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In this issue...
Phoenix Books Burlington Grand Opening
Open Studio Weekend: Featured Artists
Open Studio Weekend: Art Demos
Llama Llama - 20% Off!
May Events
Herbal Pick
Paperback Fiction
Hardcover Fiction
Moms & Dads
Memoirs
Young Adult & Middle Reader
Raising Passionate Readers
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May Events:
5/9 - Knit Night - Crocheters, too! (Essex)

5/12 - Kids Day (offsite in Burlington)

5/26-27 - Open Studio Weekend (Essex)

 

 Grand Opening of Phoenix Books Burlington!

Mark your Calendar for  June 9th and 10th!

We'll let you know as soon as Phoenix Books Burlington is open for business.  In the meantime, we'd like to invite you to a weekend-long celebration of the opening, with appearances by some of your favorite local authors!  Keep an eye out on our website and in our June newsletter for more info.  
 
 Featured Artists
Spring Open Studio Weekend 2012
Join us throughout open studio weekend - and especially at our Saturday evening reception -  to admire the work of these artists.

On May 26th and 27th (Memorial Day weekend), Phoenix Books Essex will open a new art exhibit featuring the work of these artists.  The exhibit will remain up through July.

  


Lucia Chiu
Chinese Calligraphy and Watercolor
by Lucia Chiu
Lucia was born in China.  She started learning Chinese calligraphy from her father at an early age.  With the early good brush skill training, she later learned Chinese traditional painting from other artists.  The fundamental component of Chinese paintings is the line, as it is in Chinese calligraphy.  Lucia lives in South Burlington. 

Carol Sullivan
Photographs of the Natural World
Dottie's Nest, by Carol Sullivan
Carol Sullivan's exploration into photography began as a teenager.
Photography allows her to combine her love of nature with her passion for artistic expression. Carol seeks the signs of the natural world in her surroundings, be they deep in a forest, along a country lane or in the vivid colors and
simple beauty of fruits and vegetables. Carol's work has been published in local magazines including Vermont Life.


Carol Truesdell
Vermont Scenes, Architecture, Portraits, and Whimsy
by Carol Truesdell
Carol J. Truesdell is a photo artist based in Underhill Center, Vermont. Carol's
images begin as RAW digital photographs that are juxtaposed to create a new image- a photomontage - that is intended to look more painterly than photographic. Carol has created a series of images to celebrate spring and summer, called "Flower Hats". "I must confess that as a child I loved to dress my pets up in doll clothes," says Carol. "From this exhibit you can see that not much has changed except I'm now dressing them digitally."
 
 
   
 Art Demos on Open Studio Weekend!
Spring Open Studio Weekend 2012
Join us in our cafe for a friendly and inspiring demo with an artist from the Essex Art League.

On May 26th and 27th (Memorial Day weekend), Phoenix Books Essex will be home to several demos by Essex Art League artists. Here are the demos we have scheduled so far.  Keep an eye out for more info later in the month!

Hattie Saville
Watercolor
Saturday 5/26 at 11:00am 

David Goodrich
Ink Drawing
Saturday at 3:30pm
David Goodrich works in pen-and-ink (often with watercolor) and oil.  He's primarily self-taught.  You might have seen his work at Frog Hollow in Burlington, as well as at craft shows and farmers' markets.

Lynn Cummings
Painting the Negative Spaces in Watercolor
Sunday at 11:00am
Lynn Cummings is a watercolor painter who lives with her family in South Burlington.  Her love of color and nature are evident in her brilliant florals, botanicals, and landscapes.  She and her family enjoy travelling, and many of her paintings are based on subjects from their travels throughout the US, Latin America, and abroad.

Donna McDermid
Sculpting with
Felted Wool
Sunday at 12:30pm
Born in Canada, Donna McDermid moved to Vermont 11 years ago. It is here that she was introduced to the fascinating world of wool and felting. Always an avid crafter and artist, "It is through the manipulation of raw fibers," she says, "that I am able to 'sculpt' and 'paint' and thereby bring to life the world around me, both real and imagined."

Lucia Chiu
Chinese Calligraphy and Watercolor
Sunday at 2:00pm
by Lucia Chiu
Lucia was born in China.  She started learning Chinese calligraphy from her father at an early age.  With the early good brush skill training, she later learned Chinese traditional painting from other artists.  The fundamental component of Chinese paintings is the line, as it is in Chinese calligraphy.  Lucia lives in South Burlington.
   
kidspicks  20% Off
May is Llama  Llama Month!

cover image
Local author! 
Great for Mother's Day!


The creator of the
Llama Llama books is author/illustrator Anna Dewdney.  She has two wonderful daughters, and lives and works in a very old house in Vermont.  The Llama Llama books follow Llama Llama
as he grows up.  Whether learning how to be brave in the dark, battling shopping boredom, or braving his first day of preschool, he can always rely on Mama for her love and guidance!

   

Hungry? Thirsty?

A Hot, Frothy Cappuccino
Stop by the Cafe at Phoenix for a meal, a snack, or a custom-crafted beverage of your choice!

Make the Connection   Follow me on Twitter

 
    
Thank you for choosing local and indie!
Books! 
Store Hours:
Mon-Fri: 9am-8pm
Saturday:  10am-8pm
Sunday:    11am-6pm

at the Essex
Shoppes & Cinema
21 Essex Way #407
Essex, VT 05452
802.872.7111
Join Our Mailing List!
 May 2012
Dear Friends, 

We continue to hear from you how excited you are about our upcoming downtown location.  Thank you!  We can't tell you how much your enthusiasm means to us.
 
You might have heard that we've embraced a Community Sustained Enterprise model, similar to that used by Claire's Restaurant in Hardwick. This model consists of a community of individuals who pledge to support a company by pre-buying a package of goods directly from the company. It is born out of the CSA (community supported agriculture) model.
 
If you're interested in seeing a vibrant, independent bookstore in Burlington, we'd like to invite you to sign up for one of two levels of membership:
  • Pre-buy $1,000 worth of store credit to be used over time in the store.
  • Contribute $100, which will buy a 5-year book club membership offering a 10 percent discount on merchandise.
Both options will be good for purchases at both Phoenix Books locations and will allow members of the community to provide upfront capital that will help to ensure the long-term viability of this company.  To become a supporter of Phoenix Books, please visit JoinPhoenix.com.  If you would like to do even more, please contact Renee at raise@phoenixbooks.biz to find out other ways that you can help to make this a success.
 
In this issue of the Phoenix Review, you'll find our favorite new titles for all ages, as well as invitations to two events.  Kids Day, on May 12th, celebrates the younger members of our community, whereas Spring Open Studio Weekend celebrates the remarkable pool of artistic talent in Vermont.  We hope to see you there!

Sincerely,

Mike, Renee, Beth, Billy, Colleen, Donna, Evelyn, Heather, Josh, Kari, Kathy, Katie, Kit, Kristen, Leigh Ann, Nick D., Nick L., Phil, Rachel F., Rachel M., Rachel O., Sarah, Scout, Sean, Tod, and Ziya


kidspicks  YOU'RE INVITED TO...  

Kids Day
Skippy Jon Jones
Saturday, May 12th
Offsite - Battery Park, Burlington

Look for our booth at Kids Day in Burlington's Battery Park!  Make a craft and check out our book display. Plus, we'll have an appearance by Skippy Jon Jones!  

Vermont's largest children's festival, with attendance of up to 5,000, Kids Day is a community-wide collaboration between schools, service organizations, businesses, families, performers, volunteers, and other individuals dedicated to recognizing the value and importance of our young people, celebrating their individual differences and abilities, and encouraging them to look forward responsibly to the world they will inherit. Learn more about the event at the official site. 

  

Open Studio WeekendSpring Open Studio Weekend 2012
May 26th and 27th
Phoenix Books Essex
 

Come meet the artists at our reception to celebrate the Vermont Crafts Council's Spring Open Studio Weekend at The Gallery at Phoenix Books. Light fare provided. Reception is open to the public. Join us for a fun evening and check out some local talent! 

 

We'll be featuring the work of artists Lucia Chiu, Carol Sullivan, and Carol Truesdell.  You can find out more about these artists and see images of their work in the sidebar at left. 

 

Throughout Spring Open Studio Weekend, The Gallery at Phoenix Books will host several demos by Essex Art League artists.  These demos are laid back and friendly, and we invite you to enjoy a drink from our cafe while appreciating the depth and breadth of talent that exists among our local artists!  Whether you're an artist yourself or simply an enthusiast, please join us!  You can find out more about our demo schedule in the sidebar at left.



kidspicks  NEW FROM ROSEMARY GLADSTAR
Vermont's Own "Godmother of American Herbalism"


Rosemary Gladstar's Medicinal Herbs:A Beginner's Guide
Kristen's staff pick!
Rosemary Gladstar's Medicinal Herbs

With Rosemary Gladstar's expert advice, anyone can make their own herbal remedies for common ailments, such as aloe lotion for poison ivy, dandelion-burdock tincture for sluggish digestion, and lavender-lemon balm tea for stress relief. Gladstar profiles 33 of the most common and versatile healing plants and then shows you exactly how to grow, harvest, prepare, and use them. Stock your home medicine chest with safe, all-natural, low-cost herbal preparations, and enjoy better health!

 
Did you kn
Rosemary Gladstarow...?  

Rosemary Gladstar is a renowned herbal teacher and practitioner with more than 35 years of experience working with herbs. She's the author of Rosemary Gladstar's Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health and Herbal Healing for Women,  director of the International Herb Symposium and the annual Women's Herbal Conference, cofounder of the Traditional Medicinal Tea Company, and founding president of the nonprofit United Plant Savers. She lives in Orange, Vermont.

  

 


kidspicks  PAPERBACK FICTION PICKS
Stories of Sports and Sisterhood


The Art of Fielding, by Chad Harbach 

At Westish College, baseball star Henry Skrimshander seems destined for big league until a routine throw goes disastrously off course. In the aftermath of his error, the fates of five people are upended. Henry's fight against self-doubt threatens to ruin his future. College president Guert Affenlight has fallen unexpectedly and helplessly in love. Owen Dunne becomes caught up in a dangerous affair. Mike Schwartz realizes he has guided Henry's career at the expense of his own. And Pella Affenlight returns to Westish after escaping an ill-fated marriage, determined to start a new life. As the season counts down to its climactic final game, these five are forced to confront their deepest hopes, anxieties, and secrets.

  

Shelter, by Frances Greenslade
Release Date:  May 15th

For sisters Maggie and Jenny growing up in the Pacific mountains in the early 1970s, life felt nearly perfect. But not long after Maggie's tenth birthday, their father is killed in a logging accident, and a few months later, their mother abruptly drops the girls at a neighbor's house, promising to return. She never does. With deep compassion and sparkling prose, Frances Greenslade's mesmerizing debut takes us inside the devastation and extraordinary strength of these two girls as they are propelled from the quiet, natural freedom in which they were raised to a world they can't begin to fathom. 

 

kidspicks  HARDCOVER FICTION PICKS
Vampires, Dark Towers, and Fairy Tales


Deadlocked: A Sookie Stackhouse Novel,  by Charlaine Harris  

It's vampire politics as usual around the town of Bon Temps, but never before have they hit so close to Sookie's heart.... Growing up with telepathic abilities, Sookie Stackhouse realized early on that there are things she'd rather not know. And now that she's an adult, she also realizes that some things she knows about, she'd rather not see--like Eric Northman feeding off another woman. A younger one. There's a thing or two she'd like to say about that, but she has to keep quiet--Felipe de Castro, the vampire King of Louisiana (and Arkansas and Nevada), is in town.  

  

The Wind Through the Keyhole: A Dark Tower Novel
,  
by Stephen King
 

King began the Dark Tower series in 1974; it gained momentum in the 1980s; and he brought it to a thrilling conclusion when the last three novels were published in 2003 and 2004. The Wind Through the Keyhole is sure to fascinate avid fans of the Dark Tower epic. But this novel also stands on its own for all readers, an enchanting and haunting journey to Roland's world and testimony to the power of Stephen King's storytelling magic. 

 

  

The Snow Child
, by Eowyn Ivey
Heather's staff pick!
 

Alaska, 1920: a brutal place to homestead, and especially tough for recent arrivals Jack and Mabel. Childless, they are drifting apart--he breaking under the weight of the work of the farm; she crumbling from loneliness and despair. In a moment of levity during the season's first snowfall, they build a child out of snow. The next morning the snow child is gone--but they glimpse a young, blonde-haired girl running through the trees. This little girl, who calls herself Faina, seems to be a child of the woods. She hunts with a red fox at her side, skims lightly across the snow, and somehow survives alone in the Alaskan wilderness. As Jack and Mabel struggle to understand this child who could have stepped from the pages of a fairy tale, they come to love her as their own daughter. But in this beautiful, violent place things are rarely as they appear, and what they eventually learn about Faina will transform all of them.

 

 

kidspicks  FOR MOMS AND DADS
Gratitude and Great Meals


The Mom 100 Cookbook, by Katie Workman 

cover imageIntroducing the lifesaving cookbook for every mother with kids at home--the book that solves the 20 most common cooking dilemmas. What's your predicament: breakfast on a harried school morning? Personalized Pizzas are not only fast but are nutritious, and hey, it doesn't get any better than pizza for breakfast. Kids making noise about the same old lunch? Three different Turkey Wraps, plus a Wrap Blueprint delivers enough variety to last for years. Katie Workman offers recipes, tips, techniques, attitude, and wisdom for staying happy in the kitchen while keeping it homemade--because homemade not only tastes best, but is also better (and most economical) for you. (Paperback.)

  

Love You, Dad,
by Melina Gerosa Bellows

A tiny little book with a great big message. Melina Gerosa Bellows, head of National Geographic Kids and Family, has written a simple and moving tribute that will touch the hearts of dads everywhere. Page after page is illustrated with heartwarming National Geographic photography of animal dads and animal kids. A perfect gift for celebrating Father's Day, becoming a new parent, or just to show your appreciation, Love You, Dad is a great way to show your dad how much you care. (Hardcover.)

 

 

  bioMEMOIRS
Journeys Personal and Geographic


Are You My Mother, by Alison Bechdel  Local Author! 

Alison Bechdel's Fun Home was a pop culture and literary phenomenon. Now, a second thrilling tale of filial sleuthery, this time about her mother: voracious reader, music lover, passionate amateur actor. Also a woman, unhappily married to a closeted gay man, whose artistic aspirations simmered under the surface of Bechdel's childhood . . . and who stopped touching or kissing her daughter good night, forever, when she was seven. Poignantly, hilariously, Bechdel embarks on a quest for answers concerning the mother-daughter gulf. It's a richly layered search that leads readers from the fascinating life and work of the iconic twentieth-century psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott, to one explosively illuminating Dr. Seuss illustration, to Bechdel's own (serially monogamous) adult love life. And, finally, back to Mother--to a truce that will move and astonish all adult children of gifted mothers. (Hardcover.)

  

Crossing the Borders of Time
, by Leslie Maitland 

On a pier in Marseille in 1942, with desperate refugees pressing to board one of the last ships to escape France before the Nazis choked off its ports, an 18-year-old German Jewish girl was pried from the arms of the Catholic Frenchman she loved and promised to marry. Five years later - her fierce desire to reunite with Roland first obstructed by war and then, in secret, by her father and brother - Janine would build a new life in New York with a dynamic American husband. Investigative reporter Leslie Maitland grew up enthralled by her mother's accounts of forbidden romance and harrowing flight from the Nazis. Her book is both a journalist's vivid depiction of a world at war and a daughter's pursuit of a haunting question: what had become of the handsome Frenchman whose picture her mother continued to treasure almost fifty years after they parted? (Hardcover.)

  

Nothing Daunted, by Dorothy Wickenden 

In the summer of 1916, Dorothy Woodruff and Rosamond Underwood, bored by society luncheons, charity work, and the effete men who courted them, left their families in Auburn, New York, to teach school in the wilds of northwestern Colorado. They lived with a family of homesteaders in the Elkhead Mountains and rode to school on horseback, often in blinding blizzards. The young cattle rancher who had lured them west, Ferry Carpenter, had promised them the adventure of a lifetime. He hadn't let on that they would be considered dazzling prospective brides for the locals. Nearly a hundred years later, Dorothy Wickenden, the granddaughter of Dorothy Woodruff, found the teachers' buoyant letters home, which captured the voices of the pioneer women, the children, and other unforgettable people the women got to know. (Paperback.) 

   


kidspicks  YOUNG ADULT & MIDDLE READER PICKS
Ordinary Kids and Teens in Extraordinary Circumstances

 

Bitterblue
by Kristin Cashore
Beth's, Tod's and Kristen's staff pick! 

Bitterblue cover imageEight years after Graceling, Bitterblue is now queen of Monsea. But the influence of her father, a violent psychopath with mind-altering abilities, lives on. Her advisers, who have run things since Leck died, believe in a forward-thinking plan: Pardon all who committed terrible acts under Leck's reign, and forget anything bad ever happened. But when Bitterblue begins sneaking outside the castle--disguised and alone--to walk the streets of her own city, she starts realizing that the kingdom has been under the thirty-five-year spell of a madman, and the only way to move forward is to revisit the past. Two thieves, who only steal what has already been stolen, change her life forever. They hold a key to the truth of Leck's reign. And one of them, with an extreme skill called a Grace that he hasn't yet identified, holds a key to her heart. (Young Adult Hardcover.)



 
The Obsidian Blade, cover imageby Pete Hautman 

The first time his father disappeared, Tucker Feye had just turned thirteen. The Reverend Feye simply climbed on the roof to fix a shingle, let out a scream, and vanished - only to walk up the driveway an hour later, looking older and worn, with a strange girl named Lahlia in tow. In the months that followed, Tucker watched his father grow distant and his once loving mother slide into madness. But then both of his parents disappear. Now in the care of his wild Uncle Kosh, Tucker begins to suspect that the disks of shimmering air he keeps seeing - one right on top of the roof - hold the answer to restoring his family. (Young Adult Hardcover.)

 
Wonder,  by R. J. Palacio 
Beth's staff pick! 

August (Auggie) Pullman was born with a facial deformity that prevented him from going to a mainstream school--until now. He's about to start 5th grade at Beecher Prep, and if you've ever been the new kid then you know how hard that can be. Auggie's just an ordinary kid, with an extraordinary face. Can he convince his new classmates that he's just like them, despite appearances? R. J. Palacio has written a spare, warm, uplifting story with wonderfully realistic family interactions (flawed, but loving), lively school scenes, and short chapters. (Middle Reader Hardcover.)

  

The Invadersby John Flanagan
Book two of the Brotherband Chronicles

Hal and the Herons have done the impossible. This group of outsiders has beaten out the strongest, most skilled young warriors in all of Skandia to win the Brotherband competition. But their celebration comes to an abrupt end when the Skandians' most sacred artifact, the Andomal, is stolen--and the Herons are to blame. To find redemption they must track down the thief Zavac and recover the Andomal. But that means traversing stormy seas, surviving a bitter winter, and battling a group of deadly pirates willing to protect their prize at all costs. (Middle Reader Hardcover.)    

 


kidspicks  RAISING PASSIONATE READERS
Picture Books We Love


The Obstinate Pen
, The Obstinate Pen cover
by Frank W. Dormer 
This is what Uncle Flood wants to write with his new pen: "The following story is all true." But the pen does not write that sentence. Instead it writes: "You have a big nose!" Who knows what to do with a pen that has a will of its own? Not Uncle Flood. Not Officer Wonkle. But young Horace has an idea. . . .
(Hardcover.)



A Bus Called Heaven,   by Bob Graham 

cover imageOne morning in front of Stella's house, an abandoned bus appears, looking sad as a whale on a beach. On its front, held up with packing tape, is a hand-painted sign that says Heaven. Right away, the bus brings change to Stella's street when people stop to talk about it instead of rushing by. And as Stella looks past all the empty bottles and cans inside, as she sees the sparrows nesting in the engine, she changes, too. With a master's eye for finding the magic in the mundane, Bob Graham creates a whimsical tale about neighbors of all ages and stripes coming together, and about one little girl who comes into her own. (Hardcover.) 

 


Oh No, George!
 
by Chris Haughton 

cover imageGeorge is a dog with all the best intentions. And his owner, Harry, has all the best hopes that George will be a well-behaved dog when he leaves him alone for the day. But when George spies a delicious cake sitting on the kitchen table, his resolve starts to waver. It's so hard to be a good dog when there are cats to chase and flowers to dig up! What ever will Harry say when he gets back? Chris Haughton's fetchingly funny story and vibrant, retro illustrations are sure to lure dog lovers of all ages - and anyone who has ever met a temptation too good to resist. (Hardcover.)