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| Aug. 21, 2014 |
Hello Grass Roots Readers,
First on the agenda: Grass Roots is sending out a special request for a bit of storage space so we can take fuller advantage of our store's loft for future events. Please scroll down to our Store News section to read a special note from Jack for full details.
Also: remember that our Poetry/Stafford Reading is tonight at 7! We're looking forward to an evening of great poetry.
In the store this week you'll find the anticipated releases from Matthew Thomas, John Grisham, and Julia Cameron. There's six new music releases, including a Johnny Cash tribute, aaaaaand: a nerd display in the kids' section! (We support nerds, specially burgeoning ones.)
Hey, it's beautiful outside and we've got books! You should get over here and check everything out. =)
See you soon,
Jenny |
New Hardcovers
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We Are Not Ourselves
by Matthew Thomas
[Fiction]
 "Eileen Tumulty was born in the early '40s, the only child and dutiful caretaker of alcoholic parents. As a young woman, she hopes to leave her family's dingy apartment in Woodside, Queens, and move up the social ladder. Eileen falls in love with and marries Ed Leary, a quiet neuroscientist whom she sees as the means to an upper-middle-class future. But Ed is dedicated to pure scientific research, and he turns down lucrative job offers from pharmaceutical companies and academic institutions. . . Later, Eileen pursues an arduous career as a nursing administrator to secure a future for their son, Connell. But once she gets her gracious but dilapidated fixer-upper in Bronxville. . . Ed is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's. . . " -Publishers Weekly
Hardcover; $28.00
Publisher: Simon & Schuster; ISBN: 9781476756660
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The Organized Mind: Thinking Straight in the Age of Information Overload
by Daniel J. Levitin
[Non-Fiction]
 "Advances in computer technology and the rise of the Internet have led to an onslaught of information confronting us each day. Drawing upon the results of psychological research, Levitin (James McGill Professor of Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience, McGill Univ.; This Is Your Brain on Music) explains how the mental processes of attention, working memory, and categorization limit the amount of information that we can take in and remember. By employing practical strategies that work in concert with these mental processes, we can become more organized, make more informed decisions, and increase our efficiency at work, at home, and in our social lives. . ." - Library Journal
Hardcover; $27.95
Publisher: Dutton Books; ISBN: 9780525954187
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Dear Committee Members
by Julie Schumacher
[Fiction]
 "Beleaguered English professor Jason Fitger claims the only writing he has time for anymore is recommendation letters. Acquiescing to the demands of academia, Fitger produces an endless stream of correspondence. He writes letters championing graduate students for enviable residencies, letters supporting undergraduates applying for entry-level jobs, letters surreptitiously recommending colleagues for (dreaded) committee service, and letters to the administration complaining of its clear favoritism of the economics department. . . Schumacher (An Explanation for Chaos, 1997) presents a novel composed solely of these missives, revealing the story of an academic year through her narrator's one-sided correspondence. Fitger is sarcastic yet good-hearted and bemused at the absurdity of many of the letters he is asked to write. . ." -Booklist
Hardcover; $22.95
Publisher: Doubleday Books; ISBN: 9780385538138
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Kill My Mother: A Graphic Novel
by Jules Feiffer
[Fiction]
 "Kill 'whose' mother? Feiffer's second venture into creating a novel in comic strip form (after 1979's 'Tantrum') turns out to be a masterpiece of misdirection. Bitchy teen Annie Hannigan declares she wants to murder her mom, Elsie, assistant to a booze-soaked private eye. But as bodies fall dead and backstories come out of the closet, the network of vindictiveness among a broader and very quirky bunch of characters becomes clearer. This is noir tragicomedy in the grand manner, with a twisty plot confounding expectations most delightfully. . . This will pull in fans of Feiffer, murder-mystery buffs, and those who like reading about fetching, Forties-era femmes with fatal intent.. . ." - Library Journal
Hardcover; $27.95
Publisher: Liveright Publishing; ISBN: 9780871403148
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99 Ways to Open a Beer Bottle Without a Bottle Opener
by Brett Stern
[Novelty]
 It happens more frequently than we'd like to admit: tons of cold beers and, somehow, no bottle opener in sight. Picnics, impromptu get-togethers, barbeques--you'd think we'd always be prepared, but oftentimes we strangely are not. With Bret Stern's beer bottle opener guide we can all be well-trained in the art of bottle opening as he shows us how to grab anything and everything for this very purpose. Use a belt buckle, TV remote, baby carriage, dog collar, ski binding, golf club, park bench, BBQ grill, lawn mower, automatic teller machine, police car, and many more. You will surely impress you're pals and peers with this most excellent new skill.
Hardcover; $ 9.95
Publisher: Chronicle Books; ISBN: 9781452132594
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New Paperbacks
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by John Grisham
[Fiction]
 "A long-after sequel. . . to A Time to Kill in which dogged attorney Jake Brigance fights for justice in a Mississippi town where justice is not always easy to come by. That's especially true when the uncomfortable question of race comes up. . . When local curmudgeon and secret millionaire Seth Hubbard puts an end to a lingering death, he leaves a holographic will placing the bulk of his fortune in the hands of the black woman who's been taking care of him, cutting his children and ex-wives out of the deal. . . When Jake brings the housekeeper, Lettie Lang, news of the extent of her newfound wealth, her world begins to unravel as her husband brings in a battery of attorneys to join the small army of lawyers already fighting over Hubbard's will. . ." -Kirkus Reviews
Paperback; $16.00
Publisher: Bantam; ISBN: 9780553393613
(Also available in a Mass Market Edition for $9.99; ISBN 9780345543240)
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by Roy Peter Clark
[Non-Fiction]
 ". . . Although you may be familiar with the brevity of a modern text message or a tweet, Clark shows that the history of short writing-texts of about 300 words or less-goes back thousands of years. Sonnets, baseball cards, jingles in ads, song lyrics, lists, reviews and definitions are just some of the examples Clark encourages readers to look for, read and imitate. Search for short texts in odd places such as ship logs, tattoos, epitaphs and bumper stickers and jot them down in a notebook. By comparing and contrasting, cutting the repetition of words and changing the pace of a piece, Clark advises, one can still entice the reader. . . even in as few as six words. . . " -Shelf Awareness
Paperback; $15.00
Publisher: Little Brown and Company; ISBN: 9780316204323
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[Non-Fiction]
 "Cameron's acclaimed The Artist's Way (1992) is practically an institution in and of itself. Here she focuses on how parents can nurture creativity in their children ages 0-12. Cameron gently reminds readers that we are spiritual beings with creativity a part of our DNA. By using three basic tools (morning pages, creative expeditions, and highlights), Cameron demonstrates how to cultivate curiosity, connection, self-expression, discovery, and more. Unlike many parenting titles that put the bulk of the work on mom and dad to institute change and/or orchestrate activities, Cameron concentrates on clever ways for children and parents to develop their own individual and spiritual creativity while at play. . ." -Library Journal
Paperback; $16.95
Publisher: Tarcher; ISBN: 9780399168819
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by Elizabeth George
[Fiction]
 ". . . Taymullah Azhar, Sgt. Barbara Havers's friend and neighbor, has come home to an empty house. His girlfriend, Angelina, has left with their daughter, Hadiyyah, leaving no trace. Azhar has no official parental rights to Haddiyah, as he and Angelina never married. Barbara helps Azhar hire a private investigator to try to locate Angelina and Hadiyyah. Several months later, Angelina returns. She and Hadiyyah have been living in Lucca, Italy, with Angelina's Italian lover. Now Angelina claims that Hadiyyah has been kidnapped and that Azhar is behind it. In a first for George, much of the action takes place in Tuscany, with Barbara's partner, Insp. Thomas Lynley, acting as a liaison officer for Angelina and Azhar during the search for their daughter. . ." -Library Journal
Paperback; $17.00
Publisher: New American Library; ISBN: 9780451467843
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[Non-Fiction]
"Mendelsund designs striking book covers. He is also Knopf's associate art director, a classical pianist, and a columnist, and all of these creative endeavors inform his seemingly blithe yet extraordinarily discerning interpretation of the mental processes involved in his perhaps greatest passion, reading. How do we picture a character based on often piecemeal descriptions? What does Anna Karenina look like? Or Ishmael? By pairing clever illustrations, drawings, collages, reproductions, and diagrams, and a confiding, first-person narrative, Mendelsund coaches us in the mental gymnastics involved in simultaneously reading and thinking about what happens when we read. He celebrates the polydimensionality of reading, which stokes our imagination as we co-create the story by drawing on our own inner image library. . ."
-Booklist
Paperback; $16.95
Publisher: Vintage Books; ISBN: 9780804171632
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New For Young Readers
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Ladybug Girl and the Dress-Up Dilemma (Ladybug Girl)
by David Soman and Jacky Davis
Ages 3 to 7
[Fiction]
 "Ladybug Girl is back for her seventh picture-book adventure. It's Halloween, and Lulu is suddenly uncertain about who she should be. Ladybug Girl seems like the obvious choice, but if she is Ladybug Girl every day, shouldn't she be someone different for Halloween? Lulu comes up with several alternate and creative costumes, but there seems to be a problem with each (her robot costume is too big to get through the bedroom door; a silent-movie star wouldn't be able to ask for candy; and so on). With no decision made, Lulu and her family head to the orchard, where an opportunity to rescue a lost child helps Lulu decide on her perfect costume. . ." -Booklist
Hardcover; $17.99
Publisher: Dial Books; ISBN: 9780803735842
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Emperor Pickletine Rides the Bus (Origami Yoda)
by Tom Angleberger
Ages 8 to 12
[Fiction]
 After successfully fighting to save their field trip in Princess Labelmaker to the Rescue!, Tommy and the gang prepare for a well-earned day of fun and adventure in Washington, DC . . . but of course it won't be that easy! Trouble starts even before the buses leave school, when Principal Rabbski decrees the field trip an "origami-free zone." Dwight secretly folds a Yoda from a Fruit Roll-Up, but will Fruitigami Yoda be a match for Harvey's sour, hate-filled pickle of darkness? Astronaut ice cream, a supersonic plane, a Johnny Appleseed sighting, and a near arrest-are just some of the clues in the sweetest, stookiest, biggest, craziest Origami Yoda case file yet.
Hardcover; $13.95
Publisher: Amulet Books; ISBN: 9781419709333
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Percy Jackson's Greek Gods
by Rick Riordan
Ages 10 to 13
[Fiction]
 "Percy Jackson takes a break from adventuring to serve up the Greek gods like flapjacks at a church breakfast. Percy is on form as he debriefs readers concerning Chaos, Gaea, Ouranos and Pontus, Dionysus, Ariadne and Persephone, all in his dude's patter: 'He'd forgotten how beautiful Gaea could be when she wasn't all yelling up in his face.' Here they are, all 12 Olympians, plus many various offspring and associates: the gold standard of dysfunctional families, whom Percy plays like a lute, sometimes lyrically, sometimes with a more sardonic air. Percy's gift, which is no great secret, is to breathe new life into the gods. . ." -Kirkus Reviews
Hardcover; $24.99
Publisher: Disney Press; ISBN: 9781423183648
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New Music
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Genre: Pop/Folk
"Rousing, down-home, feel-good music. . . spunky rhythms and razor-sharp slide. . . Bishop's a superb guitarist of great strength and skill. . . a rockin' good time. "-Guitar World
($17.95) |
Genre: Pop/Folk
Foster's brand of blues hails from a folk background. For her ninth release, producer Meshell Ndegeocello draws out the heavier elements in Foster's blend of blues, gospel, and folk.
($15.95) |
Genre: Pop/Folk
Like Todd Snider, Cory Branan writes tuneful pieces woven through with a quick wit. His new album ranges from alt.country and Americana, to rock and folk.
($15.95) |
From Denver, Ark Life is a band built by former These United States front man Jesse Elliott. Ark Life's sound pairs the Appalachian country/soul of the Band with a more contemporary jam mentality.
($13.95) |
Genre: Pop/Folk
In 1964, the Man In Black bucked the cowboy trend, instead choosing to record a record about the Native American story. This tribute features Cash's songs rerecorded by artists such as Emmylou Harris, Gillian Welch, Bill Miller, and more.
($11.95) |
Genre: Pop/Folk
The title of this album speaks to its focus on positivity. Thorn and his ensemble use gospel, blues, and Americana to communicate a positive message with humor and hooks.
($12.95) |
Events at Grass Roots
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Community Poetry and Stafford Night
 Thursday, August 21 at 7:00 p.m227 SW 2nd St.
Corvallis, OR
Read your own poetry and/or your favorite poem by William Stafford, or attend and listen!
"'If you have been wondering where the articulate, readable poems have gone in the last third of the 20th century, you might start with [William] Stafford,' declares Victor Howes of the Christian Science Monitor. A pacifist and one of 'the quiet of the land,' as he often describes himself, Stafford is known for his unique method of composition, his soft-spoken voice, and his independence from social and literary expectations." -from The Poetry Foundation
Contact our Event Coordinator (ATTN: Claire) at groots@peak.org or call at 541-754-7668 to sign up.
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Edwin Wollert
Saturday, August 23, 3:00 p.m.
227 SW 2nd St.
Corvallis, OR
Can we comprehend what another creature thinks? Can we balance needed acceptance with needed individuality? Four friends will consider such topics as they head into Denali National Park and encounter animals that have become symbols of the wilderness: wolves, animals found struggling to survive on their own terms. Author D. T. Kizis glimpses into wild Alaska, with a dramatic yet adventurous novel about what has influenced our relationships with a species we regard as ally and enemy. The tension remains between our two species, as wolves have influenced human behavior and history for millennia.
Born in New England, Edwin Wollert lived in various other states and countries while trying to figure out what to do in life, currently haunting Corvallis and its university. He uses pseudonyms for Stone Ring Press since his works do not resemblance each other, and to hopefully thwart future creditors.
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Kate Dyer-Seeley
Thursday, August 28 at 7 p.m.
227 SW 2nd St.
Corvallis, OR
Scene of the Climb is a new adult mystery, featuring a young reporter, Meg Reed, who is fresh out of college and crashing on her best friend's couch in Portland, Oregon. She embellishes her outdoor skills in order to land a gig writing for Northwest Extreme Magazine, when in reality her idea of sport is climbing onto the couch without spilling
her latte. The magazine sends her out to the ruggedly beautiful Columbia River Gorge to cover an adventure race. She claws her way to the top of a cliff only to witness a body falling off the summit. From there things just get worse for Meg.
Kate Dyer-Seeley writes the Pacific Northwest Mystery Series featuring the rugged landscapes of the Columbia River Gorge and a young journalist who bills herself as an intrepid adventurer in order to land a gig writing for Northwest Extreme. She lives in Vancouver where you can find her hitting the trail, at an artisan coffee shop, or at her favorite pub.
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Community Events
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| Darkside Show Times for 8/22-8/28
-American Wine Story -NR There are plenty of obsessions in the world, but few endeavors attract as much devotion as wine. LOCAL FILM!
-Life After Beth -R A young man's recently deceased girlfriend mysteriously returns from the dead, but he slowly realizes she is not the way he remembered her.
-Magic In The Moonlight -PG-13 Love makes the magic in Woody Allen's latest movie, and it helps to have such likable stars as Colin Firth and Emma Stone in the leading roles.
-Begin Again -R Writer-director John Carney's (Once) charming work from its well-matched leads, Begin Again is difficult to resist. Keira Knightley, Adam Levine, Mark Ruffalo.
Literary/Arts Events
-Little Mermaid Performance Friday, August 22-23 from 7:00-9:00 PM at Corvallis-Benton County Public Library The Alsea Film Academy presents Disney's The Little Mermaid. One of Broadway's most popular musicals comes to the Corvallis-Benton County Library. It's great family fun, and tickets are FREE. Visit www.alseafilmacademy.org to get your free ticket. Suitable for all ages!
-Explore Benton County this summer! Taste and tour the farms, art studios, wineries, and parks that make this valley beautiful. All you need is a passport, a car or bike, and an afternoon with the family.
Participants purchase a passport to tour the sites (Grass Roots included!)
Each location provides something of value for passport holders - a wine tasting, food sampling, and discounts on items, tours or experiences.
Read more information on the website Bounty of Benton County.
Purchase your Passport for $30 each.
Full details here.
-Country Girls and Bluegrass Beaus @ Mainstage at Corvallis High School Aug 22, 23 @ 7:30 p.m. Join in the fun as Willamette STAGE Company and Corvallis School District Theaters present Country Girls and Bluegrass Beaus, an electric and acoustic journey through the heart of country music with the mid-Willamette Valley's best singers and musicians.
Performances are Saturday August 16, Friday August 22, and Saturday August 23 at 7:30 PM on the Mainstage at Corvallis High School, 1400 NW Buchanan Ave. Tickets are $19 for adults and $16 for seniors and students. (Please note: It's country music, so "adult themes" are involved, but they're not emphasized. And we don't seat children under six.)Get your tickets here.
-Earl Thomas in Concert at the Majestic Theatre Aug 22 @ 7:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Earl Thomas wowed Corvallis audiences in December 2013 and has returned for an equally electrifying performance. A vocalist, songwriter and dynamic performer, Earl brings a thrilling and powerful performance to audiences that will be grateful they did not miss this two-time Grammy Nominee.
-Expanding Vision: Mobile Photography at the Arts Center @ The Arts Center Aug. 22, 23; Aug. 26-28 1-5 p.m. (with Brown Bag Art Talk @ Arts Center 12:00-1:00 p.m.) This juried features works of mobile photography, photos created only on smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices. Brown Bag Artist Talks are always free and open to the public. Visit TheArtsCenter.net for more information.
Opportunities
- Dogwood Contest with $1000 Grand Prize Submission deadline: September 5, 2014
Dogwood: A Journal of Poetry and Prose will begin accepting entries of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for the 2014-2015 issue and contest on July 1, with a deadline of Sept. 5. A prize of $1000 goes to one winning entry, with two additional entries receiving $250 each. The grand prize winner will be chosen from winners in nonfiction, fiction, and poetry. Entry fee is $10; all submissions considered for publication in the 14th annual edition. All entrants receive an electronic PDF of the journal. Please use our online submission manager for your submissions.
-New Delta Review Short Fiction Contest Online submission deadline: October 4, 2014
New Delta Review seeks entries for the second annual Ryan R. Gibbs Award for Short Fiction, a contest judged by the amazing Roxane Gay, author of An Untamed State and Bad Feminist. We are looking for a full narrative in a small package (1500 words or less). Winner will receive a $500 prize and publication in the winter issue of New Delta Review. All submissions will be considered for publication. Deadline for entry is October 4, 2014. Enter with $10 fee through Submittable here.
-Creative Nonfiction contest: $1,000 for Best Essay on "Waiting"
Online/Postmark submission deadline: September 22, 2014
Creative Nonfiction Magazine is seeking new essays for an upcoming issue dedicated to "Waiting." We want well-crafted true stories of delays, postponements, and pauses that explore and examine our relationship with time. Whether you're waiting patiently or not, on tables of for Godot, we can't wait to read your work. $1,000 for best essay and $500 for runner-up. Guidelines here.
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Community Events with Grass Roots
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Store News
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| Got Space?
Grass Roots is looking for a temporary storage solution so we can open up our balcony for more & different types of events. We need a place to store some of our display fixtures and espresso equipment (and possibly several boxes of books) for about 6 months or so, until we can get them sorted out and donated.
We would like to rent and/or trade for a dry space - we do not need regular access. A longer time period would be great, but mostly we just need to move them so we can complete our event space renovation.
Thanks,
Jack (541-754-7668) GR
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| Awards
Hugo Award Winners were announced at the World Science Fiction Convention. Books and drama of note include:
Best Novella: Equoid by Charles Stross Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form: Game of Thrones: "The Rains of Castamere" written by David Benioff & D.B. Weiss
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| Take a Byte Out of a Good Book!
Kids and parents! Come down to the store and take a gander at our kids' display set up to celebrate your inner nerd. We love nerds, of course, as they make our human world go 'round.
Read up on how to assemble your own innovative new bird species with Kate Samworth's Aviary Wonders Inc.: Spring Catalog and Instruction Manual. Or maybe you want to get acquainted with the wonders of the earth with The Magic School Bus's Planet Earth. Or, just to mix it up, maybe you'd like to break into the board game scene with the help of the DIY Board Games set, which boasts "five games ready to be colored, stickered, and played" right on the box. Believe you me, whatever your inner nerd is craving (flora, fauna, crafts), this eclectic display is softly calling your name.
ALSO: Check out this Guess Who Challenge. Right now we have placed some familiar character silhouettes on the back wall of our Young Readers section. Maybe you can recognize them? We bet the kids can name at least a couple. If you think they can while mom and dad are browsing, they should tell a friendly bookseller who they recognize. They will be able to get a special little trinket for their insider knowledge! ;-)
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Peter Stark Recap
As some of you know, Peter Stark came to read from his new book Astoria last Thursday, and we were thrilled by the turnout. As Stark recounted the fascinating history of our Oregon coastline, you could tell he was driven to write this book by a sincere passion for the past's "characters" (as he called these historical figures) who ended up shaping our country in grim and daring ways. Stark is a funny, warm, eloquent speaker, and we are planning more readings just as exciting as this one proved to be.
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Jigsaw
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Reading Group Selection
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by Lorrie Moore
Tuesday, Sept. 2 at 6:30-8 p.m.
 Join Adam as he leads the September Reading Group with Who Will Run the Frog Hospital by Loorie Moore. The summer Berie was fifteen, she and her best friend Sils had jobs at Storyland in upstate New York, where Berie sold tickets to see the beautiful Sils portray Cinderella in a strapless evening gown. They spent their breaks smoking, joking, and gossiping. After work they followed their own reckless rules, teasing the fun out of small town life, sleeping in the family station wagon, and drinking borrowed liquor from old mayonnaise jars. But no matter how wild, they always managed to escape any real danger until the adoring Berie sees that Sils really does need her help and then everything changes.
Regular Price: $14.95
On sale for:$12.71
Until: Monday, Sept. 1
Publisher: Vintage Books
ISBN: 9781400033829
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Night Stands
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Linda
The End of Night: Searching for Natural Darkness in an Age of Artificial Light
by Paul Bogard
[Non-Fiction]
 We are fortunate here in Oregon, especially Eastern Oregon, because on clear nights we can step outside and see stars. In so many cities and suburbs across the world, this in now no longer possible. Bogard has written a fascinating and informative book looking at the history of mankind's relationship to the night, it's skies and it's darkness. In detailed discussion he explores our present situation of blindness due to so many lights at night. He shows how cities and places across the world are working on toning down the excessive light and bringing back the natural night.
Paperback; $16.00
Publisher: Back Bay Books; ISBN: 9780316182911
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Adam
Guide to Troubled Birds
by Mockingbird The Mincing
[Novelty]
 The first reaction I had to Guide to Troubled Birds was typical of most people. . . It is a strange little book. But after reading each of the one-page stories (some of them are actually just a few lines) and scanning the 20 some-odd (and I mean odd) captioned bird paintings, the book's genius and humor becomes clear. Imagine if we could hear what birds thought. Now imagine they were all deeply troubled, mentally unstable, and maybe even homicidal. You are starting to get a picture of what this book is like. Strange, but kind of wonderful.
Paperback; $15.95
Publisher: Blue Rider Press; ISBN: 9780399170911
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Jenny
Pilgrim's Wilderness: A True Story of Faith and Madness on the Alaska Frontier
by Tom Kizzia
[Non-Fiction]
This book tells the true, bizarre, and unsettling tale of the Pilgrim family, a group of new-age "pioneers" setting out to make a desperate living in Alaska's Wragnell-St. Elias National Park. Part investigative journalism, part biographical sketch, Pilgrim's Wilderness uncovers the story behind the family patriarch, "Lord" Papa Pilgrim, his dangerous past, and his cultish reverence for a Biblical end-of-days. It also explores the legal battles that ensued between the Pilgrim family and the National Park Service as the family attempted to set up "Hillbilly Heaven," and the unfortunate calamity Papa's wrath brought to his sons, daughters, and wife. This is a study in extreme desire, and how far an insane man will go to get what he wants.
Paperback; $14.95
Publisher: Broadway Books; ISBN: 9780307587831
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