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| Dec. 11, 2014 |
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Good afternoon!
Thank you, readers and customers, for making Grass Roots a part of your holiday season. Your loyalty and support during the holidays--and every day--has kept the bookstore a vital part of the Corvallis community for more than 40 years. As a thank you, we're offering this Customer Appreciation Coupon (see below). You guys are wonderful and we are dedicated to making your reading experience the best it can be.
Have a great weekend and good luck with your holiday shopping!
~Jenny
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| Save 20% |
Customer Appreciation 2014 Sunday - Monday - Tuesday  Dec. 14, 15, & 16 Mention coupon code "Appreciation" at time of purchase. Valid on purchases paid for in store only. Limited to stock on hand and pre-paid Special Orders. Excludes Kobo eReaders and Gift Certificates; selected Special Orders may not be discounted. Not combinable with other discounts; not eligible for I-Card stamps. Just mention the coupon from this week's Grass Roots Reader, and receive the discount. It is not necessary to print it out. | | Offer Expires: Tuesday, Dec. 16 |
New Hardcovers
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[Fiction]
"Expanding on an influential piece that first appeared in 'Raw' in 1989, McGuire, best known for his illustrated children's books, explores a single patch of land (apparently in Perth Amboy, N.J.) over the course of millions of years. As in the earlier version, McGuire's perspective is fixed in what is (for most of the book) the corner of a family room, even as the narrative skips across centuries. At the beginning and end, dinosaurs and futuristic animals (respectively) stalk pages unadorned by people. But throughout most of the book, the reader sees human families dance, die, celebrate, fracture, and just live. . ." -Publishers Weekly
Hardcover; $35.00
Publisher: Pantheon Books; ISBN: 9780375406508
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"After a long career of summarizing the events and views of others, in the 1960s and 1970s, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Durant (The Story of Philosophy; The Story of Civilization) set out to document his views on the most important topics of human existence. Now, over three decades later, the manuscript of his efforts has come to light and is offered to readers who may remember fondly his works from earlier days. In 22 brief essays on everything from youth to old age, politics, Vietnam, art, education, and the lessons of history, Durant (1885-1981) expresses his attitudes and thoughtful opinions with grace and occasionally with wisdom..." -Library Journal
Hardcover; $25.00
Publisher: Simon & Schuster; ISBN: 9781476771540
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by Anita Diamant
[Fiction]
 "Bestseller Diamant ( The Red Tent) tells a gripping story of a young Jewish woman growing up in early-20th-century Boston. Addie Baum, an octogenarian grandmother in 1985, relates long-ago history to a beloved granddaughter, answering the question: 'How did I get to be the woman I am today?' The answer: by living a fascinating life. First reminiscing about 1915 and the reading club she became a part of as a teenager, Addie, in a conversational tone, recounts the lifelong friendships that began at club meetings and days by the seaside at nearby Rockport. . ." - Publishers Weekly
Hardcover; $26.00
Publisher: Scribner Book Company; ISBN: 9781439199350
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 "If you don't believe that mathematics can be fun you should read this book. Parker, a mathematician and stand up comic, takes the reader on an entertaining voyage through many recreational topics. These include some more or less familiar aspects of number theory but also polygonal numbers, packing problems, graph theory, and computer logic and algorithms. The fascinating excursions into geometry and topology including discussions of noncircular wheels, knot theory, and the geometry of four-dimensional objects are especially noteworthy. Throughout the text, subjects are enhanced by clever problems that immediately grab one's attention. . ." - Library Journal
Hardcover; $28.00
Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux; ISBN: 9780374275655
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 From her first theatrical roles as a teenager in York to her scene-stealing performances as 'M' in the James Bond films, Dame Judi Dench's professional life has consisted of non-stop acting, leading to numerous accolades, including an Academy Award for her performance as Queen Elizabeth I in Shakespeare in Love. Behind the Scenes is a candid blend of reminiscences and photos, many of them never-before-seen from her personal collection. It's a uniquely personal take on her life and brilliant career, showing her off-stage as well as on.
Hardcover; $29.99
Publisher: St. Martin's Press; ISBN: 9781250071118
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New Paperbacks
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New For Young Readers
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A Perfectly Messed-Up Story
by Patrick McDonnell
[Fiction]
Ages 4 to 8
 "Beloved Mutts comic-strip illustrator McDonnell brings children a story about how even the most perfect things can sometimes become...well, messed up. Louie sets out to tell his happy tale about skipping and singing when suddenly a jelly blob interrupts his cheerful narrative. This is soon followed by a peanut butter ('AUGH! The chunky kind!') mess. Louie is horrified that someone would treat his story so carelessly. As the mess builds, Louie becomes more and more anxious, until a really big mess causes him to give up. . . .He soon learns a wise lesson; it is the story that makes the book, not the mess. . . ." -School Library Journal
Hardcover; $17.00
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; ISBN: 9780316222587
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New Music
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Genre: Holiday
For their first album in several years, the California band pays tribute to the spirit of their home state with a double album. One CD focuses on the band's more country leaning material (Bakersfield), while the second presents the more college rock, topical side (Berkeley).
($15.98) |
Genre: Pop/Folk
This compilation serves as a primer for the roots of folk music in America, Canada, and England. The 2-disc set features contributions from Woody Guthrie, Dave Van Ronk, Joan Baez, and more.
($19.98) |
Events at Grass Roots
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More on the way. Stay tuned!
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Community Events
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Darkside Show Times for 12/12-12/18
-On Any Sunday: Next Chapter - NR The documentary world is full of thrilling sports videos, but few have the authentic life-and-death stakes of high speed on two wheels.
-Pelican Dreams - NR From the makers of The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill. What's it like to try to get to know a flying dinosaur? 95% on RT!
-Force Majeure - R The film is incisive about its characters' attitudes and what those attitudes say about our cultural beliefs in regards to gender roles.
-Dear White People - R A welcome new voice to cinema's oft-neglected discussion of race.
-Citizenfour - R Part real-life thriller, part sobering examination of 21st century civil liberties. 97% ON RT!
Arts/Literary Events
-OSU Annual Staff Art ShowWeekly on weekdays, until Jan 1, 2015, 8 am - 5 pm, Giustina Gallery @ LaSells Stewart Center, 875 Southwest 26th Street, Oregon State University, Visit the LaSells Stewart Center to view and celebrate the OSU Annual Staff Art Show! This show is co-sponsored by the Professional Faculty Leadership Association (PFLA) and the Association of Office Professionals (AOP), with support from the Office of the President. OSU's associated staff such as the OSU Foundation, GCA Service Group, and Sodexho (Beavers Catering within athletics facilities) and retirees are also welcome to participate.
Opportunities-Willamette Writers on the River "Open Mike" December 15, 2014 6:30-8:30 PM (sign-up starts at 6:15), First Presbyterian Church, 114 SW 8th Street (enter Dennis Hall at 9th & Monroe), Corvallis, Oregon; These quarterly readings are free and open to the public. This is your chance to engage in an important aspect of the writing life -- reading your work in front of others. Anyone can participate, but you have to sign up. These events often fill up, so if you want to read, it's a good idea to get there as soon after 6:15 PM as possible. The number of readers is limited. First to sign up is first to read. Each person gets 7 minutes. We ask that you read only one prose piece during the 7-minute time frame (multiple poems are okay). No graphic violence, sex, or hate speech. Please tell the audience if your piece is fiction or non-fiction, and if it is a part or whole.-National Novel Writing Month Writers Get Published at the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library Deadline for submissions is December 15th, 2014; The Library is proud to support NaNoWriMo this year and to prove it we want to get you published! The Corvallis-Benton County Public Library will publish an anthology of excerpts of the work you do during NaNoWriMo this year that will be displayed and circulated in our own collection. This is an opportunity to get your name in a library book and a chance to polish a portion of the work you do during NaNoWriMo.
Here are the guidelines and details regarding submissions:
*Submissions may be between 5-20 pages long. We cannot accept submissions longer than 20 pages, double-spaced, in a typical sized font (about 5,000 words).*Please include a brief (150 words or less) biography of yourself with your submission.*Copyright will be retained by you, the author, and this will be expressly noted in the book that will be published.*Submissions will be accepted until December 15th - this should give you time to polish the excerpt from your novel that you would like us to publish.*Please send submissions to Reference Librarian Bonnie Brzozowski at bonnie.brzozowski@corvallisoregon.gov or bonnie4cbcpl@gmail.com. Submissions will be accepted in Word (.doc or .docx), Open Office (.odt), or Google Doc formats ONLY.-2nd Annual Zero Bone Poetry Prize
Deadline: February 28, 2015 Named in honor of the distinguished American poet Emily Dickinson, the competition welcomes submissions of unpublished, original poems. Open to all poets-those with or without previous publishing credits and from anywhere in the world. (Winners outside the U.S. will need a Paypal account to receive their award.) Winning manuscripts will reflect the thoughtful humanity and careful craftsmanship of Emily Dickinson's poetry, though not necessarily her style. Nature themes are especially welcome as are all styles of poems. Maximum of 5 poems. $2 submission fee per poem. Top place winners: $200, $100, $50. Judge TBA. Full details here.
-Albert Camus Prize For Fiction Deadline: February 1, 2015 The Albert Camus Award for Short Fiction was created by Red Savina Review to champion writers whose short fiction explores and challenges the notion of human being in the twenty-first century. First prize $300; Second $100; Third $50; One Honorable mention plus publication in RSR's Spring Issue Online. The award will be given to writers whose fiction strips away the conceits of being human in an attempt to clear the way for human being. Entries judged by Guest Editor Khanh Ha recipient of Greensboro Review's Robert Watson Literary Prize in Fiction. Fee: $15.00. Entry Deadline: February 1, 2015. Guidelines here.
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Community Events with Grass Roots
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Store News
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Awards
The Flaherty-Dunnan First Novel Prize was given to Tiphanie Yanique for Land of Love and Drowning. The recipient receives $10,000 from the Center for Fiction who honors the best debut novel of the year.
Slate and the Whiting Foundation have announced the five books making their We Second That, the Slate/Whiting Second Novel List. These novels are, as Slate says, to "[pull] together a list of the very best under-recognized second novels of the past five years--ones that might not have found the readers they still deserve now." The titles are listed below.
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Featured Gifts in the Store
Wishing Stones
Straight out of Newport, OR comes Zen Garden's natural slate Wishing Stones. These are excellent, creative gifts that produce no waste whatsoever. As described by Eclecticgalley.net: "Why waste ink, paint, and paper on practice art pieces that you are going to throw away afterwards? Let us introduce you to the Wishing Stone Natural Buddha Board...made from natural slate and even includes a brush. With the Wishing Stone Natural Buddha Board you only use a paint brush and water--no paper, ink, or paint. You can create endless images that will disappear after the water dries! No mess, no waste, just an effective way to practice your art and save resources at the same time."
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Take a look at our selection of Paperwings Clocks, each one hand-painted by Bruce Allison and Jill Mayberg in watercolor, acrylic, collage mixed media, and oil paint. They are vibrant and beautiful, featuring fish, frogs, flying pigs, and cats. Wonderfully whimsical, get one for yourself or a loved one and decorate your shelves, tables, or walls with these little gems!
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Nene Imagination Puzzles
 These puzzles are excellent for young children (and adults) because there is no "right" way to make their beautiful patterns. The soft puzzles are geared towards promoting problem-solving to enhance science and math skills at an early age. Animal or Pattern-themed, these are a stimulating past-time for brains both young and old.
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Puzzle inventors from all over the world compete for their designs to be chosen by this top-notch puzzle line. At varying levels ranging from Fairly Easy to Very Difficult, these beautiful puzzles double as interactive, collector's art.
Additional Note: Stop by the store this weekend and early next week to see a new shipment of Christmas-themed jigsaw puzzles and sand art pictures! Beautiful and artistic gift ideas are lining our shelves!
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Jigsaw
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Jigsaw will be back next week!
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Reading Group Selection
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Grass Roots Books and Music
6:30-8:00 p.m.
Tuesday, January 6
 Join Jenny as she leads the January Book Group on Tuesday, January 6 with We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves. "As a girl in Indiana, Rosemary, Fowler's breathtakingly droll 22-year-old narrator, felt that she and Fern were not only sisters but also twins. So she was devastated when Fern disappeared. Then her older brother, Lowell, also vanished. Rosemary is now prolonging her college studies in California, unsure of what to make of her life. Enter tempestuous and sexy Harlow, a very dangerous friend who forces Rosemary to confront her past. We then learn that Rosemary's father is a psychology professor, her mother a non-practicing scientist, and Fern a chimpanzee. . ." - Booklist, Starred Review
Regular Price: $16.00
On sale for:$13.60
Until January 6
Publisher: Plume Books
ISBN: 9780142180822
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Night Stands
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 This novel (which sometimes reads like a memoir) is set in 1938, and follows a thread from her earlier novel, The Hearts of Horses. In this story, Bud Frazer, a young ranch hand, leaves his home and a family tragedy in eastern Oregon and heads to Hollywood to pursue a career in movie stunt riding. On the bus ride going down he meets Lily Shaw, who is also headed there to become a screen writer. As they struggle and try to make their way in that business, they forge a friendship that will last a lifetime. I loved the writing, with the northwest and Hollywood themes. It was a real eye opener and I blanched to read about the grittier and often horrifying aspects of the cowboy opera movie business, but it is a really good story with totally believable characters. This is another great novel by Gloss!
(GLOSS is the best-selling author The Hearts of Horses, The Jump-Off Creek, winner of both the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Award and the Oregon Book Award, The Dazzle of Day, winner of the PEN Center West Fiction Prize, and Wild Life, winner of the James Tiptree Jr. Award.)
Hardcover; $25.00
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin; ISBN: 9780544279292
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Jenny
 This book is fascinating in its historical and current teachings of psychosis in the modern age. What I found most surprising is how little scientists and psychologists know about the contributing factors that cause delusions to form. Brothers Joel and Ian Gold (associate professors, respectively, at the NYU School of Medicine and McGill University) take turns discussing past and present studies in psychology to build up to the argument that delusion is a product of modern culture with its increase in technology and social responsibilities. They discuss at length what they call the Truman Show delusion, something increasingly more common as reality TV and the Internet become more prevalent in our everyday lives.
Hardcover; $26.00
Publisher: Free Press; ISBN: 9781439181553
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 Kin by Larkin Poe is one of my top albums for the year! This talented sister duo is a fresh and invigorating punch to Americana music. This CD is packed full of surprising elements, too: pop, hip hop, and blues. Their harmonizing is angelic and their chosen vocal inflections are full of attitude and emotion. Also, the production took care not to hide the background vocals, but pull up a seat for them at the table, making for a full-bodied, cacophonous sound. I recommend this CD to anyone who enjoys an earful of music! |
 We enter Nora Webster's life just following the loss of her husband. People come calling to her, out of respect for the grieving widow, and as these people reach out to her, either out of friendship, duty, curiosity, or family obligation, we learn to know Nora through her reactions to them. With keen insight into the life of someone grieving, Toibin delicately masks the weight and horror of grief behind the tasks of everyday life. I was struck by the sudden bursts of insight Nora has, beautifully expressed, behind her grief. Toibin writes this truth so well.
Hardcover; $27.00
Publisher: Scribner Book Company; ISBN: 9781439138335
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 Ever wonder how far a steak would have to fall through the atmosphere to be fully cooked when it landed? Or what would happen if you tried to fly a plane around Mars? Even if you are not familiar with the Randall Munroe's brainy internet comic, xkcd, his new book, What if? is sure to please any fan of scientific thought exercises. Simple drawing and loads of humor make complex physics accessible and fun.
Hardcover; $24.00
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin; ISBN: 9780544272996
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