The Phoenix Review
November 2009
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Dear Friends, The leaves may be falling off the trees and blowing away, but it's time for the rest of us to huddle around a warm fire and, later in the month, to gather around a family feast. It's also time to start thinking about what we're grateful for, and here at Phoenix Books we're grateful for you: that you continue to support your community by choosing to shop local and independent. Thank you. Read on, and you'll find that our packed schedule of events continues through November. Mystery fans and knitters are both in for a treat this month, and neither parents nor teachers will want to miss a discussion on how to help children define themselves as individuals, despite stereotypes. We've also included the newest flavors from our cafe, some of the newest titles on our shelves, and a special announcement about autographed books. We hope you enjoy learning all about them! Sincerely,
The staff of Phoenix Books PS: Just like last month, many of the nonfiction, children's, and humor titles featured below are 15% off when purchased in-store! (While supplies last.) |
 NOVEMBER EVENTS
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A Thrilling Mystery, Chilling Stereotypes, Warming Knits
Our Open Mic Night will take place on Wednesday, November 4th, from 6:00-8:00 pm.
Come check out the local talent at your local, independent bookstore!
Want to be the local talent? Call 872-7111 and ask for Michael to sign
up.
On Saturday, November 7th at 3:00 pm, Ron Krupp will discuss his new book, Lifting the Yoke: Local Solutions to America's Farm and Food Crisis. "...you
are sure to find inspiration in this book, thick with examples of
grassroots efforts focused on putting people, integrity, and real food
back into America's food consciousness," says Meghan Sheridan of the Vermont Fresh Network.
Our Knit Nights (Crocheters, too!) will be on Wednesday, November 11th, from 6:00-8:00 pm. All skill levels welcome. See you there!
 On  Thursday, November 12th, at 7:00 pm, we're excited to welcome celebrated Vermont author Archer Mayor. He'll read from and autograph The Price of Malice; this is the latest of his Joe Gunther novels, which the Chicago Tribune has described as "the best police procedurals being written in America."
On Friday, November 13th at 7:00 pm, VPR newscaster Steve Delaney will read from and autograph his new work of fiction, Kevin: The Last Invisible Vermonter.
 On Sunday, November 15th at 2:00 pm, Sharon Lamb will discuss parenting in a world of gender stereotypes. Lamb is a Distinguished Professor of Mental Health at UMass Boston, and the author of Packaging Boyhood: Saving Our Sons from Superheroes, Slackers, and Other Media Stereotypes and Packaging Girlhood: Rescuing Our Daughters from Marketers' Schemes.
 On Tuesday, November 17th at 6:30 pm, the folks from the Green Mountain Spinnery will visit Phoenix to share their new book, 99 Yarns and Counting, as well as samples of their natural fiber yarn. Bring your knitting needles!
On Thursday, November 19th at 6:30 pm, internationally known channel Nasrin Safai will return to Phoenix. Join us in getting focused for the holidays through a guided meditation and channeling session. Because of the time and effort to conduct the session we will ask for a
$5 cover charge which will be credited towards any purchases of Nasrin's
books and jewelry.
Visit our website for more info. Events at Phoenix are free and open to the public.
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THE CAFE AT PHOENIX
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Good Cheer by the Cup
The air is getting nippy, and Halloween has already kicked off the fall holiday season... As soon as the autumn chill arrives, we can't help but crave our three favorite seasonal beverages: Italian Eggnog Cappuccino, Grandma's Hot Gingerbread
Latte, and Candy Cane Mocha. Yum...now that's hot, steamy comfort in a cup.
Of course, if you're craving something different - or even something entirely unique - we're happy to custom-craft your coffee/espresso beverage. Just let us know what you're jonesing for, and we'll whip up an eye-opening (or decaf) concoction on the spot.
If you aim to nourish as well as indulge, our rotating soup menu includes such temptations as Chicken Pot Pie Soup, Savory Beef & Barley, Hearty Mashed Potato
& Cheddar, Creamy Tomato Bisque, and Velvet Nutty-Pumpkin. Stop by and see what we're offering today. And as
always, our meal-sized sandwiches are hot, toasty, and handmade to
order!
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ON THE SHELVES
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A Special Announcement!
Phoenix Books and Cafe is currently in possession of a variety of autographed books, including some first editions! We have a finite number of copies of each of these autographed titles for sale, so if you're interested, don't delay!
From home-grown writers to national bestsellers, we have too many to list, but here are some of the authors whose signatures could be gracing the title page of your next book!
- Mary Azarian (assorted titles)
- Harry Bliss (assorted titles, including Death By Laughter)
- Joe Citro (assorted)
- Ron Currie, Jr. (Everything Matters!)
- Rusty DeWees (Scrawlins)
- E. L. Doctorow (Homer & Langley)
- Rita Dove (Sonata Mulattica)
- Vincent Feeney (Finnigans, Slaters, and Stonepeggers)
- Stephen Huneck (assorted)
- Woody Jackson (2010 Woody Jackson Cowlender)
- Joseph Kanon (Stardust)
- Brad Kessler (Goat Song)
- Reif Larsen (Selected Works of T. S. Spivet)
- Kate Messner (The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z.)
- Sarah Waters (Little Stranger)
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NONFICTION
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In-Depth Explorations of Basic Needs
 The Ascent of Money, by Niall Ferguson
A richly original look at the origins of money and how it makes the world go 'round.
Niall
Ferguson follows the money to tell the human story behind the evolution
of our financial system, from its genesis in ancient Mesopotamia to the
latest upheavals. Ferguson argues that the evolution of credit and debt was as important
as any technological innovation in the rise of civilization. As he traces the crisis from ancient Egypt's Memphis to today's
Chongqing, he offers bold and compelling new insights into the rise -
and fall - of not just money but Western power as well.
 The Invention of Air, by Steven Johnson
"succeeds like a shot of the purest oxygen" --Publishers Weekly
National
bestselling author Steven Johnson tells the fascinating story of Joseph
Priestley - scientist and theologian, friend of Thomas Jefferson - an eighteenth-century radical thinker who
played pivotal roles in the invention of ecosystem science, the
discovery of oxygen, the founding of the Unitarian Church, and the
intellectual development of the United States. Johnson uses a dramatic historical story to
explore themes that have long engaged him: innovation and the way new
ideas emerge and spread, and the environments that foster these
breakthroughs.
 Simple Shelters, by Jonathan Horning
An introduction to the construction & history shelters.
Shelter is one of our most basic needs, and
throughout history mankind has been highly inventive in meeting it. Simple Shelters introduces the principal types of wooden and
stick-frame structures built around the world, examining how their
shape and form reflect climatic, utilitarian, cultural and cosmological considerations. Horning explores materials and construction principles from the
circular homes of the nomads, to the rectangular ones favored by settled
people, to the geodesic experiments of the twentieth
century.
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HUMOR
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The Evolution of the Funny Bone
 Why We Suck: A Feel Good Guide to Staying Fat, Loud, Lazy, and Stupid, by Dr. Denis Leary
A New York Times Bestseller
One of America's most original and biting comic satirists, Denis Leary
takes on all the poseurs, politicians, and pop culture icons who have
sucked in public for far too long. Proudly Irish-American, defiantly working
class, with a reserve of compassion for the underdog and the
overlooked, Leary delivers blistering diatribes that are both
penetrating social commentary with no holds barred and laugh-out-loud
funny.
 The Darwin Awards Next Evolution, by Wendy Northcutt
Chlorinating the Gene Pool
Wendy Northcutt is back, asking, "Have we evolved at all?" The answer: Not all of us. What crazy cocktail of DNA leads Homo sapiens to do pull-ups off the
edge of a seventh-floor balcony? How about offering a beer to a bear or
self-testing a Taser? Why not go joyriding in a shopping cart strapped
to an SUV or jump a drawbridge on a bicycle? This volume is fully illustrated
with over a hundred new jaw-dropping and side-splitting feats of
stupidity - and includes science essays by guest writers and answers to
FAQs about evolution in action.
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RAISING PASSIONATE READERS
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A Pick for Parents, and Two for Teens
 Everything I Need to Know I Learned from a Children's Book, by Anita Silvey
What children's book changed the way you see the world? Anita Silvey
asked this question to more than one hundred of our most respected and
admired leaders in society, and she learned about the books that shaped
financiers, actors, singers, athletes, activists, artists, comic book
creators, novelists, illustrators, teachers... The lessons they recall
are inspiring, instructive, and illuminating. And the books they
remember resonate as influential reading choices for families.
 Tempted, by P. C. Cast
The latest in the House of Night series.
You'd think after banishing an immortal being and a fallen High
Priestess, saving Stark's life, biting Heath, getting a headache from
Erik, and almost dying, Zoey Redbird would catch a break. Sadly, a
break is not in the House of Night school forecast for the High
Priestess in training and her gang. The dark force lurking in the tunnels under the Tulsa Depot is
spreading, and Zoey is beginning to believe Stevie Rae could be
responsible for a lot more than a group of misfit red fledglings.
Will Zoey have the courage to chance losing her life,
her heart, and her soul?
 The Patron Saint of Butterflies, by Cecilia Galante
A powerful story of faith, doubt, abuse, and above all, friendship.
Agnes and Honey have been best friends for as long as they can
remember. But everything is about to change, from their friendship to
the only home they've ever known: a religious commune called Mount
Blessing. Agnes loves being a believer and following the rules of the
commune, but Honey has started to rebel. Then, when Agnes and Honey
experience the outside world (on the run, no less), their friendship is
tested further. After all, when everything you've ever known turns out
to be a lie, how do you find the truth?
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BOOK CLUB PICK OF THE MONTH
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The Wordy Shipmates, by Sarah Vowell
 This staff pick is now out in paperback! Nora says, "Sarah Vowell's The Wordy Shipmates
introduces you to the Massachusetts Bay Colony Pilgrims. Now, you may
be saying, 'geez, like I want to read about those folks.' But trust me,
this is a fascinating look into the backbone of what shapes our society
today. From the struggle to separate church and state, to the early roots of our countries interventionist policies, her keen insight and tremendous humor make history enjoyably readable and relevant to our lives today. "
Did you know? Book clubs are eligible for a 15% discount on books ordered from Phoenix! At least five copies must be ordered, and all copies must be purchased through your book club's coordinator, for discount to apply.
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