Grass Roots Books and Music — 227 SW 2nd Street, Corvallis OR 97339 — 541-754-7668
May 16, 2013
Contents
Newest Books
New in Paperback
Featured Books for Young Readers
Music
Events
News
This Week's Puzzle
Reading Group Selection
On Our Nightstands
Grass Roots Online — Contact Us
 
Newest Books

Inferno

Dan Brown

In the internationally bestselling author’s riveting new thriller, Harvard professor of symbology Robert Langdon becomes caught up in an elaborate mystery in the heart of Italy. Extracting clues and codes from the masterpiece Dante’s Inferno, Langdon must untangle a brilliantly devised riddle that will take him on a journey through the annals of classic art and new scientific advances. With a harrowing antagonist looming in the wings, the dangers intensify, the stakes escalate, and Langdon’s race for answers becomes more urgent than ever with the fate of the world hanging in the balance.

Hardcover, $29.95

Publisher: Doubleday Books; ISBN: 9780385537858

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The Guns at Last Light: The War in Western Europe, 1944-1945

Rick Atkinson

The monumental war for Western Europe during World War II is masterfully narrated in this conclusion to the "Liberation Trilogy." D-Day ignited the final campaign to liberate Europe from the Nazis, setting up the brutal fight in Normandy, the doomed Operation Market Garden, and the horrific Battle of the Bulge. The tale is told from the perspective of participants at every level, and on both sides, including the letters of dead soldiers, and the diaries of military leaders, bring to life a period of deadly devastation, revealing a fresh understanding of the ultimate price of the desperate struggle for Allied victory.

Hardcover, $40.00

Publisher: Henry Holt & Company; ISBN: 9780805062908

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On Sal Mal Lane

Ru Freeman

Sal Mal Lane is a peaceful neighborhood in Sri Lanka when the Herath family settles there. They meet their neighbors, the children play and fight and develop crushes, and there is still a sense of normalcy despite ethnic, religious, and political differences. But in the coming days, the first rumblings of civil war will change that. Personal life—the innocence of childhood, sharply contrasted with the trivial prejudices of the adults in charge—inevitably clashes with the political, creating a richly imagined, heartrending remembrance of a volatile era.

“[In] fictionalizing Sri Lankan history, Freeman accomplishes what reportage alone cannot: she blends the journalist's loyalty to fact with impassioned imagination.” —Booklist

Hardcover, $26.00

Publisher: Graywolf Press; ISBN: 9781555976422

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Wild Ones: A Sometimes Dismaying, Weirdly Reassuring Story about Looking at People Looking at Animals in America

Jon Mooallem

It is a disquieting yet all too real projection: half of all species could vanish by the end of the century, and scientific evidence indicates that most endangered animals in America will endure only with the help of conservationists. To demonstrate the impact this loss would have on future generations, journalist Jon Mooallem tours the conservation movement with his young daughter, juxtaposing an imperfect planet with a child’s fascination with animals. The journey, focusing on three currently endangered species—the polar bear, Lange’s metalmark butterfly, and the whooping crane—investigates their potential and clarifies our most comforting ideas about nature.

Hardcover, $27.95

Publisher: Penguin Press; ISBN: 9781594204425

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New in Paperback

Wilderness

Lance Weller

“Debut author Weller (winner of Glimmer Train’s Short Story Award for New Writers) alternates between two stretches in the life of Abel Truman: his weeks as a Confederate soldier in the Battle of the Wilderness in May 1864, when his arm was lost and his friends killed, and the harrowing stretch in 1899 when aging Abel abandons his hermit lifestyle on the coast of Washington State to take one last try at redemption, but encounters interference from some depraved dog fighters. Weller vividly paints epic events against the backdrop of beautiful but brutal landscapes.” –Library Journal Starred Review

Paperback, $16.00

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC; ISBN: 9781620400623

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Albert of Adelaide

Howard Anderson

Old-fashioned western meets imagined fantasy in the epic story of Albert of Adelaide, an orphaned platypus who has escaped from the zoo and is now looking for the fabled “Old Australia.” The imagined land of peace and freedom for animals is not easy to find, and Albert encounters a pyromaniacal wombat, a kangaroo tending bar, drunken bandicoots, and a menagerie of other dangers on his way to find it. On his journey through the desert, Albert discovers strength, a skill for survival he didn’t know he had, and friendship.

Paperback, $15.00

Publisher: Twelve; ISBN: 9781455509614

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Rather Outspoken: My Life in the News

Dan Rather

Covering the highlights of his distinguished journalistic career, Dan Rather gives candid personal accounts of his dismissal from CBS, the Abu Ghraib story, the George W. Bush Air National Guard controversy, new insights on the JFK assassination, and the origin of “Hurricane Dan.” Rather reveals the inside stories of many of his former interviewees—including U.S. Presidents and top personalities—and offers his thoughts on the state of modern journalism and predictions for its future.

“With his usual conversational writing style, he maintains a personal connection with his readers in this riveting and revelatory autobiography. . .” –Publishers Weekly Starred Review

Paperback, $17.00

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing; ISBN: 9781455502400

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The Right-Hand Shore

Christopher Tilghman

Fifteen years after the publication of his acclaimed novel Mason's Retreat, Tilghman returns to the Chesapeake Bay estate. This richly textured novel proceeds through 19th-century industry and centers on two families attempting to save a son and daughter.

“The tale's descent into tragedy is nevertheless beautiful; 'creamy yellow' sunlight and the perfume of peach blossoms pervade Mason's Retreat alongside its ghosts and horrors. Tilghman maneuvers through the misery of three generations, following each elegant plot turn inevitably back to its source: this living, breathing land on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay." —Publishers Weekly Starred Review

Paperback, $16.00

Publisher: Picador USA; ISBN: 9781250033284

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Double Cross: The True Story of the D-Day Spies

Ben Macintyre

The high-stakes military operation of D-Day kept Hitler’s army at bay, saved thousands of lives, and ensured an Allied victory. But the sophisticated deception could not have succeeded without the Double Cross system, the dangerous enterprise which turned German spies into double agents. Revealed for the first time, Double Cross is the story of these key people— a Polish fighter-pilot, a debonair Serbian, a gambling Peruvian girl, a Spanish chicken farmer, and a neurotic Frenchwoman—who acted concurrently to manipulate their German handlers. Captured with masterful storytelling, this testimony of heroic espionage is also one of the most eccentric.

Paperback, $15.00

Publisher: Broadway Books; ISBN: 9780307888778

Love with a Chance of Drowning

Torre DeRoche

Torre DeRoche didn’t expect to fall in love, but a chance meeting in a San Francisco bar with a soulful Argentinean man kindles an instant attraction. But there’s one catch—he’s about to embark on a worldwide voyage on his small sailboat, and Torre is terrified of the ocean. Choosing the man of her dreams over the mission of her nightmares, Torre decides to take the plunge, proving that some of the risks we take for love are worth the effort.

Paperback, $14.99

Publisher: Hyperion Books; ISBN: 9781401341954

 
Featured Books for Young Readers

The Watermelon Seed

Greg Pizzoli

Ages 4 to 8

“Classic kid fear: accidentally swallow a watermelon seed. . . vines will come out of your ears, and pretty soon you'll turn pink and wind up a morsel in someone else's fruit salad. In this first book from Pizzoli, the goal isn't to assuage readers' fears, but he does defuse them with help from an adorable bug-eyed crocodile who's hooked on watermelon. . . Pizzoli's ostensibly simple cartooning is actually quite clever: he plays with framing and scale to gently spoof the crocodile's horror-movie imaginings (‘It's growing in my guts!’), while the limited but luscious palette. . . and a subtly pulpy texture make each spread good enough to eat.” – Publishers Weekly Starred Review

Hardcover, $16.99

Publisher: Disney Press; ISBN: 9781423171010

Iva Honeysuckle Discovers the World

Candice Ransom

Ages 7 to 9

Equipped with her new explorer name and an independent spirit, eight-year-old heroine Iva Honeysuckle sets out to find the treasure of General Braddock, buried somewhere in her small town of Uncertain, Virginia during the French and Indian War. But even the most confident discoverers can run into trouble, like Iva’s bossy double-first cousin, Heaven. And her great-great-grandfather’s treasure map proves trickier to navigate than expected. And making matters worse, her faithful canine companion Sweetlips is napping on the job! Must Iva do “everything” on her own?

Paperback, $4.99

Publisher: Disney Press; ISBN: 9781423131076

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The Reluctant Assassin (W.A.R.P Book One)

Eoin Colfer

Young Adult

Riley, an orphaned teenager living in Victorian London, didn’t count on being apprenticed to Albert Garrick, a genius illusionist and master assassin. When Riley is accidentally transported via wormhole to the present, he befriends FBI agent Chevie, keeper of the timekey. But hot on their trail is Garrick, plotting to use the timekey for nefarious purposes.

“Colfer blends grisly moments of horror, sharply funny dialogue, science fiction spectacle, and characters with depth to create a story that strikes the ideal balance between escapist fun and thoughtful commentary on the ways history, both personal and global, can shape a person.” —Publishers Weekly Starred Review

Hardcover, $17.99

Publisher: Disney Press; ISBN: 9781423161622

 
Music

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Sam Amidon

Bright Sunny South

Genre: Pop/Folk

Amidon is a folksong interpreter from England by way of Vermont. On his first true solo album, he re-imagines familiar folk tunes, applying muted trumpet, banjo, fiddle, and percussion on the way to making the songs his own. ($13.95)

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Bobby McFerrin

Spirityouall

Genre: Pop/Folk

Throughout his long career, McFerrin has applied his elastic voice to genres from pop to classical, jazz to blues. On Spirityouall, he sets his attention on gospel music and traditional spirituals, joined by Esperanza Spalding, Larry Campbell, and more. ($11.95)

 
Events

Wednesday, May 22 at 7 p.m.

Grass Roots Books & Music

227 SW 2nd Street, Corvallis

Robert Meikyo Rosenbaum

Walking the Way: 81 Zen Encounters with the Tao Te Ching

Walking the Way affirms that, like yin and yang, the flowing spontaneity of Tao and the precise simplicity of Zen find perfect balance with one another. Robert Meikyo Rosenbaum brings the two traditions together in a unique presentation that elicits Zen insights from his fresh interpretation of verses from the perennial Taoist classic, the Tao Te Ching. Personal anecdotes from Rosenbaum's life illustrate the dynamic potential of his approach, skillfully revealing Zen within the Tao and the Tao of Zen.

Robert Rosenbaum, Ph.D. is a clinical neuropsychologist and psychotherapist in the San Francisco Bay area, a Zen practice leader and senior teacher of Dayan Qigong, and a mountaineer. He brings a lifetime of practice to the moment-by-moment harmonization of body, mind, and spirit.

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Thursday, May 23 at 7 p.m.

Grass Roots Books & Music

227 SW 2nd Street, Corvallis

Paperback Release Event

George Estreich, The Shape of the Eye: A Memoir

and

Aria Minu-Sepehr, We Heard the Heavens Then: A Memoir of Iran

Tonight we celebrate the paperback releases of two memoirs by Corvallis authors, George Estreich and Aria Minu-Sepehr. George

Estreich is the author of The Shape of the Eye, a memoir detailing all that comes after the life-altering diagnosis that his daughter Laura had Down syndrome. A poet and stay-at-home dad, George Estreich, relays both his daughter’s story and his struggle to accept and understand the meaning of ‘different.’ He is a winner of the 2012 Oregon Book Award for Creative Nonfiction.

Aria Minu-Sepehr is the author of We Heard the Heavens Then, a memoir of his boyhood in revolutionary Iran. Seen through the eyes of a ten year old with unusual access to the two poles of his society— modern and traditional—the tale recounts the rising tension, collision, and eventual fallout of the split.

 

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Thursday, June 6 at 7 p.m.

Grass Roots Books & Music

227 SW 2nd Street, Corvallis

Poetry Reading:

James Arthur, Charms Against Lightning

Natalie Diaz, When My Brother Was an Aztec

Tom�s Q. Mor�n, A Larger Country

Poetry readings don’t stop after April. Join us for an evening with three poets from Copper Canyon Press. James Arthur, Natalie Diaz, and Tom�s Mor�n bring their award-winning talents and their cultural experiences to Grass Roots.

           Arthur     Diaz    Morin

Saturday, June 8 at 2 p.m.

Grass Roots Books & Music

227 SW 2nd Street, Corvallis

Angie Brenner

Anatolian Days & Nights: A Love Affair with Turkey: Land of Dervishes, Goddesses, and Saints

Angie Brenner stops by Grass Roots to discuss her book Anatolian Days & Nights, detailing her travels in Turkey.

When Joy Stocke and Angie Brenner meet on the balcony of a guesthouse in a small resort town on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey, they think they have only a mutual friend and a summer dream in common. Soon, they discover a shared love of travel, history, culture, cuisine, and literature; and they begin a ten-year odyssey through Turkey.

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Tuesday, June 18 at 7 p.m.

Grass Roots Books & Music

227 SW 2nd Street, Corvallis

Wendy Tremayne

The Good Life Lab: Radical Experiments in Hands-On Living

This is the inspirational story of how one couple ditched their high-powered careers and high-pressure life in New York City to move to rural New Mexico, where they made, built, invented, foraged, and grew all they needed to live self-sufficiently, discovering a new sense of abundance in the process.

Wendy Jehanara Tremayne offers a lively presentation of her book, leading the audience to deeply consider and share their thoughts and feelings about the ways that our lives are being shaped by being the first people alive to witness the whole world for sale.

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Community Events

Community Events

Darkside Cinema: Movies showing May 17 to 23, showtimes daily, Darkside Cinema, Corvallis. Visit their website for showtimes.

  • Angel’s Share –NR: Narrowly avoiding jail, new dad Robbie vows to turn over a new leaf. A visit to a whisky distillery inspires him and his mates to seek a way out of their hopeless lives. “As heartwarming and uplifting as any tale could be that features vicious beatings and grand larceny.”
  • The Reluctant Fundimentalist –R: A young Pakistani man, chasing corporate success on Wall Street, finds himself embroiled in a conflict between his American Dream, a hostage crisis, and the enduring call of his family's homeland. “Seriously rich in suspenseful, subversive complexities about the roots of extremism - that should appeal to international audiences.”
  • Erased –R: When ex-CIA agent Ben Logan (Eckhart) discovers that he and his daughter have been marked for termination as part of a wide-reaching international conspiracy, a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse ensues as Logan tries to outsmart his hunters and uncover the truth. “Engaging and enjoyable thriller, enlivened by a sharp script, pacey direction, solid action sequences and strong performances.”
  • From Up on Poppy Hill –PG: A group of Yokohama teens look to save their school's clubhouse from the wrecking ball in preparations for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. An animated, Japanese family drama. “This is a gentle film, hand-drawn with irresistible colors, that exudes nostalgia in a lovely way.” (Subtitled Japanese.)
  • The Company You Keep –R: A former Weather Underground activist goes on the run from a journalist who has discovered his identity. With Stanley Tucci, Robert Redford, Susan Sarandon, Nick Nolte, Chris Cooper, Julie Christie, Terrence Howard.

Literary Events: Visit our Community Calendar for details on these events and others in the area.

  • Valley Writers Series hosts Shaindel Beers: Friday, May 17 at LBCC; 10 to 10:50 a.m. in North Santiam Hall, room 110; 1 to 1:50 p.m. in North Santiam Hall, room 209; and Saturday, May 18, 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the Mennonite Village Lakeside Community Center, Albany.
  • Nye Beach Writers Series presents Ralph Salisbury and Carlos Reyes: Saturday, May 18, 7 p.m., Newport Visual Arts Center, Newport.
  • Writers on the River present Elizabeth Eslami, "The Story and The Question": Monday, May 20, 6:30 to 8 p.m., First Presbyterian Church, Corvallis.
  • 3rd Annual Editorial Festival: Wednesday, May 22, 7:30 p.m., Autzen Classroom, Valley Library, OSU, Corvallis.

Opportunities:

  • Teen Writing Workshop: Find Your Writing Muse! What inspires your writing - music, pictures, pop culture, something else? Sometimes you can't wait for your muse to strike, so you need to find ways to inspire it. This program will show you how! Young Adult authors Katie Kacvinsky, Lisa Burstein, and Bryan Bliss will speak about what inspires their writing. For more information, contact Youth Services at the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library at 541-766-6794.
  • Airlie Press: This is the last month of Airlie Press's open reading period for new books. Full guidelines can be downloaded on the Airlie Press website where you can also read about our selection process and what it means to be part of a collective press. Manuscripts should be submitted electronically to [email protected] by May 31
  • Youth Poetry Contest: Each year the The Arts Center partners with the Corvallis Fall Festival and Marys Peak Poets to hold the Youth Poetry Contest. Ages: Preschool–Grade 12. Deadline: June 2, 2013. Click here for a complete brochure and to register.
  • Summer in Words Conference: Three days of events, talks, and workshops taught by a stellar cast of authors and writing instructors will help you learn more about story and craft and invite you to move forward. June 20-23, Hallmark Inn & Resort, Cannon Beach, OR. For more information and to register, visit the Conference website.
  • Summer Fishtrap: The 26th annual Summer Fishtrap Gathering of Writers at Wallowa Lake runs July 8-14, 2013. For more details on workshops at Summer Fishtrap and to register please visit fishtrap.org.
  • 2013 Lois Cranston Memorial Poetry Prize: March 1-May 31, 2013, postmarked. Please submit up to three unpublished poems (six pages maximum). Simultaneous submissions are discouraged. The CALYX editorial collective reads all manuscripts first, then selects 10-20 finalists to send to the final judge. See the CALYX submissions page 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 [email protected] 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.

 
News

Book Awards

Children’s Choice: The 2013 Children’s Choice Book Awards were announced this week by the Children’s Book Council Foundation and Every Child a Reader at the annual gala to kick off Children’s Book Week. The annual award, launched in 2008, is the only national book awards program where the winning titles are selected by children and teens of all ages. This year’s winners are:

Fundamentals

Coming Soon!

Signed Copies: The much-anticipated new novel by Khaled Hosseini, And the Mountains Echoed, will be available on Tuesday, May 21. The bestselling author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns has written a new novel about how people love, how they take care of one another, and how choices resonate through generations. From Kabul to Paris to San Francisco to the Greek island of Tinos—the story expands gradually outward, becoming more emotionally complex and powerful with each turning page. Autographed copies will be available at Grass Roots; reserve yours today by calling or stopping by the store!

 

Free e-book: Algonquin Books, publisher of Jonathan Evison’s novel The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving, will offer a free e-book of the book May 21-27. In his follow-up to West of Here, Evison tells the story of a hair-raising road trip across the American West taken by a teenager with muscular dystrophy and his caregiver after a great loss. Winner of the 2013 PNBA Award, The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving is lively, soulful novel that ponders life's terrible surprises and the heart's ability to heal. Visit the Grass Roots store website next week to claim your free e-book edition of this book!

 
This Week's Puzzle



Solve this week's jigsaw. (Into every puzzler's life some variety and challenge must fall!)

 
Reading Group Selection

Tuesday, June 4, 6:30 to 8 p.m.

The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements

Sam Kean

Charne� (our resident “Science Person”) leads the discussion of The Disappearing Spoon.

The periodic table is a crowning scientific achievement, but it's also a treasure trove of adventure, betrayal, and obsession. These fascinating tales follow every element on the table as they play out their parts in human history, and in the lives of the (frequently) mad scientists who discovered them.

The Disappearing Spoon is a marvelous collection of stories about the elements of the periodic table. You may think this is an arcane undertaking —how much do we really remember (or want to remember) of that chart hanging on the classroom wall? . . . Most people recall the table with fear and loathing, but Kean is enthralled by the table, and the tales of obsession, quirkiness and mystery that surround the elements.” –Shelf Awareness

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Publisher: Back Bay Books

ISBN: 9780316051637

Paperback

Regular price: $14.99

On sale for $12.75 until June 4.

 

 

On Our Nightstands

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Rabid: A Cultural History of the World's Most Diabolical Virus

Bill Wasik and Monica Murphy

We are lucky that the animal kingdom shows remarkable impulse control, or at least a strong fight-or-flight response, when it comes to interactions with humans. Rabid is a fascinating account of what happens when control is lost and “harmless” animals (including people) wreak havoc because a virus turned them into fearless beasts. The authors take us on a captivating journey through the history of rabies, our fears of the disease manifested through zombies and vampires, the creation of a life-saving vaccine, and the survivors who beat all odds (it is nearly impossible to survive this “diabolical” virus without a vaccine)!

Hardcover, $25.95

Publisher: Viking Books; ISBN: 9780670023738

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Across the Nightingale Floor: Tales of the Otori Book One

Lian Hearn

This is a fantasy series set in fictional Japan. There are four books and a prequel. A boy is raised in a remote village among religious pacifists called the Hidden, who the Lord of the area is persecuting. One day he returns from the forest to find his village massacred. He is rescued by a stranger, and from there he finds out he is the son of a famous assassin and a member of an ancient family called the Tribe who possess magical skills. It culminates in his crossing of the nightingale floor.

Paperback, $16.00

Publisher: Riverhead Books; ISBN: 9781573223324

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Grass Roots Online — Contact Us