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Grass Roots Books and Music
— 227 SW 2nd Street, Corvallis OR 97339 — 541-754-7668 |
| July 18, 2013 |
| Contents |
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| Newest Books |
Love, Dishonor, Marry, Die, Cherish, Perish
David Rakoff
These stories in verse, themed with the need for beauty and compassion in a selfish world, link characters� lives by acts of generosity or cruelty: A hobo offers an unexpected refuge on the rails during the Great Depression; an office girl endures the rampant sexism of 1950s Manhattan; a young man finds freedom of expression in 1960s San Francisco devastated by the AIDS pandemic.
�The posthumous publication provides a fitting memorial to a humorist whose embrace of life encompassed its dark side. . . [but] brings a light touch to deadly serious material, finding at least a glimmer of redemption for most of his characters.� � Kirkus Reviews
Hardcover, $26.95
Publisher: Doubleday Books; ISBN: 9780385535212 |
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The Longest Road: Overland in Search of America, from Key West to the Arctic Ocean
Philip Caputo
Taking a journey across America, Philip Caputo had a question in mind: how does the United States, with its vast geography and diverse people, remain united? To find the answer, he interviewed everyday Americans for their distinct perspectives � Christian evangelicals, a Native American shaman, a Missouri farmer, volunteers and more � covering the 16,000 miles from Florida to Alaska. Their surprising and inspiring responses inform us about our country�s modern issues, divisions, and commonalities.
�Injecting misadventures into the narrative, Caputo recounts an overland voyage that emphasizes the people he meets. . . [snaring] reading devotees of a classic American theme, the road trip.� � Booklist Starred Review
Hardcover, $28.00
Publisher: Henry Holt & Company; ISBN: 9780805094466 |
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Blood & Beauty: The Borgias; A Novel
Sarah Dunant
�The time is the late 15th century, [and] Italy is a chaotic tangle of loosely joined city-states, caught between the rule of the Papacy and the Holy Roman Empire. . . What some would consider criminal behavior, the Borgias consider massaging the situation to their advantage. From church law to social law, no rule is so unbreakable as to stop the family in its quest for power. [This novel follows] ruthless Rodrigo Borgia � also known as Pope Alexander VI � and his children's activities, from eldest son Cesare's ice-cold political machinations to daughter Lucrezia's three marriages of convenience, in the name of familial strategy.� � Library Journal
Hardcover, $27.00
Publisher: Random House; ISBN: 9781400069293 |
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JFK's Last Hundred Days: The Transformation of a Man and the Emergence of a Great President
Thurston Clarke
Reexamining the final months of President John F. Kennedy�s life, this book shows a man in the midst of great change, preparing to make good on his extraordinary promise. Following JFK�s great strides in the Cold War, civil rights, and Vietnam, and in his personal life, Clarke makes a case for what might have been, including a reappraisal begun in the last hundred days that would have led to the withdrawal of all sixteen thousand U.S. military advisers by 1965. Clarke explains why the grief following JFK�s assassination has endured to this day, and where he would have led America.
Hardcover, $29.95
Publisher: Penguin Press; ISBN: 9781594204258 |
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Pilgrim's Wilderness: A True Story of Faith and Madness on the Alaska Frontier
Tom Kizzia
�Robert �Papa Pilgrim� Hale, his wife and 15 children came to the remote little town of McCarthy, Alaska, convinced that it was God's will they settle there. . . On assignment from his newspaper, Kizzia successfully solicited the media-wary Pilgrim for an interview. What he learned � that Pilgrim was the son of a rich Texas family with links to the FBI � was only a small part of the whole story . . . The horror at the heart of this story about religious extremism on the fringes of the last American frontier [will] swallow most readers.� � Kirkus Reviews
Hardcover, $25.00
Publisher: Crown Publishing Group; ISBN: 9780307587824 |
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| New in Paperback |
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The Violinist's Thumb: And Other Lost Tales of Love, War, and Genius, as Written by Our Genetic Code
Sam Keane
�Kean educates readers about a facet of science, in this case, genetics, with wonderfully witty prose and enthralling anecdotes. The book's title, for instance, refers to the genetic disorder that afflicted and aided virtuoso violinist Niccolo Paganini, giving him �freakishly flexible fingers� and enabled him to play in ways most others could not. Kean explains how scientists use DNA to better understand evolutionary relationships across the animal kingdom, to examine Homo sapiens's relationship with Neanderthals, [illuminating] both the science and the politics of science. But he also reminds us to be wary of attributing too much to our genes.� � Publishers Weekly
Paperback, $16.00
Publisher: Back Bay Books; ISBN: 9780316182331 |
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The Secret Keeper
Kate Morton
�Laurel Nicholson is a teenager when she witnesses a shocking crime: her gentle, kind mother, Dorothy, kills a man. It becomes a family secret that Laurel never divulges or tries to fathom until five decades later, when Dorothy is on her deathbed, and Laurel finds a photograph of her mother with an old friend. . . Who was Vivien Jenkins, and why was she once so important to Dorothy? With the narrative shifting between Laurel, Dorothy, Vivien, and Jimmy, a man who also profoundly affected Dorothy's life long ago, both reader and Laurel breathlessly hurtle into an astounding family secret that unfolds slowly and temptingly.� � Booklist
Paperback, $16.00
Publisher: Washington Square Press; ISBN: 9781439152812 |
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The Recipe Box
Sandra Lee
Recently divorced, single mother Grace Holm-D�Angelo is trying to puzzle together a new life from the scattered pieces. Her fourteen-year-old daughter Emma is resentful about being uprooted from Chicago to LA, and her best friend, Leeza, just succumbed to breast cancer. Then Grace comes to the realization that there are no second chances at life, and goes home during the summer to reconcile with her estranged mother � rediscovering the healing powers of cooking and the relationship between mothers and daughters along the way. Author and chef Lee�s original recipes accompany the story.
Paperback, $14.99
Publisher: Hyperion Books; ISBN: 9781401310837 |
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Up and Down
Terry Fallis
David Stewart has left his comfy job with the Canadian Ministry of Science and Technology to support his sister and help care for his mother, and along the way lands a job in international PR. His first day on the new job, before he�s even found the washroom, he is assigned a major project: devise a campaign to revitalize North America's interest in the space program. Before long, David suggests the most out-of-this-world idea imaginable: sending a citizen to the International Space Station. The idea vaults David into the murky waters of corporate politics, government procedure, and holding onto his new job while still doing the right thing.
Paperback, $17.95
Publisher: Emblem Editions; ISBN: 9780771047916 |
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Rocket Girl: The Story of Mary Sherman Morgan, America's First Female Rocket Scientist
George Morgan
Mary Sherman Morgan attended high school in a small town in North Dakota in the late 1930s, with dreams of becoming a chemist. In the 1950s, Mary Sherman Morgan singlehandedly saved America�s space program through her part in the creation of the rocket-fuel that launched the satellite Explorer 1. Following her great achievement, Morgan fell into obscurity until her son�playwright George Morgan�began to understand the extent of her contributions. Delving into his mother�s personal history, the author reveals the story of an unsung heroine of the space age.
Paperback, $18.00
Publisher: Prometheus Books; ISBN: 9781616147396 |
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| Featured Books for Young Readers |
Chick 'n' Pug Meet the Dude
Jennifer Sattler
Ages 3 to 7
He's taller than the Chrysler Building. He drools more than a baby sucking on a piece of Jello. Dog people will revere him. Chick and Pug know him only as. . . The Dude. When the larger-than-life Dude ambles into Pug's territory and steals Squeaky Hamburger, Pug's most favorite chew toy, Chick is ready to take down the slobbering scoundrel. But that would require making Pug get up. . . . Will Chick save the day? Will Pug nap through all the best parts? One thing's for sure: The Dude has arrived.
Hardcover, $16.99
Publisher: Bloomsbury U.S.A. Children's Books; ISBN: 9781599906003 |
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House of Secrets
Chris Columbus and Ned Vizzini
Ages 8 to 12
"[Authors Columbus and Vizzini] catapult a trio of siblings across time and space, as they square off against a forgotten writer's literary legacy. When eight-year-old Eleanor, 12-year-old Brendan, and 15-year-old Cordelia Walker move with their parents into the ancient, eerie Kristoff House, they instantly suspect something's not right. Then they're attacked by the Wind Witch, their parents go missing, and the entire house is thrust into a bizarre conglomeration of settings taken from the works of Denver Kristoff, a prolific early 20th-century author. Seeking a missing book of immense power, the siblings battle warriors, giants, pirates, and skeletons to get home again.� �Publishers Weekly
Hardcover, $17.99
Publisher: Balzer & Bray/Harperteen; ISBN: 9780062192462 |
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| Music |
Court Yard Hounds
Amelita
Genre: Pop/Folk
Court Yard Hounds are essentially Dixie Chicks minus Natalie Maines. On their second release, sisters Emily Robison and Martie Maguire add a veneer of Northern California country-rock to the more contemporary Dixie Chicks sound. ($11.95) |
Mayer Hawthorne
Where Does This Door Go
Genre: Pop/Folk
As heard on NPR, this marks Hawthorne's third release. The singer-songwriter's music blends the Motown soul of his Michigan home with more contemporary soul sounds. ($13.95) |
Doc Watson
The Definitive Doc Watson
Genre: Pop/Folk
Spanning the entire breadth of the flatpicker's career, this 2-disc set cements the late artist's lasting legacy. In addition to Watson's most popular tunes, the collection focuses on due ($21.95) |
Robert Randolph & the Family Band
Lickety Split
Genre: Jazz/Blues
"Randolph�s guitar playing is prominent throughout the record. His command of the pedal steel guitar, one of the most expressive instruments, is excellent. He makes it lyrical on 'New Orleans' and rocks it 1980s style on 'All American.' His cover of 'Love Rollercoaster' is full of fun, as is the final track, 'Good Lovin�'.� ($13.95) |
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| Events |
Saturday, July 27 at 2 p.m.
Grass Roots Books & Music
227 SW 2nd Street, Corvallis |
Poetry Reading
Mary Van Denend
Watermarks
Join us for an afternoon reading with Corvallis poet Mary Van Denend. She is launching her new chapbook Watermarks, from Finishing Line Press. Mary Van Denend writes poems and essays from her home in western Oregon. Her poems have appeared in The Asheville Review, Briar Cliff Review, Crab Orchard Review, Ruminate, Sow's Ear Poetry Review, and other fine journals. She is a regular contributor to The Art House America blog. She loves the desert Southwest, old beautiful cities, and delights in her three grandchildren. |
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July 1-31
Participating businesses throughout downtown Corvallis:
Burst's Chocolates
Cyclotopia
Cyrano's (Yesterday's Books, Today's Treasures)
Drawing Board
Five Star Sports
Footwise
Francesco's
Grass Roots Books & Music
Great Harvest
Inkwell Home Store
Kaleidoscope Studios
Many Hands Trading
Mod Pod
New Morning Bakery
Oregon Coffee & Tea
Peak Sports
Riverside Window & Door
Second Glance
Second Glance Annex
Sedlak's
Sibling Revelry
Soft Star Shoes Stash
The Alley
Toy Factory
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Find Waldo in Corvallis!
Waldo is returning to Corvallis this summer! Where is he hiding? All over downtown, and it's your challenge to find him! Grass Roots Books & Music is hosting a month-long scavenger hunt to Find Waldo through downtown Corvallis in July. The famous children's book character in the striped shirt and black-rimmed specs is visiting twenty-five different local businesses throughout our community this July. Those who spot him can win prizes from Grass Roots and other participating businesses, including stickers, book coupons, gift certificates, books, and more.
Stop by the store to begin your search, or visit our website for a list of participating businesses and more information.
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Saturday, Aug. 3 at 4:30 p.m.
Grass Roots Books & Music
227 SW 2nd Street, Corvallis |
Find Waldo Search Party!
The search for Waldo is over! Join us in the loft at Grass Roots Books as we celebrate his return to his rightful place in the bookstore. Everyone who looked for Waldo, found Waldo, and hid Waldo is welcome to this family-friendly event in our loft. We�ll enjoy some activities and refreshments, and announce the winners of our Find Waldo Local Raffle drawing. It will also be the perfect time to share your Waldo-hunting advetnrues with us!
Don�t forget, you have through July 31 to find Waldo at 25 participating businesses in downtown Corvallis. Stop by Grass Roots to start your search today! |
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| Community Events |
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Community Events
Darkside Cinema: Movies showing July 19 to 25, showtimes daily, Darkside Cinema, Corvallis. Visit their website for showtimes.
- Fill the Void �PG: A woman's right is to choose her spouse, and what a weighty, giddy, confusing, clarifying and, ultimately, sacred choice that is. �A fascinating peek into the lives of Israel's ultra-Orthodox Jews.�
- Kings of Summer �R: Deserves recognition for its light, often hilarious depiction of summertime boyhood and the impatience to become an adult. Nick Offerman.
- Only God Forgives �R: Julian (Ryan Gosling! OMG!) runs a Thai boxing club and smuggling ring with his brother Billy. Billy is suddenly murdered and their crime lord matriarch, Crystal (Kristin Scott Thomas) arrives to bring back the body. When Jenna forces Julian to settle the score with his brother's killers, Julian finds himself in the ultimate showdown.
- Before Midnight �R: 98% on Rotten Tomatoes!
- Mud �R: Mathew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon
Literary Events: Visit our Community Calendar for details on these events and others in the area.
Opportunities:
- Benton County Youth Poetry Contest: Each year the Arts Center partners with the Corvallis Fall Festival and Marys Peak Poets to hold the Youth Poetry Contest. Participants submit original poetry, Marys Peak Poets jury them, and The Arts Center displays them and awards prizes during the Corvallis Fall Festival weekend. ALL the poetry will be displayed in the Corrine Woodman Gallery at The Arts Center. This is a fun way for budding writers and poets to share their work and ideas! Ages: Preschool�Grade 12. Deadline: August 3, 2013 RECEIVED (TAC is closed on Sundays so please plan your delivery/mailing accordingly!) Click Here for a Complete Brochure with Registration Checklist.
- Call for Submissions: Wild in the Willamette is now seeking unpaid contributions of outdoor writing to create this field guide for everyone wanting to explore wild places within the eight major watersheds of the mid-Willamette Valley � by foot, by kayak or canoe, and by bicycle. For more details, please see the WITW website.
- 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. |
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| News |
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Book Awards
CWA Dagger Awards: Several Dagger awards were announced Monday at the Crime Writers' Association's annual dinner in London, while initial longlists were announced for the CWA Gold, Steel, and John Creasey Daggers were announced. For a complete list of winners and nominees, visit the CWA website. The winners announced Monday include:
Thriller Awards: The 2013 Thriller Wards, presented by the International Thriller Writers, were announced during a gala on Saturday evening in New York. The awards are presented to best books, eBook, and short story in the thriller genre. For a complete list of winners, visit the ITW website. This year�s winners include:
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Featured in the Store
Get Outdoors: The Pacific Northwest is a beautiful place, and the Willamette Valley has no shortage of spectacular outdoor adventures! Begin your journey at Grass Roots with a perusal of our outdoor guides. If you�re seeking a new trail to take on with your canine companion, pick up Best Hikes with Dogs in Oregon. Wondering what those. . . things are on the side of the trail? We have a diverse selection of bird, animal, and wildflower identification guides, as well as easy-to-carry laminated wildlife guides. Too hot and dusty on the trail? Take to the water with Soggy Sneakers: A Paddler�s Guide to Oregon�s Rivers. William Sullivan�s classic series of hiking guides, including 100 Hikes in the Central Oregon Cascades, notes which trails are ideal for dogs, horses, bikes, and wildflower viewing. Even if lounging in your backyard is your idea of a summer adventure, head to Grass Roots for great summer reading recommendations!
Letters from Home: Share images of home with friends and family not fortunate enough to live here. Grass Roots has a beautiful selection of greeting cards from local artists, as well as boxed notes and postcards featuring photos and illustrations of familiar Oregon destinations, and those closer to home. You can also send some Oregon love with a Heart in Oregon sticker, or playing cards with photos of some of the best places to visit in our fair state. |
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Hot News from the World of Books!
New J.K. Rowling Book: The hottest news in the book industry this week? The revelation that J.K. Rowling is the author who wrote the critically-acclaimed �debut novel� Cuckoo�s Calling. Published under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith, this week Harry Potter-creator J.K. Rowling was outted as the writer behind the name. (Get the full story on NPR.) Of course popularity of the novel exploded, and booksellers and readers are eagerly awaiting a reprint. In the meantime, it is out of stock everywhere. If you can�t wait, maybe now would be the perfect time to try an eBook through Kobo, our partner for eBooks. The Kobo eBook edition of Cuckoo�s Calling is now available for $9.99, and you can support Grass Roots by creating a Kobo account through our website. Kobo eBooks can be read on all electronic reading devices, except a Kindle. It�s easy and convenient! |
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EBook Specials
Lighten your summer reading load and stock up on Kobo eBooks. Publishers are offering great deals on books ideal for reading in the sun, or the shade. See all the specials here. Purchasing Kobo eBooks through our website supports Grass Roots!
What�s your electronic reading device? Easy-to-use apps are available for the iPad, iPhone, Android, and Blackberry 10 devices, and are also available for desktop reading on your Mac or PC. If you have an eReader that�s not a Kobo (or a Kindle), you can still purchase Kobo eBooks through our website, and easily convert their format using Adobe Digital Editions. Need help? Stop into the store and we�ll walk through it with you! We also sell Kobo eReaders. Visit our website for more information about Kobo. |
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| This Week's Puzzle |
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| Reading Group Selection |
Tuesday, Aug. 6, 6:30 to 8 p.m.
The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving
Jonathan Evison
Pamela leads August�s literary road trip with The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving by Jonathan Evison, winner of the 2013 Pacific Northwest Booksellers Award.
Following a family tragedy, Benjamin Benjamin is left with little in the world, so he enrolls in a class called the Fundamentals of Caregiving to prepare himself for a new profession. He quickly learns that the class provided little that is actually helpful when he is assigned to Trevor, a 19-year-old in the advanced stages of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The job gives Benjamin a renewed sense of purpose to his life, and the unlikely pair soon set off on a cross country road trip to see Trev�s estranged father, visiting can�t-miss roadside attractions, picking up hitchhikers, and being pursued by a mysterious Buick Skylark. |
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Publisher: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill
ISBN: 9781616203153
Paperback
Regular price: $14.95
On sale for $12.71 until Aug. 6.
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On Our Nightstands |
 Linda
Apocalyptic Planet: A Field Guide to the Future of the Earth
Craig Childs
Our ancient, ancient Earth is discovered and studied here in this wondrous adventure book by Craig Childs. Traveling to major cataclysmic places on the planet, Childs not only pens fully and enthusiastically of his travels, but gives an excellent history of the earth's geology and events. In awe of the power and finality of Earth's nature, Childs clearly and convincingly writes of the past and inevitable future. Exquisite images like "If Tibet were a glass bottom boat. . . " describe perfectly how to experience the wonders of earth. This is a fascinating book.
Paperback, $16.95
Publisher: Vintage Books; ISBN: 9780307476814 |
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Pamela
The Stud Book
Monica Drake
This book elicits several responses: a quick snort of laughter, a quirked eyebrow of concern, a soft sigh of sadness. The characters in this book are not necessarily my friends, but I care about them all the same. The four women in this book are not necessarily my friends, but I care about them all the same. Their lives are set in the grittier light of Portland, where they struggle with parenthood and evolution and what it all means in this crowded world. I recognize small bits of myself in them, even with all of our different choices and different lives.
Hardcover, $25.00
Publisher: Hogarth; ISBN: 9780307955524 |
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Susan
Tapestry of Fortunes
Elizabeth Berg
As a long-time Elizabeth Berg fan, I celebrate whenever she writes a new book. Her latest novel, Tapestry of Fortunes, is signature Berg: well-developed characters, rich women�s relationships, and an engaging story told in well-crafted prose. I saw so much of myself in Cecilia Ross, a motivational speaker averse to taking risks. Her best friend�s death jolts her into finally having the courage to take her own advice.
Hardcover, $26.00
Publisher: Random House; ISBN: 9780812993141 |
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