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Grass Roots Books and Music
— 227 SW 2nd Street, Corvallis OR 97339 — 541-754-7668 |
| January 9, 2014 |
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Welcome to 2014!
We are pleased to be here, always grateful to be ringing in another year with our friends and family. What's in store this year? The Magic 8 Ball isn't telling me a thing, or else the gray and foggy conditions in that little ball of plastic are just mirroring what's going on outside. Mysteries can be a good thing, especially in the world of books. I resolve to read more, write more, and make myself a better bookstore elf. I think Grass Roots is the perfect place to do that, with all the tools to guarantee (or at least foster) my success. Maybe I'll see you there!
The GR Elf. |
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| Newest Books |
The Invention of Wings
Sue Monk Kidd
The latest Oprah Book Club 2.0 selection.
Sarah Grimke is gifted with her personal handmaid and slave, Handful, on her eleventh birthday, setting their lives on a remarkable journey over the next 35 years. As both strive for a life of their own, they dramatically shape each other's destinies and form a complex relationship marked by guilt, defiance, estrangement and the uneasy ways of love.
“Inspired by the true story of early-nineteenth-century abolitionist and suffragist Sarah Grimke, Kidd paints a moving portrait of two women inextricably linked by the horrors of slavery. . . While their pain and struggle cannot be equated, both women strive to be set free—Sarah from the bonds of patriarchy and Southern bigotry, and Handful from the inhuman bonds of slavery.” –Booklist Starred Review
Hardcover, $27.95
Publisher: Viking Books; ISBN: 9780670024780 |
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On Such a Full Sea
Chang-Rae Lee
“Lee's (The Surrendered) latest novel is set in a dystopic future world in which the cities of Detroit and Baltimore are now facilities, called B-Mor and D-Troy by their residents, all of whom are of Asian descent. These city dwellers spend their lives in happy serfdom, working day jobs to produce goods (mostly food) for the richer Charter communities. But when Fan, an unassuming 16-year-old with a talent for diving, abandons B-Mor in search of her vanished boyfriend, Reg, the fabric of orderly B-Mor begins to fray. . . It's an engrossing read, and Lee's skills as a world builder of the finest order are evident in every chapter.” –Publishers Weekly Starred Review
Hardcover, $27.95
Publisher: Riverhead Books; ISBN: 9781594486104 |
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Love & War: Twenty Years, Three Presidents, Two Daughters & One Louisiana Home
James Carville and Mary Matalin
“A strangely compelling dueling memoir by the improbably matched political couple. Chicago-native Republican strategist Matalin (Letters to My Daughters) and New Orleans-born Bill Clinton campaign manager Carville (co-author: It's the Middle Class, Stupid!) alternate relentless takes on the events of the last 20 years—both public news stories. . . and private milestones. . . . Both are funny in their fashions and respectful of and loving toward the other—rather incredibly, considering their vast ideological divides. . . A solid memoir of political lives from both sides of the spectrum.” –Kirkus Reviews
Hardcover, $28.95
Publisher: Blue Rider Press; ISBN: 9780399167249 |
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| New in Paperback |
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Life After Life
Kate Atkinson
“Atkinson delivers a wildly inventive novel about Ursula Todd, born in 1910 and doomed to die and be reborn over and over again. She drowns, falls off a roof, and is beaten to death by an abusive husband but is always reborn back into the same loving family, sometimes with the knowledge that allows her to escape past poor decisions, sometimes not. . . Alternately mournful and celebratory, deeply empathic and scathingly funny, Atkinson shows what it is like to face the horrors of war and yet still find the determination to go on. . . . From her deeply human characters to her comical dialogue to her meticulous plotting, Atkinson is working at the very top of her game.” –Booklist Starred Review
Paperback, $18.00
Publisher: Back Bay Books; ISBN: 9780316176491 |
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My Beloved World
Sonia Sotomayor
The first Hispanic and third woman appointed to the United States Supreme Court, Sonia Sotomayor has become an instant American icon. Growing up in a Bronx housing project, Sotomayor knew at an early age that she wanted to be a lawyer, and her extraordinary determination took her from her precarious childhood to valedictorian at her Catholic High School, graduating with honors from Princeton, and into Yale Law School. Her professional career began in the New York District Attorney’s office, and she was appointed to the Federal District Court before the age of 40.
“Sotomayor offers an intimate and honest look at her extraordinary life and the support and blessings that propelled her forward.” –Booklist Starred Review
Paperback, $15.95
Publisher: Vintage Books; ISBN: 9780345804839 |
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Tenth of December: Stories
George Saunders
George Saunders’ fourth collection of short stories was lauded as one of the best books of 2013, and was a finalist for the National Book Award.
Writing about class, sex, love, loss, work, despair, and war, Saunders cuts to the core of the contemporary experience. These stories take on the big questions and explore the fault lines of our own morality, delving into the questions of what makes us good and what makes us human. Unsettling, insightful, and hilarious, the stories in Tenth of December—through their manic energy, their focus on what is redeemable in human beings, and their generosity of spirit—not only entertain and delight; they fulfill Chekhov’s dictum that art should “prepare us for tenderness.”
Paperback, $15.00
Publisher: Random House Trade; ISBN: 9780812984255 |
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Trains and Lovers
Alexander McCall Smith
"The human yearning for love. . . is at the heart of McCall Smith's wistful stand-alone novel, as four strangers on an Edinburgh-to-London rail journey share stories of romance both thwarted and fulfilled. Art history student Andrew tells how he fell for the daughter of a disapproving business magnate. Hugh thinks his schoolteacher girlfriend might have an assumed identity. David recalls his unrequited affection for another man during summers spent in rural Maine. And in the book's most affecting tale, Kay recounts her Scottish father's emigration to the desolate Australian outback and pen pal courtship of her mother." —Library Journal
Paperback, $15.95
Publisher: Anchor Books; ISBN: 9780345805812 |
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Frances and Bernard
Carlene Bauer
Frances and Bernard meet in the summer of 1957. Afterward, he writes her a letter. Soon they are immersed in the kind of fast, deep friendship that can change the course of our lives.
“After meeting at a writers’ colony in 1957, Frances, a Catholic working-class Irish gal from Philadelphia, and Bernard, a Massachusetts Puritan blue blood who has converted to Catholicism, embark on a life-altering correspondence. Bauer’s use of the epistolary form is masterful as she forges a passionately spiritual, creative, and romantic dialogue between characters based on two literary giants famous for their brilliant letters, Flannery O’Connor and Robert Lowell.” –Booklist Starred Review
Paperback, $14.95
Publisher: Mariner Books; ISBN: 9780544105171 |
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A Week in Winter
Maeve Binchy
“In classic Binchy style, the gentle story is populated with a large cast of often eccentric, always endearing, characters who effortlessly weave their way in and out of a deceptively simple narrative. Stone House, a country inn on the West Coast of Ireland. . . serves as the cozy setting for these interrelated tales of love, loss, friendship, and community. Specializing in winter holidays, Stone House plays host to a variety of guests whose lives are bound to change for the better once they succumb to both its vintage charms and the restorative powers of companionship and human kindness. Pour yourself a cup of tea, put your feet up, and prepare to savor this bit of comfort food for the soul.” —Booklist
Paperback, $14.95
Publisher: Anchor Books; ISBN: 9780307475503 |
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| Music |
Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks
Wig Out At Jagbags
Genre: Pop/Folk
A legendary figure in indie rock circles, Malkmus is best known as a founding member of Pavement. This new record with his current band finds Malkmus relocating to the Northwest after living in Europe. Spin magazine calls the album a collection of songs featuring "glinting melodies, flashy guitars, sleepy horns, and winking wordplay." ($14.95) |
Peter Gabriel
And I'll Scratch Yours
Genre: Pop/Folk
In 2010, Peter Gabriel released an album of covers of tunes from other writers. Planned as a companion record, And I'll Scratch Yours turns the tables, offering covers of Gabriel songs by Bon Iver, Feist, Regina Spektor, and more.
($14.95) |
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| Community Events |
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Community Events
Darkside Cinema: Movies showing XX to XX, showtimes daily, Darkside Cinema, Corvallis. Visit their website for showtimes.
- The Great Beauty –NR: Jep Gambardella has seduced his way through the lavish nightlife of Rome for decades, but after his 65th birthday and a shock from the past, Jep looks past the nightclubs and parties to find a timeless landscape of absurd, exquisite beauty. Subtitled Italian.
- The Last Days On Mars –R: Held Over! Really! More than 19% on Rotten Tomatoes! Live Schreiber.
- 12 Years A Slave –R: One of the best and most courageous films of the year.
- Enough Said –PG-13: James Gandolfini, Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Enough said.
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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Wednesday, Jan. 15 at 7 p.m.
The Valley Library Rotunda
OSU, Corvallis |
Author Discussion: Jim Lichatowich
Salmon, People, and Place: One Biologist's Search for Salmon Recovery
Sponsored by OSU Press, OSU Libraries, and OSU Department of Fisheries and Wildlife.
Join OSU Press author Jim Lichatowich as he discusses his new book, Salmon, People, and Place: One Biologist's Search for Salmon Recovery. Lichatowich will offer a seminar talk, "Salmon Managements and Salmon Science at a Crossroads," as well as an evening panel discussion with OSU historian of science Carmel Finley.
Books will be available to purchase from Grass Roots Books & Music.
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Day, Month X, time
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Literary Northwest Series
Natalie Serber & Jay Ponteri
This event is sponsored by the OSU MFA Program.
The Literary Northwest Series celebrates the burgeoning literary scene in the Willamette Valley and the Northwest. This winter reading features two writers from the Portland area.
Natalie Serber is the author of the story collection Shout Her Lovely Name, a New York Times 100 “Notable Books” of 2012 and a summer reading pick from O, the Oprah Magazine. She teaches writing at Marylhurst University in Portland, Oregon, and she is currently working on a novel set in Boring, Oregon.
Jay Ponteri directs the undergraduate creative writing program at Marylhurst University and Show:Tell, The Workshop for Teen Writers & Artists. His memoir, Wedlocked, was published by Hawthorne Books. His chapbook of short prose, Darkmouth Strikes Again, is being published by Future Tense Books, summer 2014.
Books will be available to purchase from Grass Roots Books & Music.
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| News |
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Book Awards
PNBA Book Awards: The Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association announced the winners of the 2014 PNBA Awards earlier this week, recognizing “excellence in writing from the Pacific Northwest.” This year’s winners are:
Oregon Book Award Finalists: Finalists have been named for the 2014 Oregon Book Awards, and include one Corvallis author, as well as several authors Grass Roots has been very proud to welcome to town for readings and events. Presented by Literary Arts, the Oregon Book Awards & Fellowships supports, promotes and celebrates Oregon’s writers and publishers. Winners will be named at the Oregon Book Awards Ceremony in Portland on Mar. 17. Grass Roots wishes a special good luck to OSU professor Elena Passarello, whose book Let Me Clear My Throat: Essays is a finalist for the Sarah Winnemucca Award for Creative Nonfiction. Other finalists who visited Corvallis last year include Mary Szybist, R. Gregory Nokes, Scott Nadelson, and Kim Stafford. For a complete list of nominees, visit the Literary Arts website.
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Grass Roots Bestsellers
What did your friends and neighbors get for Christmas? Take a look at our December bestsellers, and you might have an idea which books and CDs they are currently enjoying.
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eBook Specials
Did you get a new eReader, tablet, or smart phone for Christmas? Fill it up with these great deals on eBooks!
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| This Week's Puzzle |
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| Reading Group Selection |
Tuesday, Feb. 4, 6:30 to 8 p.m.
The Obituary Writer
Ann Hood
Neé leads the February Reading Group discussion of The Obituary Writer by Ann Hood, a sophisticated and suspenseful novel about the poignant lives of two women living in different eras.
On the day John F. Kennedy is inaugurated, Claire, an uncompromising young wife and mother obsessed with the glamour of Jackie O, struggles over the decision of whether to stay in a loveless marriage or follow the man she loves and whose baby she may be carrying. Decades earlier, in 1919, Vivien Lowe, an obituary writer, is searching for her lover who disappeared in the Great San Francisco Earthquake of 1906. By telling the stories of the dead, Vivien not only helps others cope with their grief but also begins to understand the devastation of her own terrible loss. The surprising connection between Claire and Vivien will change the life of one of them in unexpected and extraordinary ways. |
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Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 9780393346770
Paperback
Regular price: $15.95
On sale for $13.56 until Feb. 4.
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| Grass Roots Online — Contact Us |
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