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| Jan. 15, 2015 |
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Hello, Readers!
First, just a quick reminder that Cheryl Strayed will be in town tonight at the LaSells Stewart Center. Her reading starts at 7:30 and Grass Roots will be at the event selling copies of her book, Wild.
Also, we have begun our new 2015 Five Point buyer's reward program, and are eager to sign up new customers and veteran I-Card holders alike. Make sure you stop by the store to get on board!
Meanwhile, in the newsletter's new releases you'll notice that our music section is back with the latest from Justin Townes Earle and Cody Canada & the Departed. Miranda July, Wes Moore, and John McQuaid all have new books, and Maggie Shipstead's Astonish Me just came out in paperback! Good stuff happening this week. See you guys soon.
~Jenny
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New Hardcovers
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[Fiction]
 "[July's] protagonist is Cheryl, a lonely middle-aged woman invested in her work for a company that produces self-defense exercise videos. Cheryl's incredibly regimented life is interrupted by Clee, a young, irresponsible houseguest who won't leave. Cheryl's problems start out predictably, but her inner monolog and way of coping with loneliness and alienation are anything but typical. Her obsession with an older coworker leads her to explore her sexuality and gender identity, and through Clee she learns about herself and fulfills a lifelong desire to care for a child born to the 'wrong' mother." -Library Journal
Hardcover; $25.00
Publisher: Scribner Book Company; ISBN: 9781439172568
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[Non-Fiction]
 ". . . In this follow-up book, Moore ponders the journey beyond changes in life circumstances to a search for meaning in life through work and career. He tells his own whirlwind story of Oxford, investment banking, military service, a White House Fellowship, all the while questioning how the work he did contributed to the lives of others. Moore recounts similar quests by others, including a retired air force lieutenant colonel who is now the principal of an inner-city school, two returned vets who build homes for disabled veterans, an associate director of the Peace Corps, for-profit social venture entrepreneurs, and the maker of KIND snack bars. . . This is a beautifully philosophical look at the expectation that work should bring meaning to our lives through service to others." -Booklist
Hardcover; $25.00
Publisher: Spiegel & Grau; ISBN: 9780812993578
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[Fiction]
 "Set in 1951, Bradley's exceptional seventh series whodunit. . . takes Flavia de Luce, a preteen with an interest in poisons, from her family home in Bishop's Lacey, England, to Canada, where she is to attend her late mother's alma mater, Miss Bodycote's Female Academy. On Flavia's very first night there, a fellow student, P.A. Collingwood, bursts into her room and reveals that three other girls have disappeared. When the head of school, Miss Fawlthorne (aka the Hangman's Mistress), knocks at Flavia's door, Collingwood flees up the chimney, dislodging a mummified corpse and detaching its skull. This intriguing setup only gets better, and Bradley makes Miss Bodycote's a suitably Gothic setting for Flavia's sleuthing. . ." -Publishers Weekly
Hardcover; $25.00
Publisher: Delacorte Press; ISBN: 9780345539939
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[Non-Fiction]
 "In this fascinating blend of culinary history and the science of taste, freelance writer McQuaid observes that 'everyone lives in his own flavor world, ' and that taste is the most subjective of the senses. He smoothly and skillfully explains the layout of the neocortex and how flavor is perceived by the brain. He discusses the tongue and how its varied zones were once thought to correlate to sweet, salty, sour and bitter, imparting serious science with wildly rich prose. . . McQuaid's lucid explanations of neuroscientific research on dopamine lay the groundwork for a keen analysis of industrial food production and flavor manipulation while addressing the health issues of the modern diet. . ." -Publishers Weekly
Hardcover; $26.00
Publisher: Scribner Book Company; ISBN: 9781451685008
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[Fiction]
 "In Johnston's sorrowful and suspenseful first adult novel, a family is forced to face its worst nightmare when one of its members goes missing. Caitlin Courtland, an 18-year-old runner about to enter college on a track scholarship, is vacationing with her family in the Rockies when she fails to come back from an early morning run. Over the course of the next two years, the family fractures as no sign of Caitlin is ever found. Grant Courtland, Caitlin's father, remains in the Rockies, while mother Angela tries to pick up the pieces back home in Wisconsin, where she eventually makes a failed attempt at suicide. . . Combining domestic drama with wilderness adventure, Johnston has created a hybrid novel that is as emotionally satisfying as it is viscerally exciting." -Publishers Weekly
Hardcover; $25.95
Publisher: Algonquin Books; ISBN: 9781616203047
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New Paperbacks
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[Fiction]
 The Honourable Phryne Fisher--she of the Lulu bob, green eyes, Cupid's Bow lips and diamante garters--is the 1920s' most elegant and irrepressible sleuth. This sparkling collection of Phryne short stories and other Phryne miscellany--including Phryne's favourite shoes and hats, delicious cocktail recipes and her best tips for discouraging unwanted admirers--is a gorgeously collectable treat for all Phryne fans. Lavishly illustrated with divine colour illustrations by Beth Norling, A Question of Death will bring joy to the hearts of Phryne Fisher fans everywhere.
Paperback; $19.95
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press; ISBN: 9781464203626
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[Fiction]
 All Our Names is the story of two young men who come of age during an African revolution, drawn from the safe confines of the university campus into the intensifying clamor of the streets outside. But as the line between idealism and violence becomes increasingly blurred, the friends are driven apart--one into the deepest peril, as the movement gathers inexorable force, and the other into the safety of exile in the American Midwest. There, pretending to be an exchange student, he falls in love with a social worker and settles into small-town life. Yet this idyll is inescapably darkened by the secrets of his past: the acts he committed and the work he left unfinished.
Paperback; $14.95
Publisher: Vintage; ISBN: 9780345805669
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[Fiction]
 "Languishing in the corps de ballet of a premier New York company while her lover, internationally renowned dancer Arslan Ruskov, is captivating critics and audiences, Joan becomes pregnant and reunites with her high-school boyfriend, Jacob, now a doctoral student in Chicago. Though they build a life together for themselves and their son, Harry, Joan can never escape the role she played in helping Arslan defect from the Soviet Union. As she makes tentative peace with her new status far away from the footlights as a suburban mom and strip-mall ballet instructor, Joan pins her hopes on salvaging her career relevancy as she guides her neighbor's daughter, Chloe, to professional status. However, it is Joan's own son who astounds everyone by becoming the sought-after new prodigy. . ." - Booklist, Starred Review
Paperback; $15.00
Publisher: Vintage; ISBN: 9780345804617
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New For Young Readers
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by Katherine Applegate
[Fiction]
 "This tender tale of friendship and hope is narrated by a silverback gorilla living at The Big Top Mall, a shabby, circus-themed roadside attraction. For years, Ivan was passively content. He had his art, unlimited bananas, and his friends: Stella (an elephant), Bob (a stray dog), and Julia (a human child). Ivan's eyes are finally opened to his deplorable surroundings when he loses a friend due to neglect. The last straw is when he witnesses the attraction's owner abusing Ruby, a newly acquired baby elephant. Thus, Ivan is inspired to take action. With some help from his human friends, his dream of a better life for all the Big Top's animals just might come true. . ." - School Library Journal
Paperback; $7.99
Publisher: Harper Collins; ISBN: 9780061992278
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New Music
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As seen on PBS: This double CD set documents a benefit concert that was held in September of 2013, paying tribute to the music that influenced the popular Coen Brothers movie. Contributors include Gillian Welch, Avett Brothers, Colin Meloy, and more.
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Cody Canada & the Departed
Pop/Folk
"Red dirt" rocker Cody Canada earned his stripes as the frontman for Cross Canadian Ragweed. His third release with his new band carries on that same roots-flavored band sound.
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Justin Townes Earle
Pop/Folk
In the Fall of 2014, Earle released a collection of Memphis flavored country-soul called Single Mothers. A couple months later, he releases a companion piece that fits perfectly alongside the first CD.
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Rob Ickes & Trey Hensley
Pop/Folk
"The album pairs Rob Ickes, the International Bluegrass Music Association's 15-time Dobro Player of Year, with rising singer/guitarist Trey Hensley whom Ickes recently discovered while recording in the Tri-Cities area of East Tennessee." -compassrecords.com
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Events at Grass Roots
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Community Events
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Darkside Show Times for 1/16/-1/22
-The Theory Of Everything -PG-13 Part biopic, part love story, rises on
James Marsh's polished direction and the strength of its two leads. Winner of two Golden Globes.
-Foxcatcher -R A chilling true crime drama, Foxcatcher offers Steve Carell, Mark Ruffalo, and Channing Tatum a chance to shine Nominated for three Golden Globes.
-Babadook -R Relies on real horror rather than cheap jump scares -- and boasts a heartfelt, genuinely moving story to boot.
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Antarctica: A Year On Ice -NR A visually stunning chronicle of what it is like to live in Antarctica for a full year, including winters isolated from the rest of the world, and enduring months of darkness in the coldest place on Earth.
-Ask Me -- Again: A Corvallis William Stafford Birthday Celebration with Peter Sears on Sat. January 17 Join Oregon Poet Laureate, Peter Sears, for this free poetry workshop on Saturday, January 17th at 1:00 p.m. in the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library's Main Meeting Room. Peter will share from his information and experiences with William Stafford's work and his understanding of Stafford's poetic intent, then lead a poetry workshop, Ask Me -- Again. This will be a follow-up experience for those who attended Peter's Philomath workshop held in October, and will be a new and enriching experience for those who did not have that opportunity. Everyone is welcome.
Peter Sears, Oregon's seventh poet laureate, is the author of four full-length poetry collections and several chapbooks and has published widely in literary journals. He taught at Reed College, the MFA low-residency program at Pacific University and numerous poetry workshops over the years. He is the co-founder of Friends of William Stafford and Cloudbank Books, and is the founder of the Oregon Literary Coalition
- Rage, Rage, Against the Dying: Global Warming, Extinction, and the Call to Life Wed. Jan. 21, 7:30-9:00 p.m. A Duet of Music and Words -- The truths of our time are deeply challenging - the on-rushing extinctions, the coming storms, and the call to safeguard Earth's abundance of lives. Words alone cannot express the urgency for a moral response. And so we turn to music.
In this program, concert pianist Rachelle McCabe will play Rachmaninoff's "Variations on a Theme from Corelli," whose outpouring of descending chords gives voice to both the grief and the ferocious hope in the human heart. Creating a "duet" of music and words, writer Kathleen Dean Moore will speak of the call to save Earth's astonishing lives -- a sacred trust, a great and glorious gift, to be honored and protected for all time.
- Willamette Writer's On the River "The Prose Poem: Thinking Inside the Box" with Jennifer Richter
Tuesday, January 20th (the day after MLK Day), 6:30-8:30 p.m. First Presbyterian Church, 114 SW 8th Street (enter Dennis Hall at 9th & Monroe), Corvallis, Oregon; The prose poem, called a "veritable literary hybrid" by Charles Simic (winner of the 1990 Pulitzer Prize for his book of prose poems The World Doesn't End), can be very practically useful for tackling those slippery, unruly subjects that may have eluded you. Focusing on the form's brevity, energy, and limitless possibilities, Jennifer Richter will share some of her own published prose poetry and then lead the group in a related writing exercise, asking each writer to consider the question: How will your poems be liberated when unconstrained by lineation?
-Zines 101 with Kelly McElroy
Thursday, January 22 6:30 p.m.-8 p.m. Main Meeting Room;
This event is open to both teens and adults! Zines are self-published works made for passion, not for profit. Zines are also part of a thriving print culture, where people trade their publications in-person, through the mail, and online. In this session, you'll learn the basics of zine history, tips for making your own, and how to get connected to other zinesters. We will make a collaborative zine together, so come ready to create!
-Letter Writing Social and Stationery Exchange Sunday, January 25 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Corvallis Benton-County Public Library Main Meeting Room; Celebrate the art of crafting handwritten letters. Join fellow letter writers in the library's Main Meeting room Sunday, January 25th, 2015 to compose letters to friends, relatives and acquaintances. Bring your own stationery, handmade or store bought, or use supplies provided. You will also have the opportunity to exchange your handmade or store bought stationery with the other letter writers.
-Sip & Spell: A Spelling Bee for Adults Corvallis-Benton County Public Library presents Sip & Spell: a Spelling Bee for Adults, hosted by Mike McInally, Editor of the Corvallis Gazette-Times, on Saturday, January 31, 2015 at 7:00 p.m. at Old World Deli in Corvallis.
Do you spell words like synecdoche in your sleep? Maybe you don't care what pococurante is, but do you definitely know how to spell it? Then don't miss Sip & Spell, a spelling bee for adults age 18 and over and a fundraising event for the Friends of the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library. We'll be pulling all of the big words out of the 11th edition of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary and prizes will be awarded to 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners.
Advance registration is encouraged by calling the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library at (541) 766-6793 or emailing askalibrarian@corvallisoregon.gov. Participants can also register on the day of the event between 6:15 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. at Old World Deli. There is a $5 registration fee that must be paid by cash, check or credit card on the day of the event during the 6:15 - 7:00 p.m. registration period.
Opportunities
-St. Petersburg Review Poetry Contest Deadline: March 1, 2015
St. Petersburg Review is an independent, international, nonprofit, annual review of contemporary literature that seeks to foster and promote global connections and affinities through the annual publication of quality fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama from all countries. Our poetry contest, which has a 5% or better publication rate, will be accepting submissions September 1, 2014 - March 1, 2015. Details here.
-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.
-Prospero Prizes for Poetry and Flash Fiction Deadline: March 15, 2015
Attend, Leviathan. SHARKPACK Poetry Review Annual seeks poetry and very short fiction of unusual philosophical and/or imaginative power for our second issue, themed 'Cities, Sites.' The Prospero Prizes include a cash award of $150 and feature publication; winners will be chosen from general (free!) submissions. 1-3 prizes will be awarded. Find details here.
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Community Events with Grass Roots
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Discovery Lecture Series at Oregon State University featuring Cheryl Strayed
"A Wild Life"
Cheryl Strayed
New York Times Best-selling author
Thursday, January 15, 2015
7:30-8:30 P.M.
LaSells Stewart Center Austin Auditorium
875 SW 26th Street, Corvallis, OR
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
 Shattered by her mother's sudden death and the end of her marriage, Cheryl Strayed decided to confront her emotional pain by trekking more than 1,000 miles along the Pacific Crest Trail. In her best-selling memoir, Wild, Strayed tells the amateur hiker's tale with grit and humor, peppered with the colorful characters she encounters as she struggles to find inner peace and stability.
Grass Roots will be selling books at this event.
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AWAKE: The Life of Yogananda
Jan. 21, 22, 23, 7:30 p.m.
Darkside Cinema
215 Southwest 4th Street, Corvallis, OR 97333
 Grass Roots will be selling books at the Darkside showing of the film.
Movie description:
AWAKE: The Life of Yogananda is an unconventional biography about the Hindu Swami who brought yoga and meditation to the West in the 1920s. Paramahansa Yogananda authored the spiritual classic Autobiography of a Yogi, which has sold millions of copies worldwide and is a go-to book for seekers, philosophers and yoga enthusiasts today. (Apparently, it was the only book that Steve Jobs had on his iPad.) By personalizing his own quest for enlightenment and sharing his struggles along the path, Yogananda made ancient Vedic teachings accessible to a modern audience, attracting many followers and inspiring the millions who practice yoga today.
Book description:Autobiography of a Yogi is one of the world's most acclaimed spiritual classics. As the life story of Paramahansa Yogananda - who is often referred to as the Father of Yoga in the West - the book has touched the hearts and minds of millions around the globe. Translated into many languages, it has served as an ambassador for India's ancient science of Yoga, introducing countless readers to the methods for attaining God-realization that are India's unique and lasting contribution to world civilization.In 1999, a Harper Collins panel of distinguished authors and scholars selected Autobiography of a Yogi as one of the "100 Best Spiritual Books of the Century."
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Tracy Daugherty and Wayne Harrison
Friday, January 30, 7:30 p.m.
OSU Valley Library Rotunda, Corvallis, OR
 Tracy Daugherty was born and raised in Midland, Texas. He is the author of four novels, four short story collections, a book of personal essays, as well as biographies of Donald Barthelme and Joseph Heller. His stories and essays have appeared in The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, The Paris Review online, McSweeney's, Boulevard, Chelsea, The Georgia Review, Triquarterly, The Southern Review, and many other journals. He has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, Bread Loaf, and the Vermont Studio Center. A member of the Texas Institute of Letters and PEN, he is a four-time winner of the Oregon Book Award. At Oregon State University, he helped found the Masters of Fine Arts Program in Creative Writing, and is now Distinguished Professor of English and Creative Writing.  Before working as a corrections officer in Rutland, Vermont, Wayne Harrison was an auto mechanic for six years in Waterbury, Connecticut. A first-generation college student, he began in his mid twenties as a criminal justice major before getting turned on to creative writing by mentor and friend Jeffrey Greene. He later received an MFA from the Iowa Writers' Workshop. His fiction has been featured on NPR's All Things Considered. His short stories appear in Best American Short Stories 2010, The Atlantic, Narrative Magazine, McSweeney's, Ploughshares, Crazyhorse, The Sun, Salon.com, Columbia: A Journal of Literature and Art, FiveChapters, New Letters and other magazines. One story was Notable in Best American 2009 and one received special mention in Pushcart Prizes 2012. His fiction has earned a Maytag fellowship, an Oregon Literary fellowship and a Fishtrap Writing Fellowship. He teaches writing at Oregon State University.
Grass Roots will be selling books at this event.
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Store News
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Finalists for the 2015 Oregon Book Awards have been announced!
A few of the nominees are mentioned below. Check out the Literary Arts' website for the full list. (Winners will be announced at the 28th annual Oregon Book Awards ceremony in Portland on April 13, 2015 at the Gerding Theater at the Armory.)
Ken Kesey Award For Fiction:
Stafford/Hall Award For Poetry:
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Jigsaw
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Reading Group Selection
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[Fiction]
Tuesday, February 3 6:30-8:00 p.m.
 Join Neé as she leads the February Book Group with Sarah Jio's The Look of Love. "Seattle florist Jane is doing work she loves and has a close set of friends and a faithful canine companion named Sam. But her quiet life changes when she receives a card in the mail from a mysterious woman named Colette, who claims not only to have been present at Jane's birth but also to know the source of Jane's lifelong vision problems. When Jane pays Colette a visit, she is given a task: discover the six forms of love by the full moon following her thirtieth birthday. If she fails to do so, Jane will be immune from love for the rest of her life. When she meets Cam, a science writer for Time, they instantly click. But when Cam's writing takes a deeply personal turn, Jane questions her ability to recognize any kind of love at
all. . ." -Booklist
Regular Price: $16.00
On sale for: $13.60
Until Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2015
Publisher: Plume Books
ISBN: 9780142180532
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Night Stands
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Neé
by Marie Kondo
[Non-Fiction]
This book is changing the way I live. You might not believe you need a book to tidy your home, but you do. It's also more than a book; it is a frame of mind. You're not deciding what to throw away, but instead, what to keep. You learn what "sparks joy" in your life, and might even rediscover old passions once the clutter is gone and you're left with what you really love. It can be difficult to discard because you're holding on to the past or afraid of what the future holds. However, after this book, you'll find that your home is your sanctuary, and as you cleaned your home, you also cleansed your mind.
Hardcover; Price: $16.99
Publisher: Ten Speed Press; ISBN: 9781607747307
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Linda
by Jared Diamond
[Non-Fiction]
Jared Diamond has written a fascinating and pertinent volume of work. Examining civilizations and cultures with his precise knowledge of history and science, he shows how each has diminished or survived. For example, by examining how ancient cultures abused their natural resources, and for what reasons, he demonstrates how modern day society can learn from history. Diamond's chapter on Easter Island is intriguing, thorough, and convincing. This book was hard to put down, and an important read.
Paperback; Price: $19.00
Publisher: Penguin Books; ISBN: 9780143117001
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Jenny
by Karen Joy Fowler
[Fiction]
This book will be interesting for readers invested in animal rights and psychology from a fictional character's point of view. One of Fowler's strengths is bringing these politically charged topics to light through narrator Rosemary's dysfunctional past. When she is five, Rosemary does something she believes causes her sister, Fern, to be sent away from their family home for life. The novel shuttles back and forth between the present and past strategically, and challenges readers to question what idea of "family" really means. This novel remains intriguing to the very end.
Paperback; Price: $16.00
Publisher Plume Books; ISBN: 9780142180822
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