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| February 4, 2016 |
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Dear Readers,
This week brings an exciting list of new releases, including local author Kathleen Dean Moore's latest (don't miss the author reading at The Arts Center next week), a whimsical novel by Yann Martel (Life of Pi), a neurosurgeon's quest in mindfulness, and several bestselling novels of the past year now out in paperback.
Also in the store: lots of new music releases, a new 15% off reading group selection for March, and Brigittine Monks' Assorted Chocolate Truffles -- perfect for Valentine's Day, with flavors like Dark Chocolate, Maple, Amaretto, and Raspberry.
Keep reading for plenty of author events to look forward to all month long!
~Marissa
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New Hardcovers
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by Kathleen Dean Moore (Local author!)
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. Philosopher and nature essayist Kathleen Dean Moore takes on the essential questions: Why is it wrong to wreck the world? What is our obligation to the future? What is the transformative power of moral resolve? How can clear thinking stand against the lies and illogic that batter the chances for positive change?
Hardcover; $26.00
Publisher: Counterpoint LLC; ISBN: 9781619026995
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by Yann Martel
[Fiction]
"Like Martel's celebrated Life of Pi, this new book investigates a world of tragedy linked with animals, but the context is completely different, [told] in three distinct yet connected parts, each centered on the high plains in northern Portugal. . .The first section features archivist Tomas, who, in reaction to the death of his family, has taken to walking backwards. . .The second section examines [a] Portuguese pathologist, seemingly unhinged after a violent and unexplained personal loss. . .The third part brings [introduces] a grieving Canadian senator [with] an unlikely companion who offers a different perspective on living. . ." - Library Journal
Hardcover; $27.00
Publisher: Spiegel & Grau; ISBN: 9780812997170
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by Natalie Goldberg
[Non-Fiction]
What does it take to have a long writing life? Natalie Goldberg shares experiences that point the way forward in our lives and our writing. The "great spring" of this book title refers to the great rush of energy that arrives when you think no life will ever come again. It also refers to enlightenment: obstructions shatter, pain cracks open, previously resisted truth releases, an acceptance of transiency flows through. Goldberg shares the moments that have sprung from her own life of writing, teaching, and Zen practice -- moments of searching, wandering, zigzagging, losing, and leaping where she has found herself and her voice.
Hardcover; $22.95
Publisher: Shambhala; ISBN: 9781611803167
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| Into the Magic Shop: A Neurosurgeon's Quest to Discover the Mysteries of the Brain and the Secrets of the Heart
by James R. Doty
[Non-Fiction]
"Neurosurgeon Doty combines gut-wrenching memoir with meditative how-to in this well-told, grueling tale of his personal journey from frightened pre-teen with an alcoholic father and depressed mother to a respected doctor and philanthropist. He attributes his success to the ancient mindfulness and visualization techniques that 'rewired' his brain and were taught to him in the back of a magic shop in 1968, when he was 12 years old. 'When our brain changes, we change,' Doty writes. . .'[But] when our heart changes, everything changes.' Doty's advice in this rags-to-riches tale is inspirational and the mindfulness techniques he advocates are clearly documented." - Publishers Weekly
Hardcover; $26.00
Publisher: Avery Publishing Group; ISBN: 9781594632983
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by Alexander Chee
[Fiction]
"Chee's lush and sweeping second novel uses a strikingly different setting from Edinburgh, his accomplished debut, but shares its musical themes and boldness. In 1882 Paris, the soprano known as Lilliet Berne is a celebrated opera star with an unforgettable but vulnerable voice. When a stranger offers her. . .a new opera's leading role, she discovers that the work retells her scandalous hidden history. As she attempts to discover which of four individuals from her past revealed her secrets, she recalls the circus troupe in which she first performed, her days as a servant to France's Empress Eugenie, and her time as a prostitute. . ." - Publishers Weekly
Hardcover; $28.00
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin; ISBN: 9780618663026
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New Paperbacks
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by Toni Morrison
[Fiction]
The first novel by Morrison to be set in the present. At the center: a young woman who calls herself Bride, whose stunning blue-black skin is only one element of her confidence and success in life, but which caused her light-skinned mother to deny her even the simplest forms of love. There is Booker, the man Bride loves, and loses to anger. Rain, the mysterious white child with whom she crosses paths. And finally, Bride's mother herself, Sweetness, who takes a lifetime to understand that the sufferings of childhood can shape, and misshape, the life of the adult.
Paperback; $14.95
Publisher: Vintage; ISBN: 9780307740922
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by Tom McCarthy
[Fiction]
McCarthy, the acclaimed, Man Booker Prize-nominated author of Remainder, captures the way we experience our world and our efforts to find meaning in the narratives we think of as our lives. U., a corporate anthropologist, is tasked with preparing the Great Report, an all-encompassing ethnographic document that sums up our era. Yet at every turn, he feels himself overwhelmed by the ubiquity of data. But just as U. begins to wonder if his project will ever take shape, his senses are startled awake by a dream of an apocalyptic cityscape. A mind-bending adventure from one of the most original voices in literature today.
Paperback; $15.00
Publisher: Vintage; ISBN: 9780307739629
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by Hanya Yanagihara
[Fiction]
A Little Life follows four college classmates -- broke, adrift, and buoyed only by their friendship and ambition -- as they move to New York in search of fame and fortune. While their relationships, which are tinged by addiction, success, and pride, deepen over the decades, the men are held together by their devotion to the brilliant, enigmatic Jude, a man scarred by an unspeakable childhood trauma. A hymn to brotherly bonds and a masterful depiction of love in the 21st century, Hanya Yanagihara's stunning novel is about the families we are born into, and those that we make for ourselves.
Paperback; $17.00
Publisher: Anchor Books; ISBN: 9780804172707
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by David Joy
[Fiction]
"[Joy] sets his gripping first novel in his native Appalachia. Jacob McNeely, the 18-year-old son of a meth-addicted mother and a sociopathic father who operates a drug ring, has always believed he can't transcend his roots. But when his childhood sweetheart, Maggie Jennings, graduates from high school, she asks him to leave the mountains with her, and he begins to envision a life free of his family legacy. Threats to his father's business provoke violence, however, ensnaring Jacob in murder and betrayal even as he plans his escape. . .Engaging characters, a well-realized setting, and poetic prose establish Joy as a novelist worth watching." - Publishers Weekly
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Paperback; $16.00
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons; ISBN: 9780425279793
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by Katherine Heiny
[Fiction]
"In this funny and heartfelt debut story collection, few characters are single and even fewer are carefree -- though most long to be. Instead, they are remorseful about their disloyalties, torn between spouses and secret lovers, and guilt-ridden over the betrayals they commit in the name of love. In the title story, we encounter Maya as she faces the death of her beloved dog, Bailey, contemplates leaving her boyfriend of five years (she is sadder about the dog), and confronts her feelings for her alluring veterinarian. Maya, who appears in several more stories in various stages of life and love, is one of many captivating characters expertly imagined by Heiny. . ." - Library Journal
Paperback; $15.00
Publisher: Vintage; ISBN: 9780804173155
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by Brooke Davis
[Fiction]
"Soon after 7-year-old Millie Bird's dad dies of cancer, her mother abandons her in a department store. Karl the Touch Typist, so called because he loves the act of typing and types on every surface he can find, has escaped from a nursing home and taken refuge in the same store where Millie has been left. Agatha Pantha. . .has not left her house since her husband's death seven years before. Millie's plight brings out a protective impulse in the two octogenarians, and the three of them. . .embark on a journey across the Australian Bush to find Millie's mother. . ." - Booklist
Paperback; $16.00
Publisher: Dutton Books; ISBN: 9780147517739
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New For Young Readers
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by Crescent Dragonwagon
[Fiction]
Ages 2 to 4
Now in board book format, this lyrical animal ABC book is just right for bedtime -- or anytime! From antlered antelope to "zzz"-ing zebra, all the awake animals are getting sleepy in this abridged board book edition of a favorite bedtime alphabet book, from an acclaimed author and bestselling illustrator. This exquisite celebration of language and nature is perfect for lulling little ones into a cozy, soothing slumber.
Board Books; $7.99
Publisher: LB Kids; ISBN: 9780316336277
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by Alexandra Bracken
[Fiction]
Young Adult
"Violin prodigy Etta has sacrificed a lot for her music. . .But just as she's on the brink of success, Etta finds herself floored by a tragedy that reveals her as one of the Ironwoods, an ancient, feuding family of time travelers, who need Etta to find a mysterious object. Etta soon finds herself on a voyage accompanied by sailor Nicholas. . .dealing not only with heightened stakes from the Ironwoods but also the difficulties in the historical places they travel through -- dark-skinned, biracial Nicholas is a target for vitriol in many periods. . .the [story's] startling cliff-hanger will reel [readers] back for the next installment." - Booklist
Hardcover; $17.99
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion; ISBN: 9781484715772
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| New bargain books are on temporary hiatus -- check back again soon! |
New Music
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Freakwater
Scheherazade
Pop/Folk
Singer-songwriters Catherine Irwin and Janet Beveridge Bean launched their band in the late '80s, melding new alt. country sounds with indie rock spirit. Their new record continues in that spirit, featuring their trademark harmonies and Southern gothic poetry.
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Infamous Stringdusters
Ladies & Gentlemen
Pop/Folk
A contemporary jamgrass staple, the Stringdusters' new album features plenty of guest vocalists and instrumentalists. Joining the band are artists like Joan Osborne, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Joss Stone, and more.
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James Hunter Six
Hold On
Pop/Folk
The British R&B singer came to prominence with the support of Van Morrison. This fourth record is his first on the trendsetting DapTone label.
($15.98)
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Lucinda Williams
Ghosts Of Highway 20
Pop/Folk
Ghosts marks the Americana artist's second double CD in just over a year. Backed by guitarists Bill Frisell and Greg Leisz, the concept album tells the stories of people up and down Highway 20.
($16.98)
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Luther Dickinson
Blues & Ballads
Pop/Folk
Dickinson has his guitar-playing fingers in several musical pies, though he is best known as a member of North Mississippi Allstars. This new collection re-records tracks from throughout his career in an acoustic setting.
($12.98)
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The Pines
Above the Prairie
Pop/Folk
This Minnesota-based group is fronted by the sons of longtime Greg Brown guitarist Bo Ramsey. Their fifth album pairs Americana instrumentation with an atmospheric production.
($17.98)
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Events at Grass Roots
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Randy Henderson
 Thursday, February 18, at 6:30 p.m. Grass Roots Books & Music 227 SW 2nd St. Corvallis, OR
In this sequel to Randy Henderson's acclaimed debut novel, Finn Fancy Necromancy, Finn Gramaraye is settling back into the real world after his 25-year-long imprisonment in the otherworld of the Fey. He's figured out how to use the Kinfinder device created by his half-mad father to find people's True Love, and he'd like to convert that into an Arcane Dating Service. Unfortunately, trouble always seems to find Finn, and when he agrees to help his friend, the Bigfoot named Sal, they walk right into a Feyblood rebellion against the Arcane Ruling Council, a rebellion being fomented by unknown forces and fueled by the drug created by Finn's own grandfather.
Author Randy Henderson creates a layer of improbable magic and hilarious family drama underneath the veneer of a quiet, charming small town in the American Northwest. Winner of the 2014 Golden Pen grand prize for Writers of the Future and featured in Penumbra, Realms of Fantasy, and on the podcast Escape Pod,Henderson has spun a tale brimming with humor, horror, and dangerous dilemmas.
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Community Events
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Darkside Show Times for 2/5-2/11
-Misconduct -R An ambitious lawyer finds himself caught in a power struggle between a corrupt pharmaceutical executive and his firm's senior partner. When the case takes a deadly turn, he must race to uncover the truth before he loses everything. Al Pacino, Anthony Hopkins.
-Regression -R Detective Bruce Kenner (Ethan Hawke) investigates the case of young Angela (Emma Watson), who accuses her father, John Gray (David Dencik), of an unspeakable crime.
-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.
-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!
-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
Willamette Writers on the River: Monthly Meeting with Vargus Pike, 9Bridges Chairman
"Running a Critique Group the 9Bridges Way"
Monday, February 15, at 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
First Presbyterian Church
114 SW 8th St.
Corvallis, OR
You've been asking about critique groups, and we listened. Vargus Pike will give a short presentation explaining the 9Bridges Critique Group method to be followed by an interactive session in which the 9Bridges method will be put into practice. Come and take advantage of this unique opportunity to have professionals and peers provide feedback on your writing.
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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.
The 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
OSU
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
OSU
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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OSU Visiting Writers Series presents
Friday, February 19, at 7:30 p.m.
OSU Valley Library Rotunda
Corvallis, OR
Maggie Nelson (Ph.D. in English Literature, the Graduate Center of the City University of New York) is the author of five books of nonfiction and four books of poetry. Her most recent book is The Argonauts, a work of "autotheory" about gender, sexuality, sodomitical maternity, queer family, and the limitations and possibilities of language (Graywolf Press).
Her 2011 book of art and cultural criticism, The Art of Cruelty: A Reckoning, was named a New York Times Notable Book of the Year and Editors' Choice. Her other nonfiction books include the cult hit Bluets and an autobiographical book about sexual violence and media spectacle titled The Red Parts: A Memoir. Her poetry has been widely anthologized, including in the Best American Poetry series. 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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New gift items by Shades of Color
Grass Roots is proud to carry new gift items by L.A.-based company Shades of Color, dedicated to beautiful and unique gifts by black artists. The company specializes in fundraising and entrepreneurship for black schools, churches, and more. See these gifts in the store including canvas totes, mugs, and stationary celebrating African American splendor! |
Jigsaw
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Reading Group Selection
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Tuesday, March 3, at 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.
Join Marissa as she leads our March reading group with The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro.
In post-Arthurian Britain, the wars that once raged between the Saxons and the Britons have finally ceased. Axl and Beatrice, an elderly British couple, set off to visit their son, whom they haven't seen in years. And, because a strange mist has caused mass amnesia throughout the land, they can scarcely remember anything about him. As they are joined on their journey by a Saxon warrior, his orphan charge, and an illustrious knight, Axl and Beatrice slowly begin to remember the dark and troubled past they all share. By turns savage, suspenseful, and intensely moving, The Buried Giant is a luminous meditation on the act of forgetting and the power of memory.
Regular Price: $16.00
On sale for: $13.60
Until Tuesday, March 3
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 9780307455796
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Night Stands
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Nightstands will return next week!
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