Click here for our events calendar and preview upcoming events through August.
Click here for more complete descriptions and to buy signed copies online.
Members always save 20% on event books. Click here to register!

MARIE ARANA

On Monday, July 26, at 7 p.m. ourbeloved former Book World Editor and local author Marie Arana will read from her most recent book LIMA NIGHTS (Dial, $15), which has just been released in paperback. Arana’s second novel is the story of Carlos and Maria. They meet in 1986; Carlos is a married father of two, Maria is an impoverished 15-year-old dancer. After Carlos’s wife gets wind of the affair, she moves out--taking family and possessions with her. Twenty years later, Maria still needs Carlos, but the relationship is losing its heat. Arana deftly draws a portrait of both a couple and a class-bound society. We hope you will join us!

ESPECIALLY FOR TEENS
New York Times best- selling author, Michael Scott, will be in the store on Tuesday, July 27, at 5 p.m. to discuss THE NECROMANCER ( Delacorte Press, $18.99). This is a special stop for Mr. Scott during a brief tour from his native Ireland. In this newest installment of the Nicholas Flamel series, Mr. Scott - an expert on world mythology - includes myths from Latin America. Mr. Scott is a dynamic engaging speaker who shares about his inspiration and writing process. This is an event not to be missed! (Ages 12 and up)

ANOTHER YELP APPRECIATION

We are always flattered that customers recognize Politics & Prose as a knowledgeable source for information about books. We are glad that you turn to us for assistance; we are always eager to share our experience and to provide you with our recommendations. We are also glad that most of you recognize that we can only continue to provide you these services - as well as our slate of opportunities to meet authors - if you choose to shop with us as well.

As a nice affirmation, this funny observation just arrived on Yelp from one of our customers. Thank you for this sweet review, C.W.; we accept your proposal.

After telling myself for weeks that I'd go there at some point, last Monday I FINALLY made it up to P&P...and promptly decided that I'd like to live there.  Or marry it.  Either way.

It's small, yes, but I love that the political books are right smack dab near the front of the store--saves me time and energy when I don't have to wander around several stories.  Love the recommendations marking different books, the indie style of the store, seeing various books that were totally new to me, etc.  I became a member of the store on the spot, right after buying 4 books.  To top it all off, Congressman Ed Markey was there in his running clothes buying books. Mmmm, DC nerdery at its finest at Politics and Prose.

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I have belatedly discovered Maggie O'Farrell, but I have been entranced. She has an unusually striking writing style, clear and concise, blunt and at times brutal; nonetheless, her sentence construction and word choices are filled with eloquence, poetry, and an unfailing reality in her character development. Almost without exception, her principle characters have experienced some loss, death, or other trauma, and she conveys this by using present tense narrative. The reader discovers the world as the characters experience it, slowly, in pieces, with sharp awareness of the surrounding world, the smells and sounds, colors and textures.

For the characters in her most recent book, THE HAND THAT FIRST HELD MINE (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $25), their sensory perceptions contribute to their professional success - a film editor, a painter, two art critics, but, for each, fog sometimes masks their emotional interior. Click here for more.

Maggie O'Farrell is one of P&P's Top 20 Under 40, which we created in response to the New Yorker list.

Click here to learn more about books by our recommended authors.

- Andrew Getman

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On Wednesday, August 11, 7 p.m., Politics & Prose will host country musician Rosanne Cash for the release of her new memoir, COMPOSED (Viking, $26.95), at the Sixth & I Historic Synagogue. Tickets may be purchased for $10 or receive two free admission tickets when you buy the book from Politics& Prose. Click here to reserve your book and tickets now!

On Thursday, September 23, 3-4:30 p.m., best-selling teen author Suzanne Collins will be signing MOCKINGJAY (Scholastic, $17.99) at Politics & Prose. We are excited about hosting Suzanne Collins and look forward to having you join us. This is a ticketed event. One free ticket will be distributed when any book from THE HUNGER GAMES trilogy is purchased from Politics & Prose. Each participant must have a Politics & Prose event ticket and may have ONE book signed.

The publisher, Scholastic, stipulates that because Suzanne Collins suffers from hand strain, she will be “signing” books with a special stamp custom made for Mockingjay events.
- Ms. Collins will sign ONE book per person.
- Ms. Collins will not personalize books.
- Fans must be present in line to get a book signed. Ms. Collins will not sign books left at the store.

- Please note that this event is a book-signing only.

Click here to pre-order your copy of Mockingjay and to read more information about this book-signing event!

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Please note: You may click the links below to enroll in any of these classes online. However, selecting "Pay at Store" will NOT reserve your registration. Please submit a credit card payment to complete your enrollment or call the store at 202-364-1919 to register by telephone.

Saturday, September 18, 10 - 12 a.m.
JOURNAL KEEPING: Create Your Own Inspiration, One Day at a Time
with Phyllis Theroux

Many people start journals only to stop. There is an art to journal-keeping that is as easy as reaching up and screwing in a light bulb above your head. Imagine, years from now, that you or someone else opens up your journal and is inspired, because of what you have written down.  Join Phyllis Theroux, author of the memoir, The Journal Keeper (Atlantic Monthly, $24), for this practical seminar.  Cost: $40.  Space is limited. Reservations required. Click here to enroll online.

 

 

Wednesdays, September 22 – October 27
THREE NOVELS BY F. SCOTT FITZGERALD
    - This Side of Paradise, The Great Gatsby, Tender is the Night
with Jackson R. Bryer, Professor Emeritus of English at the University of Maryland

This course will study Fitzgerald’s three best completed novels, in chronological order. The emphases in class will be on discussion of the common themes and characters they share, the development shown by Fitzgerald through his career, his fiction as a reflection of the times in which he wrote, and the fictional techniques utilized in each novel and how - from novel to novel - they were both similar and varied.

$100 for non-members, $80 for members.
Class meets for 6 consecutive Wednesdays beginning, September 22 – October 27, 1-2:30 p.m., with the exception of October 13 when the class will meet from 3-4:30

Click here for more information and to enroll in the class.

 

Tuesday, October 12 OR Wednesday, October 13, 1-3 p.m.
Britain in the 16th Century - - WOLF HALL by Hilary Mantel
with Virginia Newmyer and Susan Willens

Henry VII wants a divorce; the Pope forbids it. Enter Thomas Cromwell, the King's brilliant commoner to transform the Tudor power structure and advocate for the English reformation. This dramatic situation forms the center of Hilary Mantel's novel, Wolf Hall, which traces Cromwell's amazing career from gutter to glory.

In this class, Virginia Newmyer sets the historical stage for Britain's uneasy renunciation of the Roman Catholic Church. Susan Willens discusses how Hilary Mantel brings Thomas Cromwell and his era to new life.

$15 for P&P members, $20 for non-members Click here to register now.

Wolf Hall is available at Politics & Prose at a 20% discount, when you sign up for the class.
Click here to purchase a hardcover copy (available now).
Click here to pre-order a paperback copy (available August 31).

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P&P Members always save 20% on our top twelve FICTION and NON-FICTION hardcover bestsellers. To purchase these books, click the titles.

FICTION

1. The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, by David Mitchell (Random House, $26)
2. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, by Stieg Larsson (Knopf, $27.95)
3. The Cookbook Collector, by Allegra Goodman (Dial, $26)
4. Spies of the Balkans, by Alan Furst (Random House, $26)
5. Faithful Place, by Tana French (Viking, $25.95)
6. A Visit from the Goon Squad, by Jennifer Egan (Knopf, $25.95)
7. Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, by Helen Simonson (Random House, $25)
8. The Invisible Bridge, by Julie Orringer (Knopf, $26.95)
9. The Imperfectionists, by Tom Rachman (Dial, $25)
10. Citrus County, by John Brandon (McSweeney's, $22)
11. Corduroy Mansions, by Alexander Mccall Smith (Pantheon, $24.95)
12. The Passage, by Justin Cronin (Ballantine, $27)

NONFICTION

1. War, by Sebastian Junger (Twelve, $26.99)
2. Spoken from the Heart, by Laura Bush (Scribner, $30)
3. Hamlet's BlackBerry: A Practical Philosophy for Building a Good Life in the Digital Age, by William Powers (HarperCollins, $24.99)
4. Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World's Stolen Treasures, by John Shiffman and Robert K. Wittman (Crown, $25)
5. Operation Mincemeat: How a Dead Man and a Bizarre Plan Fooled the Nazis and Assured an Allied Victory, by Ben Macintyre (Harmony, $25.99)
6. The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine, by Michael Lewis (W. W. Norton, $27.95)
7. Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History, by S. C. Gwynne (Scribner, $27.50)
8. Masters of the Game: Inside the World's Most Powerful Law Firm, by Kim Eisler (Thomas Dunne, $26.99)
9. Lyndon B. Johnson: The American Presidents Series: The 36th President, 1963-1969, by Charles Peters (Times, $23)
10. Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook, by Anthony Bourdain (Ecco, $26.99)
11. The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Eleme, by Sam Kean (Little, Brown, $24.99)
12. Fur, Fortune, and Empire: The Epic History of the Fur Trade in America, by Eric Jay Dolin (W. W. Norton, $29.95)

 

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These titles were store favorites when they were in hardcover. Click FICTION or NON-FICTION to browse a more complete selection of recent paperback releases.

The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Anchor Books, $15)
This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper (Plume, $15)

Chimamanda Adichie is one of the New Yorker's Top 20 Writers Under 40.
Jonathan Tropper is one of P&P's Top 20 Writer Under 40.
Click here to read more about both of these lists.

These titles are both in our 2010 Summer Newsletter and are 20% off to members.

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Click here to browse more of our 2010 Summer Reading Recommendations. All the books in the Politics & Prose 2010 Summer Newsletter are 20% off to members through Labor Day. 

 

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If you can't attend a talk, but would like to reserve a signed copy or a recorded author talk,
click the title links to purchase online. P&P members save 20% on these author event titles.

Thursday July 22

Eric Jay Dolin - Fur, Fortune, and Empire
7 p.m. Dolin's Leviathan was a critically acclaimed history of whaling. In his new chronicle, he looks at the North American fur trade - from the early 1600s and the arrival of the Dutch in the New World to the dawn of the conservation movement in the 19th century.

Friday July 23

Bill Yosses - The Perfect Finish
7 p.m. From chocolate-chip cookies to orange-scented olive oil cakes with fleur de sel, this dessert cookbook is both down-to-earth and spectacular. Yosses, executive pastry chef at the White House, and Melissa Clark, a noted New York Times food columnist, explain the techniques and itemize the equipment needed to create confections suitable for every occasion.

Saturday July 24

Kinshasha Holman Conwill, John Edward Hasse, & Willard Jenkins - Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing
1 p.m. Harlem's Apollo Theater opened in 1934 and has hosted some of the greatest singers, dancers, and comedians, from Duke Ellington to Aretha Franklin to Savion Glover. To accompany the joint Apollo-Smithsonian exhibit, this volume contains over 300 photos, along with essays on the Theater's history, its role in the Harlem Renaissance, and the significant part it has played in the wider American culture.

Kim Eisler - Masters of the Game
6 p.m. Founded by Edward Bennett Williams, Williams & Connolly is one of the most powerful law firms in Washington. In Eisler's portait, that power extends through a wide swath of the country's business, media, sports, and other enterprises.  A long-time investigative journalist and national editor of Washingtonian, Eisler draws on interviews and personal contacts to provide an inside look at this D.C. institution.

 

Sunday July 25

Laura Browder and Sascha Pflaeging - When Janey Comes Marching Home
5 p.m. Combining oral history with color photographs of women deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan from all five branches of the military, this book is a vivid chronicle of women's experience in combat zones. The soldiers explain why they joined the service, how they cope with sexism and motherhood, and describe their relationships with colleagues and the civilians they meet in country.

Monday July 26

Marie Arana - Lima Nights
7 p.m. Now in paperback, Arana’s second novel is the story of Carlos and Maria. They meet in 1986; Carlos is a married father of two, Maria is an impoverished 15-year-old dancer. After Carlos’s wife gets wind of the affair, she moves out--taking family and possessions with her. Twenty years later, Maria still needs Carlos, but the relationship is losing its heat. Arana deftly draws a portrait of both a couple and a class-bound society.

Tuesday July 27

Michael Scott - The Necromancer
5 p.m. In the fourth installment of The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, things seem darker than ever. Josh and Sophie still don’t know whom to trust, while Nicholas and Perenelle grow weaker by the day. A new god appears – Quetzalcoatl – along with other figures from Latin-American mythology. Dee, ever more desperate, plans to raise the Mother of the Gods from the dead. Ages 12 and up.

David Kirkpatrick - The Facebook Effect
7 p.m. A senior tech writer at Fortune magazine, Kirkpatrick worked closely with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg for this authorized biography of the Internet phenomenon that started in a Harvard dorm. Along with charting the site’s growth and how it outpaced Friendster and MySpace, the book considers Facebook's social implications, including questions of privacy.

Wednesday July 28

Carl Hiaasen - Star Island *THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED WITH NO RESCHEDULED DATE*

 

 

Thursday July 29

 

Dave Kindred - Morning Miracle
7 p.m. The digital age has put newspapers under tremendous stress; are they doomed to fade, or do they offer something that’s still essential? Kindred, a veteran Washington Post journalist who has been in the business for some 40 years, gives a detailed, heartfelt look at the venerable publication.

Friday July 30

Charles Peters - Lyndon B. Johnson
7 p.m. This latest entry in the American Presidents Series is a balanced account of the 36th Chief Executive. Peters, the founder and former editor of The Washington Monthly, acknowledges the many flaws of Johnson’s character, but he argues that Johnson’s political skills, which produced huge domestic legislative achievements, compensated for his failings.

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

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CHILDREN'S BOOK OF THE WEEK

(20% off through 07/28/2010)
What was the world like before Zeus ruled heaven and earth? Author and illustrator G. Brian Karas reimagines Greek mythology in the story of YOUNG ZEUS (Scholastic, $17.99), who is being raised by an enchanted she-goat on the island of Crete. The young god is lonely, so he sets out to free his brothers and sisters from their father’s belly. This action-packed story of gods and monsters quickly grows to one of epic proportions. Ages 4-8 - Heidi Powell

Don't forget to pick up a copy of our 2010 Summer Favorites from our Children and Teen's Department or click here to shop for them online.

While these titles are not discounted as the adult recommendations are, remember that we offer 10% discounts on all school reading list books. Bring your summer reading lists into Politics & Prose and we'll help you meet your requirements for the fall!

Read about - and buy - more of our favorite books for children by clicking here. 

Sale on puzzles in the Children and Teens' Department
All children's puzzles are 20% off for members during the month of July. 
The perfect way to spend a vacation evening or to play during a long plane or car trip!

Story time takes a break during the summer.
We will resume after Labor Day on Monday, September 13 at 10:30 a.m.

JUST FOR OLDER TEENS

Check out our PG-15 section online! "Like" us on Facebook (Politics and Prose Teens), follow us on Twitter (@PnPteens), and read the teen book blog. We'll keep you up-to-date with news about events, new books, and reviews from our staff and from you! Just send reviews, written by you, of your favorite books to Dana at dchidiac@politics-prose.com. We will post at least one new review each week.

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

 

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Click here for more reviews and news. Please call us at 202-364-1919 to order these CDs.

FORTEPIANOS

The fortepiano was a predecessor of the modern concert grand, popular throughout the 18th and early 19th centuries. The fortepiano has different sounds in different registers and a softer sound, and both Mozart and Beethoven wrote for the instrument. It has made a comeback in “historically informed” performances that bring out new colors and textures in standard repertoire. I hightly recommend three recent CDs:

Alexei Lubimov, SCHUBERT: IMPROMPTUS (Zig-Zag Territoires, $17.99)

Viktoria Mullova & Kristian Bezuidenhout, BEETHOVEN: VIOLIN SONATAS (Onyx, $20.98)

Kristian Bezuidenhout, MOZART: SONATAS, FANTASIES & VARIATIONS, VOL. 1 (Harmonia Mundi, $18.98)

THE SOUNDS OF THE VIOLA DA GAMBA

In recent years, such musicians as Jordi Savall, Paolo Pandolfo and Fretwork (a viol consort) have revealed and popularized the beautiful sounds of the gut-stringed viola da gamba to modern listeners. The Washington Post recently reviewed two CDs of gamba music (here, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/28/AR2010062804358.html ): FELIX AUSTRIA: WORKS FOR VIOLA DA GAMBA CONSORT (CPO, $16.99) featuring baritione Klaus Mertens, and Hamburg Ratsmusik, led by Simone Eckert; and Vittorio and Lorenzo Ghielmi’s JS BACH: SONATAS FOR VIOLA DA GAMBA AND CEMBALO OBBLIGATO (Ars Musici, $16.99).

Also check out the a couple of the Ghielmis’s other releases: Vittorio Ghielmi’s FULL OF COLOR (Winter & Winter, $17.98), and Lorenzo Ghielmi’s ANNO 1630 (Winter & Winter, $17.98).

• András Goldinger