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September 17, 2015
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Hello, Readers,
 
More calendars have arrived, adding to our quickly growing selection! Check out 2016 planners from Moleskine and Paperblanks, plus wall and desk calendars in the store now.

This week brings in a "surprising and complex" novel from bestseller Lauren Groff; the newest from Nobel Prize-winning Patrick Modiano; and SO many great selections now in paperback, including this year's O. Henry Prize Stories anthology. New albums from Glen Hansard, Judy Collins, and Keith Richards also drop this week.

What else is happening? We're pretty excited for a new edition of the first Harry Potter illustrated in beautiful full color, out October 6. Don't forget to bookmark our website and Facebook page for updates on new releases, events, and specially priced books, too.

With all that in mind, we wish you an excellent weekend!

Marissa
New HardcoversNHardcovers

by Lauren Groff
[Fiction]  
 
"In this surprising and complex love story, Groff explores the obsessive nature of love. The first half of the novel is told from the viewpoint of the magnetic Lancelot 'Lotto' Satterwhite, whose pleasant childhood ends when his wealthy father dies, leaving him and his younger sister in the hands of their unbalanced mother, Antoinette. After a tortured adolescence spent at a boarding school, Lotto blossoms in college, becoming an acclaimed actor and an eminent womanizer -- until he meets the mysterious loner, Mathilde. After the two marry impulsively. . .we see events from Mathilde's perspective. . .and readers will question everything that has come before. . ." - Library Journal

Hardcover; $27.95
Publisher: Riverhead Books; ISBN: 9781594634475
by Mindy Kaling
[Non-Fiction]

From the author of Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, Kaling shares her ongoing journey to find contentment and excitement in her adult life, whether it's falling in love at work, seeking new friendships in lonely places, attempting to be the first person in history to lose weight without any behavior modification whatsoever, or most important, believing that you have a place in Hollywood when you're constantly reminded that no one looks like you. Mindy turns the anxieties, the glamour, and the celebrations of her second coming-of-age into a laugh-out-loud funny collection of essays that anyone who's ever been at a turning point in their life or career can relate to.

Hardcover; $25.00
Publisher: Crown Archetype; ISBN: 9780804138147
by Patrick Modiano
[Fiction]  
 
In the stillness of his Paris apartment, Jean Daragane has built a life of total solitude. Then a surprising phone call shatters the silence of an unusually hot September, and the threatening voice on the other end of the line leaves Daragane wary but irresistibly curious. Almost at once, he finds himself entangled with a shady gambler and a beautiful, fragile young woman, who draw Daragane into the mystery of a decades-old murder. The investigation will force him to confront the memory of a trauma he had all but buried. Modiano's masterly, atmospheric writing has earned him worldwide renown including the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Hardcover; $24.00
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin; ISBN: 9780544635067
by Jane McGonigal
[Non-Fiction]  
 
In 2009, internationally renowned game designer Jane McGonigal suffered a severe concussion. Unable to think clearly or work or even get out of bed, she decided to get better by doing what she does best: she turned her recovery process into a resilience-building game. What started as a simple motivational exercise quickly became a set of rules for post-traumatic growth, leading to a digital game and a major research study with the National Institutes of Health. Today nearly half a million people have played SuperBetter to get stronger, happier, and healthier. SuperBetter contains nearly 100 playful challenges anyone can undertake.

Hardcover; $27.95
Publisher: Penguin Press; ISBN: 9781594206368
by William Boyd
[Fiction]  
 
". . .Amory Clay was born during England's Edwardian era and spent her entire extraordinary life defying conventions. Introduced to the power of the camera by her photographer uncle, she quickly grew bored shooting high-society events. By the time she was in her 20s, a photo shoot in an after-hours German strip club caused an international scandal, got her arrested, and launched her career as a serious photographer. . . The authenticity of Boyd's research, the mix of historical events [and] the captivating photos that illustrate this sweeping, glorious novel will confound readers into believing that this bold, brilliant woman photographer did have a place in history. . ." - Library Journal

Hardcover; $27.95
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA; ISBN: 9781632863324
by Alice Waters
[Non-Fiction]  
 
In this sweet, petite collection of essays and recipes, Alice Waters showcases how she shops, stores, and prepares the pantry staples and preserves that form the core of her daily meals. Ranging from essentials like homemade chicken stock, red wine vinegar, and tomato sauce to the unique artisanal provisions that embody Alice's unadorned yet delightful cooking style, she shows how she injects even simple meals with nuanced flavor and seasonal touches year-round. From fresh cheeses to quick pickles to sweets and spirits, these often-used ingredients are, as she explains, the key to kitchen spontaneity. With charming pen-and-ink illustrations by her daughter.

Hardcover; $24.99
Publisher: Pam Krauss Books; ISBN: 9780804185288
New PaperbacksNPaperbacks

by Alice Munro
[Fiction]

". . . In reading these stories -- or rereading them, as will be the case for most of us -- what is refreshingly obvious is that Munro has retained all the distinctive characteristics and qualities that set her fiction apart from the outset, including her apparently effortless but actually word-perfect style, her use of family history to inform the contemporary domestic situations she so vividly employs in her stories, the quotidian nature of her characters and their plights (which, ultimately, gives her stories their wide appeal), and the purposeful elimination of nonessential detail to permit a novel's worth of substance to comfortably fit into a short story's confined space. . . " - Booklist, Starred Review

Paperback; $16.95
Publisher: Vintage; ISBN: 9781101872352
by Kevin Ashton
[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

Paperback; $15.95
Publisher: Anchor Books; ISBN: 9780804170062
edited by Laura Furman
[Fiction]

The O. Henry Prize Stories 2015 gathers 20 of the best short stories of the year, selected from thousands published in literary magazines. The winning stories span the globe from the glamorous Riviera to an Eastern European shtetl, from a Native American reservation to a tiny village in Thailand. But their characters are universally recognizable and utterly compelling, whether they are ex-pats in Africa, migrant workers crossing the Mexican border, Armenian immigrants on the rough streets of East Hollywood, or pioneers in nineteenth-century Idaho. Accompanying the stories are essays from the eminent jurors on their favorite stories and observations from the winning writers on what inspired them.

Paperback; $15.95
Publisher: Anchor Books; ISBN: 9781101872314
by Julie Summers
[Non-Fiction]

Soon to be a PBS Masterpiece series starring Samantha Bond and Francesca Annis. Away from the frontlines of World War II, in towns and villages across Great Britain, ordinary women were playing a vital role in their country's war effort. As members of the Women's Institute, an organization with a presence in a third of Britain's villages, they ran canteens and knitted garments for troops, collected tons of rosehips and other herbs to replace medicines that couldn't be imported, and advised the government on issues ranging from evacuee housing to children's health to postwar reconstruction. . .

Paperback; $17.00
Publisher: Penguin Books; ISBN: 9780143108450
by Diane Ackerman
[Non-Fiction]

". . . Ackerman, an expert and buoyantly imaginative envoy between the scientific realm and readers, takes measure of why we've reached [the Human Age]. Grandly curious and skillfully observant, Ackerman reports on her world travels to learn about reconciliation ecology, including the restoring of coast-protecting oyster beds, cutting-edge efforts in renewable energy, architecture that functions (and sometimes resembles) growing organisms, and the topsy-turvy reality in which industrial agriculture has wiped out rural biodiversity while wildlife is rapidly adapting to city life. Ackerman also considers the evolutionary impact of digital technologies, the paradigm-shifting potential of 3-D printing, and wonders if we'll survive our own ingenuity when it comes to increasingly human-like robots. . ." - Booklist, Starred Review

Paperback; $15.95
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; ISBN: 9780393351644
by David Baldacci
[Fiction]

"This strong first in a new thriller series from bestseller Baldacci (The Escape) introduces Amos Decker, the memory man, whose unique abilities are the result of a vicious hit he suffered as a 22-year-old NFL rookie. . .The injury induced hyperthymesia and synesthesia in Decker -- he forgets nothing. . .Years later, the murders of his wife and daughter left him too grief-stricken to continue working as a cop [until] the arrest of Sebastian Leopold for the slaughter of his family and a mass shooting at a local high school combine to put an unwilling Decker back into the game with temporary credentials as a policeman. . ." - Publishers Weekly

Paperback; $15.99
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing; ISBN: 9781455559817
New For Young ReadersYReaders

by Kevin Henkes 
[Fiction]
Ages 0 to 3
 
Kitten's First Full Moon is an acclaimed modern classic, from one of the most celebrated and beloved picture book creators working in the field today. This memorable character and her suspenseful adventure are just right for the very youngest child. It is Kitten's first full moon, and when she sees it she thinks it is a bowl of milk in the sky. And she wants it. Does she get it? Well, no . . . and yes. What a night! Winner of the Caldecott Medal, an ALA Notable Book, a New York Times Best Illustrated Book, and winner of the Charlotte Zolotow Award.

Board Books; $8.99
Publisher: Greenwillow Books; ISBN: 9780062417107
by Jane Yolen
[Fiction]
Ages 3 to 8
 
"In succinct, evocative poems, Yolen describes the seasons as they unfold in a forest habitat. In one winter scene, children play in the distance while foxes frolic in the foreground, and an owl and an ermine stare out at readers. . .Yolen emphasizes the ethereal quality of each season, noting its end as another season begins [along with] handsome naturalistic illustrations, which include cornucopia-like clusters of animals, fruits, and vegetables. Playful notes, such as a scene of children playing in fallen leaves while wearing animal-themed Halloween costumes, counterbalance the book's more serene reflections on the changing year." - Publishers Weekly

Hardcover; $18.99
Publisher: Creative Editions; ISBN: 9781568462554
by Jonathan Stroud
[Fiction]
Ages 8 to 12
 
As a massive outbreak of supernatural Visitors baffles Scotland Yard and causes protests throughout London, Lockwood & Co. continue to demonstrate their effectiveness in exterminating spirits. Anthony Lockwood is dashing, George insightful, and Lucy dynamic, while the skull in the jar utters sardonic advice from the sidelines. Meanwhile, there are reports of many new hauntings, including a house where bloody footprints are appearing, and a department store full of strange sounds and shadowy figures. But ghosts seem to be the least of Lockwood & Co.'s concerns when assassins attack during a carnival in the center of the city. . .

Hardcover; $16.99
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion; ISBN: 9781484709689
New Bargain BooksBargain

Back to school means back to reference books -- but of course you don't need to be a student to brush up on your vocabulary. We have amazing prices for these selected American Heritage titles, so get these desk staples before they're gone!

 


New MusicNMusic


Dave and Phil Alvin
Lost Time
Pop/Folk

The Alvin brothers were a blues-rock force with the Blasters, and each has established a strong solo career in the years since. This marks their second collaboration, covering influential blues cuts from legendary artists. 
($16.98)

Dave Rawlings Machine
 Nashville Obsolete
Pop/Folk

Rawlings began his career as an collaborator and accompanist to Gillian Welch. This second solo collection finds Rawlings in front of the mic, with Welch and friends backing him up on a selection of Americana and folk originals. 
($15.98)

Glen Hansard
Didn't He Ramble
Pop/Folk

Hansard was a member of Irish acts like the Frames and the Grammy winning duo, Swell Season. On his fourth solo album, Hansard's songs favor blues and soul elements, with horns and full band arrangements. 
($15.98)

Pop/Folk

Joe Ely is a legendary Texas singer-songwriter. His newest Americana record features songs about the life and people of the West Texas Panhandle area. 
($16.98)

Judy Collins
 Strangers Again
Pop/Folk

As heard on NPR: The revered singer's new album finds her collaborating with old and new friends on a diverse collection. Joining the singer are acts like Don McLean, Willie Nelson, Michael McDonald, and more.
($17.98)

Keith Richards
Crosseyed Heart
Pop/Folk

The Rolling Stones guitarist is an iconic figure standing with his longtime rock band. Solo albums have been few and far between. Crosseyed Heart is his first since 1992's Main Offender.
($13.99)
Events at Grass RootsEventsGRR

Derek "Deek" Diedricksen

Tuesday, October 13, 2015 at 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.
Grass Roots Books & Music
227 SW 2nd St.
Corvallis, OR

If you dream of living in a tiny house, or creating a getaway in the backwoods or your backyard, you'll love this gorgeous collection of creative and inspiring ideas for tiny houses, cabins, forts, studios, and other microshelters. Created by a wide array of builders and designers around the United States and beyond, these 59 unique and innovative structures show you the limits of what is possible. You'll also find guidelines on building with recycled and salvaged materials, plus techniques for making your small space comfortable and easy to inhabit.

Derek "Deek" Diedricksen is the author of Humble Homes, Simple Shacks, Cozy Cottages, Ramshackle Retreats, Funky Forts. His work has been featured on the cover of the New York Times' Home and Garden Section and in the Boston Globe, the Boston Herald, the Seattle Times, the Wall Street Journal, Make magazine, and Apartment Therapy.com; and on NPR, CBS, PBS, and ABC. Diedricksen lives in Stoughton, Massachusetts.
Community EventsCommunityEvents

Darkside Show Times for 9/18-9/24

-Grandma -R Lili Tomlin is Grandma, who with her granddaughter spends the day trying to scrape up $600 in cash by making unannounced visits to old friends and flames, which end up rattling skeletons and digging up secrets. 92% on RT.

-The Prophet -PG Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet takes an enchanting new form in this painterly cinematic adventure about freedom and the power of human expression. Produced and spearheaded by Salma Hayek, this family-friendly animated feature was an official selection at Cannes.

-Meru -R A triumph of editing and narrative beyond "Are you kidding me?" visuals, Meru is a climbing story with context; biographies are woven in incrementally. A rare documentary that proves thought-provoking while offering thrilling wide-screen vistas.

-Mr. Holmes -PG A retired, nonagenarian Sherlock Holmes is haunted by a failing memory, a past case, and his own cold heart as he tries to find a cure for aging. Ian McKellan, Laura Linney.

Arts/Literary Events

Willamette Writers on the River: Quarterly Open Mic on International Day of Peace

Monday, September 21, at 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. (sign-up at 6:15)
First Presbyterian Church
114 SW 8th St.
Corvallis, OR

These quarterly readings are free and open to everyone. The program this month will begin with a reading of a short poem honoring International Day of Peace. The number of readers is limited by the available time. First to sign up is first to read. Time limit per reader is 7 minutes. No graphic violence, sex, or hate speech. If you don't want to read, please come hear some talented writers present their work. 

Sweet Home Public Library Open Mic

Thursday, September 24 at 6:15 to 7:15 p.m. (sign-up at 6:00)
Sweet Home Public Library
This program is free and open to the public. The number of readers is limited by available time. First to sign up is first to read. Time limit per reader is 7 minutes. No graphic violence, sex, or hate speech. If you don't want to read, please come hear some talented writers present their work. Local authors and teachers Dana Kirk and Mark Holden will be reading from their books. 

Friends of the Library Fall Festival Used Book Sale

Saturday, September 26 at 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
*Members - 9:00 a.m. (Join at the door)
and Sunday, September 27 at 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Main Meeting Room
Corvallis Public Library
645 NW Monroe Ave.
Corvallis, OR

Lots of lightly used top-quality paperback books at very reasonable prices. Books especially selected for this sale include fiction, children's, youth, biographies, history, memoirs, cooking, and holiday crafts. Sets of high quality books suitable for book groups will also be available.

Community Events with Grass Roots

Crazy Eights Author Event (Corvallis)

Thursday, October 15, at 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.
Corvallis-Benton County Library
645 NW Monroe Ave.
Corvallis, OR

Speed dating, only with authors! Each author will have eight minutes to address the audience about their life as a writer and introduce a featured book. It will be a fast-paced literary slam. A mixer, wherein the authors will interact one-on-one with members of the audience to discuss their work and personally sign books, will follow the rapid-fire presentations. Grass Roots will be selling books at this event.

Authors include:
  • Dan DeWeese (Oregon Book Award fiction nominee, You Don't Love This Man)
  • K.B. Dixon (Oregon Book Award finalist, The Sum of His Syndromes; Eric Hoffer Award)
  • Cai Emmons (Oregon Book Award winner, His Mother's Son; new work Weather Woman)
  • Lisa Ohlen Harris (Oregon Book Award finalist, The Fifth Season)
  • Lauren Kessler (Oregon Book Awards; on David Letterman twice; newest: Raising the Barre)
  • Phillip Margolin (Nationally known for NYT best selling legal thrillers; Woman With a Gun)
  • Ismet Prcic (Bosnian author of Oregon Book Award winner novel, Shards; NYT Notable Book)
  • Ellen Waterston (Award winning poet and essayist, novel of verse Via Lactea most recent)
  • Emcee: George Byron Wright (Noted for Oregon-based novels; In the Wake of Our Misdeed)
Lois Leveen

Saturday, October 17, 2015 at 2:00 to 3:30 p.m.
Corvallis Public Library
645 NW Monroe Ave.
Corvallis, OR

In death-ravaged Verona, Angelica, a mother mourning her day-old infant, enters the household of the powerful Cappelletti family to become the wet-nurse to their newborn daughter Juliet. Over the next 14 years, Angelica becomes caught up in the Cappelletti's darkest secrets. But when those secrets erupt across five momentous days of love and loss, Angelica must confront her own deepest grief to find the strength to survive.

Award-winning author Lois Leveen's work has appeared in the New York Times, the LA Review of Books, the Chicago Tribune, the Huffington Post, the Wall Street Journal, the Atlantic and on NPR, as well as in numerous literary and scholarly journals and in film and performing arts festivals. She lives in a bright green house in Portland, Oregon, with two cats, one Canadian, and 120,000 honey bees. Grass Roots will be selling books at this event.
Store NewsStoreNews

J.A. Jance Event Recap



Here is a photo from the J.A. Jance reading at the Monroe Community Library, where the approximately 275+ turnout far exceeded everyone's expectations. They moved the event outdoors to seat everyone! 

Thank you to Ms. Jance for graciously keeping the laughter going and for a wonderful reading of Dance of the Bones, and a big thank you to the Corvallis Benton County Public Library for bringing her here! 
PEN Center USA Awards

Winners were announced for this year's PEN Center USA Awards, which recognize the best writing in the western U.S. The winning writers include Leslye Walton for The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender (YA); Claudia Rankine for Citizen (poetry); and McKenzie Funk for Windfall: The Booming Business of Global Warming (research nonfiction).
JigsawJigsaw

Solve this week's jigsaw!
Reading Group SelectionReadingGroup

by Julian Barnes
Tuesday, October 6, at 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.

Join Adam as he leads our October Reading Group with The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes, winner of the 2011 Man Booker Prize.

This intense novel follows Tony Webster, a middle-aged man, as he contends with a past he never thought much about -- until his closest childhood friends return with a vengeance: one of them from the grave, another maddeningly present. Tony thought he left this all behind as he built a life for himself, and his career has provided him with a secure retirement and an amicable relationship with his ex-wife and daughter, who now has a family of her own. But when he is presented with a mysterious legacy, he is forced to revise his estimation of his own nature and place in the world.
 
Regular Price: $14.95
On sale for: $12.71
Until Tuesday, October 6
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 9780307947727
Night StandsNightStands

Dahlia

[Non-Fiction]

Mary Karr, author of three memoirs (The Liars' Club, Cherry, and Lit), draws from her own writing practice, teaching experience, and influential texts in her newest book The Art of Memoir. I was drawn to the book as a poet who is interested in making that frightening leap over the genre-pond. Karr's accessible language and anecdote-based "lessons" -- a far cry from the dry drudgery of some of the craft textbooks out there -- demonstrate not only her passion for the art, but its possibilities. As a reader/writer, I am left with a deeper appreciation for the immense labor of memoirists, a page full of Karr quotes, and practical advice for how to write on.

Hardcover, $24.99
Publisher: Harper; ISBN: 9780062223067
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