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| October 23, 2014 |
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Good afternoon, Readers!
The Magic Barrel: A Reading to Fight Hunger is tomorrow (Friday)! This is Corvallis' annual fall fundraiser for the Linn-Benton Food Share, and remember: Grass Roots donates 100% of net proceeds from the evening's book sales to the Magic Barrel for the Linn-Benton Food Share. Join the community for a great cause, excellent authors, and fantastic books.
In social media news, you can follow Grass Roots on Facebook if you search for Grass Roots Books and Music and click the "Like" button at the top of our profile page. We're mentioning this because we changed our profile from a personal profile to a business profile. This means Facebook won't recognize you as a "friend" anymore, but a "follower." Sooo, "like" us on Facebook to get real-time author event updates and titillating book news!
Finally, a call to local authors: please look below to our Store News section to learn about our Indies First event.
See you for all the excitement!
~Jenny
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New Hardcovers
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[Fiction]
 "Our heroine is a bright young Ivy Leaguer newly furloughed, in the wake of the Lehman Brothers collapse, from Big Law up on Wall Street. The deal: The company might call her back in a year if she uses the time to be a do-gooder somewhere in the real world. The real world turns out to be a hardscrabble coal patch in Appalachia. . . [Where] Samantha finds herself is. . . chilly and gloomy, the kind of place where black lung disease floats in the air along with the bullets from the goon squad. . . baddies are busily doing bad things wherever they can: poisoning streams and wells, killing teenage girls with their big trucks. . . Can Samantha save the day?. . ." -Kirkus Reviews
Hardcover; $28.95
Publisher: Doubleday Books; ISBN: 9780385537148
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by Azar Nafisi
[Non-Fiction]
 "The Iranian-American author of Reading Lolita in Tehran (2003) makes a passionate argument for returning to key American novels in order to foster creativity and engagement. Having taught literature both in post-revolutionary Iran and in America, teacher and author Nafisi. . . finds in works by Mark Twain, Sinclair Lewis and Carson McCullers important lessons in combating nefarious trends in the West: insular thinking, bias and a utilitarian mindset. Literature, writes the author, is deliciously subversive because it fires the imagination and challenges the status quo. This can be dangerous in an authoritarian, repressive state such as Iran, but it is necessary for an informed citizenry. . ." - Kirkus Reviews
Hardcover; $28.95
Publisher: Viking Books; ISBN: 9780670026067
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by Craig Johnson
[Fiction]
 "For a decade, Johnson (Any Other Name) has sent out a new Walt Longmire short story each Christmas Eve. Now those stories, along with a new one, 'Petunia, Bandit Queen of the Bighorns,' are collected into one volume. For fans of Johnson's Absaroka County sheriff, all the familiar characters fill these stories--Walt, Vic, Henry, Cady, and of course the wild, open spaces of Wyoming's Bighorn Mountains. Several pieces mention Martha, Walt's wife, who has died, and readers can sense his loss and loneliness. 'Slick-Tongued Devil' tells of a Bible salesman trying to cash in on Walt's grief. Always outsmarting the bad guys, Walt's razor-sharp intellect and reasoning win out in every story." -Library Journal
Hardcover; $22.00
Publisher: Viking Books; ISBN: 9780525427919
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From the same author of the acclaimed The Elements, Molecules picks up the periodic table where the previous book left off. Thomas Gray takes his readers through the steps of how atoms bond to make up molecules and compounds. Readers will wonder what all these molecules go on to create, and the answer is, of course, everything! Because of molecules we live in a world of soaps, rocks, colors, fibers, sweeteners. etc. Combined with beautiful photographs and diagrams, Gray's delightful writing guarantees to deliver molecules to the layman in a way we haven't yet seen.
Hardcover; $29.95
Publisher: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers; ISBN: 9781579129712
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by Dulcy Mahar
[Non-Fiction]
If you are one of her readers who have missed that weekly trip into Dulcy's beautiful gardens, here are dozens more of her best columns originally printed in The Oregonian. Arranged by seasons, Northwest gardeners can once again (or, if you missed reading Dulcy over the years, for the first time) let her guide you through the months. Her husband Ted Mahar has selected 140 more beloved columns for this second volume, complemented by more than 100 color photographs. Come on. Garden season is calling.
Hardcover; $22.95
Publisher: Carpe Diem; ISBN: 9780989710442
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New Paperbacks
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[Poetry]
 "Billy Collins's gift--a rare one--is taking the everyday and turning it like a prism, holding it up to the light to reveal its different facets. Aimless Love, a compilation of new and selected poems, is laced with Collins's signature whimsy and depth, exploring ordinary moments and touches on themes playful and profound. . . As Collins falls in love with the minutiae of the everyday again and again, readers will find their hearts, like his own, 'propped up/ in a field on [a] tripod, / ready for the next arrow.' . . ." Shelf Awareness
Paperback; $16.00
Publisher: Random House; ISBN: 9780812982671
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[Fiction]
 ". . . When embittered pilot Sullivan Harding returns to his small Michigan hometown after a stint in prison for an act of negligence he did not commit, he has to care for his young son while dealing with his feelings of guilt over his wife's death. As Sully attempts to cope with his own demons, various townspeople begin receiving phone calls from deceased loved ones. As word of the Coldwater miracle spreads in a media-fueled frenzy, Sully attempts to get to the bottom of both the mysterious calls and his own paralyzing feelings of guilt and remorse. . ." -Booklist
Paperback; $15.99
Publisher: Harper; ISBN: 9780062294401
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by Donnie Eichar
[Non-Fiction]
 "In 1959, nine young Russians set off on a doomed ski trip in the wintry Ural Mountains, never to return. Eichar, a television documentary producer, investigates the mysterious events leading to the untimely deaths of these experienced outdoor adventurers, whose frozen bodies were found later by search parties, some with severe injuries and one lacking a tongue. The author ably pieces together a detailed chronicle of this haunting incident, using official case files, interviews, journals, and other evidence. Through his research into the many bizarre and seemingly unexplainable aspects of the tragedy, he attempts to rule out previously suggested causes such as an avalanche, an attack by a native tribe, Soviet weapons testing, and even aliens. . ." -Library Journal
Paperback; $15.95
Publisher: Chronicle Books; ISBN: 9781452140032
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[Non-Fiction]
 From the popular blogger Heather Mann comes a compilation providing some of the greatest "craftfail" hits the site (CraftFail.com) has to offer. Crafters of all levels (whether newbies or old pros) can laugh, bond, and find overall relief within the pages of this book. Essentially CraftFail is a celebration of failed craft endeavors, which can encompass everything from the great Spaghetti-Stuffed Garlic Bread disaster to Gummy Bear Cake Bombs to Disgusting Dog Food treats. Even with strings of success comes bouts of failure, and this hilarious books allows us to find solace in all our crafty mishaps.
Paperback; $12.95
Publisher: Workman Publishing; ISBN: 9780761179924
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[Fiction]
 "A novel of great beauty and violence from Irish writer Lynch. Set in the 19th century, Lynch's narrative first takes us to Ireland and to the desperation of its poorest people. Coll Coyle has a wife and young daughter (and another child on the way) and helps out on the farm of Hamilton, a ruthless landowner who's recently informed Coll he's being evicted for no apparent reason. In a rage, Coll goes to the landowner and, during an argument, accidentally kills him. This one event sets into motion the rest of the plot, for Coll must first hide and then escape, forced against his will to leave his family. . ." -Kirkus Reviews
Paperback; $15.00
Publisher: Back Bay Books; ISBN: 9780316230261
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New For Young Readers
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 "Sam and Dave, each wearing baseball caps and wielding long-handled shovels, set out to dig a hole. How big a hole? We won't stop digging until we find something spectacular, says Dave, so off they go, digging ever deeper while their little dog follows their progress. A cross section of their dig reveals that Sam and Dave come awfully close to their prize, but they keep digging and missing treasure until they decide to take a nap, during which they tumble right through the earth. Their landing sets them right back on safe ground though, and that, of course, is pretty spectacular. . ." -Booklist
Hardcover; $16.99
Publisher: Candlewick Press; ISBN: 9780763662295
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 Minecraft--the indie sandbox video game that took the world by storm--has been hailed as one of the greatest phenomena amongst gamers and educators for both its simplicity and its brilliance. Allowing players to build, explore, create, collaborate, and even survive, Minecraft has created a brave new world of gameplay. Each handbook contains helpful tips and information from the creators themselves, all of which will prove vital to your survival and creativity as you learn to mine, craft, and build in a world that you control.
Hardcover; $31.96
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.; ISBN: 9780545685191
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 "They're back: privileged Gansey, lonesome Adam, dangerous Ronan, and spectral Noahthe Raven Boys of Stiefvater's eponymous Raven Boys cycle. Volume 3 finds them still searching for sleeping Welsh king Owen Glendower, though they learn now that there is not one sleeper but three: one to waken, one not to waken, and one in the middle. Joining them again in their search is beautiful Blue, the only one in her family who is not a psychic. Blue's mother, Maura, has vanished underground, and the five teens go spelunking in search now of both her and the king. . ." -Booklist, Starred Review
Hardcover; $18.99
Publisher: Scholastic Press; ISBN: 9780545424967
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New Music
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Elliott Brood Genre: Pop/Folk
This Ontario trio began playing a ramshackle strain of folk music on banjo, mandolin, and suitcase drums. Five albums down the road, that rootsy base remains, though it's part of a much larger, full band sound.
($13.95) |
Genre: Pop/Folk
The original classic diva pays tribute to a group of more contemporary female singers. Franklin wraps her unmistakable voice around tunes originally performed by Adele, Sinead O'Connor, Alicia Keys, and more.
($11.95) |
Genre: Pop/Folk
Portland's Horse Feathers have established a reputation for playing a thinking person's indie folk. In creating their new record, the ensemble set out to make a more bright, upbeat record.
($11.95) |
Genre: Pop/Folk
The former Eurhythmics singer records her first album of classic covers. Always known for her striking voice, Lennox here offers her take on cuts made famous by Billie Holiday, Hoagy Carmichael, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, and more.
($13.95) |
Genre: Jazz/Blues
The blues guitar prodigy has recorded several recent records in tribute to blues legends who influenced her. On the most recent installment of this series, Block turns her attention to the Delta blues guitarist and pianist Skip James.
($16.95) |
Genre: Classical
Hope marks the Scottish singer's sixth album since her debut as a surprise contestant on Britain's Got Talent. Her new crossover collection ranges from Simon & Garfunkel and John Lennon to Pink Floyd and the Carter Family.
($11.95) |
Events at Grass Roots
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Please Don't Paint Our Planet Pink
Gregg Kleiner (author), Laurel Thompson (illustrator)
 Saturday, October 25 at 3:00 p.m. Grass Roots Books and Music
In this engaging, funny, and highly timely book, a young boy whose parents named him Wilbur "in honor of that pig in Charlotte's Web" discovers the power of the human imagination and how he can tap that power to see a shade of pink he has never imagined - a pink so astonishing it just might save the Planet. With help from his "geeky dorkasaurus" Dad and a pair of bright green goggles, young Will learns all about carbon and caring, carpooling and climate change, and how learning to see "this particular pink" will help all of us keep our Planet cool.
As a visual thinker, it's no wonder that Laurel Thompson became an artist. She grew up in Oregon, exploring her fascination with art, dance, and nature. This is Laurel's first fully illustrated book, and she feels honored to be helping bring such an important story to life.
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Kerry Eggers (author) and Yvenson Bernard (former OSU tailback)
Tuesday, Oct 28 at 7:00 p.m.
Grass Roots Books and Music
Since 1894, the Ducks and the Beavers have squared off on the gridiron to do battle for football bragging rights in Oregon. It's a rivalry that pits family members against one another, splitting the allegiance of an entire state. Award-winning sports journalist Kerry Eggers tells the complete story of one of the most historic rivalries in college football. Through firsthand interviews with the key performers in the rivalry and extensive research in both schools' archives, Eggers offers a comprehensive account of the players, coaches and fans who have made the Civil War the state's most anticipated football game. Whether a Beaver or a Duck, this is a book no fan can do without.
Yvenson Bernard played four years in the Canadian Football League after a terrific career at Oregon State. The Boca Raton, Fla., native put together three 1,000-yard seasons as a starting tailback for the Beavers from 2005-07, becoming the No. 2 rusher in OSU history and No. 6 on the Pac-10 career list. He was a first-team All-Pac-10 selection as a junior in 2006.
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Barbara Drake
Thursday, November 13, at 7:30 p.m.
Grass Roots Books and Music
When Barbara Drake and her husband left Portland and moved to a small farm in western Oregon's Yamhill Valley in the late 1980s, they saw it as a temporary relocation--they would return to the city eventually. But as the couple's experiences on the farm multiplied--training herding dogs, enlisting a pair of traveling dowsers to help them find a good well, and stargazing in a singular nighttime darkness--they decide to hang on to their rural life as long as possible.
Barbara Drake articulates the lessons she's learned from her long stint of country living in her new book, Morning Light. Replete with records of native wildflowers, an encounter with an elderly man who lived on her farm eighty years ago, and an old family recipe for wild blackberry pudding, Morning Light is an appreciation and exploration of the landscape of western Oregon, and readers will come to know it better through the book.
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November 16, 3:00 p.m.
Grass Roots Books and Music
When Hieu Nguyen, a Portland high school teacher, is accused of sexual misconduct by two of his students, his close friend and colleague Nate Davis tries to lend support. But Nate has recently been assaulted by a former student in the school parking lot, an event that brings on not only sharp anxiety, but a final push into a long-deferred quest to find out what happened to his uncle, a drifter and a Vietnam veteran.
Mark Pomeroy lives with his family in Portland, Oregon, where he was born in 1969. He has received an Oregon Literary Fellowship for fiction and a residency at Caldera Arts. His short stories, poems, and essays have appeared in Open Spaces, The Wordstock 10, Portland Magazine, The Oregonian, the Waco Tribune-Herald, and What Teaching Means: Stories from America's Classrooms. A former classroom teacher, he holds an MA in English Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, where he was a Fellow in Teaching. The Brightwood Stillness is his first novel.
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Community Events
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Darkside Show Times for 10/24-10/30
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Skeleton Twins-R If a movie with suicide as a central theme can be deemed funny, then writer/director Craig Johnson has pulled it off, mixing heartache and humor and giving Wiig, especially, the opportunity to shine.
-Tracks-PG-13 Mia Wasikowska throws herself into embodying the feisty Davidson. . .with insight into her drive and connection with animals, indigenous people, and the kindness of strangers.
-My Old Lady-PG-13 A cross-cultural, comedic drama that should appeal to art house and older audiences. Kevin Kline, Maggie Smith
-Kelly And Cal-NR There's an awful lot to like in this funny, sensitive and quirky little May-December romance. Juliette Lewis
Literary Events
-The Beatles' 'A Hard Day's Night' at the Whiteside Theater
Thursday, October 23 7:30 p.m. Meet the Beatles! Just one month after they exploded onto the U.S. scene with their Ed Sullivan appearance, John, Paul, George, and Ringo began working on a project that would bring their revolutionary talent to the big screen. A Hard Day's Night, in which the bandmates play wily, exuberant versions of themselves, captured the astonishing moment when they officially became the singular, irreverent idols of their generation and changed music forever.
-HOUR Traders Harvest Gathering Sunday, October 26 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm Old World Deli 341 Southwest 2nd Street Bring your creative self for a fun community pumpkin painting contest! Pumpkins will be available for purchase and paints will be available for your use. Prizes include a HOUR Traders Marketplace shopping trip - a prize of $25 in local currency (you can spend at the market) and an organic reusable shopping bag. Pumpkins should be completed by 2pm for judging. Come on down and celebrate the abundance of our community! Browse the HOUR Traders Marketplace during harvest time and to meet some of the folks who trade the local currency, HOURS. You are encouraged to bring your own goods to trade, or to show-and-tell others what you do. Pass through, or stay for the entire afternoon! For more information call 541-224-7752.
Opportunities
-Linn-Benton Community College "Poetry Birdhouses: Building Community."
LBCC invites Oregon poets living in Linn and Benton counties to submit 1-3 poems to be considered for a public art project in the courtyard of the Albany campus, "Poetry Birdhouses: Building Community." Five wooden birdhouses have already been embellished/transformed by visual artists-but the project is not yet complete. Each birdhouse needs a poem to be affixed on the inside door which measures 4" x 8." Poets can write a poem in response to a particular birdhouse or on the general themes of home, shelter, community, birds, nature, or journeys. A small journal will then be placed inside each birdhouse to encourage responses to the birdhouses and poetry. Cash awards of $50 will be allocated to each selected poet. Deadline: Poems RECEIVED by Nov. 17. For complete guidelines about this creative project, please contact Victoria Fridley, Arts & Aesthetics Resource Team Chair at LBCC @ victoria.fridley@linnbenton.edu or 541/917-4708.
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Plot Planning Party (NaNoWriMo) Corvallis Public Library Main Meeting Room, Saturday, October 18th, 2 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Learn what NaNoWriMo is (and how to say it), create an outline or storyboard for your novel, name your characters, build your world, and bounce ideas off of other local writers. This is the first in a series of events celebrating National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo).
-National Novel Writing Month Kick Off Party
Corvallis-Benton County Public Library, Saturday, October 25, 2:00 - 3:30 p.m. A party to start National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) off right! Take this opportunity to meet other NaNoWriMo goers, get revved up about the challenge ahead, and enjoy an event with your compatriots that does not involve writing frantically for as long as you can. Writers of all ages are welcome to this event.
- Tampa Review Prize for Poetry & Danahy Fiction Prize
Deadline: November 30 & December 31 The Tampa Review Prize for Poetry-2,000 & book publication * $25 entry * Deadline December 31; The Danahy Fiction Prize-$1,000 & Tampa Review publication * $20 entry * Deadline November 30. A free subscription to Tampa Review? Yes, that's right. Every submission to a prize competition receives a complimentary subscription to Tampa Review, the only literary magazine in the U.S. issued in hardback & this year celebrating 50 years of publishing. . . . And just in case you don't happen to have an unpublished poetry book manuscript or short story on hand to enter, you can still subscribe the good, old-fashioned way. Visit our website for details.
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Community Events with Grass Roots
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Magic Barrel
Whiteside Theater
Friday, October 24 6:30 p.m.
$9 at the door, or what you can give
This is a literary fundraiser featuring local and regional authors and poets reading from their works to raise money for the Linn-Benton Food Share. Join them to hear stellar writers present tastes of their best work to benefit the community food bank. Readers will include Amanda Coplin, Barbara Drake, Nick Dybek, Peter Sears, and more! Complete information can he found here.
Grass Roots will be selling books at this event. 100% of net proceeds from the evening's sales go to the Magic Barrel for the Linn-Benton Food Share.
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Store News
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Store News
Call to Local Authors
Indies First is a national event where writers volunteer to work at their local independent bookstore on Small Business Saturday. Last year's Indies First was a huge success, with more than 1000 authors across the country helping out at over 400 independent bookstores.
If you participate as a local author, you will have the opportunity to spend an hour on Saturday, November 29th, at Grass Roots. Your book(s) will be on display the entire day, you can chat with customers about your book, and there will be a place for you to sign books. You will also assist at the bookstore, which could involve answering general questions, offering recommendations to customers interested in a specific genre, and standing behind the register to bag items and gift-wrap purchases, at the Grass Roots store.
Authors must come to the store in person (or if distance is a factor, call @ 541-754-7668) on or before November 1st to sign up for a time slot. There will be a limited number of slots available. Each author will be responsible for providing an adequate supply of books. Sales will be handled at the register. Normally Grass Roots gets 25% of retail, but for this day only the store will offer 10% off books authored by Indies First participants. Authors keep 75% of retail unless they want a deeper discount for their books, in which case the Author absorbs that cost.
Please help support Grass Roots and introduce our community to its local authors!
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Jigsaw
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Reading Group Selection
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by Deborah E. Harkness
Tuesday, November 4, 6:30-8:00 p.m.
 Join Kendall as she leads the November Book Group with A Discovery of Witches by Deborah E. Harkness.
"Diana Bishop is the last of the Bishops, a powerful family of witches, but she has refused her magic ever since her parents died and, instead, has turned to academia. When a new project takes her to Oxford, she is looking forward to several months in the Bodleian, investigating alchemical manuscripts. Her peace is soon interrupted when one of the books she finds in the library turns out to have been lost for 150 years and is wanted desperately by the witch, daemon, and vampire communitiesso desperately that many are willing to kill for it. But the very first creature to approach her after her discovery is Matthew, a very old vampire and fellow scholar, who seems only to want to protect her. . ." -
Booklist, Starred Review
Regular Price: $17.00
On sale for:$14.45
Until Tuesday, November 4
Publisher: Penguin Books
ISBN: 9780143119685
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Night Stands
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Claire
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
by Benjamin Alire Saenz
[Fiction]
 Ari and Dante bond over their unusual names, Latino heritage, and also their differences. Dante can swim, he's interested in literature, whereas Ari is more macho. This book astounded me with how genuine Ari is as a narrator, and how sweet and realistic their friendship is. As a well written YA book with an inspiring story and relatable characters, I immediately knew why it is in this year's Oregon Battle of the Books.
Paperback; $9.99
Publisher: Simon & Schuster; ISBN: 9781442408937
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Kendall
Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries
by Neil DeGrasse Tyson
[Non-Fiction]
 Illuminating! Astounding! Hilarious! If you liked Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey but are more of a textual learner, like me, you will love this book. Written word is where Tyson excels. While having my mind blown by incredible knowledge about our intricate, expansive universe, I was also laughing out loud. Tyson manages to work in his characteristic humor while educating his audience about some difficult-to-grasp concepts, which kept me engaged in a way I'm not sure I would have been capable of without it. This book of essays is a must-read for anyone interested in any kind of science.
Paperback; $15.95
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; ISBN: 9780393350388
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Tiffany
100 Things That Make Me Happy
by Amy Schwartz
[Fiction]
 Brighten someone's day (and your own) with 100 Things That Make Me Happy, Amy Schwartz's delightful picture book. Her cheerful illustrations of playful children pair with rhyming couplets ("Red socks/Building blocks/Licking the spoon/The Man in the Moon") to list everyday happy-making objects and activities. Feeling blue? Pick up a copy and be inspired to start your own catalog of contentment.
Hardcover; $16.95
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams; ISBN: 9781419705182
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