|
Grass Roots Books and Music
— 227 SW 2nd Street, Corvallis OR 97339 — 541-754-7668 |
| January 10, 2013 |
| Contents |
|
| |
| Newest Books |
Y
Marjorie Celona
“Sixteen-year-old Shannon isn't sure if she's a drifter by choice or by necessity; her earliest years were characterized first by her abandonment on the doorstep of the YMCA on Vancouver Island and, as she grew, by a series of foster homes, some truly horrific, others merely neglectful. Even after she's taken in at the age of five by Miranda, a single mom who raises Shannon affectionately alongside her own child, Shannon still longs to belong. Unsettled and propelled by feelings of otherness, she investigates her origins, risking the new, stable connections she's made.” –Publishers Weekly
Hardcover, $24.99
Publisher: Free Press; ISBN: 9781451674385 |
|
|
A Memory of Light (Wheel of Time #14)
Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
Robert Jordan’s epic Wheel of Time Series concludes after 22 years of reading and waiting. Working from notes and partials left by Jordan after his death in 2007, Brian Sanderson masterfully brings the saga to a close. Edited by Jordan's widow, Harriet McDougal, who edited all of Jordan's books, A Memory of Light will delight, enthrall, and deeply satisfy all of Jordan's legions of readers.
Hardcover, $34.99
Publisher: Tor Books; ISBN: 9780765325952 |
|
|
The Dude and the Zen Master
Jeff Bridges and Bernie Glassman
For more than a decade, Academy Award-winning actor Jeff Bridges and his buddhist teacher, renowned Roshi Bernie Glassman, have been close friends. Inspiring and often hilarious, The Dude and the Zen Master captures their freewheeling dialogue about life, laughter, and the movies with a charm and bonhomie that never fail to enlighten and entertain. Throughout, their remarkable humanism reminds us of the importance of doing good in a difficult world.
Hardcover, $26.95
Publisher: Blue Rider Press; ISBN: 9780399161643 |
|
|
On Looking: Eleven Walks with Expert Eyes
Alexandra Horowitz
“It is charming to take a walk with Horowitz. Engaging, amusing, and relatable, the psychology professor guides readers through 11 urban walks in the company of various experts. Beyond simply looking, this is about what makes up the world around us and the foundations of human perception. Horowitz brings the same attention to the human brain as she brought to our canine companions in Inside of a Dog. She makes cognitive functioning eminently understandable by unraveling the role expectation plays in limiting what we see.” –Booklist
Hardcover, $27.00
Publisher: Scribner Book Company; ISBN: 9781439191255 |
|
|
The Universe Within: Discovering the Common History of Rocks, Planets, and People
Neil Shubin
“In a follow-up to Your Inner Fish: A Journey into the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body, Shubin delivers an equally engrossing history of life's connections to everything else. The author begins with the most common element in the human body, hydrogen, which also makes up 90 percent of the universe. . . . Shubin recounts the subsequent 4 billion years of changes in both life and its surroundings. Oxygen, absent at first, slowly accumulated as photosynthetic plants multiplied. The Earth's rocky crust shifted, eroded and cracked, leaking volcanic gases from the interior. Continents formed and split, expanding and shrinking the oceans. . . . An intelligent, eloquent account of our relations with the inanimate universe.” –Kirkus Reviews Starred Review
Hardcover, $25.95
Publisher: Pantheon Books; ISBN: 9780307378439 |
|
|
|
 |
| |
| New in Paperback |
|
|
Lunatics
Dave Barry and Alan Zweibel
Two prize-winning humorists join forces in this globe-spanning romp of two middle-aged, middle-class men whose lives collide in a misunderstanding of epic proportions. From a wild car chase perceived as a terrorist threat by the local police, to a daring escape on a clothing-optional cruise ship out of New York City, they find themselves on a path of escalating violence and outrageousness that finds them in the Caribbean, Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. Barry and Zweibel take turns narrating the story in alternating voices, resulting in a tale that is, “Energetic, scatological, and profoundly silly.” (Publisher’s Weekly)
Paperback, $15.00
Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group; ISBN: 9780425253373 |
|
|
Guitar Zero: The Science of Becoming Musical at Any Age
Gary Marcus
Gary Marcus was a 38-year-old tone deaf professor of cognitive psychology when he decided to learn to play (and master) the guitar. “Marcus approached his lifelong dream from both a personal and professional level; he wanted to play, but he also wanted to challenge the ‘critical periods’ theory of learning, which suggests that you should learn music early or not at all. The author threw himself into mastering his ax, pushing the limits to see just how far a new trick could take an old dog. In the process, he explores how the senses reorganize to adapt to new information and investigates where music comes from, what evolutionary function (if any) it serves and why some people have rhythm and others don't.” –Kirkus Reviews
Paperback, $16.00
Publisher: Penguin Books; ISBN: 9780143122784 |
|
|
|
| |
| Music |
Billy Martin's Wicked Knee
Heels Over Head
Genre: Jazz
Wicked Knee is an all-star jazz project of sorts, featuring instrumentalists who have worked with everyone from Levon Helm to Bill Frisell. The group calls their sound "downtown New York City by way of New Orleans", a modern, funky approach to the revered second line tradition. ($14.95) |
Wooden Wand
Blood Oaths of the New Blues
Genre: Pop/Folk
James Jackson Toth is one of the most prolific and wide-ranging indie artists around. Performing as Wooden Wand, his most recent music has found him exploring the darker side of Americana, rife with blues and indie folk influences. ($19.95) |
The Living Sisters
Run for Cover
Genre: Pop/Folk
The Living Sisters is composed of three women who come from their own successful careers: Inara George, Eleni Mandell, and Becky Stark. Their second release adds a fourth sister with the arrival of Alex Lilly. Run For Cover offers covers of tunes hailing from Jo Stafford, Doris Day, Dolly Parton, and more. ($7.95) |
Vusi Mahlasela
Sing To the People
Genre: Pop/Folk
"In 1992, folksinger, guitarist, and activist Vusi Mahlasela, simply known as ‘The Voice’ in his native South Africa, released an album, When You Come Back, that took him onto the international stage. To celebrate that 20-year anniversary, Vusi assembled his fluid, jazzy band and threw a concert at the Lyric Theatre in Johannesburg, performing several of his signature songs in front of an enthusiastic and very involved audience." –allmusic.com ($13.95) |
Various Artists
Sounds of Wood and Steel, Vol. 1
Sounds of Wood and Steel, Vol. 2
Genre: New Age
These special albums were initially released on the Windham Hill label, but have been unavailable for a time. Conceived as a tribute to Taylor guitars, the volumes feature contributions from Michael Hedges, Leo Kottke, Will Ackerman, and many more. ($6.95 each) |
Although we specialize in
new releases, Grass Roots can usually get you any album that's still available.
Ask at the the store! |
|
|
|
| |
| Events |
Thursday, Jan. 24 at 7 p.m.
First Alternative Co-Op
South Store Meeting Room
[This has changed! Please note new venue.]
1007 SE 3rd Street, Corvallis |
Rob Dietz
Enough Is Enough: Building a Sustainable Economy in a World of Finite Resources
Grass Roots Books & Music will host Corvallis writer Rob Dietz, co-author of Enough Is Enough: Building a Sustainable Economy in a World of Finite Resources with Dan O’Neill, for a book discussion and signing at the First Alternative Co-op South Store, in their meeting room. In the book, Dietz and O’Neill lay out a visionary but realistic alternative to the perpetual pursuit of economic growth —an economy where the goal is not more but enough.They explore specific strategies to conserve natural resources, stabilize population, reduce inequality, fix the financial system, create jobs, and more —all with the aim of maximizing long-term well-being instead of short-term profits. |
Please Note: The event venue has changed! |
|
Saturday, Feb. 2 at 2 p.m.
Grass Roots Books & Music
227 SW 2nd Street, Corvallis |
Tom Titus
Blackberries in July: A Forager’s Field Guide to Inner Peace
Biologist Tom Titus returns to his native Oregon in search of old orchards, bay clams, wild mushrooms, spawning salmon, and home. This poetic year-long hunting and gathering of his spirit reunites him with the land and traditions of four generations and leads to a profound reordering of values and priorities. Humor and compelling personal insight illuminate the emotional pitfalls and spiritual payoffs of the conscious pursuit of place.
“Whether stalking an abandoned orchard or wrestling salmon in well-known waters, Tom Titus gives witness to the joys, trials, and mysteries of tramping in the wild. Writing from within his community of many species, he becomes interfused with the weather and the woods. These fine essays delve deep into the meaning of our relation to place.” —Charles Goodrich, author of Going to Seed: Dispatches From the Garden |
 |
|
Saturday, Feb. 9 at 2 p.m.
Grass Roots Books & Music
227 SW 2nd Street, Corvallis |
Poetry Reading
What the River Brings: Oregon River Poems
Edited by Kathryn Ridall
What the River Brings is a collection of poems celebrating rivers by 56 Oregon poets. This afternoon we will be joined by Charles Goodrich, Donna Henderson, Claudia Lapp, Kathryn Ridall, and Tim Whitsel.
“What the River Brings is a great gift to all of us who love rivers. Carry this gift in your canoe or daypack or the pocket of your raincoat; its sentences will shimmer with reflected sky and dive to depths you had not imagined. There is no greater pleasure than sitting by the water when the cottonwoods are sweet and coming to know the river anew through the minds and hearts of Oregon’s most wonderful poets.” —Kathleen Dean Moore, author of Riverwalking and Wild Comfort |
 |
|
Saturday, Feb. 16 at 2 p.m.
Grass Roots Books & Music
227 SW 2nd Street, Corvallis |
Poetry Reading:
Constance Eggers
Reliquary
Celebrate the release of local poet Constance Egger’s first chapbook, Reliquary, with an afternoon poetry reading at Grass Roots.
“Pilgrim, saint, a sweltering teenage mother, a stubborn teenage daughter, the Blessed Virgin, a fable’s scrub-maid, a fairy tale’s queen: all quicken within these vibrant lyrics. On page after page of Reliquary, Constance Eggers offers us arresting, archetypal females. Her poems are resonant songs for the kind of ‘spiky, sharp women’ she claims as her kin.” —Paulann Petersen, Oregon Poet Laureate |
 |
|
|
Upcoming Events
We have many more events coming up in the next few months! For a complete list of all of our upcoming events, please visit our website. |
|
|
|
| |
| Community Events |
|
Community Events
Darkside Cinema: Movies showing Jan. 11 to 17, showtimes daily, Darkside Cinema, Corvallis. Visit their website for showtimes.
- Brooklyn Castle –NR: Amidst financial crises and unprecedented public school budget cuts, Brooklyn Castle takes an intimate look at the challenges and triumphs facing members of a junior high school's champion chess team.
- The Loneliest Planet –R: An engaged couple's backpacking trip in the Caucasus Mountains is derailed by a single misstep that threatens to undo everything the pair believed about each other and about themselves.
- The Sessions –R: The Sessions tells the story of a man confined to an iron lung who is determined - at age 38 - to lose his virginity. With the help of his therapists and the guidance of his priest, he sets out to make his dream a reality
- Chasing Ice –PG-13: Follow National Geographic photographer James Balog across the Arctic as he deploys time-lapse cameras designed for one purpose: to capture a multi-year record of the world's changing glaciers.
Literary Events: Visit our Community Calendar for details on these events and others in the area.
- OSU MFA Program Reading, featuring Sean Crouch, Alyssa Halton, Phillip Brown, Alison Clement: Thursday, Jan. 10, 7:30 p.m., New Morning Bakery, Corvallis.
- Literary Northwest Series: David Biespiel & Wendy Willis: Friday, Jan. 11, 7:30 p.m., The Valley Library, OSU, Corvallis.
Opportunities:
- Poetry Marquee Submissions: The next time you are strolling along the Corvallis downtown waterfront, be sure to take a peek at the Madison Street side of the Great Harvest Bread building – you’ll be treated to periodically-rotating examples of local poetry.Submissions are being considered by The Arts Center of Corvallis for brief poems (a maximum of six lines) to appear on the Midway Theater marquee at the corner of Southwest First Street and Madison Avenue. Visit The Arts Center website for more information.
- Inklings, an open critique group, is seeking new members. The group meets on 1st & 3rd Sundays from 11 am to 1 pm in the upstairs meeting room at Market of Choice on 9th Street and Circle Boulevard in Corvallis. Please contact Dinaz Rogers at drogersor@msn.com or 541-967-1911 if you have any questions.
Ticket Sales: Grass Roots sells tickets for local music events. Check our Community Calendar for upcoming events that we have available.
|
|
Friday, Jan. 18 at 7:30 p.m.
Main Floor Rotunda, Valley Library
Oregon State University Campus, Corvallis |
Literary Northwest Series
Poetry Reading with Clemens Starck and John Daniel
Northwest poets Clemens Starck and John Daniel will read from their collections, with a book signing to follow.
Daniel’s newest poetry collection Of Earth: New and Selected Poems, was published in Sept. 2012 by Lost Horse Press. Daniel’s collection of personal essays, The Far Corner: Northwestern Views on Land, Life, and Literature, won the 2011 Oregon Book Award in Creative Nonfiction.
Starck has worked mostly as a carpenter and construction foreman on the West Coast. His first book of poems, Journeyman’s Wages, received the 1996 Oregon Book Award as well as the William Stafford Memorial Poetry Award from the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association. A new book of poems, Rembrandt, Chainsaw, was published in the fall of 2011. He lives in the country outside of Dallas.
The Literary Northwest Series is sponsored by the OSU Beaver Store and the OSU School of Writing, Literature, and Film, and celebrates regional literary achievement. Grass Roots Books & Music will have books available to purchase at the event. |
|
|
Saturday, Feb. 9,
8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
LaSells Stewart Center, OSU
875 SW 26th Street, Corvallis |
Insights into Gardening
Insights into Gardening is a day-long seminar offering practical, hands-on learning for home gardeners and gardeners-to-be. Whether you are an experienced or novice gardener, new to the area or an Oregon native, you will find plenty of ideas to make your gardening easier, more enjoyable, and more successful. Raffles, exhibits, and a catered lunch will also be available at the event. Grass Roots Books & Music will have books available to purchase at the event. For more information online, visit the Extension Office website or call Pami Opfer at the Benton County OSU Extension Office at 541-766-6750. |
 |
|
| |
| News |
 |
PNBA Awards
The Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association announced the winners of the 2013 PNBA Awards on Monday. "The six winning books were chosen by a volunteer committee of nine independent booksellers who spent ten months whittling a pile of more than 250 books published in 2012. The PNBA Awards are fairly unique, as prizes are not tied to particular genres or categories. The committee simply chooses the best books of the year—the ones they’re most excited to sell in their stores." This year's winners are:
|
|
2013 Independence Card
The 2013 I-Card (as it is affectionately known) is our store's loyalty program, and it helps us to share our passion for reading and love of books with our community, rewarding customers for shopping local. The new cards are now available. Stop by soon and start earning rewards every time you shop! Here are the details of this year's program:
- $10 enrollment fee. One stamp issued for purchasing the card.
- Get one stamp for each $10 purchase of regularly priced merchandise. Completed card (12 stamps) is worth $10 off on your next visit.
- Receive special coupon and promotional emails for I-Card members only.
- Don’t want to carry another card in your wallet? We can keep it on file for you in our store.
- If you have 7 or more stamps on a card issued in 2012, all stamps will be transferred to the 2013 card. If you have 6 or fewer stamps on a card issued in 2012, half of the stamps will be transferred to the 2013 card.
- If you were unable to redeem one full card in 2012 (if card# on the right side of the oval in the middle-right of the card is 1), we want to encourage you to continue visiting our store by issuing you a 2013 card at no cost.
- Cards issued in 2012 may no longer be stamped. If 2012 cards are full, they may continue to be redeemed for $10 off a purchase.
- DVDs are 10% off.
|
 |
|
 |
World Book Night 2013
Applications are now being taken for Volunteer Book Givers for the 2013 World Book Night on April 23, 2013. This is a great opportunity to share your love of reading, and to put wonderful books into the hands of light or non-readers in your community. For more information, and to apply to be a 2013 book giver, please fill out the online application on the World Book Night Website. You will be asked what your first, second, and third book choices are, why you wish to share these books, and where you will go to personally hand out the books. Deadline to apply is January 23, 2013. |
|
|
|
| |
| This Week's Puzzle |
|
|
| |
| Reading Group Selection |
Tuesday, Feb. 5, 6:30 to 8 p.m.
Glaciers
Alexis Smith
Charneé leads this month’s Reading Group discussion of Glaciers by Portland author (and former Powell’s bookseller) Alexis Smith.
Isabel is a single, twentysomething thrift-store shopper and collector of remnants, things cast off or left behind by others. Glaciers follows Isabel through a day in her life in which work with damaged books in the basement of a library, unrequited love for the former soldier who fixes her computer, and dreams of the perfect vintage dress move over a backdrop of deteriorating urban architecture and the imminent loss of the glaciers she knew as a young girl in Alaska. |
|
Publisher: Tin House Books
ISBN: 9781935639206
Paperback
Regular price: $10.95
On sale for $9.31 until 2/5/13.
|
|
|
|
| |
On Our Nightstands |
 Charnee
World of Geekcraft: Step-By-Step Instructions for 25 Super-Cool Craft Projects
Susan Beal
I don’t know if you can handle the amount of geek-tastic and craft-tastic fun that is packed into this book! There is something in here for every nerd: cylon hoodies, Star Wars terrariums, and 20-sided dice jewelry – oh my! Don’t fret, they didn’t forget us Harry Potter, Buffy, or steampunk fans either. You don’t need to be a master craftsman to complete these well-detailed projects (sewing/knitting skills are helpful for some so you can pair-up for twice the fun) and many can be accomplished with just some crafty bits, scrap fabric, and old board game pieces. Wear your geek-ness proud!
Paperback, $19.95
Publisher: Chronicle Books; ISBN: 9780811874618 |
|
|
Tiffany
A Thousand Mornings
Mary Oliver
Mary Oliver captures brief moments in time and puts them on paper where we can return to them again and again. Her poems evoke nature in all its wonder and beauty, terror and heartlessness. This most recent collection warns of climate change and the ills we have done to the earth, but still speaks of grace and peace and quiet stillness. If you think you don’t like poetry (or think you don’t understand it), try reading Mary Oliver. A Thousand Mornings is a perfect place to begin.
Hardcover, $24.95
Publisher: Penguin Press; ISBN: 9781594204777 |
|
|
Tami
Fatal Induction
Bernadette Pajer
Ah, fantastic, you are reading this review. The greatest recommendation I can give you for this mystery is to read the first sentence: “The first indication that Professor Benjamin Bradshaw’s life was about to plunge again into chaos appeared in the form of a flatulent horse eating Mrs. Prouty’s broad beans over the garden fence, its huge teeth tugging greedily at the vines.”
This is a Poisoned Pen mystery. Poisoned Pen is an independent publisher founded in 1997. They are all about mysteries and finding new authors to support within this genre. They have hard-boiled, traditional British, historical, police procedural, women sleuths and short stories. There’s something for everyone.
Paperback, $14.95
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press; ISBN: 9781590586143 |
|
|
|
|
| |
| Grass Roots Online — Contact Us |
|
| |
| |
| |
|
