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| March 12, 2015 |
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Good afternoon, Readers,
It's been a momentous week for local authors. Among our many upcoming readings and signings in-store, author Elena Passarello represents Corvallis as a winner of this year's Whiting Award. Attendants have raved to us about her readings, describing them as "phenomenal" and "mind-blowing"! We have many copies of her book of essays -- check out the details below.
Also of late: new non-fiction from NYT bestseller Erik Larson, a sequel by Mary Doria Russell, and President Jimmy Carter's A Call to Action out in paperback. And celebrate St. Patrick's Day in true Irish style with The Very Best of Celtic Thunder. As the acclaimed author and Irishman Oscar Wilde once wrote, "One should always have something sensational to read on the train" -- or to listen to. We've got you covered.
~ Marissa
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New Hardcovers
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by Erik Larson
[Non-Fiction]
 "The sinking of the British ocean liner Lusitania in 1915 is one. . .of the most dramatic and most remembered maritime disasters of the twentieth century. . .Larson reconstructs the last and fatal voyage of what was widely considered the most beautiful ship of the day. . .between the Lusitania on its return from New York City to its home port of Liverpool under a black cloud of warnings that the imperial German government considered the waters around Britain to be a war zone. . .Factual and personal to a high degree, the narrative reads like a grade-A thriller." - Booklist, Starred Review
Hardcover; $28.00
Publisher: Crown Publishing Group (NY); ISBN: 9780307408860
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by Alice Dreger
[Non-Fiction]
 ". . .In two decades as a bioethicist committed to progressive causes, [Dreger] has encountered unexpected conflict between the political and scientific branches of Galileo's legacy. . .Dreger understands that those attacking women and sexual minorities have often (mis)used science. But she fears the consequences when political crusaders -- including her allies -- reject empirical science and slander those who do it. In a disarmingly candid narrative, she chronicles her political-scientific struggles dealing with passion-laden issues such as transgender rights, rape, child sexual abuse, and prenatal fetal experimentation. . .[revealing] the high costs when Galileo's scientific epigones clash with his political heirs." - Booklist
Hardcover; $27.95
Publisher: Penguin Press; ISBN: 9781594206085
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by Robert D. Putnam
[Non-Fiction]
 Americans have always believed in equality of opportunity, the idea that all kids, regardless of their family background, should have a decent chance to improve their lot in life. But during the last 25 years, we have seen a disturbing "opportunity gap" emerge. Putnam tells the tale of lessening opportunity through poignant life stories of rich and poor kids from cities and suburbs across the country, drawing on a formidable body of research. Using a rare combination of individual testimony and rigorous evidence, Putnam provides a disturbing account that should initiate a deep examination of the future of our country.
Hardcover; $28.00
Publisher: Simon & Schuster; ISBN: 9781476769899
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by Brian R. Little
[Non-Fiction]
 How does your personality shape your life. . .and what, if anything, can you do about it? In the past few decades, new scientific research has transformed old ideas about the nature of human personality. Professor and psychologist Little has been at the leading edge of this new science, exploring whether our personality traits are "set" by age thirty or whether our brains and selves are more plastic, what our personalities portend for our health and success, the extent to which our well-being depends on the personal projects we pursue, and the possibilities and perils of being uniquely ourselves.
Hardcover; $26.99
Publisher: PublicAffairs; ISBN: 9781586489670
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by Mary Doria Russell
[Fiction]
 A deeply divided nation. Vicious politics. Armed citizens willing to stand their ground and take law into their own hands . . .That was America in 1881, and the forces that came to bear on the infamous gunfight at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona, leaving Wyatt Earp the last man standing. This follow-up to Doc details the woman behind the myth: Josephine Sarah Marcus, who loved Wyatt Earp for almost half a century and who carefully chipped away at the truth until she had crafted the heroic legend that would become the epitaph she believed her husband deserved.
Hardcover; $27.99
Publisher: Ecco Press; ISBN: 9780062198761
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New Paperbacks
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by Joshua Ferris
[Fiction]
 Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, this novel by National Book Award Finalist Joshua Ferris explores the absurdities of modern life and one man's search for meaning. Paul O'Rourke is a man made of contradictions: he loves the world, but doesn't know how to live in it. He's a dentist with a nicotine habit, and an atheist not quite willing to let go of God. Then someone begins to impersonate Paul online, and the outrageous violation of privacy soon becomes something more soul-frightening: the possibility that the online "Paul" might be a better version of the real thing.
Paperback; $16.00
Publisher: Back Bay Books; ISBN: 9780316033992
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by Lewis Dartnell
[Non-Fiction]
 "Dartnell, a U.K. Space Agency research fellow and award-winning science writer, specializes in the field of astrobiology, including how microorganisms could survive on Mars. It's no wonder, then, that this renowned young scientist is fascinated by survival tactics, the underlying theme of this ambitious inquiry into how people might be able to rebuild the world as we know it if an apocalypse came to pass. As much as any writer could cover the history of technology in 300 pages, Dartnell presents a good case. His account quickly progresses from raising crops to making soap, shearing and spinning wool, mining coal, generating electricity, and building radios. . . " - Booklist
Paperback; $17.00
Publisher: Penguin Books; ISBN: 9780143127048
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by Steff Deschenes
[Non-Fiction]
 Everyone loves food, but did you know that every day is a national food or drink holiday? It's true! There's National Bloody Mary Day, National Cheese Lover's Day, and even National Blueberry Pancake Day -- just to name a few. Based on the popular blog Almanac of Eats, Eat the Year is a tribute to food-lovers everywhere that introduces a national food or drink holiday for every day of the year. From National Martini Day to National Chip and Dip Day, this book includes tasty recipes, food history, and a variety of food holidays that are as diverse as they are delicious!
Paperback; $16.00
Publisher: Running Press Book Publishers; ISBN: 9780762450947
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by Jimmy Carter
[Non-Fiction]
 The world's discrimination and violence against women and girls is the most serious, pervasive, and ignored violation of basic human rights: This is President Jimmy Carter's call to action. Women are deprived of equal opportunity in wealthier nations and "owned" by men in others, through false interpretation of carefully selected religious texts and a growing tolerance of violence and warfare. Carter draws upon his own experiences and the testimony of courageous women from all regions and all major religions, demonstrating that the denial of equal rights to women around the world affects us all.
Paperback; $16.00
Publisher: Simon & Schuster; ISBN: 9781476773964
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by Brigid Schulte
[Non-Fiction]
 If true leisure is "that place in which we realize our humanity," argues Schulte, then we're doing dangerously little realizing of our humanity. She speaks to neuroscientists, sociologists, and hundreds of working parents to tease out the factors contributing to our collective sense of being overwhelmed. She investigates progressive offices trying to invent a new kind of workplace; she travels across Europe to get a sense of how other countries accommodate working parents; she finds younger couples who claim to have figured out an ideal division of chores, childcare, and meaningful paid work. This is the story of what she found out.
Paperback; $16.00
Publisher: Picador USA; ISBN: 9781250062383
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New For Young Readers
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by Shawn Sheehy
[Fiction]
Ages 4 to 8
 In this stunning pop-up book, meet seven animal builders and see how their unique skills help them survive -- and to live together in harmony in the "neighborwood." At the edge of the forest a spider spins her web, while nearby, a hummingbird uses strands of spider silk to build her nest. These are just two of the many animals (including a beaver) who live side by side, sharing the resources they need to construct homes, traps, or places to store food. From award-winning artist Shawn Sheehy comes an up-close look at the architectural masterpieces of the animal world.
Hardcover; $29.99
Publisher: Candlewick Press (MA); ISBN: 9780763665944
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by Kate DiCamillo
[Fiction]
Ages 8 to 12
(Winner of the 2014 Newbery Medal)
 This novel begins, as the best superhero stories do, with a tragic accident that has unexpected consequences. The squirrel never saw the vacuum cleaner coming, but self-described cynic Flora Belle Buckman, who has read every issue of the comic book Terrible Things Can Happen to You! is the just the right person to step in and save him. What neither can predict is that Ulysses (the squirrel) has been born anew, with powers of strength, flight, and misspelled poetry -- and that Flora will be changed too, as she discovers the possibility of hope and the promise of a capacious heart.
Paperback; $8.99
Publisher: Candlewick Press (MA); ISBN: 9780763676711
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by Catherynne M. Valente
[Fiction]
Ages 10 to 14
 "One of the most extraordinary works of fantasy, for adults or children, published so far this century." - Time magazine, on the Fairyland series September misses Fairyland and her friends Ell, the Wyverary, and the boy Saturday. She longs to leave the routines of home and embark on a new adventure. Little does she know that this time, she will be spirited away to the moon, reunited with her friends, and find herself faced with saving Fairyland from a moon-Yeti with great and mysterious powers.
Paperback; $7.99
Publisher: Square Fish; ISBN: 9781250050618
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by Rachel Hartman
[Fiction]
Young Adult
 ". . .Hartman's blazing sequel to her award-winning debut, Seraphina [now available in paperback], will appease her passionate (and patient) fans. With the kingdom of Goredd caught in the crossfire of a dragon civil war, Seraphina is tasked with finding her fellow ityasaari (human-dragon half-breeds), whose strange abilities may be able to protect the capital city. While the exiled dragon leader Comonot and his allies enact a risky plan to end the war, Seraphina travels as an emissary to the other kingdoms to gather those she thinks of as her family." - Booklist, Starred Review
Hardcover; $18.99
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers; ISBN: 9780375866579
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New Music
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Events at Grass Roots
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Thursday, March 19, at 7:00 p.m.
Grass Roots Books and Music
227 SW 2nd St.
Corvallis, OR
In The Jaguar Tree, tropical storm winds topple a tree in Nicaragua, unearthing the bones of three men killed 20 years ago. Frank Alvarado, an American cop who's come to Central America on a personal mission to retrieve a little boy, is urged by a priest to help in the murder investigation. Traveling down the Rio San Juan in search of the boy, encountering drug runners and mercenaries in the heart of the jungle, Alvarado finds the source of old crimes and new as he discovers the identity of the triple murderer.
John Addiego has published two literary novels previous to this new mystery, as well as several short stories and poems in literary magazines. A former teacher and poetry editor at Northwest Review, he lives in Corvallis with his wife, Ellen. Please visit his very serious blog at johnaddiego.blogspot.com.
 In The Snake Dance, Harri questions the rules her people insisted she follow. God's will was not a good enough explanation any longer -- Harri's life changed forever when her mother and baby brother died. Harri is faced with conflicts she never dreamed of. She loves her community, but hates God. She loves the father of her baby but can't tell him he's the father because he's outside the community and Native American. She loves her father, but blames him for the trouble she's in. She's an outsider now because she can't accept their life anymore and her baby may die because of them.
Janice Imel, a.k.a. J.D. Becker, is a mental health counselor in Corvallis. Raised in NYC, she became a VISTA in 1968 in California. In 2009 she received her MA in counseling psychology.
 The Edge of Innocence is a true story of a young boy who is the only son of divorced parents. He is raised by his mother during his early years. Soon after, a court order constrains him to join his father. After spending several years in boarding schools, he is forced to live with his father and stepmother who are a couple of misfits. He endures neglect, abuse, and violence. In the midst of a harsh and difficult life, he finds faith and courage. Through determination and perseverance, he manages to excel as a student.
Emory Sanders received a Ph.D. in Engineering and an MBA in Finance. He was also an adjunct professor at various colleges. He is the author of more than 140 scientific and business publications.
Jim Furnish
Saturday, April 4, at 2:00 p.m.
Grass Roots Books and Music
227 SW 2nd St.
Corvallis, OR
 Toward a Natural Forest offers an insider's view of this tumultuous time in the history of the Forest Service, presenting twin tales of transformation, both within the agency and within the author's evolving environmental consciousness. While stewarding our national forests with
the best of intentions, had the Forest Service diminished their natural essence and ecological values? How could one man confront the crisis while remaining loyal to his employer?
Jim Furnish is a consulting forester in the Washington D.C. area following a 34-year career with the USDA Forest Service. He served as the agency's Deputy Chief and Siuslaw National Forest Supervisor in Corvallis, Oregon.
David Hargreaves
Thursday, April 9, at 7:00 p.m.
Grass Roots Books and Music
227 SW 2nd St.
Corvallis, OR
 The Blossoms of Sixty-Four Sunsets is a collection of poems written by Durga Lal Shrestha, Nepal's best known contemporary poet and lyricist, and translated from Nepal Bhasa (Newari) by David Hargreaves -- in collaboration with R. Shrestha, D.R. Shakya, R. Manandhar, and the author himself. In these poems, readers will find a mature and deeply personal poetic vision emerging out of a series of dialogues with the setting sun. But readers take note, these are not easy listening sound-bites from the new-age section of the mall bookstore. These are masterfully crafted poems: passionate, rhythmic, imagistic and enigmatic.
David Hargreaves, linguist and poet, holds a Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of Oregon, and is currently a professor in the Department of English, Writing and Linguistics at Western Oregon University in Monmouth. He lives in Corvallis.
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Community Events
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Darkside Show Times for 3/13/-3/19
-Eva
Gorgeous Spanish fairytale set in a realistic, not-too-distant future. Subtitled Spanish.
-Red Army -PG A slap shot snapshot that goes deep, peeling back the Iron Curtain for fast, fascinating, and even funny insight into the collective nature of athleticism...
-What We Do in The Shadows -NR Smarter, fresher, and funnier than a modern vampire movie has any right to be, What We Do in the Shadows is bloody good fun.
-Birdman -R A thrilling leap forward for director Alejandro González Iñárritu, Birdman is an ambitious technical showcase powered by a layered story and outstanding performances from Michael Keaton and Edward Norton. Winner of Best Picture.
-Still Alice -PG-13 A gripping performance from Julianne Moore, and a heartfelt drama that honors its delicate themes with bravery and sensitivity. Best Actress Oscar Nom!
Arts/Literary Events
Tragedy Full of Joy: Stories By Bernard Malamud Majestic Reader's Theatre Company
 Saturday, April 25 at 7:00 p.m. & Sunday, April 26 at 3:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
Majestic Theatre Lab
115 SW 2nd St.
Corvallis, OR 97333
In honor of Bernard Malamud's 101st birthday, The Majestic Reader's Theatre Company and The OSU School of Writing, Literature and Film present Tragedy Full Of Joy: Stories by Bernard Malamud, directed by Robert Leff. Elena Passarello, David Turkel, and Robert Leff have adapted four of his short stories: "Steady Customer," "A Wig," "The Jewbird," and "The Magic Barrel." Malamud, a major mid-twentieth century American writer, was a member of the Oregon State English Department from 1949 to 1961. While living in Corvallis, he wrote the novels The Natural, The Assistant, and the short story collection The Magic Barrel, which won the 1959 National Book Award for Fiction.
David Gessner
OSU Visiting Writer Series
 Friday, May 8, at 7:30 - 9:30 p.m. Valley Library Main Floor Rotunda
201 Southwest Waldo Place
Corvallis, OR 97331
David Gessner is the author of the forthcoming book, All the Wild that Remains: Edward Abbey, Wallace Stegner and the American West, and eight others including Sick of Nature, The Prophet of Dry Hill, and Return of the Osprey, which was chosen by the Boston Globe as one of the top 10 non-fiction books of the year and the Book-of-the-Month club as one of its top books of the year. Gessner is an associate professor at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and founder of the national literary journal, Ecotone.
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Community Events with Grass Roots
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John Marzluff
Thursday, April 2, at 7:00 p.m.
LaSells Stewart Center: C & E Auditorium
875 SW 26th St.
Corvallis, OR 97333
Join The Spring Creek Project for a reading and signing with John Marzluff and his new book: Welcome to Subirdia: Sharing Our Neighborhoods with Wrens, Robins, Woodpeckers, and Other Wildlife. This excellent book documents engagingly how wildlife has adapted to urban and suburban areas, often in surprising ways. Marzluff, Ph.D., is Professor of Wildlife Science at the University of Washington and author of four books and over one hundred scientific papers on various aspects of bird behavior, he is the recipient of the A. Brazier Howell, Board of Directors, and H.R. Painton awards from the Cooper Ornithological Society. Grass Roots will sell books at this event.
39th Annual OSU Gerontology Conference
Thursday, April 2 - Friday, April 3 (all day)
CH2M HILL Alumni Center
725 SW 26th Street
Corvallis, OR 97333
This two-day conference, held at Oregon State University, will feature workshops by leading geriatric professionals presenting current information for health and human services occupations in a wide variety of disciplines. Grass Roots will be selling books at this event.
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Store News
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Whiting Award
Congratulations to Corvallis's own Elena Passarello, assistant professor of English at Oregon State University, for winning the $50,000 Whiting Award for nonfiction! Passarello was one of 10 recipients of the annual award recognizing emerging creative writers. Her debut book, Let Me Clear My Throat: Essays, was also a winner of the gold medal for nonfiction at the 2013 Independent Publisher Book Awards and a finalist of the Oregon Book Award.
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St. Patrick's Day
Attendants at Troubadour Music Center were treated to a reading of Kurt Fausch's For The Love of Rivers Monday night, as well as the premiere of its moving book trailer. Fausch's reading demonstrated a scientist's and conservationist's perspective on rivers, and insights into studying their diverse and complex ecosystems. |
Jigsaw
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Good news...we've updated to a new puzzle website!
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Reading Group Selection
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Tuesday, April 7 6:30-8:00 p.m.
 Join Adam as he leads our April Book Group with Bernard Malamud's The Magic Barrel: Stories in keeping with the production of Tragedy Full of Joy: Stories by Bernard Malamud by the Majestic Reader's Theatre Company (see Arts/Literary Events above!).
Bernard Malamud's first book of short stories, The Magic Barrel, has been recognized as a classic from the time it was published in 1959. The stories are set in New York and in Italy (where Malamud's alter ego, the struggling New York Jewish Painter Arthur Fidelman, roams amid the ruins of old Europe in search of his artistic patrimony). It is a book about New York and about the immigrant experience, and a high point in the modern American short story. Few books of any kind have managed to depict struggle and frustration and heartbreak with such delight, or such artistry.
Regular Price: $15.00
On sale for: $12.75
Until Tuesday, April 7
Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux
ISBN: 9780374525866
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Night Stands
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Linda
by Eric Foner
[Non-Fiction]
 Eric Foner takes us on a detailed journey back to the early 1800s and the northern East Coast's contribution to the freedom sought from slavery. The New York Vigilance Committee and other local groups work to protect and save slaves escaping from the South. Captivating to read, this precise history of the Underground Railroad kept me caught up in its many tales. Particularly interesting to me: I sought confirmation concerning its pathway through New Haven. And there it is, right on the map! The 200-year-old house that I grew up in had a hidden room off the stairway that we were told was used in the Underground Railroad.
Hardcover; $26.95
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; ISBN: 9780393244076
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Neé
by Lucy Worsley
[Non-Fiction]
 Murder is a spectator sport. It's a pastime, a movie, a book, your favorite television show. But why? Why did this monstrous act become a form of entertainment? Lucy Worsley explores this question and many more in The Art of the English Murder. In this book you'll explore famous English murder cases, the emergence of the detective, and how newspapers first turned a profit on sensationalizing death. At that point in history, murder got its 15 minutes of fame, and then some -- having never left the spotlight. Shine your own light on this intriguing topic and its own existence in your psyche!
Hardcover; $27.95
Publisher: Pegasus Books; ISBN: 9781605986340
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Marissa
by Cary Elwes
[Non-Fiction]
 When it comes to book-to-movie adaptations, The Princess Bride is a beloved classic -- but did you know it almost didn't get made? How did the Greatest Swordfight in Modern Times come to be? And which iconic lines and stunts were improvised? In this memoir, you'll find the cast is every bit as charming as their fictional counterparts and learn some of the trade filmmaking secrets that made the movie so magical. It's a must-read for any fan, and an excellent comfort read if you need a few laughs. Have fun storming the castle!
Hardcover; $26.00
Publisher: Touchstone Books; ISBN: 9781476764023
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