This is an exciting time in the store, with Holiday Selections arriving every day.  In addition to wonderful books, we have holiday cards, rolls of wrapping paper, and numerous other gift items and stocking stuffers to round out your lists.

Remember that our biggest Member Sale of the year is coming soon.  From December 4th-6th, almost every item in the store will be discounted for members.  Nearly all books and sideline items in our current inventory will be 20% off, and CDs and DVDs will be 15% off (some exclusions apply.)  It’s a great time to enjoy some savings, if you are already a member, and a great time to become a member or renew your membership, if you are not! 

If you have a friend or family member who loves books, you might give him or her a Politics & Prose Gift Membership -- a gift that gives all year.  Not only do we have many local members, but we also have members in 38 states outside the Washington metropolitan area and in Federal Service abroad, all of whom who like to stay informed with our news about books.  Your friend or loved one will receive: our monthly Events Calendars, 20% discounts on the current book of the authors appearing at the store each month, and 20% off our weekly hardcover bestselling 12 fiction and non-fiction titles.  Discounts apply to purchases both in store and online. Beginning in 2010, we will have four seasonal storewide member sales (an increase from the three we've held annually for the last 25 years). Current membership rates are $20 a year or $50 for three years.  You can purchase a gift membership at the store or online through our website.

By the time of the sale, our Holiday Catalogues should be in the store.  The Politics & Prose 2009 Holiday Newsletter and Children and Teen's Department 2009 Book Favorites contain descriptions of many new books and favorites from earlier in the year. All books included in the P&P Holiday Newsletter will be 20% off for Politics & Prose members through December 31, 2009.

To make your holiday gift-giving easier, we are happy to offer Gift Wrapping at the store from November 27 through December 27. As in past years, this is a joint endeavor between Politics & Prose, which donates the space and the wrapping paper, and The Washington Literacy Council, which supplies the volunteer gift-wrappers. WLC has been serving the Washington community for more than 45 years and is the largest provider of much-needed basic literary services in the District of Columbia. WLC volunteers will be in the store every day from opening until closing.  A minimum of $1 donation per item is suggested to support this WLC fundraising campaign. So please support this wonderful cause while simplifying your holiday preparations!  To sign up as a volunteer gift wrapper, contact Pati Young at PATIMSW@aol.com and put "P&P Wrap" in the subject line.  For more information on the WLC, click here.

If you are having trouble making a choice, think about giving the gift of our unique Book-a-Month Program.  Each month, our staff will handpick, wrap, and send a book anywhere in the country to the person of your choice. To give a gift to a child, contact Jory Hearst, jhearst@politics-prose.com. For an adult, contact Caroline Ketcham, cketcham@politcs-prose.com.  You can also pick up an application at the information desk or click here to register through our website.

Another alternative is to support Adopt-a-Book for Hope House in someone’s name.  Hope House, founded by Carol Fennelly, connects imprisoned fathers from Washington DC with their children. One of the most popular Hope House programs is The Father to Child Reading Program, which provides children’s books for inmates to audio or video record.   The book and the recording are mailed home to the inmate’s child. For many fathers, this is the first story they have ever read to their children. So far, Hope House has paired fathers and their children with more than more than 12,000 books and tapes.

Between Thanksgiving and January 1st, with each book you buy for Hope House, you’ll get a beautiful card illustrated by a child and his or her father during a summer prison visit.  You can give the card as a gift, letting your friends and family know that you are supporting Hope House in their name. We offer our customers a 20% discount on books purchased either in the store or online for donation to Hope House.  If you order over the web, simply note in the checkout comments field that you wish to donate the book. To learn more about Hope House DC visit their website at www.hopehousedc.org.

A customer created her own original gift idea last year.  She hatched a plan and contacted us to treat the eleven members of her family (aged 14 to 73) to a day at Politics & Prose during which they could shop for their holiday gifts. Of course, we enthusiastically supported this idea, and it all came to fruition.  She arranged for a stretch limousine to transport her children and grandchildren from her home in Northern Virginia to our front door. There was quite a stir when the limo pulled up outside as customers strained to see if a celebrity was coming into the store! Upon entry, the family members scattered, heading to their favorite sections to make their selections.  Each participant wore an identifying sticker so that our cashiers would know they were part of this family group. The coffeehouse was also involved, so family members could take a refreshment break when they wished.  When they departed, each person left content with their choices, and the giver was confident that there would be no exchanges or returns necessary for these presents.  We hope to see this family back this year and to meet other families as well!   

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Last Sunday, November 8, Kati Marton came to Politics and Prose to talk about ENEMIES OF THE PEOPLE: My Family's Journey to America, her book about her parents' lives in Budapest under the surveillance of the Hungarian Secret Police, their imprisonment under  the Soviet-dominated Hungarian regime, and finally the family’s emigration to America in 1957, where they settled in the Washington, D.C. area, still under the surveillance of the Hungarian Secret Police.  Kati’s father was an AP correspondent in Budapest, and when they came to the Washington area, he went to work covering the State Department for the Associated Press.  But her mother, who had worked for UPI, switched careers and became a French teacher in a Montgomery County high school.

Carla and I first met Kati when her first book, Wallenberg: Missing Hero, was published by Norton, and the publishers sent her on a first-class book tour, including a luncheon in her honor with local booksellers at the Hay-Adams.  Since then we have invited her for an event for each of her five succeeding books.  On this particular evening, two women came to the microphone to tell Kati that they remembered her mother well because she had taught them French, and they vividly described how elegant a teacher her mother was.  Then all of a sudden an elderly woman sitting in the first row piped up, “And I supervised her.”  Kati, obviously unprepared for such personal anecdotes, exclaimed, "Are you Mrs. Winfield?"  And sure enough, it was Mrs. Winfield, who had admired her mother as much as her mother had revered her, and Kati recounted how Mrs. Winfield was frequently mentioned at the family dinner table.
As the evening wound down, the benediction was pronounced by Kati Marton's husband, Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, Obama's special envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan; he said, "Only at Politics and Prose."

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Thursday, November 19

4 - 6 p.m. Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton - Julie Andrews’ Collection Of Poems, Songs And Lullabies
Julie Andrews and her daughter, Emma Walton Hamilton, will join us to celebrate a collection of favorite poems and songs. Each themed section is introduced with stories from the women’s family memories, giving the collection an intimate feel. This keepsake edition with a CD is designed to introduce young children to the world of poetry, and features striking watercolor paintings by James McMullan. Ages 5 and up.

While we will do our best to get everyone’s book signed, please note that since the authors will only be able to sign for two hours, it is possible that they will not be able to sign books for everyone in line. The following guidelines are set by the publisher:

• The authors will sign 1 book per family.
• Each book must be accompanied by a Politics and Prose receipt.
• The signing line will begin forming in the store at 3 p.m. The signing begins at 4 p.m.
• Signing will end at 6 p.m.  We will try to get everyone through the signing line by 6 p.m, but we cannot guarantee that all books will be signed.
• No photographs.
• The authors will only be signing Julie Andrews' Collection of Songs, Poems, and Lullabies, no memorabilia or other titles.

Joan Biskupic - American Original: The Life and Constitution of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia
7 p.m. Biskupic, a former Washington Post correspondent, has covered the Supreme Court for twenty years She delves into Scalia's upbringing, his experiences in the Nixon, Ford, and Reagan administrations, and assesses the impact of his quarter-century tenure on the court’s decisions.

Friday, November 20

Carmen Reinhart & Kenneth Rogoff - This Time Is Different
7 p.m. The authors, both economics professors, Reinhart at Maryland and Rogoff at Harvard, say that we could have known an economic crisis was looming. In this deeply researched and analytical book, the authors have laid out a method for anticipating fluctuations in the economy.

Saturday, November 21

Thomas Mallon - Yours Ever
1 p.m. This tribute to the epistolary art looks at letters of all kinds from all eras, in genres ranging from love letters to suicide notes, fan mail to hate mail. Mallon, a novelist who has previously considered people and their diaries, here offers a sensitive appreciation of Sacco and Vanzetti’s letters from prison, Madame de Sévigné’s sharp-tongued court gossip, and paternal advice from F. Scott Fitzgerald to his daughter, among much else.

Robert M. Poole - On Hallowed Ground
6 p.m. Poole’s history of Arlington National Cemetery intertwines the often poignant stories of some of the 300,000 individuals laid to rest there with America’s martial history since the Civil War. The site itself testifies to the nation’s war-torn past. Poole, author of Explorers House and a contributing editor as Smithsonian, has produced a deeply felt and thoroughly researched book.

Sunday, November 22

Brad Leithauser - The Art Student's War
1 p.m. The sixth novel from the versatile poet and fiction writer is set in wartime Detroit. It’s 1943, and automobile factories are producing tanks; young men are returning wounded from war. Bianca Paradiso, an art student, dreams of painting masterpieces, but is asked to draw portraits of the injured soldiers. Leithauser interweaves the larger national trauma with Bianca’s domestic difficulties for a compelling portrait of the era.

Patricia Sullivan - Lift Every Voice
5 p.m. Sullivan has written the first history of the now 100-year-old  National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Sullivan offers a fresh view of courageous leaders who mounted the struggle for rights: W.E.B. Du Bois, James Weldon Johnson, William Pickens, Charles Hamilton Houston, Ella Baker, Walter White, and Roy Wilkins.

Monday, November 23 - 7 p.m.

at Sixth & I Historic Synagogue
David Plouffe - THE AUDACITY TO WIN
David Plouffe has managed many campaigns, including Tom Harkins’s run for the Senate. He served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Democratic leader Dick Gephardt. In 2003 he joined a political firm with David Axelrod and they began their association with Senate candidate Barack Obama. Newsweek called Plouffe “the campaign’s mastermind.” His book will reveal the management strategies that he used in Obama’s presidential campaign. Click here to purchase $8 tickets or receive two free tickets with the purchase of the book.

Tuesday, November 24

Anthony Horowitz - Crocodile Tears
10:30 a.m. Alex Rider wants to finish the school year free of further assignments from the British Government’s MI6. Then at a New Year’s Eve party he meets Desmond McCain, head of First Aid, a world-wide charitable organization that’s consistently the first responder to disasters. But what the world does not know is that the organization causes many of these disasters, as a way to raise funds. The bigger the disaster, the more money First Aid makes. It’s up to Alex to put a stop to this. Ages 10-14.

James Bradley - The Imperial Cruise
7 p.m. In 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt sent his War Secretary, William Howard Taft, and a boatload of senators and congressmen, with Alice Roosevelt as hostess, on a diplomatic mission to Hawaii and the Far East. In his new history, the author of Flags of our Fathers and Flyboys retraces this trip and uncovers the secret agreements Roosevelt made. Thinking to secure America’s expansion into the Pacific, instead, Roosevelt initiated tensions that had a long impact on the region.

Wednesday November 24 - Sunday November 29

NO EVENTS - HAPPY THANKSGIVING WEEKEND!!
P&P will close at 8 p.m. on Wednesday night and reopen with normal hours at 9 a.m. on Friday morning.

Monday November 30

Denis Lipman - A Yank Back To England
7 p.m. The playwright Denis Lipman humorously recounts his London trips to visit his cantankerous Cockney parents and guide his new American wife through East End culture. Michael York calls this "a perceptive, engaging and informative take on contemporary England as seen through the eyes of a fellow expatriate who writes with humor and affection."

Tuesday December 1

Walter Isaacson - American Sketches
7 p.m. Walter Isaacson, CEO of the Aspen Institute, has led a distinguished dual career: in journalism, as managing editor of Time, and as the bestselling biographer of Benjamin Franklin, Henry Kissinger, and Albert Einstein.  His new collection of essays centers on creativity, and looks at individuals who have made an impact on history.

Jonathan Safran Foer - Eating Animals at Sixth & I Historic Synagogue
7 p.m. Written with the verve readers know from his novels, Everything is Illuminated and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Foer’s first nonfiction book grew out of his need to justify dietary decisions to his children.  A vegetarian and sometime vegan, Foer examines the stories we tell ourselves about what we eat, considering notions of comfort, tradition, and culture. He blends his memories of the roles food played in his childhood with literary representations of meals; reviews various philosophies of food; and conducts his own investigations into factory farms. Click here to purchase $10 tickets or receive two free tickets with the purchase of the book.

Wednesday December 2

Robert W. Merry - A Country Of Vast Designs
7 p.m. Robert Merry, for 22 years president and publisher of Congressional Quarterly, examines the one-term presidency of James Polk and concludes that Polk’s tenure in the White House has been underrated.  Polk not only won the struggle with Britain over the Oregon Territory, but he also annexed the lands of the southwestern states in the Mexican War.

Thursday December 3

Trina Hahnemann - The Scandinavian Cookbook
6:30 p.m. at CulinAerie, 1131 14th Street NW
Join Chef Hahnemann as she demonstrates how to prepare Citrus Cured Salmon, Chicken Lovage Salad, Meatballs with Kale Salad and Apple Trifle. The cost is $60 and includes a tasting of the dishes, wine and a copy of the book.  Please register with Bonnie Kogod by November 19 by phone at 202-363-7738 or email bkogod@politics-prose.com 

Greg Mortenson - Stones Into Schools
7 p.m. @ Sixth & I Historic Synagogue, Sixth and I Streets, NW, Metro: Gallery Place/Chinatown
Greg Mortenson picks up where Three Cups of Tea left off in 2003, recounting his efforts to establish schools for girls in Afghanistan; his work in Azad Kashmir and Pakistan after a massive earthquake hit the region in 2005; and the unique ways he has built relationships with Islamic clerics, militia commanders, and tribal leaders. He shares his vision to promote peace through education and literacy. While this event is SOLD OUT, you can still request a signed copy here.

Friday - Sunday December 4 - 6

Holiday Member Sale
Nearly everything in the store will be discounted to Politics & Prose Members all weekend long. The sale offers 20% discounts on nearly all regularly stocked books, and 15% discounts on most CDs and DVDs. Come in early to have the best selection. Or shop online this weekend and receive the same benefits! It's also a great time to join our Membership Program and continue saving throughout the year!

Tuesday December 8

Jane O’Connor - Fancy Nancy Splendiferous Christmas 4:30 p.m.
Join our elegant afternoon rendezvous with Jane O’Connor to celebrate Fancy Nancy’s decorating ideas for the season.  When things don’t go her way, does Fancy Nancy have the aplomb to maintain her splendiferous spunk?

To see the complete schedule and to purchase any of the above books, click here.

 

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Politics & Prose supplies books to the following book signing events.
Reservations and tickets should be acquired from the hosting organization.
If you can’t attend a talk, but would like to purchase a signed book, call
202-364-1919 or 1-800-722-0790 or click the title links below.

Monday, November 23, 7:30 p.m.

Friendship Heights Village Center
4433 S. Park Ave.
Chevy Chase, MD
STEVE LUXENBERG
ANNIE’S GHOSTS (Hyperion, $24.99)
Steve Luxenberg, a Pulitzer Prize-winning senior editor at the Washington Post, was in his forties when he discovered that his mother had a sister named Annie who had been institutionalized at age 21. Using his skills as a reporter, Mr. Luxenberg pieced together the story of his mother’s motivations for hiding her sister’s existence. Please sign up in advance for this FREE event by calling the Village Center at 301-656-2797.

Tuesday, November 24, 7:30 p.m.

National Geographic Society
1600 M Street, NW
COLIN AND JULIE ANGUS
ROWED TRIP (Menasha Ridge Press, $16.95)
Last year, Canadian couple Colin and Julie Angus set out from Scotland on a 7,000-kilometer journey to Syria. Named 2006 Adventurers of the Year by National Geographic Adventure for their human-powered, global circumnavigation, this intrepid pair once again tested the limits of human-powered travel in a journey that was also a personal odyssey. Click here for $15/$18 tickets.

Wednesday, December 2, 7:30 p.m.

National Geographic Society
1600 M Street, NW
DONALD JOHANSON
LUCY’S LEGACY (Harmony, $25.00)
One of the most accomplished scholars of human origins, Donald Johanson has produced some of the field’s most groundbreaking discoveries, including the most widely known fossil of the 20th century, the 3.2-million-year-old skeleton called “Lucy,” marking an important step on the path to Homo sapiens. Johanson’s presentation will share an intimate look at how Lucy and other fossil remains have transformed our understanding of evolution. Click here for $15/$18 tickets.

Thursday, December 3, 7:30 p.m.

National Geographic Society
1600 M Street, NW
MARTIN SCHOELLER
For the December 2009 issue of National Geographic, Martin Schoeller traveled to Tanzania to document the Hadza, hunter-gatherers believed to be heirs to one of the world’s oldest continuous cultures. Schoeller, a former assistant to Annie Leibovitz and a contributing photographer to The New Yorker, is famous for his portraits capturing well-known personalities stripped of artifice. He will share compelling images of individuals whose way of life could soon disappear. Click here for $15/$18 tickets.

Friday, December 4, 7:30 p.m.

Folger Shakespeare Library
201 East Capitol Street SE
PEN/Malamud Award Memorial Reading
AMY HEMPEL AND ALISTAIR MACLEOD
Amy Hempel is the author of four collections of short stories. In 2006, The Collected Stories of Amy Hempel (Scribner, $16) was named one of The New York Times 10 best books of the year. It was also a Finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award.  Internationally acclaimed short story writer and novelist Alistair MacLeod has published two collections of stories. In 2000 these two books, along with new work, were combined in Island: The Complete Stories(Vintage, $14.95). He lives in Windsor, Canada. Purchase $15 tickets from Pen/Faulkner online or call 202-544-7077.  

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Our top twelve hardcover FICTION and NON-FICTION bestsellers are always 20% off for P&P members. For our complete lists, click on the titles below.

#1 FICTION:  THE LACUNA  by Barbara Kingsolver

#1 NONFICTION: EATING ANIMALS by Jonathan Safran Foer

 

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Click FICTION or NON-FICTION  to browse a complete list of recent paperback releases.

The Appointment by Herta Muller

Panic: The Story of Modern Financial Insanity by Michael Lewis

 

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BOOK OF THE WEEK
(20% off through 11/25)

DESIGN DOSSIER: THE WORLD OF DESIGN (Paintbox Press, $24)
Open DESIGN DOSSIER and step into the world of design.   Professional designers Pamela Pease and Paul Warwick Thompson contributed to the first book in what promises to be an exciting and educational new series, introducing budding designers to the fundamentals of art and craft.  Tabs guide readers to each section, including the elements of design, fold-out design timeline and create your own design studio.  The dossier is clear, attractive and informative, with sections that challenge readers to engage in the creative process themselves.  This book certainly practices what it preaches - good design.   Ages 11 and up.  Heidi Powell

Please come to the Children and Teens' Department to see our wide selection of books about autumn and Thanksgiving.

Lisa Chaplin-Hobbs hosts story time for young children every Monday morning at 10:30 a.m.
Please note: Story time will be on hiatus throughout the month of December. 

Sunday, November 22, 1:30 - 3 p.m.
Eat Your Words - Tween Creative Writing Workshop
Please join Capitol Letters Writing Center for its free monthly workshop at Politics and Prose. Thanksgiving is here, and what better way to celebrate the high holy day of food then by writing about it? In this workshop, we'll reveal the secrets of delicious food writing and teach you how to write pieces so good your readers will taste the food their mouth. By the end of our session, each student will complete a piece on their perfect Thanksgiving meal. Ages 10-14 are welcome. Admission is free, but space is limited to 15, please RSVP to kira@capitolletters.org.

For upcoming events and more from the Children and Teens' Department, click here.

 

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In REAL FOOD: What to Eat and Why, Nina Planck, who grew up on a farm, did a stint as a vegan, and has started farmers’ markets in several major cities, cuts through the hype, the studies, and the latest developments of food technology to get back to basics. Fresh fruit and vegetables, of course, but whole milk, butter, and grass-fed beef are also high in nutrition—and the fats they contain are not the enemy.  Planck is full of common sense about eating; both her writing and her suggestions are gimmick-free. Available in hardcover, $6.98. 

Some names speak for themselves, and Mollie Katzen is one of them. Moosewood is another. In MOLLIE KATZEN’S VEGETABLE HEAVEN, the woman behind the Moosewood cookbooks offers over 200 recipes, complete with delightful color drawings. From creamy sunchoke soup to three part hominy to giant mushroom popovers and on to dessert (orange chocolate chip kisses!), there’s something here for every taste and every occasion. Available in hardcover, $9.98.
Click here to browse more recently arrived remainders.
•  Laurie Greer

 

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Books & DVDs and CD Packages
BILL FRISELL PLAYS FOR BUSTER KEATON
TAKE ME TO THE WATER: Immersion Baptism in Vintage Music and Photography, 1890 - 1950

New Music
Norah Jones, THE FALL
Ray Davies, THE KINKS CHORAL COLLECTION

BOX SETS
THE CODONA TRILOGY
Alan Lomax, HAITI: Recordings for the Library of Congress, 1936-1937 (ECM, 3CDs)
Paul Lewis, BEETHOVEN: COMPLETE PIANO SONATAS(Harmonia Mundi, 10 CDs)
SACRED MUSIC (Harmonia Mundi, 30 CDs)
Frank Sinatra, SINATRA: NEW YORK (Reprise, 4 CDs & 1 DVD)

Click here for András’s reviews and Music News and to buy these albums.

 

• András Goldinger