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| October 30, 2014 |
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'Afternoon, Readers!
Tomorrow is Halloween and Grass Roots welcomes the Trick-or-Treaters dressed in their favorite costumes for the downtown Trick-or-Treating event going on from noon-6 p.m. Friday, October 31st. We will be dressed up, too!
Other business: the Corvallis Independence Alliance school scrip program is ending; please submit your coupons soon! CIBA Scrip is no longer being issued, but will be honored for the rest of the school year.
In the store: check out the latest works from Wendell Berry, Stephen Colbert (paperback), and Yusuf/Cat Stephens. Tons of author events still continue throughout the month of November, so make sure you check those out, too.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
~Jenny
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New Hardcovers
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[Fiction]
 "Hollywood glamour has no place in the rough-and-tumble cowboy movies being churned out by studios in the late 1930s. That's discovered by Bud Frazer, a young man from a ranching family looking to make his way as a stunt rider and, in the process, distance himself from personal tragedy. On the bus ride there, he strikes up what would become a lifelong friendship with an aspiring screenwriter. What follows are challenges for both Bud and his new friend Lily as they try to make their dreams reality. . ." -Booklist
Hardcover; $25.00
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin; ISBN: 9780544279292
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 Tom Pohrt spent years gathering those poems of Wendell Berry's he imagined children might read and appreciate, making sketches to accompany his selection. Over the past several years a dialogue has evolved in which the poet has come to advise the illustrator on the natural history of the animals and plants seen so intimately in the poems. The resulting volume of 21 poems includes dozens of the sketches, drawings and watercolors in what amounts to a visual meditation on the poem they work to illustrate and is simply staggering in both its beauty and its meaning to those of us who remain lovers of the book as physical object.
Hardcover; $25.00
Publisher: Counterpoint LLC; ISBN: 9781619024250
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by Alexander McCall Smith
[Fiction]
 ". . . In this, the fifteenth in McCall Smith's hyperpopular series, the true mystery takes the form of a woman who appears to suffer from amnesia and is in considerable danger. Two other disruptions unsettle Mma Ramotswe's gentle routine of making bush tea in the morning and waiting for clients. Charlie, the girl-crazy, work-loathing apprentice to Mma Ramotswe's husband. . . is let go and quickly sinks into almost suicidal despair. Mma Makutsi. . . is now Mma Ramotswe's copartner in the business [and] decides to open a cafe for fashionable people . . . Humor runs rampant, as always. . . and Smith's depictions of the sights and sounds of Botswana. . . make this novel radiant." -Booklist, Starred Review
Hardcover; $24.95
Publisher: Pantheon Books; ISBN: 9780307911544
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Deep below the University, there is a dark place. Few people know of it: a broken web of ancient passageways and abandoned rooms. A young woman lives there, tucked among the sprawling tunnels of the Underthing, snug in the heart of this forgotten place. Her name is Auri, and she is full of mysteries. The Slow Regard of Silent Things is a brief, bittersweet glimpse of Auri's life, a small adventure all her own. At once joyous and haunting, this story offers a chance to see the world through Auri's eyes. And it gives the reader a chance to learn things that only Auri knows...
Hardcover; $18.95
Publisher: Daw Books; ISBN: 9780756410438
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by William Gibson
[Non-Fiction]
". . . In alternating chapters, Gibson tells the stories of Flynne Fisher, master gamer in the near future, and Wilf Netherton, London publicist in a more distant future. In the intervening years, a series of catastrophic events resulting from climate change and known as the jackpot has killed off 80 percent of the population yet somehow allowed the survivors to unleash incredible new technologies, such as nanobots known as assemblers, to help rebuild society. Somewhere in all of this, the ability to communicate with the past (quantum tunneling) has become a vogue among continua enthusiasts who fiddle with the past as a hobby, sometimes with dire consequences. . ." -Booklist
Hardcover; $28.95
Publisher: Putnam Adult; ISBN: 9780399158445
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New Paperbacks
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[Non-Fiction]
 Book store nation, in the history of mankind there has never been a greater country than America. But as perfect as America is in every single way, America is broken! And we can't exchange it because we're 236 years past the 30-day return window. Luckily, America Again will singlebookedly pull this country back from the brink. It features everything from chapters, to page numbers, to fonts. Covering subject's ranging from healthcare to the economy to food, Stephen gives America the dose of truth it needs to get back on track.
Paperback; $18.00
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing; ISBN: 9780446583992
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[Fiction]
 ". . . Griffith explores the young life of Hild, the future St. Hilda of Whitby. Set in seventh-century Anglo-Saxon England, during the early years of Christianity there, the novel begins with the sudden death of Hild's father, Lord Hereric. To secure the futures of her daughters, Hild's ruthless and cunning mother embarks on a plan to hook their fate to the coattails of Edwin Snakebeard, Lord Hereric's ambitious brother and king-to-be. Soon, Hild becomes Edwin's trusted seer, and as the novel progresses, she attempts to stay in his favor, treading carefully among the large egos of the court and knowing that her survival depends as much on luck as it does on the accuracy of her predictions. . ." -Booklist, Starred Review
Paperback; $18.00
Publisher: Picador USA; ISBN: 9781250056092
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by Lorrie Moore
[Fiction]
 "There are eight stories in Moore's latest collection, and, like her previous work (Birds of America), these stories are laugh-out-loud funny, as well as full of pithy commentary on contemporary life and politics. In much of Moore's earlier fiction, the protagonists are young girls or mothers of small children. Here, they are all divorcees. They have teenagers. They've variously tried and failed at dating, holding down jobs, being kind, or being sane. Perhaps that accounts for the ever-present sting of sadness in the book: relationships don't fare well (with one slightly desperate exception), and the sly wisdom of Moore's meditations on time will get under your skin like a splinter. . ." -Publishers Weekly
Paperback; $15.00
Publisher: Vintage; ISBN: 9780307740861
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[Non-Fiction]
 After being advised by his dentist to get tooth implants, Daniel Klein decides to stick with his dentures and instead use the money to make a trip to the Greek island Hydra and discover the secrets of aging happily. Drawing on the inspiring lives of his Greek friends and philosophers ranging from Epicurus to Sartre, Klein uncovers the simple pleasures that are available late in life, as well as the refined pleasures that only a mature mind can fully appreciate.
Paperback; $14.00
Publisher: Penguin Books; ISBN: 9780143126621
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[Non-Fiction]
 Maps are objects of endless fascination, and the urge to map is a basic human instinct. In this masterful study, historian and cartography expert Jerry Brotton reveals how maps--far from being objective documents--are intimately tied to the views and agendas of particular times and places. Beginning with Ptolemy's Geography and ending with the satellite-powered behemoth of Google Earth, Brotton examines a dozen world maps from around the globe and through the centuries to trace the long road to our present geographical reality.
Paperback; $20.00
Publisher: Penguin Books; ISBN: 9780143126027
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New For Young Readers
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"This amazing 'menagerie' presents an original story for all 26 letters of the alphabet. Opening with A, 'An Astronaut' tells of astronaut-in-training Edmund, hampered by his fear of heights. 'Cup in the Cupboard' for letter C relates the sad story of Cup, whose move from cupboard to windowsill ends disastrously. In 'Danger Delilah,' letter D introduces a fearless superheroine, while L's tale, 'The Lumberjack's Light,' stars Jack, struck by lightning so often he doesn't need a plug for his light. . . The 26 amusing ministories come full circle with letter Z's, 'Zeppelin,' in which astronaut Edmund returns aboard a zeppelin. The silly, spare, slightly surreal text occasionally rhymes and endlessly surprises. . ." -Kirkus Reviews
Hardcover; $26.99
Publisher: Philomel Books; ISBN: 9780399167911
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 "With the help of ExtraOrdinary Wizard Septimus Heap, 12-year-old Alice TodHunter 'Tod' Moon must learn to navigate the Ancient Ways of the PathFinder in order to find her missing father and save her people. Armed with the PathFinder, a Magykal compass, Tod must rescue her friend, Ferdie, from the evil Lady, find her missing father, and do what she can to defeat Darke Sorcerer Oraton-Marr. However, she quickly realizes that saving the world is not a one-person job; she will need the help of friends, family and some very Magykal people if she is to succeed in her quest. . ." -Kirkus Reviews
Hardcover; $17.99
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books; ISBN: 9780062272454
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Atlantia
by Ally Condie
[Fiction]
Young Adult
 "A fast-paced fantasy adventure tale in a richly drawn dystopian future. Despite her lifelong dream of living Above, recently orphaned Rio has promised her twin sister, Bay, that she'll stay in their underwater city of Atlantia when they come of age. In one shocking moment, however, Bay is headed Above, and Rio is left alone, separated from the last person who knew the secret of her hidden siren voice and loved her anyway. As Rio tries to find her own way to get Above, she also discovers pieces of Atlantia's hidden past and its uncertain future. . ." -School Library Journal
Hardcover; $18.99
Publisher: Dutton Books; ISBN: 9780525426448
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New Music
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Hard Working Americans Genre: Pop/Folk
Early 2014 brought the debut studio CD from this roots supergroup, fronted by Todd Snider. This collection features the band's famous first concert foray, recorded both to CD and DVD.
($18.95) |
Genre: Pop/Folk
The piano wild man released his first record back in 1957, and has been recording ever since. His new, rock-centric collection is time for simultaneous release with his memoir.
($15.95) |
Genre: Pop/Folk
Swift began her rise to superstardom as a mainstream country act. 1989 serves as the culmination of her journey towards pop stardom as a writer, singer, and performer.
($18.95) |
Genre: Pop/Folk
Yusuf's last album came six years ago. This follow-up features a mix of originals and covers, including contributions from Richard Thompson, Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Tinariwen, and more.
($11.95) |
Genre: World
Blends traditional world music with ambient grooves for a soothing effect. Contributing artists include Jai Uttal, Donna De Lory, MC Yogi, and more.
($15.95) |
Events at Grass Roots
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Linda Carroll
 Wednesday, November 5 at 7 p.m. Grass Roots Books and Music
In Love Cycles, veteran couples therapist Linda Carroll presents a groundbreaking model of the five natural stages of romantic relationships -- the Merge, Doubt and Denial, Disillusionment, Decision, and Wholehearted Love -- and a guide for navigating through them toward the secrets of wholehearted love. Love Cycles helps readers understand where they are in the cycle of their relationship and provides a clear strategy for how to stay happy and committed, even in difficult times, and how everyone can win at love.
Linda Carroll, MS, has worked as a couple's therapist for more than 30 years in Corvallis, Ore. She teaches workshops and delivers keynote addresses throughout the United States and is a frequent speaker at Rancho La Puerta in Tecate, Mexico. Love Cycles is her third book. Find her on the web at lindaacarroll.com or lovecycles.org.
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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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Sunday, 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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Wednesday, November 19 at 7:00 p.m.
Grass Roots Books and Music
Christine Wallace writes with great clarity and honesty--and at times, with humor--about navigating the highs and lows of family, career and love in her gripping memoir Prepare to Come About. Wallace chronicles her wildly successful business that brought her accolades and awards, radio and TV interviews. However, as her professional life skyrockets, her family's lives spiraled down. She unflinching shares tales of teenage children in crisis, family pressures and chaos that illuminate the struggles of many working families.
Christine Wallace is the author of two books including The Pocket Doula and Prepare to Come About. Her work has appeared in the literary journal Clover (vol. 3, 2012, vol. 6, 2014). Christine was founder and CEO of "Gracewinds Perinatal," a nationally award winning business. She is the mother of five children and a grandmother of six. Recently retired first mate and port captain on the schooner Zodiac, Christine holds a USCG 200-ton captain's license. She currently resides in the Pacific Northwest onboard an ex-forestry boat with her husband, youngest daughter and a boat-cat named Lucky Jack.
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Community Events
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Darkside Show Times for 10/31-11/6
- Horns-R In the aftermath of his girlfriend's mysterious death, a young man awakens to strange horns sprouting from his temples. "Daniel Radcliffe anchors a scary, amusing movie." -
Rotten Tomatoes
-Pride-R Earnest without being didactic and uplifting without stooping to sentimentality, Pride
is a joyous crowd-pleaser that genuinely works.
-Tracks
-PG-13 The incredible true story of Robyn Davidson's nine-month trek across the Australian desert. Mia Wasikowska
-My Old Lady
-PG-13 A cross-cultural, comedic drama. Kevin Kline, Maggie Smith
-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.
Literary/Arts Events
-First Annual Holiday Art Sale at Studio262
Thursday, Oct. 30 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Features a variety of local artists and artisans in downtown art boutique gallery and art supply store. Find ceramic art, jewelry, glass, object art, and more. Will continue through Dec. 20 with artist demos, workshops, and more!
-Downtown Trick or Treat
Friday, October 31 12-6 p.m. Get dressed up in you favorite Halloween costume, grab an adult, and head to downtown Corvallis for Trick or Treating! Visit the downtown Corvallis Association member businesses displaying orange "Trick or Treat" window signs for some tasty Halloween treats!
-Halloween Tribute to 70's & 80's Rock @ Majestic Theatre Nov 1 @ 7:00 pm - Nov 2 @ 12:00 a.m.
Halloween Tribute to 70's and 80's Rock is sure to be a definite crowd pleaser with performances from three awesome rock tribute bands, food share benefit, and Halloween costume contest! Live performances from local rock tribute bands Mach 6, Dr. Love, and Manic Mechanics! Bring along canned food with you to participate in the can food drive to benefit the Linn/Benton Food Share. There will also be a Halloween costume contest and the winner takes home a "65 Strat copy" autographed by the bands from the Fingerboard Extension.
-Finding Wholesale Happiness in a Retail World with Jeff Yeager @ Corvallis-Benton County Public Library Nov 5 @ 6:00 p.m.
Author, public speaker, and media personality Jeff Yeager delivers practical and even life changing advice about money, happiness, and our consumer culture in the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library's Main Meeting Room on Thursday, November 5th at 7:00pm. Based on his bestselling book, The Ultimate Cheapskate's Road Map to True Riches: A Practical (and Fun) Guide to Enjoying Life More by Spending Less, Yeager tells how to live a happier, healthier, and fuller life...but only if you're not willing to pay the price. Jeff Yeager has appeared as a guest on dozens of television and radio networks around the country.
Opportunities
-NaNoWriMo Writing Session @ Corvallis-Benton County Public Library
Nov 1 @ 2:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. Write your novel during National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) on Saturdays in October and November starting October 18th and ending November 29th at 2:00 p.m. in the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library's Main Meeting Room. Weekly writing sessions (every Saturday in November). A book of excerpts from writing done during NaNoWriMo will be published by the Library if sufficient submissions are received.
-Meet the Artist and Demonstration with Conrad Tao
Saturday, Nov. 8, Corvallis Public Library 1-2 p.m. Talk and performance by Conrad Tao, a brilliant and engaging young concert artist. The program is geared for adults and older students. Main Meeting Room. Co-sponsored by Corvallis-OSU Piano International and the Friends of the Library.
Master Class with Conrad Tao
Nov. 8, 2-3 p.m. Corvallis Public Library Students from OSU and the community are invited to play for concert artist Conrad Tao and receive feedback. Main Meeting Room. Co-sponsored by Corvallis-OSU Piano International and the Friends of the Library.
-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.
- 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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A Path Appears
Nicholas Kristof
Friday, October 31 at 4:00 p.m.
LaSells Stewart Center 875 SW 26th St. Corvallis, OR
Join the OSU community for the Campaign for OSU Celebration, featuring a keynote address by two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Nicholas Kristof of The New York Times. Co-author of Half the Sky and the new A Path Appears, Mr. Kristof is internationally known for his reporting and commentary on global issues and the power of individuals to change the world. The Campaign Celebration is brought to you by the OSU Foundation. For complete details, visit campaignforosu.org/celebration and osualum.com/homecoming.
Grass Roots will be selling books at this event.
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Store News
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Awards
Bard Fiction Award
Laura van den Berg has won $30,000 for her story collection The Isle of Youth. She will also receive a writer-in-residence appointment at Bard College for one semester as part of the award. Beginning in 2001, this award was established to "encourage and support promising young writers fiction writers." Read more about Berg and the award here. |
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Local Authors Call
Local Authors, REMEMBER: You can be part of the Indies Next event down at Grass Roots on Saturday, November 29. This is a national event that coincides with Small Business Saturday, and--if you are a local author--we'd love to have you sign up to help out at the store, display and sell your book, and offer book recommendations to customers. You have until November 1st to sign up (two days!). Email us at groots@peak.org with ATTN: Claire in the subject line to let us know you are interested and if you would prefer to work in the morning, early afternoon, or late afternoon. Our events coordinator Claire will get back to you to firm up the details and exact time you will be working.
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Gregg Kleiner Event
Thanks to everyone who came out to the Gregg Kleiner reading last Saturday (Please Don't Paint Our Planet Pink). Grass Roots was packed! It was exciting to see so many faces, so much pink, and raise CO 2 emissions awareness all in one day.
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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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Neé
The Psychopath Inside: A Neuroscientist's Personal Journey Into the Dark Side of the Brain
by James Fallon
[Non-Fiction]
 You've picked up a book called The Psychopath Inside. If you read the first few pages and you're annoyed that the author seems self-serving, boastful and manipulative then this book is NOT for you - put it down! That's the entire point. The author is a high-functioning psychopath living a successful, nonviolent life. If you start reading and discover you're intrigued then keep going. This is a fearless and brutally honest memoir about a person discovering the roots of his psychopathy though psychiatry, genealogy, and neuroscience. This book puts a human face (shockingly human) to the chilling term, psychopath.
Paperback; $16.00
Publisher: Current; ISBN: 9781617230158
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Linda
52 Little Lessons from Les Miserables
by Bob Welch
[Non-Fiction]
 This compact, insightful little book is neatly composed with 52 concise, yet worldly, lessons of humanity found in Victor Hugo's classic Les Miserables. Welch points out the spiritual and heartfelt depths of Hugo's characters, comparing them to situations of struggle, love, and redemption in today's life. For those laymen scholars and fans of Hugo's timeless work, this book is an inspiring addition.
Hardcover; $16.99
Publisher: Thomas Nelson; ISBN: 9781400206667
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Jenny
Snoopy's Thanksgiving
by Charles M. Schulz
[Fiction]
 Yep--here's a review for Snoopy's Thanksgiving and it's not even Halloween yet, but since we have Waiting for the Great Pumpkin, AND Snoopy's Thanksgiving, why not expand your holiday book collection with both (and build some excitement with your little one for Thanksgiving throughout all of November)? This collection of Snoopy comics is classy, classic, and charming. See how Cool Joe, Spike, Snoopy, and Woodstock react to this peculiar holiday as they travel the country, honor Woodstock's paranoia for being mistaken as a main course, and don silly disguises like the Thanksgiving Claus.
Hardcover; $16.95
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams; ISBN: 9781419705182
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