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Grass Roots Books and Music
— 227 SW 2nd Street, Corvallis OR 97339 — 541-754-7668 |
| November 28, 2013 |
| Contents |
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Happy Thanksgiving! Grass Roots Books & Music will be closed on Thursday, Nov. 28, but will be open for regular hours this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Please stop by the store on Saturday for Buy Local First Day and Small Business Saturday. You'll find more information below.
As we look forward to celebrating Thanksgiving with family and friends, we at Grass Roots give thanks for our wonderful customers and local community. You are the reason we're here, and we're grateful for your support! |
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| New in Paperback |
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A Possible Life: A Novel in Five Parts
Sebastian Faulks
“International best seller Faulks is noted for his sensitive handling of historical material, and, indeed, four of the five linked stories here tread historical ground. Among Faulks's protagonists are a young prisoner of war in World War II Poland who imagines going to bat on a cricket field, a man in Victorian times desolate because he has given away his son, a servant in 19th-century France suddenly grasping the meaning of a Bible story, and a girl in the 1970s Catskills whose music mesmerizes. Then there's the futurist story about a scientist in Italy drawing parallels between time and the human brain. All juicily readable stuff.” –Library Journal
Paperback, $16.00
Publisher: Picador USA; ISBN: 9781250037855 |
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The Aviator's Wife
Melanie Benjamin
“Benjamin, author of the highly acclaimed Alice I Have Been and The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb, delivers another stellar historical novel . . . spotlight[ing] Anne Morrow Lindbergh, wife of wildly famous Charles Lindbergh and pioneering aviatrix and accomplished author in her own right. Though their courtship is the stuff of every girl's romantic fantasy, time and reality combine to reveal a much different story. Plagued by tragedy and often stifled by her domineering husband, she eventually manages to carve out a quasi-independent life and career for herself. Fictional biography at its finest.” –Booklist (Starred Review)
Paperback, $15.00
Publisher: Bantam; ISBN: 9780345528681 |
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Bend, Not Break: A Life in Two Worlds
Ping Fu
“In 1966, Ping Fu was seized from wealthy relatives at age eight and suffered savage treatment and deprivation for years. As this fragile young girl comes of age in a communist work camp, a great mind emerges. Later, while attending college, she interviews mothers about the killing of thousands of female babies and creates what is considered subversive literature. For this she is eventually deported from her native land. Fu arrives in America with only a few dollars . . . As founder and CEO of Geomagic, a 3-D digital reality solution company, Fu speaks to the need for humanity to practice love in business relations in order to avoid inflicting pain on future generations.” –Booklist (Starred Review)
Paperback, $16.00
Publisher: Portfolio; ISBN:9781591846819 |
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City of Lost Dreams
Magnus Flyte
"This deliciously madcap novel has it all: murder in Prague, time travel, a misanthropic Beethoven, tantric sex, and a dwarf with attitude. I salute you, Magnus Flyte!"—Conan O'Brian
"A comical, rollicking and sexy thriller."—Huffington Post
"An entertaining mix of magic, mystery and romance, it's one of the most original novels released this year."—CNN.com
"Set in a world where alchemy, magic, and science all work, [City of Lost Dreams is] another lively, amusing romantic mystery from the pseudonymous Flyte . . . . Sensual, witty, and sometimes laugh-out-loud funny, set forth in sparkling prose, and inhabited by characters well-worth getting to know. ‘Wunderbar!’" —Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)
Paperback, $16.00
Publisher: Penguin Books; ISBN: 9780143123279 |
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The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly
Sun-Mi Hwang
“A philosophically restless hen . . . yearns to raise a chick, but her eggs are collected daily by the farmer's wife. The hen encapsulates her longing in the name Sprout, which she gives to herself, signifying the fecundity of nature. Determined ‘to do something with her life,’ Sprout escapes from her cage into the barnyard, but she's shunned by all its denizens except another outsider like herself, a mallard duck called Straggler. His lifesaving friendship enables Sprout to achieve one of her dreams: she hatches an egg she discovers in a briar patch, at first unaware that her offspring is not a chick, but a duckling. . . Spare but evocative line drawings by the Japanese artist Nomoco add to the subtle charm of this slim volume.” –Publishers Weekly
Paperback, $15.00
Publisher: Penguin Books; ISBN: 9780143123200 |
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| Music |
Joshua Bell
Musical Gifts from Joshua Bell and Friends
Genre: Holiday
“Grammy Award-winning violinist Joshua Bell's first holiday record is a star-studded affair. Highlights include the Rob Moose-arranged ‘Let It Snow,’ which commences as a Gypsy violin solo, then bursts into swing à la Stéphane Grappelli/Django Reinhardt as Bell duets with classical guitarist Julian Lage. Alison Krauss lends her voice to a stirring reading of ‘God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.’” –AEC ($11.95) |
Straight No Chaser
Under the Influence: Holiday Edition
Genre: Holiday
“Straight No Chaser's 2013 EP Under the Influence: Holiday Edition is the a cappella group's fourth holiday-related release and first since 2010's All I Want for Christmas. The EP also follows up the group's 2013 studio album, Under the Influence. As with that album, Under the Influence: Holiday Edition features guest appearances by some of the band's favorite artists. Here we get a handful of holiday classics, half of which feature guest singers including Paul McCartney, Colbie Caillat, Cee Lo Green, and Otis Redding.” –AEC ($9.95) |
Various Artists
Putumayo Presents: Acoustic Christmas
Genre: Holiday
“This set is the latest in Putumayo's successful Christmas series, always annually among the best and most interesting on the holiday market. This time, the music centers around a playlist of classic and new Christmas songs and carols done by American singer/songwriters and folk, blues, and jazz musicians, including, among others, Leon Redbone, Mindy Smith, Sally Ellyson, and the Sugar Thieves.” –AEC ($15.95) |
Mannheim Steamroller
Christmas Symphony II
Genre: Holiday
“The companion album to 2011's Christmas Symphony, Mannheim Steamroller's 2013 holiday collection Christmas Symphony II features more of the popular new age/pop-classical crossover/electro-prog outfit's songs reworked as orchestral recordings. As with the previous album, here we get 13 of Mannheim Steamroller's holiday recordings expanded upon with help from the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra.” –AEC ($15.95) |
Susan Boyle
Home for Christmas
Genre: Holiday
“This is a straight-up Christmas album, anchored by ‘The Christmas Song’ and ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,’ the kinds of standards that are sung often, sometimes reinterpreted, but, in Boyle's hands, are sung precisely how you'd expect: gentle and exact, without a note out of place . . . she delivers the goods without fuss or flair, and the concentration on holiday tunes does make this a stronger Christmas album than its predecessor, as there is never a moment when it strays from its cheerful, comforting, seasonal aesthetic.” –AEC ($11.95) |
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
It Feels Like Christmas Time
Genre: Holiday
“Like 2004's Everything You Want for Christmas, this contains a fair share of originals mixed in alongside the classic covers. Unsurprisingly, BBVD choose secular songs over carols, showing a preference for such pop culture standards as ‘Frosty the Snowman,’ ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,’ ‘Santa Claus Is Coming to Town,’ ‘You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch,’ and Chuck Berry's ‘Run Rudolph Run,’ giving every song here their signature swinging spin. Hardcore fans — the kind who would buy three albums of Christmas tunes from one band — would expect nothing less, and they're bound to be entertained by this cozy, familiar seasonal party.” –AllMusic ($15.95) |
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| Events |
Friday, Nov. 29th - Tuesday, Dec. 31st
Grass Roots Books and Music
227 SW 2nd Street, Corvallis |
SMART Book Drive
Donate a Book to the SMART Program It's your chance to donate books to the SMART program—Share the gift of reading!
From Nov. 29 through Dec. 31, you can purchase books that will be donated to young, beginning readers in our community! We are pleased to announce that Grass Roots is partnering with SMART—Start Making A Reader Today—in Linn and Benton Counties for our fourth annual book drive. Early-reader soft cover books will be given to children to help them learn to read at home, and hardcover books will be donated to permanent book collections at participating schools. Customers will receive 20% off the purchase of titles in stock to be donated to the program. We will collect books at our store through December 31, 2013. Books will be distributed to children in 2014.
Participating schools include Mountain View and Lincoln Elementary Schools in Corvallis, Kings Valley Charter School outside of Philomath, and Albany’s LaFayette, Central, and Clover Ridge Elementary Schools. We'll be happy to recommend titles and favorite authors; books should be appropriate for readers in kindergarten through 3rd grade, and a good variety of Spanish books is appreciated. For more information about the SMART program and how to volunteer, visit their website. |
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Saturday, Dec. 7, 11 am
Grass Roots Books and Music
227 SW 2nd Street, Corvallis |
Children's Event: Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day!
and:
The Grinch Community Cares Project!
December 7th is Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day! This year, we'll celebrate by participating in The Grinch Community Cares Project. Come join Jill at 11:00 a.m. for a reading of Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas, followed by fun children's activities to foster community spirit and giving from the heart. What a heartwarming way to celebrate the season! |
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Friday, Nov. 29 - Sunday, Nov. 22
Grass Roots Books and Music
227 SW 2nd Street, Corvallis
And throughout Corvallis |
Holiday Trolley: The Holiday Trolley Returns!
The Corvallis Transit System again offers the Holiday Trolley on Black Friday (Nov. 29), and Saturdays and Sundays through December 22, to make holiday shopping (and parking!) easier. It runs a special CTS route designed to take holiday shoppers to some of Corvallis' favorite shopping destinations around town, especially where there are lots of stores to choose from. There's even a stop across the street from Grass Roots Books & Music! Schedule and route information is available here on the CTS website. |
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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. |
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| Community Events |
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Community Events
Darkside Cinema: Movies showing Nov. 29 to Dec. 5, showtimes daily, Darkside Cinema, Corvallis. Visit their website for showtimes.
BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOUR –NC-17: Raw, honest, powerfully acted, and deliciously intense, offers some of modern cinema's most elegantly composed, emotionally absorbing drama. French and English.
KILL YOUR DARLINGS –R: A true-crime murder mystery and a love letter to the wild-living artists of the Beat Generation.
WALKING THE CAMINO: SIX WAYS TO SANTIAGO –NR: A documentary that follows six strangers from incredibly diverse walks of life as they attempt The Camino de Santiago.
ENOUGH SAID –PG-13: James Gandolfini, Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
Literary Events: Visit our Community Calendar for details on events in the area.
Opportunities:
- Call for Submissions:
The Bard Deluxe Awards presented by The Bear Deluxe Magazine
Attn: Emerging Oregon poets focused on a “sense of place”
Deadline: Jan. 13 (email or postmark)
Not a famous poet yet? You can be declared a Bard Deluxe by submitting up to 3 unpublished, place-based poems to The Bear Deluxe Magazine (bear@orlo.org or 810 SE Belmont Studio 5, Portland OR 97214). To enter this free contest, judged by Oregon Poet Laureate Paulann Petersen, you must be a current or former Oregonian. Winners will receive publication, reach our 44,000 readers and be invited to perform their work. Visit www.orlo.org for complete submission guidelines and further details.
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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Saturday, Nov. 30, All Day
Grass Roots Books and Music
227 SW 2nd Street, Corvallis
And throughout Corvallis |
Grass Roots in the Community
"Buy Local First" Day and Small Business Saturday
Saturday, Nov. 30, is Buy Local First Day in Corvallis and Small Business Saturday nationally. Independent, locally-owned businesses in Corvallis will be offering special promotions all day. Stop by Grass Roots for 15% off holiday music and holiday books, and check out our great selection of books, music, and gifts produced by local writers, musicians, and artists. Shoppers can also enter to win prizes in the Buy Local First Holiday Contest at participating businesses from Nov. 30 through Dec. 8.
The Buy Local First Campaign is an ongoing community-wide challenge, organized by The Corvallis Sustainability Coalition and the Corvallis Independent Business Alliance. The campaign “encourages Corvallis residents to first consider buying from a locally owned business before making a purchasing decision. The decision to buy local plays a crucial role in developing a healthy local economy.”
For the third year in a row, Grass Roots is also participating in Small Business Saturday. American Express is giving a $10 statement credit to Cardmembers who register their Amex card at ShopSmall.com beginning Nov. 24 (registration is limited, so sign up early) and use it to shop on Small Business Saturday at any locally-owned, independent small business that accepts American Express. (Complete information about the offer is available here.)
Visit the program’s Facebook page to join the initiative, give a shout out to your favorite local stores and restaurants, and pledge to shop at small businesses on November 30, 2013! To learn more, visit ShopSmall.com. |
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Friday, Dec. 6th, 5 to 10 p.m.
Downtown Corvallis
Tents will be on Madison Ave., Between 2nd and 3rd Streets |
Winter's Eve Corvallis
This greatly anticipated annual event is the traditional kick-off to the Corvallis holiday season. The 10th Annual Winter’s Eve Corvallis, sponsored by Assistance League in cooperation with downtown merchants, benefits AL’s six philanthropic programs, including Operation School Bell®, SAT Review, CARES, Dental Care, Hygiene Help, and Hug-A-Bear. Shops will stay open late and offer exclusive discounts to ticket holders, who will enjoy an evening of fine food samplings from over 30 local restaurants and caterers. There will also be desserts, wine, champagne, beer, soft drinks, and Starbucks coffee available to attendees. Live musical performances in several downtown locations will add to the atmosphere throughout the evening. For more information, visit the Assistance League website. |
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| News |
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2013 Oregon Book Award Winners
The winners for the 2013 Oregon Book Awards have been announced! The recipients are as follows:
Ken Kesey Award for Fiction: Ismet Prcic of Portland, Shards; Stafford/Hall Award for Poetry: Zachary Schomburg of Portland, Fjords Vol 1 (Black Ocean); Frances Fuller Victor Award for General Nonfiction: Kent Hartman of Portland, The Wrecking Crew; Sarah Winnemucca Award for Creative Nonfiction: Storm Large of Portland, Crazy Enough; Angus L. Bowmer Award for Drama: Andrea Stolowitz of Portland, Antarktikos; Eloise Jarvis McGraw Award for Children’s Literature: Allen Say of Portland, Drawing From Memory; Leslie Bradshaw Award for Young Adult Literature: Ruth Tenzer Feldman of Portland, Blue Thread.
The Oregon Book Awards assist Oregonian writers in getting their work recognized and promoted. The awards are presented annually by Literary Arts, Inc. |
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World Book Night 2014
World Book Night Registration: World Book Night (WBN) spreads the love of reading, person to person. Each year 30 titles are chosen, the authors waive their royalties, and the publishers produce special WBN editions of the books to be donated. This means you get 20 FREE paperback copies of your chosen WBN title to handout to light- or non-readers in your community on April 23, 2014. Applications to become a WBN Book Giver open today, October 24, and can be filled out online at the WBN website. Deadline to apply is January 5th, 2014. |
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| This Week's Puzzle |
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| Reading Group Selection |
Tuesday, Dec, 3 at 6:30 p.m.
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
Ransom Riggs
Maddy leads her first book group.
Riggs’ novel hit #1 on the New York Times bestseller list, and stayed on the chart for over 52 weeks consecutively.
“Jacob and his father travel from their home in Florida to Cairnholm Island off the coast of Wales, which, during the war, housed Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. . . Nearly 50 unsettling vintage photographs appear throughout, forming the framework of this dark but empowering tale, as Riggs creates supernatural backstories and identities for those pictured in them (a boy crawling with bees, a girl with untamed hair carrying a chicken). It's an enjoyable, eccentric read, distinguished by well-developed characters, a believable Welsh setting, and some very creepy monsters.” –Publishers Weekly |
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Publisher: Quirk Books
ISBN: 9781594746031
Paperback
Regular price: $10.99
On sale for $9.35 until Dec 3.
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On Our Nightstands |
 Adam
Tequila Mockingbird: Cocktails with a Literary Twist
Tim Federle
Tequila Mockingbird is a small volume of literature-inspired cocktails. It is one part homage to literature and one part recipe book, with a healthy twist of humor. I couldn’t help but smile just reading through the table of contents. Each entry includes a short description of the work or the author to which it pays tribute, and the book is full of “literal” illustrations of the drinks. With cocktails named Gin Eyre and A Midsummer Night’s Beam, the book is the perfect for mixologists and bibliophiles alike. I am pretty sure most of my friends are getting a copy for Christmas.
Paperback, $15.00
Publisher: Running Press Book Publishers; ISBN: 9780762448654 |
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Nee
Spot It
Blue Orange Games
Cards are flying and dice are rolling around the bookstore as new games arrive for adults and children! Our newest arrivals come from the Spot It! line of matching games. All editions are fast-paced fun for the whole family and easy to learn in minutes. They also train the brain: exercising focus, visual perception, and reaction time. Spot It! Original and Spot It! Signature (ages 6 and up, 2 to 8 players) are party games that inspire friendly competition and excitement! Spot It Junior! and Spot It! Numbers & Shapes (ages 3 and up, 2 to 6 players) help children with color, shape, and number recognition while still retaining the enjoyment these games are famous for!
Paperback, $12.99
Publisher: Blue Orange Games; ISBN: 0803979004105 |
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Maddy
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
Ransom Riggs
Fifteen year old Jacob's grandfather fled the Nazis as a child, but for years he's been telling tales of other monsters that chased him. Monsters with black, rotting flesh. Besides this, he shows little Jacob photographs of bizarre children in the boarding school where he was sent to hide from Nazis. In the photographs, children seem to levitate and have mouths on the backs of their heads. Jacob has long dismissed these stories as the ravings of an old man who sleeps with a rifle, but the bizarre circumstances in which he finds his grandfather dead sends him to Wales to find Miss Peregrine's Home. The voice of Jacob is wonderfully eerie.
Paperback, $10.99
Publisher: Quirk Books; ISBN: 9781594746031 |
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Linda
50 Knitted Gifts for Year-Round Giving: Designs for Every Season and Occasion Featuring Universal Yarn Deluxe Worsted
Sixth & Spring Books
In the process of looking for the next knitting project, I picked up this book in anticipation, hoping to find some new ideas for Christmas presents. This delightful book offers both simple and complex knitting gifts from hats, to scarves, to slippers, to bags, to mittens, to casserole carriers, coffee cup covers, and acorn place cards! Some of the items have a holiday look, others are everyday. There is something to knit for everybody! This book is just one of a large and excellent selection of knitting books this season at the bookstore.
Hardcover, $19.95
Publisher: Sixth & Spring Books; ISBN: 9781936096565 |
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