Happy New Year, dear Readers!

2014 has been a blast, and, once again, thank you for sharing so many great moments with us. We greatly appreciate your continued support for the local, independent bookstore that is Grass Roots of Corvallis (open 44 years now!). You make both the downtown and the world of literature an exciting place to be. Good luck as we head into 2015. 

Our doors will be closed New Year's Day (Jan. 1st), but open again on the 2nd. 

Stay safe, healthy, and happy, and take a look below for the latest paperbacks and a New Year's display we've got going. 

Thank you from Jenny and the rest of the Grass Roots staff!

Publisher: Penguin Books; ISBN: 9780143126140

"George Duncan is an American-born Englishman who owns a print shop in London. His quiet, polite life--one that eventually bored or irritated every woman with whom George has ever been in a relationship, including his ex-wife--pauses in awe and wonder when one night he discovers a great white crane in his garden, an arrow piercing its wing. George pulls the arrow from the crane's wing, and the bird flies away, leaving him bewildered. The following day, Kumiko, a mysterious woman, appears in George's shop with strange and haunting artwork made of feather cuttings. George and his daughter, a single mother disappointed in life and people, find their lives changed by Kumiko's loyal companionship and love. " -Library Journal

Publisher: Penguin Books; ISBN: 9780143126171

"Common in the Middle Ages, bestiaries were richly illustrated descriptions of both real and mythological animals accompanied by moralizing commentary. The present volume, following that pattern, provides zoological information on 27 real animals, both terrestrial and marine, some endangered and some already extinct. The dolphin, flatworm, human(!), right whale, and octopus are among the animals examined. Henderson, a British journalist, provides historical, literary, and philosophical background on each animal, along with discussion of environmental and human threats to its survival. Photographs, drawings, diagrams, medieval-style frontispieces and illuminated capitals, as in the original bestiaries, and quotations from writers in diverse fields enrich the text. . ." -Library Journal

Publisher: University of Chicago Press; ISBN: 9780226213200

"In times of trouble, a good book can soothe any kind of pain. Longtime friends Berthoud and Elderkin take that notion to a new level in their delightful reference guide to 'bibliotherapy' 'the prescribing of fiction for life's ailments.' In each case, the authors (who have run a bibliotherapy service since 2008) prescribe a book or two to propel readers to action, bring about awareness or diversion, or show that things are not as bleak as they might seem. They tackle serious and not-so-serious ailments with equal verve, delving into such topics as 'Scars, Emotional' (Fitzgerald's Tender Is the Night or Antonya Nelson's Bound), 'Pessimism' (Robinson Crusoe), and 'Burning the dinner' (Zola's The Belly of Paris). . ." -Publishers Weekly

Publisher: Penguin Books; ISBN: 9780143125938

"Greene, director of Harvard University's Moral Cognition Lab, discusses modern debates over individualist versus communitarian thinking and presents his readers with a roadmap to what he considers a 'more reason-based' and utilitarian morality. With a humorous, relaxed tone, Greene stacks piles of evidence from well-researched studies onto his theory of modern-day morality. Having spent most of his academic career on the study of morality, Greene foresees the questions his readers have and systematically addresses every doubt and concern. As he mixes 20th-century philosophical moral treatises with neuroscience and psychological studies many of which were undertaken by his colleagues in the field of moral psychology Greene's role as educator shines through. . ." -Publishers Weekly

Publisher:Penguin Books; ISBN: 9780143126058

"Centered on a whitewashed New England farmhouse and the fields and ocean that surround it, Krommes's nostalgic scratchboard and watercolor spreads bring newcomer White's clipped verse to life. The morning is fine, and the farmer's daughter jumps rope while her mother hangs the wash. But a thunderstorm is coming. . . Krommes (The House in the Night) shows the girl and her dog hiding under the bedclothes; the girl's mother puts her baking aside to comfort the baby. . . White's graceful pacing spreads the energy of the storm across the arc of the story, while Krommes's primitive folk art gives a sense of the rhythms of life and nature that recur from season to season, year to year." -Publishers Weekly

Hardcover; $17.99

Publisher: Beach Lane Books; ISBN: 9781442412675

-Willow Springs Fiction Prize 2015 $2,000 plus publication. Submission deadline: March 15, 2015. Original, unpublished work only; no word limit for submissions. $15 entry fee. All entrants receive a one-year subscription to Willow Springs. Submit a story online here.

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Every new year many of us make resolutions to better our lives because, as wisdom would suggest, we can only be as good to others as we are to ourselves. At the store we've compiled a few shelves of books on our 2015 Fresh Start display to fuel inspiration and serve as literary guides for many of the common goals Americans tend to set as we cross into the new year (e.g., losing weight, managing stress, eating healthy food, etc.). Here's a few titles to give you an idea:

A Beginner's Guide to Meditation: Practical Advice and Inspiration from Contemporary Buddhist Teachers, edited by Rod Meade Sperry with contributions by Pema Chödrön, the Dalai Lama, Thich Nhat Hanh, and more!

The Diet Fix: Why Diets Fail and How to Makes Yours Work, by Yoni Freedhoff, MD

You guessed it--back soon!

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