November 2009 - Vol 4, Issue 4
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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 winter long.

"A deeply felt and often moving story"--New York Times
In the store: $25.25
Online: $21.00 (plus S/H)
Publisher's price: $28.00
Available Now

John Irving, author of The World According to Garp, Hotel New Hampshire, will be in Minneapolis on Monday, November 9 to read from his newest novel Last Night at Twisted River. This event is sold out, but a live audio feed from the reading will be broadcast in the store. Stop by, hear John Irving read, and meet your neighbors. This in-store broadcast is free and open to the public.

Please note that the location for the event has changed slightly. The reading will be at Comedy Sportz, which is located on the second floor of Calhoun Square, at the corner of Hennepin Ave and Lake St, in Uptown. Parking is available in Calhoun Square's ramp, which you can enter from either Lake St or 31st St. Parking is also available at meters in the neighborhood.

The doors will open at 6:30pm. Please be sure to bring your ticket. If you have any questions, give us a call at 612/822-4611.
In the store: $23.35
Online: $20.21 (plus S/H)
Publisher's price: $26.95
Available November 10
In her first collection of essays, Zadie Smith--author of White Teeth--tackles subjects as diverse as Katherine Hepburn, Liberia, Barack Obama and her late father. These engaging writings--some published here for the first time--reveal Smith as a passionate and precise essayist, equally at home in the world of great books and bad movies, family and philosophy, British comedians and Italian divas.

Changing My Mind will be available November 10.

In the store: $22.45
Online: $18.71 (plus S/H)
Publisher's price: $24.95
Available November 24
Ha Jin is back with his first book of short stories since The Bridegroom was published nine years ago. A Good Fall focuses on Chinese immigrants to the United States. Children decide to change their names so that they might sound more "American," unaware of how deeply this will hurt their grandparents. A Chinese professor of English attempts to defect with the help of a reluctant former student.

"With startling clarity, Jin explores the challenges, loneliness and uplift associated with discovering one's place in America."--Publisher's Weekly

A Good Fall will be available November 24

In the store: $22.45
Online: $18.74 (plus S/H)
Publisher's price: $24.99
Available December 1
Cleaving is subtitled "A Story of Marriage, Meat, and Obsession." After a misspent youth involving loads of dead-end jobs and several questionable decisions, Julie Powell--author of Julie & Julia--found her calling as a writer-cum-butcher. She told yumsugar.com, "Cleaving covers a crisis point in our marriage, and using butchery as a way to both escape the pain that was happening there and also to kind of explore and work through. Butchery is very clarifying, almost like meditation."

Cleaving will be published December 1.

That's just a small sampling of what's coming out in the next weeks. Stop by the store for the full selection.
Magers & Quinn Booksellers is pleased to be the official bookseller for Edge Life Expo 2009.

Edge Life Expo, an exhibition focused on holistic living and the healing of body, mind and soul, was launched during Thanksgiving Weekend 2001 at the Minneapolis Convention Center by Gary Beckman, longtime founder and publisher of The EDGE newspaper, one of the foremost periodicals in the Upper Midwest that focuses on the evolution of consciousness and holistic living.

This year's Expo includes
  • 125 exhibitors
  • 12 intuitive readers
  • 5 keynote speakers
  • 75 free workshops
Learn more at edgelife.net. For advance tickets call 1-877/776-5244.
Magers & Quinn is hosting not one, not two, but three events sure to tempt any foodie. Come by to learn about cheese, wine, and damn good food. Details are on our events page.

Meet the authors
Sunday, November 29, 4:30pm
In the store: $22.45
Online: $18.71 (plus S/H)
Publisher's price: $24.95
Available November 24
Meet Dara Moskowitz
Friday, December 4, 7:30pm
In the store: $23.40
Online: $19.50 (plus S/H)
Publisher's price: $26.00
Available November 24
Meet Mitch Omer
Saturday, December 19, 1:00pm-3:00pm
In the store: $24.99
Online: $20.96 (plus S/H)
Publisher's price: $27.95
Available Now

The Big Bang Book Club is a science book club for non-scientists. Our next meeting will be 7:00pm, Tuesday, November 24, at Grumpy's Downtown 1111 Washington Ave S, in Minneapolis.

In the store: $12.55
Online: $10.39 (plus S/H)
Publisher's price: $13.99
Available Now
November's selection is Alex & Me: How a Scientist and a Parrot Discovered a Hidden World of Animal Intelligence--And Formed a Deep Bond in the Process at Grumpy's, 1111 Washington Ave S, Minneapolis. Alex's brain was the size of a shelled walnut--he was a parrot, after all--and when Irene and Alex first met, birds were not believed to possess any potential for language, consciousness, or anything remotely comparable to human intelligence. Yet, over the years, Alex proved many things. He could add. He could sound out words. He understood concepts like bigger, smaller, more, fewer, and none. He was capable of thought and intention. Together, Alex and Irene uncovered a startling reality: We live in a world populated by thinking, conscious creatures.

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

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

November's Events
Visit our events page

for full details.


Nov 8 Poets Carol Connolly (All This and More) and Beverly Rollwagen (Flying) 4:00pm

Nov 9 John Irving reads from Last Night at Twisted River, 7:00pm at Comedy Sportz, 3001 Hennepin Ave S, Minneapolis. This event is sold out, but live audio from the event will be broadcast in the store.

Nov 10 Books & Bars discusses Beat the Reaper, 6:30pm, at Bryant-Lake Bowl, 810 W Lake St, Minneapolis

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

Nov 14 Peter Conners (Growing Up Dead) 7:00pm

Nov 15 Poets Jill Breckenridge (The Gravity of Flesh) and Morgan Grayce Willow (Between) 5:00pm

Nov 17 Ian Anderson (Here Come the Regulars) 7:30pm

Nov 19 Ray Gonzalez (Cool Auditor) 7:30pm

Nov 21 Ted Gioia (The Birth (and Death) of the Cool) 7:00pm

Nov 22 Connie Goldman (Who Am I?... Now That I'm Not Who I Was?) 5:00pm

Nov 23 Fred Hertz (Making It Legal: A Guide to Same-Sex Marriage, Domestic Partnership & Civil Unions) 7:30pm

Nov 24, The Big Bang Book Club discusses Alex & Me: How a Scientist and a Parrot Discovered a Hidden World of Animal Intelligence--And Formed a Deep Bond in the Process, 7:00pm, at Grumpy's Bar & Grill, 1111 Washington Ave S, Minneapolis

Nov 29 James Norton and Becca Dilley (Master Cheesemakers of Wisconsin) 4:30pm

Nov 29 Carol Sklenicka (Raymond Carver: A Writer's Life) 7:00pm

Dec 3 Kevin Kling (Holiday Inn) 4:30pm

Dec 4 Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl (Drink This: 473 Answers to Your Most Impolite Questions About Wine: the Dirtiest, Most Manipulated, Most Wonderful Drink on Earth); James Norton and Becca Dilley (Master Cheesemakers of Wisconsin) 7:30pm

Dec 8 Books & Bars discusses The Good Thief, 6:30pm, at Bryant-Lake Bowl, 810 W Lake St, Minneapolis

Dec 19 Mitch Omer signs copies of Damn Good Food : 157 Recipes from Hell's Kitchen, 1:00pm

All events are at Magers & Quinn unless noted otherwise.
Saturday, November 14, 7:00pm--Peter Conners discusses his memoir Growing Up Dead

In the store: $14.95
Online: $11.21 (plus S/H)
Publisher's price: $14.95
Available Now
This story of being a Deadhead isn't one frequently told. Many books are either by Grateful Dead band members or insiders, but the majority of Deadheads didn't have such access to the band. As Conners says, "We were just on the road, doing the best we could to get from show-to-show. So that was the story I wanted to tell: the story of a street-level Deadhead." He provides riveting insight into the obsessive fandom that made the Grateful Dead the most successful touring band of all time-and a true cultural phenomenon.

But Growing Up Dead is also about a rebellious teenager trying to find his way through a society that he finds stifling. His path is surprisingly hopeful: "I was struggling," he says, "but I also had the emboldening belief that I was on the road to something better. To my own creative fulfillment." This drive pushes Conners toward the American subculture of the '80s and mid-'90s, and he comments throughout his book on the movies, popular music, fashion, and politics of that time. His memoir will appeal not only to fans of The Dead, but to anyone interested in the underground music and subversive culture of this decade.

Tuesday, November 17, 7:30pm--Ian Anderson discusses Here Come the Regulars: How to Run a Record Label on a Shoestring Budget

In the store: $15.00
Online: $11.25 (plus S/H)
Publisher's price: $15.00
Available Now
Ian Anderson started recording music when he was thirteen and launched his own successful label, Afternoon Records, in 2003, when he was just eighteen. Now this wunderkind of the indie music scene has written the ultimate guide for all those aspiring to a career in the record industry. Here Come the Regulars covers territory ranging from a label's image to its budget, focusing on the importance of blogging culture and how to use new media like MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, and iTunes to the best advantage.

Aside from its essential advice--including a truthful account of the role of attorneys, contracts, and record deals--this accessible guide also contains key practical information ranging from sample legal agreements and press releases to actual figures illustrating how much money to spend on what (promotion, tour expenses, even T-shirts), all specifically geared toward the young upstart with very little in the bank.

Sunday, October 18, 5:00pm-Fred Hertz discusses Making It Legal: A Guide to Same-Sex Marriage, Domestic Partnership & Civil Unions

In the store: $29.99
Online: $22.49 (plus S/H)
Publisher's price: $29.99
Available November 16
Making It Legal is the only book that offers a comprehensive review of all the issues that influence the decision to marry, breaks down the complex and ever-changing rules of same-sex relationship laws, and provides practical guidance on one of the most important decisions a couple can make. Nationally-recognized same-sex relationship law expert and attorney Frederick Hertz and attorney Emily Doskow have written the ultimate guide to the ultimate decision--whether to enter into a marriage or other legal relationship with a same-sex partner.

Making It Legal has particular resonance for Minnesotans. The nation's first attempted same-sex marriage took place in Hennepin County in 1970. Although the resulting lawsuit--Baker v. Nelson--was ultimately unsuccessful, Jack Baker was able to convince the Minnesota DFL to adopt a Party platform plank supporting equal marriage rights for all adults. This is believed to be the first support for gay marriage by any major United States political party.

Sunday, November 29, 7:00pm--Carol Sklenicka discusses Raymond Carver: A Writer's Life

In the store: $30.99
Online: $26.25 (plus S/H)
Publisher's price: $30.99
Available November 24
Carol Sklenicka has devoted ten years to telling this story--interviewing hundreds of people in Carver's life, some of them key figures who have since passed away. In Raymond Carver: A Writer's Life, she has crafted a brilliant and meticulous biography. It in we see Ray struggle to forge himself into a writer, his early marriage to Maryann Burk, his battles with alcohol, his discovery by Gordon Lish and their subsequently complex editorial relationship, his friendships with dozens of prominent American writers, the dissolution of his marriage, his wider celebration and readership, his partnership with poet Tess Gallagher, who helped him achieve the highest levels of his success, and his untimely death from lung cancer. Sklenicka's portrayal of the life of Raymond Carver is generous and wise, but does not shy away from the more difficult periods and intimate issues in his life. Her account brings us the man in full.

Filled with voices and perspectives from many of those closest to him, Raymond Carver: A Writer's Life offers a vivid portrait of the man behind the iconic stories.


Information on all our readings is always on our events page. Check it out any time.

Dylan Meconis' Grammar Nerd Corrective Label Pack lets you "dole out frontier-style grammar justice." Just affix the stickers to offending verbiage to instantly transform any error into a teaching moment.

Buy yours at the Temple of Commerce.

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.
The College of Education and Human Development at the University of Minnesota offers "a two-semester curriculum focused on the social, academic, and institutional needs of first-year students." This year the program, called CE+HD Reads, brought together students and faculty to read A Lesson Before Dying. They were also joined by the author, Ernest Gaines, who spoke via videoconference. You can see the entire interview with Gaines here.

Magers & Quinn is pleased to be the bookseller for CE+HD Reads. Whether your school is big or small, we hope you'll contact us when you need books
In the store: $13.45
Online: $11.24 (plus S/H)
Publisher's price: $14.99
Available Now
The next meeting of the Twin Cities' most unusual and interesting book club is Tuesday, November 10. Books & Bars meets at Bryant-Lake Bowl, 810 W Lake Street, in Minneapolis. Doors open at 6:00pm; the discussion begins at 7:00pm.

November's book is Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell. It's the story of a New York doctor whose life is turned upside down when a mobster recognizes him from his previous job--as a hitman for the Mafia. Read the book before Leonardo diCaprio makes the movie. Seriously.

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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