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Rainy Day Books
Rainy Day Books is located in
The Fairway Shops
2706 W 53rd Street
Fairway, Kansas 66205-1705
Phone: 913-384-3126

Store Hours:
Mon/Tue/Wed/Fri      10 to 6
Thursday                   10 to 6
Saturday                    10 to 5
Sunday we rest and read! 

In This Newsletter
Tuesday: Vanessa Diffenbaugh discusses The Language of Flowers
Tuesday: David Stokes discusses The Shooting Salvationist
Wednesday: Ellen Hopkins discusses Perfect
Wednesday: Jillian Maas Backman discusses Beyond The Pews
Thursday: Stacy Schiff discusses Cleopatra: A Life
Saturday: The Casserole Queens!
Next Monday: Rosemary Wells
IndieNext Book of The Week: The Night Circus...IS HERE!
Staff picks of the week!
At a glance, our complete Author Events Calendar, watch for changes and updates!

 

SEPTEMBER

Vanessa Diffenbaugh, author of The Language of Flowers, appears on Tuesday, September 13, 2011, at 7:00 PM at Unity Temple on The Plaza.

David Stokes, author of The Shooting Salvationist, appears on Tuesday, September 13, 2011 at 7:00 PM at Johnson County Library, Blue Valley Branch.

Ellen Hopkins, author of Perfect, appears on Wednesday, September 14, 2011 at 6:30 PM at Johnson County Library, Central Resource Library.

Jillian Maas Backman, author of Beyond the Pew, appears on Wednesday, September 14, 2011 at 7:00 PM at Unity Temple on The Plaza.

Stacy Schiff, author of Cleopatra: A Life, appears on Thursday, September 15, 2011, at 7:00 PM at Unity Temple on The Plaza.

The Casserole Queens, Crystal Cook & Sandy Pollock, appear for their New Cookbook on Saturday, September 17, 2011 at 11:30 AM at Unity Temple on The Plaza.

NEW VENUE: Rosemary Wells, author of Kindergators: Hands Off, Harry!, appears on Monday, September 19, 2011 at 4:00 PM at Village Presbyterian Church, Friendship Hall.

A Kitchen Table Conversation: Uncle Dan's Report Card, featuring a panel discussion, Wednesday, September 21, 2011 at 7:00 PM at Unity Temple on The Plaza.

NEW TIME: Scott Westerfeld, author of Goliath, appears on Thursday, September 22, 2011, at 4:30 PM at Unity Temple on The Plaza.

Bobby Flay, author of Bobby Flay's Bar Americain Cookbook, appears on Monday September 26, 2011 at 7:00 PM at Unity Temple on The Plaza.

Calvin Trillin, author of Quite Enough of Calvin Trillin, appears on Tuesday, September 27, 2011, at 7:00 PM at Unity Temple on The Plaza.

OCTOBER

Candice Millard, author of The Destiny of The Republic, appears on Tuesday, October 4, 2011, at 7:00 PM at Unity Temple on The Plaza.

Erin Morgenstern, author of The Night Circus, appears on Thursday, October 6, 2011, at 7:00 PM at Unity Temple on The Plaza.

NEW VENUE: Anne Burrell, author of Cook Like A Rock Star, appears on Saturday, October 8, 2011 at 12:00 PM at Unity Temple on The Plaza, Sanctuary.

Daniel Woodrell, author of Outlaw Album, appears on Saturday, October 8, 2011 at 2:00 PM at Johnson County Library, Central Resource Library.

Steven Pinker, author of The Better Angels of Our Nature, appears on Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 7:00 PM at Linda Hall Library.

Karl Marlantes, author of What It's Like To Go To War, appears on Monday, October 17, 2011 at 7:00 PM at Unity Temple on The Plaza.

Stephan Pastis, author of Larry in Wonderland, appears on Tuesday, October 18, 2011 at 7:00 PM at Unity Temple on The Plaza.

Alton Brown, author of Good Eats 3: The Later Years, appears on Monday, October 24, 2011 at 7:00 PM at Unity Temple on The Plaza.

Jim Lehrer, author of Tension City: Inside The Presidential Debates, appears on Wednesday, October 26, 2011 at 7:00 PM at Unity Temple on The Plaza.

Adam Winkler, author of Gunfight: The Battle Over the Right to Bear Arms in America, appears on Thursday, October 27, 2011 at 7:00 PM at Unity Temple on The Plaza.

NOVEMBER

Robert Morgan, author of Lions of the West, appears on Thursday, November 3, 2011 at 7:00 PM at Johnson County Library, Central Resource Library.

Buddy Valastro, author of Baking with the Cake Boss, appears on Monday, November 7, 2011 at 12:00 PM at Unity Temple on The Plaza.

Jennifer Chiaverini, author of The Wedding Quilt, appears on Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 7:00 PM at Unity Temple on The Plaza.

Tony Horwitz, author of Midnight Rising: John Brown and the Raid that Started The Civil War, appears on Wednesday, November 9, 2011 at 7:00 PM at Unity Temple on The Plaza.

Martha Stewart, author of Martha's Entertaining: A Year of Celebration, appears on Friday, November 11, 2011 at 7:00 PM at Unity Temple on The Plaza.

Colby and Meghan Garrelts, authors of bluestem: the cookbook, appear on Wednesday, November 16, 2011 at 5:30 PM at Studio Dan Meiners. 

Christopher Paolini, author of Inheritance, appears on Monday, November 21, 2011, at 7:00 PM at Unity Temple on The Plaza.

 

 

   
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Volume 549September 12, 2011

Greetings!

 

New Thursday Hours!

 

We are very excited that we have a full Calendar of Community Author Events this fall.  Many of these Author Events will be on Thursday evenings, so we have decided that our New Weekday Hours will be 10:00 AM until 6:00 PM, including Thursdays.  This improvement will enable us to fully staff some very important Author Events that are on Thursday evenings.  Our Saturday Hours will remain 10:00 AM until 5:00 PM.  Sundays our Staff is away with family and friends for relaxation and reading.  As always, our Website is Open for you 24 Hours a Day.  Thank You for being faithful & loyal Rainy Day Books Customers.  Vivien Jennings & Roger Doeren

Tuesday night: Vanessa Diffenbaugh discusses The Language of Flowers 


   

Vanessa Diffenbaugh  

Vanessa Diffenbaugh     

The Language of Flowers    

Tuesday, September 13, 2011 at 7:00 PM at Unity Temple on The Plaza.

 

In this touching debut novel, a damaged foster child named Victoria turns 18.  Can she learn to love and forgive through the "language of flowers"? 

 

"Enchanting" - The Washington Post 

"Captivating" - The Minneapolis Star-Tribune 

"Lucid and lovely" - The Wall Street Journal 

 

All attendees will receive a miniature rose plant courtesy of Hen House Market.  One lucky patron will win a beautiful floral arrangement.  

 

 Full details available on our Website.

 

Tuesday Night: David Stokes discusses The Shooting Salvationist  


   

David Stokes  

David Stokes      

The Shooting Salvationist     

Tuesday, September 13, 2011 at 7:00 PM at Johnson County Library, Blue Valley Branch.

 

The Shooting Salvationist chronicles what may be the most famous story you have never heard. In the 1920's, the Reverend J. Frank Norris railed against vice and conspiracies he saw everywhere to a congregation of more than 10,000 at First Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas, the largest congregation in America, the first "megachurch." Norris controlled a radio station, a tabloid newspaper and a valuable tract of land in downtown Fort Worth. Constantly at odds with the oil boomtown's civic leaders, he aggressively defended his activism, observing, "John the Baptist was into politics." Following the death of William Jennings Bryan, Norris was a national figure poised to become the leading fundamentalist in America. This changed, however, in a moment of violence one sweltering Saturday in July when he shot and killed an unarmed man in his church office. Norris was indicted for murder and, if convicted, would be executed in the state of Texas' electric chair. At a time when newspaper wire services and national retailers were unifying American popular culture as never before, Norris' murder trial was front-page news from coast to coast. Set during the Jazz Age, when Prohibition was the law of the land, The Shooting Salvationist leads to a courtroom drama pitting some of the most powerful lawyers of the era against each other with the life of a wildly popular, and equally loathed, religious leader hanging in the balance.

 

Listen to an NPR interview with David Stokes 

 

Full details available on our Website.

 

Wednesday night: Ellen Hopkins discusses Perfect   


   

Ellen Hopkins  

Ellen Hopkins       

Perfect      

Wednesday, September 14, 2011 at 6:30 PM at Johnson County Library, Central Resource Branch.

 

Everyone has something, someone, somewhere else that they'd rather be. For four high-school seniors, their goals of perfection are just as different as the paths they take to get there. Cara's parents' unrealistic expectations have already sent her twin brother Conner spiraling toward suicide. For her, perfect means rejecting their ideals to take a chance on a new kind of love. Kendra covets the perfect face and body-no matter what surgeries and drugs she needs to get there. To score his perfect home run-on the field and off-Sean will sacrifice more than he can ever win back. And Andre realizes to follow his heart and achieve his perfect performance, he'll be living a life his ancestors would never understand. Everyone wants to be perfect, but when perfection loses its meaning, how far will you go? What would you give up to be perfect? A riveting and startling companion to the bestselling Impulse, Ellen Hopkins's Perfect exposes the harsh truths about what it takes to grow up and grow into our own skins, our own selves.  

 

Full details available on our Website.

 

Wednesday Night: Jillian Mass Backman discusses Beyond The Pews   


   

JillianMaasBackman  

Jillian Maas Backman       

Beyond The Pews      

Wednesday, September 14, 2011 at 7:00 PM at Unity Temple on The Plaza.

 

In this "interactive biography" the acclaimed Intuitive Life Facilitator and award winning radio host Jillian Maas Backman has woven the remarkable story of her life into a working lesson plan. The book guides readers along a journey of self-discovery and offers them valuable ways to connect to their own intuitive abilities. Beyond The Pews is part poetry, part biography, and complete guide to personal and natural soulful communications. Interactive sections help readers understand their own faith experiences and explore their spiritual intuition while respecting religious doctrine. As an intuitive explorer, Maas Backman encourages readers to seek and embrace their own true essence and ignite the divine grace which exists within. Through a series of exercises included in Beyond the Pews, readers create a personal "Spiritual Intuitive Handbook." The responses to each "soul lesson" are recorded in the book. As the lessons progress, the reader gains a clear understanding of the how to develop and use intuitive language.  

 

Full details available on our Website. 

 

Thursday Night: Stacy Schiff discusses Cleopatra: A Life 


   

Stacy Schiff  

A Book Club Evening featuring Stacy Schiff        

Cleopatra: A Life       

Thursday, September 15, 2011 at 7:00 PM at Unity Temple on The Plaza.

 

The Pulitzer Prize-Winning biographer Stacy Schiff brings to life the most intriguing woman in the history of the world: Cleopatra, the last queen of Egypt.   Her palace shimmered with onyx, garnets, and gold, but was richer still in political and sexual intrigue.   Above all else, Cleopatra was a shrewd strategist and an ingenious negotiator.

 

What do you think of when you hear the name Cleopatra?  

 

This Book Club Evening will begin with a presentation by Vivien Jennings, Founder & President of Rainy Day Books.  Vivien will present a series of recommendations for Book Clubs. This introductory segment starts at 6:30 PM.  Stacy Schiff's program will follow.

 

 Full details available on our Website.

 

Saturday: The Casserole Queens!  


   

Casserole Queens  

Crystal Cook & Sandy Pollock, AKA The Casserole Queens 

The Casserole Queens Cookbook        

Saturday, September 17, 2011 at 11:30 AM at Unity Temple on The Plaza.

 

The Casserole Queens are co-sponsored by Hen House Market.  All guests will receive samples of Tippins Pie, and one lucky guest will win a $100.00 Gift Card courtesy of Hen House Market.

 

The Casserole Queens will discuss cooking techniques, including a demonstration and a question and answer session.  A booksigning follows the program.

 

Check out The Casserole Queens' Website at www.CasseroleQueens.com 

 

Check out The Casserole Queens and Bobby Flay in a Throwndown Chicken Pot Pie on the Food Network 

 

Full details available on our Website.

 

NEXT MONDAY: Rosemary Wells signs Kindergators: Hands Off, Harry! 


   

Rosemary Wells  

Rosemary Wells    

Kindergators: Hands Off, Harry!   

NEW VENUE: Monday, September 19, 2011 at 4:00 PM at The Village Presbyterian Church, Friendship Hall.

 

Rosemary Wells is the creator of many unforgettable children's book characters, including Max & Ruby, McDuff, and Yoko, each of whom stars in their own Book Series.

 

Purchase a copy of Kindergators: Hands Off, Harry! and meet Rosemary Wells as she signs Books for her readers and fans!

 

Full details available on our Website.

 

 IndieNext Book of the Week

Each week we spotlight one book from the month's IndieNext List (a collection of recommendations by indie booksellers across the country). Ask for a copy of the IndieNext newsletter at our front counter or click to browse them online

 

The Night Circus The Night Circus
Erin Morgenstern

Hardcover, Doubleday IndieNext

 

"This elegant debut is a striking example of a nostalgic yet modern fairy tale. When two competing magicians lay a wager as to which can mold the more powerful protege, they opt to use a fantastical traveling wonderland -- The Night Circus -- as the venue for the competition. What is meant to be a battle of magical skills evolves into something much deeper as apprentices Celia and Marco enchant not only the circus around them, but also each other. The real conflict arises when the two realize how the competition is meant to end and they set about trying to change their predestined fate. I adored diving into Morgenstern's mesmerizing world and mourned when I reached the end." -- Whitney Spotts, Schuler Books and Music, Lansing, MI

 

Click here for more about this Book.

NEW AND NOTABLE BOOKS,
ON OUR SHELVES NOW!

Staff Picks of the week

Each week we like to showcase a few of the great books on our shelves. Here are just a few titles we think are special:

 

Fiction

 

The Leftovers

The Leftovers

Bookseller Seal

Tom Perrotta 

Hardcover,  

St Martin's Press

 

What if-whoosh, right now, with no explanation-a number of us simply vanished? Would some of us collapse? Would others of us go on, one foot in front of the other, as we did before the world turned upside down? That's what the bewildered citizens of Mapleton, who lost many of their neighbors, friends and lovers in the event known as the Sudden Departure, have to figure out. Because nothing has been the same since it happened-not marriages, not friendships, not even the relationships between parents and children. Kevin Garvey, Mapleton's new mayor, wants to speed up the healing process, to bring a sense of renewed hope and purpose to his traumatized community. Kevin's own family has fallen apart in the wake of the disaster: his wife, Laurie, has left to join the Guilty Remnant, a homegrown cult whose members take a vow of silence; his son, Tom, is gone, too, dropping out of college to follow a sketchy prophet named Holy Wayne. Only Kevin's teenaged daughter, Jill, remains, and she's definitely not the sweet "A" student she used to be. Kevin wants to help her, but he's distracted by his growing relationship with Nora Durst, a woman who lost her entire family on October 14th and is still reeling from the tragedy, even as she struggles to move beyond it and make a new start.

Read more. 

 

 

On Canaan's SideOn Canaan's Side  

Sebastian Barry  

Hardcover, Viking   

 

Told in the first person, as a narrative of Lilly Bere's life over seventeen days, On Canaan's Side opens as she mourns the loss of her grandson, Bill. Lilly revisits her past, going back to the moment she was forced to flee Ireland, at the end of the First World War, and continues her tale in America, a world filled with both hope and danger. At once epic and intimate, Lilly's story unfolds as she tries to make sense of the sorrows and troubles of her life and of the people whose lives she has touched. Spanning nearly seven decades, from the Great Depression to World War II and the Vietnam War, it is the heartbreaking story of a woman whose capability to love is enormous, and whose compassion, even for those who have wronged her, is astonishing.  Read more. 

 

 

A Scattered Life A Scattered Life  

Karen McQuestion    

Paperback, Mariner

 

Free-spirit Skyla Plinka has found the love and stability she always wanted in her reliable husband Thomas. Settling into her new family and roles as wife and mother, life in rural Wisconsin is satisfying, but can't seem to quell Skyla's growing sense of restlessness. Her only reprieve is her growing friendship with neighbor Roxanne, who has five kids (and counting) and a life in constant disarray - but also a life filled with laughter and love. Much to the dismay of her intrusive mother-in-law, Audrey, Skyla takes a part-time job at the local bookstore and slowly begins to rediscover her voice, independence and confidence. Throughout one pivotal year in the life of Skyla, Audrey and Roxanne, all three very different women will learn what it means to love unconditionally. Read more. 

 

Nonfiction:

 

Tension City

Tension City: Inside the Presidential Debates, from Kennedy-Nixon to Obama-McCain

Jim Lehrer 

Hardcover, Random House

 

 From the man widely hailed as "the Dean of Moderators" comes a lively and revealing book that pulls back the curtain on more than forty years of televised political debate in America. A veteran newsman who has presided over eleven presidential and vice-presidential debates, Jim Lehrer gives readers a ringside seat for some of the epic political battles of our time, shedding light on all of the critical turning points and rhetorical faux pas that helped determine the outcome of America's presidential elections-and with them the course of history. Drawing on his own experiences as "the man in the middle seat," in-depth interviews with the candidates and his fellow moderators, and transcripts of key exchanges, Lehrer isolates and illuminates what he calls the "Major Moments" and "killer questions" that defined the debates, from Kennedy-Nixon to Obama-McCain.  Read more. 

 

 

Blood Feud

Blood Feud  

Kathleen Sharp

Hardcover, Dutton   

 

"Blood Feud rivals Jonathan Harr's A Civil Action for best non-fiction book of the past twenty years. In Sharp's more-than-capable hands, this complex story of a justice-driven drug salesman going up against Big Pharma's greed and deception is irresistible. Blood Feud should be required reading for anyone interested in the business of medicine and in Big Pharma's questionable drug therapies. If that's not your thing, then simply read it as a high-stakes legal thriller. But whatever you do, get your hands on this book and read it - Blood Feud is nothing short of simply great." - John Lescroart Read more. 

 

America's Quarterback

America's Quarterback: Bart Starr and the Rise of the National Football League

Keith Dunnavant 

Hardcover, Thomas Dunne Books

 

 No one can touch Bart Starr's record setting 5 NFL Championships including 3 straight. America's Quarterback tells the story of the man who helped create the legend of Vince Lombardi and the Green Bay Packers. Set against the changing landscape of the last half of the 20th century, this biography traces Starr's life from childhood in Alabama to stardom in Green Bay and beyond. Not a simple sports story, Dunnavant traces the story of one man reaching for the American dream while professional football emerged from the shadows to capture the nation's imagination. It's a story of the tension between a coach and a player as different as fire and ice, and how they came to trust and revere each other. It's a story of triumph tempered by tragedy, and the world-class athlete who quietly, persistently, achieved a level of greatness unsurpassed by any quarterback since.  Read more.  

 

 

Children's Books: 

 

Ashes Ashes

Ilsa Bick    

Hardcover, Egmont   

 An electromagnetic pulse flashes across the sky, destroying every electronic device, wiping out every computerized system, and killing billions. Alex hiked into the woods to say good-bye to her dead parents and her personal demons. Now desperate to find out what happened after the pulse crushes her to the ground, Alex meets up with Tom-a young soldier-and Ellie, a girl whose grandfather was killed by the EMP. For this improvised family and the others who are spared, it's now a question of who can be trusted and who is no longer human. Read more. 

 

  

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Thank You for supporting Your Community Bookseller, Rainy Day Books

We celebrated 35 years of bookselling on November 4, 2010.  It is a celebration of our Legacy of Literacy: 35 years of helping match readers to great books, bringing famous and soon-to-be-famous names to Kansas City, and enjoying the excitement of sharing so many experiences.

Take the time to tell someone new about Rainy Day Books.  Each book that you purchase at Rainy Day Books makes Rainy Day Books a place authors ask to visit, a vibrant part of Kansas City's arts community, and a bookstore where people love books enough to talk about them all day long.  Please encourage your fellow readers to sign up for this E-Newsletter.  We have an exciting schedule of upcoming Author Events, and this is the first place to hear about them!  We also take Orders for Author Autographed Books, so your friends far and wide can share in the experience.

 

Rainy Day Books is located in The Fairway Shops, at the intersection of Shawnee Mission Parkway and Belinder Road.  Our address is 2706 W 53rd Street, Fairway, Kansas (KS) 66205.

 

Get directions to Rainy Day Books and our Event venues by clicking here. 

 

Store Hours: Mon/Tue/Wed/Fri 10 AM to 6 PM, Thu 10 AM to 7 PM, Sat 10 AM to 5 PM, and Sundays we rest and read.

 

When you shop at Rainy Day Books you're a part of our Legacy of Literacy for Kansas City.  We provide full service, knowledgeable recommendations and priceless Author Event experiences, all at a fair price.  To our customers, 

thank you for your support.

 

We look forward to seeing you soon!

 

Vivien Jennings & Roger Doeren  


Vivien, Roger, and all of your friends at Rainy Day Books