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Jan. 22, 2015
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Good afternoon!

As we near the end of January I want to mention we have our Valentine's Day cards in. Best not to put that off 'til the last minute, so swing by and check out our stock.

New releases are looking good: the latest from the Decemberists and Sleater-Kinney for music; Sophia Dembling on how to navigate introversion and lasting love; and The Flight of the Silvers in paperback! Look below for even more. 

Have a great weekend,
Jenny
New HardcoversNHardcovers

[Fiction]

"Etta Vogel, 83, walks out of her home on the Saskatchewan prairie, leaving a succinct note for her husband, Otto: she's walking 3,200 kilometers across Canada toward the ocean; she will try to remember to come back. Otto understands, for once, during WWII, he, too, was pulled to the sea and beyond, a calamity that turned his hair prematurely white at age 17. Russell is Otto's oldest friend and erstwhile rival for Etta's affections. While Otto chooses to stay home and wait for Etta's return, Russell rushes off to find her, and he does, provinces away, in the company of a coyote named James, Etta's escort, protector, and familiar. . . Drawing on wisdom and whimsy of astonishing grace and maturity. . ." -Booklist, Starred Review

Hardcover; $26.00

Publisher: Simon & Schuster; ISBN: 9781476755670

by Amanda Eyre Ward
[Fiction]

". . . Alice lives with her husband, Jake, in Austin, Texas, where they own a wildly successful barbecue joint but have been unlucky in their attempts to adopt a child. Alice-who lost her mother at age 8, then went through extensive cancer treatments during college-refuses to acknowledge her sadness, which causes tension in her relationships with Jake and others. Eleven-year-old Carla, in Honduras, sees her means of support slip away after her mother moves to America and her caretaker grandmother dies. She's left alone to look after her little brother, and the two are slowly starving when Carla decides they will make the long, illegal trip to Texas to join their mother. Their journey is harrowing and traumatic. . ." -Kirkus Reviews

Hardcover; $25.00

Publisher: Ballantine Books; ISBN: 9780553390506

[Non-Fiction]

"The internment of Japanese Americans in camps along the Pacific Coast during WWII is well known. . . Less well-known but equally reprehensible was the roundup of thousands of Germans, Italians, and other so-called enemy aliens. These included entire families composed of both noncitizens and citizens and even some ethnic Germans and Italians deported from Latin American nations to the U.S. Most were sent to a camp in Crystal City, Texas. . . Few, if any, could be considered as security threats. According to Russell, the Roosevelt administration viewed their internment as useful bargaining chips in efforts to negotiate the release of American citizens stuck in occupied Europe. Much of Russell's account is viewed through the experiences of two young American-born girls. . ." -Booklist

Hardcover; $30.00

Publisher: Scribner Book Company; ISBN: 9781451693669

by Alexandra Fuller
[Non-Fiction]

"Raised in Zimbabwe and Zambia in the tumultuous 1970s and '80s, Fuller believed she'd found the man who could take on not only her but her family as well when she met Charlie Ross, a sturdy, bearded Wyoming native turned river guide. The pair wed after a year together and started their lives in Africa before moving to Wyoming. . . But as the years went on, the gap between them widened, and Fuller wrestled with the magnitude of what it meant to separate, then end their marriage. Powerful, raw, and painful, Fuller's writing is so immediate, so vivid that whether she's describing the beauty of Zambia or the harrowing hours following a devastating accident, she leaves the reader breathless. . ." -Booklist, Starred Review

Hardcover; $26.95

Publisher: Penguin Press; ISBN: 9781594205866

[Non-Fiction]

"We all are more like Leonardo, Mozart and Einstein than not, maintains author and technology-pioneer Ashton. Creations are extraordinary but creators are human. In this entertaining and inspiring meditation on the nature of creative innovation, Ashton sets out to debunk the myth of mysterious and rarified genius. Weaving stories of fantastic breakthroughs in arts, science, medicine, and society, Ashton shows that true innovation is brought about by the painstaking efforts of ordinary people, often in spite of institutional or societal resistance. It is creativity as work itself a process of partnership, trial and error, experimentation, and ongoing research that binds the broad spectrum of Ashton's tales. . ." -Booklist

Hardcover; $27.95

Publisher: Doubleday Books; ISBN: 9780385538596

New PaperbacksNPaperbacks

[Non-Fiction]

"Dembling. . . tackles the pitfalls of dating and relationships for the introspective and sometimes socially awkward. Claiming that no magic formula exists for choosing a mate, she describes for introverts the benefits of dating fellow introverts vs. those of dating extroverts. . . Dembling insists on widening your social circle, saying yes to 'any invitations that don't sound unbearable' and cultivating an approachable body language. Other suggestions include joining a group like a book club or yoga class, and of course, using the Internet, 'the introvert dater's best friend.' Dembling also lays out the pros and cons of a variety of dating venues, from the traditional dinner and a movie to the quirkier flea market or street fair. . ." -Publishers Weekly

Paperback; $15.00

Publisher: Perigee Books; ISBN: 9780399170614

[Non-Fiction]

"By the end of 1945, the alliance of the Western powers with the Soviet Union had frayed, and the basic outlines of what would become the Cold War had taken shape. At the same time, military, scientific, and political leaders in the U.S. had become acutely aware of the value of German scientists responsible for great advances in rocketry and biological research under the Nazis. . . President Truman authorized the Joint Intelligence Objectives Agency (JIOA). . . to aggressively recruit German scientists to come to the U.S. and to work for various government-affiliated programs. Truman had stipulated that members of the Nazi Party were not to be included. As Jacobsen. . . illustrates, the JIOA adroitly sidestepped Truman's directive through an intense program of fraud and deception. . ." -Booklist, Starred Review

Paperback; $18.00

Publisher: Back Bay Books; ISBN: 9780316221030

[Non-Fiction]

Moore expands on the topics he first explored shortly after leaving the monastery. He recounts the benefits of contemplative living that he learned during his twelve years as a monk but also the more original and imaginative spirituality that he later developed and embraced in his secular life. Here, he shares stories of others who are creating their own path: a former football player now on a spiritual quest with the Pueblo Indians, a friend who makes a meditative practice of floral arrangements, and a well-known classical pianist whose audiences sometimes describe having a mystical experience while listening to her performances. Moore weaves their experiences with the wisdom of philosophers, writers, and artists who have rejected materialism and infused their secular lives with transcendence.

Paperback; $17.00

Publisher: Gotham Books; ISBN: 9781592408849

by Daniel Price
[Fiction]

"Moments before the world ends in a crush of white and chaos, six Americans are saved by mysterious strangers who clamp silver bracelets on their wrists. Though they witness the horror of the apocalypse, the survivors are protected by their jewelry and transported to an alternate America. In this new reality, the six 'Silvers,' so called for their bracelets, find that they have strange powers to manipulate time. Now the six--an actress, her widowed sister, two teenagers, an artist, and a homeless ex-prodigy--must figure out why they were saved by the frightening and elusive Pelletiers. . ." -Library Journal

Paperback; $16.00

Publisher: New American Library; ISBN: 9780451472762

[Non-Fiction]

See the world in a new way! Acclaimed illustrator Julia Rothman celebrates the diverse curiosities and beauty of the natural world in this exciting new volume. With whimsically hip illustrations, every page is an extraordinary look at all kinds of subjects, from mineral formation and the inside of a volcano to what makes sunsets, monarch butterfly migration, the ecosystem of a rotting log, the parts of a bird, the anatomy of a jellyfish, and much, much more.

Paperback; $16.95

Publisher: Storey Publishing; ISBN: 9781612122311

New For Young ReadersYReaders

Back next week!
New MusicNMusic



Ryan Bingham
Pop/Folk

The Texas Americana artist's 5th album finds him returning to the pared down, primarily acoustic sounds of his early work. Songs range from a tribute to Doug Sahm and Texas Tornados to the introspective title cut.  
($12.98)

In 2011, frontman Colin Meloy announced that his popular band was going on indefinite hiatus. This eagerly awaited return finds the Portland band reenergized and reinvested in their hyper-literate indie folk.
($13.95)


Sleater-Kinney
Pop/Folk

This groundbreaking Seattle female punk trio has been inactive for nearly a decade, pursuing side projects and solo careers. This album marks their return to the scene, boasting clearer production and a renewed commitment to songwriting. 
($13.98)
Events at Grass RootsEventsGRR

More on the way...
Community EventsCommunityEvents

Darkside Show Times for 1/23/-1/29

-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.

-Son Of A Gun -R Gritty, stylish, and smart, Son of a Gun serves up plenty of genre thrills while offering a refreshing change of pace for Ewan McGregor.

-
Whiplash -R Intense, inspiring, and well-acted, Whiplash is a brilliant effort from director Damien Chazelle and a riveting vehicle for stars J.K. Simmons (Oscar Nom) and Miles Teller. Oscar Nom for Best Picture.


Arts/Literary Events

-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!

-Corvallis Swing and Blues Weekend January 23-25, 223 Southwest Jefferson Avenue, Corvallis, OR 97333; Come celebrate our 5th anniversary at Oregon's finest swing and blues dance festival. Join us for three nights of live music, fun, and dancing until 3 a.m., featuring performances by Oregon musicians Gumbo, Cherry & the Lowboys, Breakers Yard, and Kevin Selfe & the Tornadoes. Hosted by the Corvallis Swing Dance Society and OSU Blues communities. For full info like ticket pricing, times, and locations visit website here.

-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.

-Lecture Series: Gearing Up for Gardening Tue, January 27, 12 p.m. - 1 p.m. Corvallis-Benton County Public Library, 645 Northwest Monroe Avenue, Corvallis, OR; This lecture series is free and open to the public, presented by Owen Dell and Associates, and co-sponsored by the Master Gardeners, the LBCC Benton Center, and the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library. Topic: Garden Goodies: From Harvest to Table with Jan Roberts-Dominguez, Food Columnist for the Corvallis Gazette-Times.

-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 [email protected]. 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

-Calling for 2015 Molly Prize Submissions
; Deadline: March 9, 2015; From January 1 through March 9, 2015, The Texas Observer and the Texas Democracy Foundation will be accepting entries for The MOLLY National Journalism Prize. The MOLLY is an annual national print or online journalism award in honor of Molly Ivins with a $5,000 prize and two honorable mentions of $1,000. The prize will be awarded for an article or series of up to four short, related articles or columns telling the stories that need telling, challenge conventional wisdom, focus on civil liberties and/or social justice, and embody the intelligence, deep thinking and/or passionate wit that marked Molly's. Submit work here.

-Jabberwock Review Prizes in Fiction and Poetry; Deadline: March 15, 2015; Jabberwock Review invites submissions to the Nancy D. Hargrove Editors' Prizes in Fiction and Poetry. Each winner (one for fiction and one for poetry) receives $500 and publication in Jabberwock Review. All finalists are considered for publication. The entry fee of $15 includes a one-year subscription, beginning with the prize issue. Simultaneous submissions welcome. Please go to www.jabberwock.org.msstate.edu for more information and to submit your work online. 

-The Orison Poetry Prize; Deadline: February 15, 2015; Orison Books offers $1,500 and publication in hardcover, paperback, and e-book formats for a poetry collection. Submit a manuscript of 60-100 pages by February 15, 2015. Entry fee: $25. Judge: C. Dale Young. Anyone with a close personal relationship with or who has ever been a student of the judge is ineligible. All finalists considered for publication. Electronic submissions preferred; hard copy submissions may be sent to the following address with a check for the entry fee made out to Orison Books: The Orison Poetry Prize, PO Box 8385, Asheville, NC 28814. For complete guidelines, go to here.

Community Events with Grass Roots

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."
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.

 

Elizabeth Kolbert

Monday, February 2, 2015 
7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
LaSells Stewart Center Austin Auditorium
875 SW 26th Street, Corvallis, OR



Elizabeth Kolbert, Heinz Award-winning staff writer for the New Yorker and author of Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature, and Climate Change (2006), comes to OSU to discuss her new book, The Sixth Extinction. By burning fossil fuels, Homo sapiens are "reassembling the biosphere," rapidly changing the atmosphere, the oceans, and the climate, forcing potentially millions of species into extinction. Kolbert's compelling and enlightening report forthrightly addresses the most significant topic of our lives.

Grass Roots will be selling books at this event.
 

Store NewsStoreNews

Cheryl Strayed Event

We were a little astonished when the turnout for Cheryl Strayed's reading last week reached rock star status as LaSells filled to capacity--the auditorium, balcony, two overflow rooms, and the entire lobby! While we love and champion literature in all its shapes and forms, we were surprised by this crowd of over 2,000 in the most marvelous of ways. It doesn't often happen that such support for a reading manifests--but it happened here in Corvallis, and we were proud to sell all our copies of Wild and place orders through the night. It proves again that Corvallis is one of the best places on this planet a bookstore can live. Very cool!


(Overflow room 1)
JigsawJigsaw

Solve this week's jigsaw!
Reading Group SelectionReadingGroup

The Look of Love
by Sarah Jio
[Fiction]

Tuesday, February 3
6:30-8:00 p.m.

Join Ne� 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

Night StandsNightStands

Kendall

by Amy Poehler
[Non-Fiction]

I already knew that Amy Poehler is hilarious, driven, and intelligent before reading this book. After finishing (in one day), I know that she is also warm, open, and honest. Reading Yes Please felt like spending the day drinking tea with a friend whose stories come easily and in plenty, with humor and sincerity. I laughed, I related to her feminist message, I laughed, I took comfort in her stories about her struggle to fame, I relished in the juicy anecdotes of famous people, I laughed. I'm serious when I say it's a must-read. You will come away inspired and ready to say Yes Please! to life.

Hardcover; Price: $28.99
Publisher: Dey Street Books; ISBN: 9780062268341
Tiffany

by Pico Iyer
[Non-Fiction]

My life, like many, is busier than ever before--rich with hours spent in the bookstore, time with family and friends (and a daily dose of digital Scrabble with a California sparring partner), weekly nature walks, and the myriad errands and household tasks that fill the hours of modern life. Although I walk often, do yoga, and find time to read, I seldom manage to just sit still. Pico Iyer's elegant brief book, based on a TED talk, prompts readers to do exactly that: create moments of stillness in our lives. A world traveler, Iyer relates some of his encounters with people (Leonard Cohen among them) who embrace stillness, coming to the conclusion "... if you want to come back feeling new--alive and full of fresh hope and in love with the world--I think the place to visit may be Nowhere."

Paperback; Price: $14.99
Publisher: Simon & Schuster/ Ted; ISBN: 9781476784724
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