October 2009 - Vol 4, Issue 3
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The chill in the air means only one thing. It's time to stock up on books for the long winter nights ahead. Come in Magers & Quinn today for suggestions on how to stay entertained all year long.

If there's anything better than reading a book, it's talking about a book with fellow readers. Whether you're looking to join a book club or start one of your own, M&Q can point you in the right direction.

First off, let us suggest the Twin Cities' largest--and liveliest--book club. Books and Bars meets on the second Tuesday of every month at the Bryant-Lake Bowl. Host Jeff Kamin leads a boisterous review of a recent novel. The talk can get heated, but the beer is always cold. Visit booksandbars.com for a full schedule or just keep reading this newsletter for more on this month's book--The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.

M&Q also sponsors the Cities' newest popular science book club. On the fourth Tuesday of every month, the Big Bang Book Club gathers downtown at Grumpy's Bar & Grill to talk over subjects ranging from physics to evolution to mathematics. Guest experts and regular members guarantee a useful and informative evening at every meeting. Visit us on Facebook to learn more.

Starting at $2.63
Available Now
Even if you don't want to leave the house, you can still take part in an online book club. Infinite Summer--a project to read David Foster Wallace's mammoth novel Infinite Jest which just wrapped up last month--has turned to "the vampire novel that started it all": Dracula. Discussions continue all month, wrapping up on Halloween. Sign up here.

Still not satisfied? If you're looking for a book club to call your own, MinnPost has compiled a list of groups in the Twin Cities. You can download it at minnpost.com/bookclubclub. The page also lists local bestsellers and events, as well as a discussion group so you can connect with fellow readers.

So you found a book club. What are you going to read? Here are few suggestions to get you started:
  • Ten Little Indians by Sherman Alexie--Short stories take readers into modern-day Native American life.
  • The Summer Book by Tove Jansson--A young girl and her grandmother spend a season growing up and growing old.
  • The Golden Gate by Vikram Seth--Dot-com-era professionals find love in San Francisco--and it's all written in sonnets.
  • Links by Nuruddin Farah--part mystery, part travelogue, this novel of one man's return to his native Somalia is utterly compelling.

Come for more recommendations. And when you pick a title, ask us about discounts for bulk orders. We can help you get the books you need at a great price.
The fall crop of new books is coming in, and they're good. Whether you want a good local cookbook, a meditation on fatherhood and marriage, or a new novel, we've got plenty of recommendations for you.

In the store: $24.99
Online: $20.96 (plus S/H)
Publisher's price: $27.95
Available October 6
Do try this at home. Damn Good Food collects over 150 recipes from Mitch Omer, chef and owner of Hell's Kitchen. Anyone who's ever eaten there will want a copy.

"Mitch Omer's life makes Anthony Bourdain's look like he was an altar boy. Mitch's individualistic, personal, and idiosyncratic cooking is that of a man who is larger than life, big-hearted, generous, and wild. It's evident that he genuinely loves life and nature."--Jacques P�pin

In the store: $23.35
Online: $19.49 (plus S/H)
Publisher's price: $25.99
Available October 6
A shy manifesto, an impractical handbook, the true story of a storyteller, Manhood for Amateurs is the first major work of nonfiction from Michael Chabon, author of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay and The Yiddish Policeman's Union. In these insightful, provocative, slyly interlinked essays, Chabon presents his autobiography and his vision of life and explores what it means to be a man today.

In the store: $22.45
Online: $18.75 (plus S/H)
Publisher's price: $25.00
Available October 20
In Eating the Dinosaur, Klosterman is more entertaining and incisive than ever. Whether he's dissecting the boredom of voyeurism, the reason why music fan's inevitably hate their favorite band's latest album, or why we love watching can't-miss superstars fail spectacularly, Klosterman remains obsessed with the relationship between expectation, reality, and living history. It's amateur anthropology for the present tense, and it's incredibly funny.

In the store: $24.45
Online: $21.71 (plus S/H)
Publisher's price: $28.95
Available October 20
The Museum of Innocence is the newest novel from Turkish Nobel Laureate Orhan Pamuk. It takes place in 1975, in Istanbul. Kemal, son of one of the city's wealthiest families, is about to become engaged to Sibel, daughter of another prominent family, when he encounters F�sun, a beautiful shopgirl and a distant relation. His doomed love takes him into the shadowy world Istanbul film circles--its seedy bars, run-down cheap hotels, and small men with big dreams destined to fail. Kemal becomes a compulsive collector of the objects that mark his descent. His museum--like the novel--provides a personal and beautiful glimpse of Turkey.

In the store: $25.25
Online: $21.00 (plus S/H)
Publisher's price: $28.00
Available October 27
In 1954, in the cookhouse of a logging camp in northern New Hampshire, an anxious twelve-year-old boy mistakes the local constable's girlfriend for a bear. Both the twelve-year-old and his father become fugitives, forced to run to Boston, to southern Vermont, to Toronto--pursued by an implacable constable. Their only protector is a fiercely libertarian logger.

Last Night in Twisted River is as violent and disturbing a story as Irving's breakthrough bestseller, The World According to Garp. Preorder your copy today.

Magers & Quinn is please to host a reading by John Irving Monday, November 9. Details are below, in the next article.

In the store: $24.99
Online: $20.99 (plus S/H)
Publisher's price: $27.99
Available October 27
The Twin Cities' own Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois are back with their follow-up to their bestseller Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. Health-conscious eaters want delicious bread, but can't find the healthy ingredients they'd like to use in traditional recipes. Whether you are looking for more whole grains, whether you're vegan, gluten-free, trying to reduced your cholesterol, or just care about what goes into your body, Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Revolution Continues With Whole Grains, Fruits, and Vegetables will help you eat better and have fun doing it.

Recipes include Whole Grain Pizza with Roasted Red Peppers and Fontina; Cherry Tomato Baguette; Gluten-FreeRosemary Parmesan Bread Sticks; Spicy Chile Whole Grain Snack Crackers; and Pistachio Swirled Brioche

These books are just a small sampling of what's on offer in October. Check us out for the full selection.
In the store: $25.25
Online: $21.00 (plus S/H)
Publisher's price: $28.00
Available October 27
Magers & Quinn is pleased to host an evening with John Irving--Monday, November 9, at 7:00pm, at the Suburban World Theater (3022 Hennepin Ave S). He will read from his latest novel Last Night in Twisted River.

This is a ticketed event. Tickets are available only at M&Q, and will cost $30.25 plus tax and will include a signed book and admission to the reading. Only 200 tickets are available.

This will be John Irving's only public appearance in the Twin Cities, and no other signed copies of Last Night in Twisted River will be available in town. Mr Irving will not be able to personalize signed copies nor will be sign other items.

Buy your tickets soon for this unique event. Stop by or call Magers & Quinn at 612/822-4611.
The ninth annual Twin Cities Book Festival will be Saturday, October 10, from 10:00am to 5:00pm, at the Minneapolis Technical College. It's free and open to the public. There will be author readings and signings; panel discussions on how to get published and the future of poetry; a storytelling circle; and even a button-making machine. Don't miss it. Details are here.


Click on the map for driving directions.
The Big Bang Book Club is a science book club for non-scientists. We will meet at 7:00pm, Tuesday, October 27, at Grumpy's Downtown 1111 Washington Ave S, in Minneapolis.

In the store: $13.45
Online: $11.25 (plus S/H)
Publisher's price: $15.00
Available Now
October's selection is Microcosm : E. Coli & the New Science of Life. Author Carl Zimmer starts with a tiny microbe and ends up touching on history, genetics, biotechnology, and the nature of life itself.

The Big Bang Book Club is a monthly book club for non-scientists that relishes in folding arts and science into a heady brew. It is sponsored by

October is jampacked with great events. We hope you can attend one of these readings. They're all free and open to the public.

October's Events
Visit our events page

for full details.


Oct 1 Sarah Stonich (Ice Age) 7:30pm

Oct 2 Bill Voedisch (Citizen Mitten) 7:30pm

Oct 3 J. P. White (Every Boat Turns South) 7:00pm

Oct 8 Mary Hayes Grieco (Be a Light) 7:30pm

Oct 10 Erinn Batykefer (Allegheny, Monongahela) and Greg Sanders (Motel Girl) 7:00pm

Oct 11 Matvei Yankelevich and William Waltz read from their new poetry, 7:00pm

Oct 15 Holly Hughes and Ethna McKiernan (Beyond Forgetting: Poetry And Prose About Alzheimer's Disease) 7:30pm

Oct 16 Thomas Larson (The Memoir and the Memoirist) 7:30pm

Oct 17 Richard Ojakangas (Roadside Geology of Minnesota) and Beatrice Ojakangas (The Best Casseole Cookbook Ever) 4:00pm

Oct 17 Tal Birdsey (A Room for Learning: The Making of a School in Vermont)7:00pm

Oct 18 Paul Tough (Whatever It Takes: Geoffrey Canada's Quest to Change Harlem and America) 5:00pm

Oct 19 James Morrison (Said and Done) 7:30pm

Oct 20 Talk of the Stacks: Andrew Zimmern, author of Bizarre Truth: How I Walked out the Door Mouth First... and Came Back Shaking My Head, 7:00pm at the Minneapolis Central Library, Pohlad Hall, 300 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis

Oct 22 Laura Kasischke (In a Perfect World) 7:30pm

Oct 24 Rachel Coyne (Whiskey Heart) 7:00pm

Oct 25 Art cars on display 3:00pm

Oct 25 Miles Proctor and his vampire posse (The New Vampire's Handbook: a Guide for the Recently Turned Creature of the Night) 7:00pm

October 27 The Big Bang Book Club discusses Microcosm : E. Coli & the New Science of Life, 7:00pm at Grumpy's Bar & Grill, 1111 Washington Ave S, Minneapolis

Oct 28 Lucinda Scala Quinn (Mad Hungry: Feeding Men and Boys) 7:30pm

Oct 29 Marv Davidov (You Can't Do That: Marv Davidov, Non-Violent Revolutionary) 7:30pm

Oct 30 Karin Winegar (Saved: Rescued Animals and the Lives They Transform) 7:30pm

Nov 9 John Irving reads from Last Night in Twisted River, 7:00pm at the Suburban World Theater. This is a ticketed event; admission is limited to 200.

Nov 12 Talk of the Stacks: Kevin Kling reads from his new book Holiday Inn, 7:00pm at the Minneapolis Central Library, Pohlad Hall, 300 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis

All events are at Magers & Quinn unless noted otherwise.
Friday, October 2, 7:30pm--Bill Voedisch reads from his new book about his cat, Citizen Mitten

In the store: $14.95
Online: $11.21 (plus S/H)
Publisher's price: $14.95
Available October Now
Once in a lifetime, there is a pet so special you will never forget it. That's the case with Bill Voedisch and his cat Mitten. Enjoy their antics, and those of their other two-legged and four-legged pals, in Citizen Mitten. But beware, Bill says anyone who brings home a pet accepts the responsibility for their death, be it a few years away, or 20, as in the case of Mitten. Why? Bill tells us in his sometimes hilarious, sometimes poignant, always memorable, stories.

"Cats are wonderful, amazing companions who daily enrich our lives. But they do not live as long as we do. Citizen Mitten shares the hilarious antics of Bill and his cat (well cats actually, and a few dogs), and also his philosophy that it is your responsibility to provide your pet a death with dignity if at all possible. Recommended reading for all cat fanciers and dog lovers as well." --Dan Poynter, author of The Older Cat, a book that helps readers recognize feline decline and urges a loving, peaceful death.

"Bill's book contains a lot of goodness, a little sadness and some triumphs in its pages. You'll enjoy the read as much as I did."--Steven Frech, DVM, Scandia, Minnesota

Saturday, October 17, 4:00pm--Richard Ojakangas presents Roadside Geology of Minnesota, and Beatrice Ojakangas discusses The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever

In the store: $23.35
Online: $19.50 (plus S/H)
Publisher's price: $26.00
Available October 15
You may have heard that Minnesota's ten thousand lakes are the hoofprints of Paul Bunyan's big blue ox, Babe. "Don't you believe it!" writes author Dick Ojakangas. Though the lakes, which formed at the end of the most recent ice age, may be Minnesota's most famous features, the glaciated countryside disguises a much longer history of volcanoes and plate collisions--not surprising when you learn that Minnesota was at the active edge of the fledgling North American continent for several billion years.

Roadside Geology of Minnesota steers you over glacial moraines and till plains to some of the state's unparalleled geologic features, such as the Morton Gneiss, once thought to be the oldest rock on Earth; the St. Peter Sandstone, one of the purest sandstones in the world; the banded iron-formation, the source of iron for the Great Lakes steel industry; and the ancient shorelines of Glacial Lake Agassiz, one of the largest glacial lakes ever to have existed in North America. The book's introduction presents an overview of Minnesota's geologic history, and forty-two road guides discuss the landforms and rocks visible from a car window and at nearby waysides and parks, including Pipestone National Monument, Grand Portage National Monument, and Voyageurs National Park.

In the store: $
Online: $18.71 (plus S/H)
Publisher's price: $24.95
Available Now
The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever--A good cook once said that a casserole is a blend of inspiration and what's on hand. Beatrice Ojakangas must have had inspiration by the gallon to come up with these 500 casseroles. From a breakfast of Eggs Florentine to a dinner of Pork Chops with Apple Stuffing, soon even the most casserole-wary cook will be dishing about these delights. Yummy treats like Parmesan and Sun-Dried Tomato Quiche and Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp are just right for parties. Even appetizers are reinvented in casserole form! The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever will inspire comforting dishes and innovative feasts for any meal of the day-no matter what's in the fridge.

Beatrice Ojakangas has written more than a dozen cookbooks, including Pot Pies, Quick Breads, The Finnish Cookbook, The Great Scandinavian Baking Book, and Scandinavian Feasts. She works as a consultant for Pillsbury and other major food companies, teaches cooking classes, and writes for various food magazines. Beatrice lives in Duluth. Minnesota.

Sunday, October 18, 5:00pm--Paul Tough discusses Whatever It Takes: Geoffrey Canada's Quest to Change Harlem and America

In the store: $13.45
Online: $11.21 (plus S/H)
Publisher's price: $14.95
Available Now
What would it take, asked Geoffrey Canada, to change the lives of poor children--not one by one, through heroic interventions and occasional miracles, but in big numbers, and in a way that could be replicated nationwide? The question led him to create the Harlem Children's Zone, a ninety-seven-block laboratory in central Harlem where he is testing new and sometimes controversial ideas about poverty in America. His conclusion: if you want poor kids to be able to compete with their middle-class peers, you need to change everything in their lives--their schools, their neighborhoods, even the child-rearing practices of their parents.

Paul Tough, one of America's foremost writers on poverty, education, and the achievement gap, spent five years with Canada, following the parents and children who are struggling to better their lives at the Harlem Children's Zone. Whatever It Takes: Geoffrey Canada's Quest to Change Harlem and America (from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) is a tour de force of reporting, a compelling dispatch from this daring and potentially transformative social experiment, and an inspired portrait of the man at its heart.

Paul's reporting on Geoffrey Canada and the Harlem Children's Zone originally appeared as a New York Times Magazine cover story; more recently, he wrote a hugely popular piece on Canada's "Baby College" for This American Life, which premiered last year.

Sunday, October 25, 7:00pm--Miles Proctor and his vampire posse present The New Vampire's Handbook: a Guide for the Recently Turned Creature of the Night

In the store: $12.55
Online: $10.50 (plus S/H)
Publisher's price: $14.00
Available Now
Get in touch with your inner vampire as Miles Proctor and his vampire posse present The New Vampire's Handbook: a Guide for the Recently Turned Creature of the Night. Prizes for all who come in vampire costume; grand prize for best costume. Decision of the judge is final; complaints will be met with fangs. Being turned into a vampire is the easy part. Actually becoming a vampire is far more difficult.

In today's world of vampire-obsessed pop culture, misinformation abounds. A newly turned vampire who looks to movies and novels for answers to everlasting life's questions will inevitably be reduced to a smoldering pile of dust. So whom can you, a neophyte immortal, trust to provide reliable information and proven strategies for leading your best and bloodiest existence? The Vampire Miles Proctor, editor of The New Vampire's Handbook. In this definitive guide, the newly turned will find
  • a head-to-toe look at your vampiric body: how to harness your new powers to dispatch mortal enemies, maintain your fangs, and embrace your vampirosexuality
  • methods for luring prey, faking your way through meals, approaching other vampires, and creating a four-hundred-year financial plan
  • tips on acting your "age," behaving appropriately if you see a human you knew decades ago, and dealing with epic vampire feuds
  • essential advice for blending in with the masses, from finding a coven to avoiding the media (and mirrors) to staying on top of the latest fashion trends
  • the joy of scrapbooking
  • as well as helpful online resources, a glyph guide, renovation instructions for emergency lairs, a Ruling Families directory, nightly mantras, and personal anecdotes from the Vampire Miles Proctor's nearly five hundred years of experience.

Friday, October 30, 7:30pm--Twin Cities journalist Karin Winegar discusses Saved: Rescued Animals and the Lives They Transform

In the store: $23.35
Online: $19.46 (plus S/H)
Publisher's price: $23.95
Available Now
Saved: Rescued Animals and the Lives They Transform is a collection of 28 true stories from coast to coast about people healing the damage done to animals and how animals heal suffering humans--with outstanding and moving photographs by Judy Olausen. Dr. Jane Goodall calls it "inspired"; author Jim Harrison calls it "an extraordinarily poignant book... a road map for our possible redemption;" and New York Times-bestselling writer Susan Richards hails it as "an homage to the profound power of mutual healing. A definitive and compassionate book and essential reading for the new century."

Learn more about the author at www.karinwinegar.com.


Information on all our readings is always on our events page. Check it out any time.
Fans of the Twilight series of vampire/teen romance books can vote with their feet in northern Utah. Black Island Farms in Syracuse, Utah, has cut two mazes in its cornfields. One is for "Team Jacob;" the other is for "Team Edward." The gentlemen in question are the heroine's paramours in Stephanie Meyer's novels.

Details on the mazes are here.
Two of our favorite books are out in paperback this month. Stop by for your copy.

In the store: $13.45
Online: $11.25 (plus S/H)
Publisher's price: $15.00
Available Now
Fans of Muriel Barbery's first novel The Elegance of the Hedgehog will be pleased to know that one of its protagonists--I won't tell you which one--makes an appearance in her second novel to be translated in to English. Gourmet Rhapsody is the story of an insolent food critic who wants to recapture the one perfect taste from his childhood, if only he could remember what it was.

Our manager Jay had this to say about "You won't find a better description of the simple perfection of eating a garden fresh tomato than in Gourmet Rhapsody, Muriel Barbery's precursor to her wildly popular novel The Elegance of a Hedgehog. Nor will you find a more loathsome character than Parisian food critic Pierre Arthens. As the terminally ill Arthens searches his memory for one final taste of the sublime, those who've lived at his heels look back on his bastard ways and look forward to his passing."

In the store: $14.35
Online: $12.00 (plus S/H)
Publisher's price: $16.00
Available
Sarah Vowell's latest book, The Wordy Shipmates, is out in paperback. Vowell is an NPR commentator and the author of Assassination Vacation and The Partly Cloudy Patriot, continues her of American history with this look at the Puritans and their lasting impact on our country's character.

The Washington Post said, "On first blush Vowell seems like an angry atheist set down at the historian's table. But under this anger is a good measure of empathy. ... Most writing on the Puritans is as dour as the Puritans themselves. Vowell has fun with them, and in the process, she helps us take seriously both their lives and their legacy."

It's not too early to start thinking about 2010. To help you out, we've calendars in the store right now. There are wall calendars, desktop calendars, and even page-a-day calendars just waiting to help you plan a fun new year.

The calendars are tucked away near Pop Fiction. Just ask us if you need help finding them.
In the store: $13.45
Online: $11.21 (plus S/H)
Publisher's price: $14.95
Available Now
The next meeting of the Twin Cities' most unusual and interesting book club is Tuesday, September 8, 6:30pm, at Bryant-Lake Bowl, 810 W Lake Street, Minneapolis. Doors open at 6:00pm; the discussion begins at 7:00pm.

October's book is The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. It's a tense and taut thriller that uncovers a world of secrets and lies in staid Stockholm.

Books & Bars is not your typical book club. We provide a unique atmosphere for a lively discussion of interesting authors, fun people, good food and drinks. You're welcome even if you haven't read the book.

Visit booksandbars.com for details and to talk to fellow members!

Magers & Quinn is the largest independent bookstore in the Twin Cities. Stop in today or check our inventory on our website any time.

We'll be back soon with all the latest news for November.

Until then,
David Enyeart
Magers and Quinn Booksellers

Call us: 612/822-4611
Or visit our website: http://www.magersandquinn.com
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