition to simply having a good time together and making new friends at our playgroups, book club and parties, we give back to Holliston through our signature Community Grant Fund. When you attend and volunteer for our fundraisers you help fund this Grant, which is given to local organizations such as the Holliston Community Farm, our police department, our library, and the Summer Concert series. In addition, our civic activities support our town's senior citizens and The Holliston Pantry Shelf.

So, we look forward to seeing you this year at our civic and social activities, and fundraisers. And thank you for helping to make our Club and community a success!

Children's Playgroups are in full swing.

Come join us! It’s been great getting to meet some other families and get together including over the summer.

Mark your calendars-our next gathering is on Sunday, September 22nd at 3pm. Please RSVP to Jackie for details and the address. Also reach out to Jackie if you have any ideas for other children’s activities for this fall.

Let's get together & play!

Welcome to a new season of Book Club! We hope to see both new and longtime members at our first meeting of the season, Wednesday, September 18, at 7:30 pm. We will be discussing Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, by Gabrielle Zevin. Please don’t feel that you shouldn’t attend if you haven’t finished (or even started) the book—Book Club is mainly an opportunity for old and new friends to get together and chat and snack. All are welcome—we would love to have some new members join our group.

The Holliston Public Library reserves several copies of each book for us—they can be found (typically about a month ahead of each meeting) on the shelves along the windows on the right as you enter the library. For those who want to get a head start on next month, our October book will be Absolution by Alice McDermott. We meet the third Wednesday of each month. We hold most meetings in person but also have a Zoom option if you can’t attend. Please contact Debbie if you have any interest in hosting a meeting.

Among the titles we will be reading this year are Three Things About Elsie, Tiffany Girls, and The Cliffs, but we are still looking for a few titles to fill our calendar for the rest of the year, so if there’s a book you’ve read (or want to read) that you think would make a good book club book, please bring your suggestions to the September meeting.

About the book:

From the best-selling author of The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry: On a bitter-cold day, in the December of his junior year at Harvard, Sam Masur exits a subway car and sees, amid the hordes of people waiting on the platform, Sadie Green. He calls her name. For a moment, she pretends she hasn’t heard him, but then, she turns, and a game begins: a legendary collaboration that will launch them to stardom.

These friends, intimates since childhood, borrow money, beg favors, and, before even graduating college, they have created their first blockbuster, Ichigo. Overnight, the world is theirs. Not even twenty-five years old, Sam and Sadie are brilliant, successful, and rich, but these qualities won’t protect them from their own creative ambitions or the betrayals of their hearts.

Spanning thirty years, from Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Venice Beach, California, and lands in between and far beyond, Gabrielle Zevin’s Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow examines the multifarious nature of identity, disability, failure, the redemptive possibilities in play, and above all, our need to connect: to be loved and to love.

On July 12, the Holliston Newcomers & Neighbors held their induction of the 2024-2025 Executive Board. Elections were held in May, and Parliamentarian Justin G. Roy verified and presented the results at the May Board of Directors Meeting. The Board voted to approve the election results and is honored to announce the following Executive Board for the 2024-2025 year.

President: Jennifer Mott
Vice President: Debbie Colburn
Vice Present of Membership: Michelle Vainshtein
Treasurer: Amy Forman
Secretary: Ursula Roxin

Holliston Newcomers & Neighbors is a not-for-profit, all-volunteer organization that coordinates charitable, civic, educational, and recreational events and activities in the town of Holliston. Newcomers & Neighbors is open to all residents of Holliston. Whether you have just moved to town or have lived here for years, all are welcome!

Summer is here and HNN is not done with our year just yet! 

First, Polar Park in Worcester is welcoming HNN member families at the WooSox game on June 9th!  There are still tickets left, so get them on the HNN website before it's too late!  Next up, mark your calendar for Holliston 300^th Anniversary Day at the Lake, sponsored by HNN on August 10^th at Stoddard Park.  We'll have local bands, food trucks, canoe and kayak races with prizes.  It's going to be a blast and not to be missed! 

Finally, I want to thank our HNN leaders and members who volunteered for our incredibly successful, annual Touch a Truck Fundraiser on May 18th!  The money we raise is given back to the town in the form of grants to first responders, the Library, the Parks & Rec. Dept., and community farms, etc.  HNN brings members together for social events, civic activities and fundraisers that strengthen our community. 

Children's Playgroups are in full swing. Come join us!

Our next gathering is  on Saturday, June 1st at 3pm. Please RSVP to Jackie for details and the address. At the next event we will discuss if we want to schedule playgroup for July and August.

Let's get together & play!

We had a great discussion of our May book, Daisy Darker, among other topics. Thanks to Christel for hosting. This month we will meet on Wednesday, June 19, at 7:30 pm to discuss Why My Third Husband Will Be a Dog: The Amazing Adventures of an Ordinary Woman by Lisa Scottoline. Please don’t feel that you shouldn’t attend if you haven’t finished (or even started) the book—Book Club is mainly an opportunity for old and new friends to get together and chat and snack. All are welcome—we would love to have some new members join our group.

We are starting our planning for next fall’s Book Club and have a few recommended titles we are considering. Feel free to bring a suggestion or two to the June meeting for books you would like to read (or have read) that you think might make good Book Club choices. Having a list of at least a few titles for the fall enables us to order books in advance and possibly secure in-demand titles.

We hold most meetings in person but also have a Zoom option if you can’t attend. Please contact Debbie if you have any interest in hosting a meeting.

A hilarious collection of stories from the life of the New York Times bestselling author. With her trademark wit and wisdom, Lisa Scottoline pushes past the 700-word limit of her columns, bringing out the laughter from everyday situations and sharing a treasure trove of insights along the way.

This collection celebrates a kaleidoscope of seventy vignettes that illuminates the humorous side of life’s highs, lows, and everything in between: a braless dash to the ER, life lessons for girls from Betty and Veronica, intriguing theories on men’s most important body part and the rising antagonism against Spanx–all in one hilarious collection.

May and June will be a busy time for HNN and its members!  First, join us for the town's 300^th Anniversary Parade on May 11th.  We'd love for you to walk (or ride) with us.  If interested, sign up via the Sign-Up Genius announcement.  Next, it's our annual Touch a Truck Fundraiser & Food Truck Festival on May 18th!  This event is a blast for families, so bring your kids or volunteer with us!  Finally, join us on Sunday, June 9^th for an HNN Family Day at the WooSox game in Worcester.  Tickets are $12.00 and will be available to purchase via HNN website shortly.  So, mark your calendar and be on the look-out for the announcement.