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| January 28, 2016 |
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Good afternoon, Readers,
If you're in the Valley with us, we hope you've been enjoying the sneak peeks of sunshine. It's a great time to get outside, wander downtown Corvallis, and refresh your reading list with new books!
Our lineup of off-site author readings has grown, so check out community events with Grass Roots below to see who's coming.
And as we near the end of January, stop in to see our sweet Valentine's Day display -- books being the key to a reader's heart, after all -- and pick up a card to pair with a good read.
See you in the store soon!
~Marissa
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New Hardcovers
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Late in the Day, Ursula K. Le Guin's new collection of poems (2010-2014) seeks meaning in an ever-connected world. In part evocative of Neruda's Odes to Common Things and Mary Oliver's poetic guides to the natural world, Le Guin's latest give voice to objects that may not speak a human language, but communicate with us nevertheless through and about the seasonal rhythms of the earth, the minute and the vast, the ordinary and the mythological. As Le Guin herself states, science explicates, poetry implicates. Accordingly, this immersive, tender collection implicates us (in the best sense) in a subjectivity of everyday objects and occurrences.
Hardcover; $18.95
Publisher: PM Press; ISBN: 9781629631226
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by Paul Kalanithi
[Non-Fiction]
"Can life remain full and rewarding even while one is living under a death sentence? This is the question now-deceased neurosurgeon Kalanithi asked himself after receiving a late-stage lung cancer diagnosis. Newly married and almost ready to complete his residency, at 34 Kalanithi was faced with a momentous decision: Should he continue with a promising medical career, or fall back on his first love of writing while taking care of his health? Fortunately for the readers of this moving memoir, he decided to do both. . .A precious highlight here is the heartrending epilogue penned by his wife, Lucy, following Kalanithi's passing shortly after she became pregnant. . ." - Booklist
Hardcover; $25.00
Publisher: Random House; ISBN: 9780812988406
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by Alison Weir
[Non-Fiction]
"In this noteworthy biography, Weir. . .shows how Lady Margaret Douglas -- a now largely forgotten royal claimant -- frequently ignored her own safety to further her ambition in spite of her more famous relatives. Margaret, Henry VIII's niece, spent much of her life angling for greater status and favors, seemingly oblivious to the delicate political situations of the volatile Reformation-era Tudor courts. . .Through considerable research and with great clarity, Weir reveals how the strong-willed Margaret encapsulated the best and worst of the ambitious Tudor dynasty -- stubbornness, passion, tragedy, courage -- while leading a fascinating life of her own, to the detriment of England's well-being." - Publishers Weekly
Hardcover; $30.00
Publisher: Ballantine Books; ISBN: 9780345521392
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New Paperbacks
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by Jane Smiley
[Fiction]
"Smiley continues the multigenerational, cross-country saga of the Iowa-rooted Langdon family she began in Some Luck. . .First-born Frank, a darkly glamorous former WWII sniper with an eidetic memory, glides into the upper echelons of the booming postwar weapons and oil industries. . .Frank's wife fears the atomic bomb, lies to her psychoanalysts, and drinks too much, while their daughter is drawn into Reverend Jim Jones' Peoples Temple, and their twin sons practice a violent form of sibling rivalry. . . Smiley demonstrates an incisive historical perspective, virtuosic omniscient narration, [and] a gift for sparring dialogue. . .in this grand story of an iconic American family." - Booklist, Starred Review
Paperback; $16.00
Publisher: Anchor Books; ISBN: 9780307744814
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by Ted Rall
[Non-Fiction]
"Rall's illustrated work, in the same format as his acclaimed Snowden, is an illuminating, clear-headed, straight-shooting argument on why American voters should support and elect Senator Bernie Sanders to president. . .Sanders, Rall argues, is the only candidate whose passions and commitments favor the American people rather than corporations or big government. Each page is half text and half illustration in Rall's signature caricature style, a format that serves up a large amount of information at an easy-to-digest pace of one idea per page. . .An essential survey and solid political ammunition for Sanders supporters, with appeal to politically minded readers." - Publishers Weekly
Paperback; $16.95
Publisher: Seven Stories Press; ISBN: 9781609806989
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by Jo Nesbo
[Fiction]
An electrifying stand-alone thriller set in Oslo in the 1970s: the story of an unusually complicated contract killer -- the perfectly sympathetic antihero -- that is, as well, an edgy, almost lyrical meditation on death and love. Olav is an extremely talented "fixer" whose unexpected capacity for love is as far-reaching as his talent for murder. He works for Oslo's crime kingpin, "fixing" anyone who causes him trouble. But it's becoming clear to Olav that the more you know about your boss's business, the more your boss might want you fixed yourself, especially if you've fallen in love with his wife. .
Paperback; $14.00
Publisher: Vintage Crime/Black Lizard; ISBN: 9780804172554
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by Romain Puertolas
[Fiction]
In this wildly comedic romp around Europe, a fakir and professional con artist from rural India arrives in Paris with one goal: to visit IKEA. But his plan goes horribly awry when he climbs inside a wardrobe at the iconic Swedish retailer -- the first in a series of missteps that will send him on a whirlwind tour across the continent. As his journey progresses, the fakir finds unlikely friends in even unlikelier places. To his surprise, the stirrings of compassion well up in his heart, even as his adventures lead to meditations on the perils of immigration and the universal desire for a better life. . .
Paperback; $17.00
Publisher: Vintage; ISBN: 9780804172080
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by Andreas Weber
[Non-Fiction]
The schism between humans and the natural world is arguably the root cause of most of the environmental catastrophes unraveling around us. However, until we come to terms with the depths of our alienation, we will continue to fail to understand that what happens to nature also happens to us. Weber proposes a new approach to the biological sciences, arguing that feelings and emotions, far from being superfluous to the study of organisms, are the very foundation of life. From this basic premise flows the development of a "poetic ecology" which intimately connects our species to everything that surrounds us.
Paperback; $21.95
Publisher: New Society Publishers; ISBN: 9780865717992
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New For Young Readers
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by Wendi Silvano
[Fiction]
Ages 3 to 7
Just in time for Valentine's Day and part of the Love is All Around series comes Love is All Around Oregon! Kids can learn all there is to love about our state, including references to Portland, the coastal region, and the Willamette Valley. Featuring full-color illustrations by Joanna Czernichowska.
Hardcover; $12.99
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky; ISBN: 9781492629528
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| New bargain books will return soon! |
New Music
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Aubrie Sellers
Pop/Folk
A Nashville buzz artist, Sellers is the daughter of longtime country mainstay Lee Ann Womack. Sellers' debut exhibits a contemporary country sound, but also incorporates rock guitars and a dark edgy mood.
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Sierra Hull
Pop/Folk
Hull began her career as a young mandolin prodigy. Over the space of a handful of successful records she has evolved from a bluegrass base to explore folk, jazz, and indie folk sounds.
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Tedeschi Trucks Band
Pop/Folk
Susan Tedeschi and husband Derek Trucks make beautiful blues music together. Their new collaboration makes room for gospel, world, and rock music, too.
($15.98)
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Bill Frisell
Jazz
As heard on NPR: "One of the world's most inventive guitarists and composers has recorded a tribute to some of his favorite music from TV and film. Bill Frisell's When You Wish Upon a Star covers the screen from Bonanza to The Godfather to the poignant themes of To Kill a Mockingbird."
($11.96)
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Yanni
New Age
The New Age legend recently talked with NPR about his first new studio record in several years: "I wanted it to create an environment for the listener that was a sensuous environment, a melodious environment, and a sexy environment at the same time."
($11.96)
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Events at Grass Roots
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Community Events
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Darkside Show Times for 1/29-2/4
-Anomolisa -R Charlie Kaufman's latest: a stop-motion adult animated introspective romantic drama and the first animated film to win the Grand Jury Prize at the Venice International Film Festival. Voiced by David Thewlis, Tom Noonan, Jennifer Jason Leigh. 94% RT.
-Oscar-Nominated Animated Shorts -NR TEN Oscar-nominated animated short films from around the world. Some movies are NOT APPROPRIATE FOR YOUNG VIEWERS, parental discretion advised.
-Spotlight -R The true story of how the Boston Globe uncovered the massive scandal of child molestation and cover-up within the local Catholic Archdiocese, shaking the entire Catholic Church to its core. Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams. 93% on RT!
-Room
-R Held captive for years in an enclosed space, a woman (Brie Larson) and her 5-year-old son (Jacob Tremblay) finally gain their freedom, allowing the boy to experience the outside world for the first time. 97% RT.
-Brooklyn -PG-13 Lured by the promise of America, Eilis Lacey (Saoirse Ronan) departs Ireland for New York City. A new romance chases away her initial homesickness, but soon she's forced to choose between two countries and the lives that exist within. Screenplay by Nick Hornby. 98% RT!
Arts/Literary Events
Reviewed by Kevin Hashizume; sponsored by Friends of the Library
Wednesday, February 10, at 12:00 to 1:00 p.m.
Corvallis-Benton County Public Library
645 NW Monroe Ave.
Corvallis, OR
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Community Events with Grass Roots
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OSU Spring Creek Project presents
Kathleen Dean Moore
Thursday, February 11, at 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Corvallis Arts Center
700 SW Madison Ave.
Corvallis, OR
Even as seas rise against the shores, another great tide is beginning to rise -- a tide of outrage against the pillage of the planet, a tide of commitment to justice and human rights, a swelling affirmation of moral responsibility to the future and to Earth's fullness of life.
Kathleen Dean Moore is a distinguished professor emerita of philosophy at OSU and co-founder and Senior Fellow of the Spring Creek Project for Ideas, Nature, and the Written Word. An environmental philosopher, Moore writes about moral, spiritual, and cultural relationships to the natural world. Her previous book was the award-winning edited volume, Moral Ground: Ethical Action for a Planet in Peril. Grass Roots will be selling books at this event.
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Insights Into Gardening at OSU
Saturday, February 13, at 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
The LaSells Stewart Center, Austin Auditorium
Oregon State University
875 SW 26th St.
Corvallis, OR
Insights Into Gardening is a day-long, Saturday seminar hosted by Benton County Master Gardeners. This event offers practical, research-based information for gardeners and gardeners-to-be. Whether you are an experienced or novice gardener, new to the area or an Oregon native, you will find plenty of ideas to make your gardening easier, more enjoyable, and more successful. 20+ garden-related exhibitors, raffle prizes, and more. Please join us for an educational and fun day! Registration is now open at this link. Grass Roots will be selling books at this event.
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OSU Provost's Lecture Series presents
Ruth Reichl
"American Food Now: How We Became a Nation of Foodies"
Wednesday, February 17, at 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.
The LaSells Stewart Center, Austin Auditorium
Oregon State University
875 SW 26th St.
Corvallis, OR
Ruth Reichl, bestselling author of My Kitchen Year: 136 Recipes That Saved My Life, food critic, and judge on Bravo's Top Chef Masters, will give a talk followed by book sales and a book signing. Reichl is one of the most recognizable and beloved culinary voices, guiding people around the kitchen, showing them what to eat, how to make it, and where to satisfy their cravings. The Seattle Times called her "one of the nation's most influential figures in the food world."
Most recognizable as a writer and editor, Reichl was the Editor-in-Chief of Gourmet Magazine for 10 years until its closing. Before that she was the restaurant critic of The New York Times and The Los Angeles Times. Her culinary exploits have been featured on the Food Network and PBS. Grass Roots will be selling books at this event.
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Phillip Margolin
Thursday, March 17, at 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.
Corvallis-Benton County Public Library
645 NW Monroe Ave.
Corvallis, OR
New York Times bestselling author and master of suspense Phillip Margolin knows what his fans want and he delivers with his newest novel Violent Crimes. Join us as Mr. Margolin reads from and discusses his latest novel.This event is sponsored by the Friends of the Library. Grass Roots will be selling books at this event.
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Store News
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Valentine's Day
Looking for your next loveable read? Let's make a date! Our Valentine's Day display will help you find the perfect match for February 14. Romantic stories and poetry, sweet cookbooks, and books on the improvement and movement of love around the world can be found here. (Plus, giftable indulgences of Oregon fudge and hazelnut toffee in many varieties!)
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Event recap: Nikki King and Alice Rampton
Grass Roots would like to extend a huge and earnest thank you to local authors Nikki King and Alice Rampton, who spoke on their book, Finding Life After Losing One, this past Tuesday. The authors' book is a guide for parents coping with the loss of a child, and their reading resonated powerfully with the many attendees who came to listen, pictured above. |
Jigsaw
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Reading Group Selection
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Tuesday, February 2, at 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.
Join Tiffany as she leads our February reading group with Crow Planet by Lyanda Lynn Haupt.
There are more crows now than ever. Their abundance is both a sign of ecological imbalance and a generous opportunity to connect with the more-than-human world. Graceful prose illuminates a world where crows gather to care for their sick, play in the snow, drop nuts in the road to be cracked open by passing cars, and even attend "crow funerals." Crow Planet is a journey of discovery in which crows become our guides, leading us off the pavement and into the realms of myth, history, and science, opening our eyes to the deeply relevant question of our own place in the urban-wild landscape.
Regular Price: $16.00
On sale for: $13.60
Until Tuesday, February 2
Publisher: Back Bay Books
ISBN: 9780316019118
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Night Stands
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Marissa
[Fiction]
Through transcripts, journal entries, and letters over the span of centuries, Speak explores themes of technology's potential and limitations, the necessity of human connection, and the preservation of memory. With masterful and subtle prose, the novel acts as a character study, as each narrative voice provides unique insight into the ultimate creation of a cloud-based A.I. program called MARY3. But it's the illuminating interactions, or lack thereof, between these very human characters that had me finishing this book in just one day -- a rare treat. Highly recommended for readers of David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas and other speculative fiction.
Hardcover, $27.99
Publisher: Ecco Press; ISBN: 9780062391193
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Mica
[Fiction]
An endearingly authentic and deeply troubling tale that hopscotches through time as it unravels the saga of two best friends, one enviously perfect in her guileless teenage years, the other born with a "small black stone" for a heart. Unexpectedly, troubles befall one and not the other, and woven throughout the first-person narrative is a voice struggling to make sense of the injustice. I am caught up not just in the strangely familiar thoughts of the two main characters, but in their travels, their mistakes, and their struggles. The author writes from a daringly matter-of-fact yet searching perspective, and I love it.
Paperback, $14.95
Publisher: Vintage; ISBN: 9780804170079
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