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| March 24, 2016 |
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Welcome to spring, Readers,
We hope students, teachers, and others are getting the most out of a break. For us, that means reading for pleasure and taking leisurely time to shop around the fantastic local stores in downtown Corvallis!
Please join us this coming Monday for a reading with author Larry Landis about the history of OSU. And this week in books, take a look at new picks from bestselling authors Timothy Egan and Helen Simonson.
Grass Roots will be closed this Easter Sunday, March 27! Read on for Easter children's books to browse before then...
See you in the store,
~Marissa
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New Hardcovers
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In recognition of this Pulitzer Prize-winning author's lauded career as a master essayist, The Abundance includes the best of Annie Dillard's essays, delivered in her fierce and muscular prose, filled with absorbing detail and metaphysical fact. Intense, vivid, and fearless, her work endows the true and seemingly ordinary aspects of life a commuter chases snowball-throwing children through backyards, a bookish teenager memorizes the poetry of Rimbaud with beauty and irony. These essays invite readers into sweeping landscapes, to join Dillard in exploring the complexities of time and death, often with wry humor. Marking the vigor of this powerful writer, The Abundance highlights Dillard's elegance of mind.
Hardcover; $25.99
Publisher: Ecco Press; ISBN: 9780062432971
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by Helen Simonson
[Fiction]
The bestselling author of Major Pettigrew's Last Stand returns with a breathtaking novel of love on the eve of World War I. Hugh Grange, down from his medical studies, is visiting his Aunt Agatha, who lives with her husband (who works in Foreign Office) in the small, idyllic English town of Rye. Agatha is certain that the recent saber rattling over the Balkans won't come to anything, and is pushing for the appointment of a woman to replace the Latin master. . .Soon the limits of progress, and the old ways, will be tested as this small Sussex town and its inhabitants go to war.
Hardcover; $28.00
Publisher: Random House; ISBN: 9780812993103
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[Non-Fiction]
"Robison's second memoir. . .follows his life after the years recounted in his 2007 memoir, Look Me in the Eye, and reads in many ways like a coming-of-age novel. After Robison was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, he participated in an experimental transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) study, which changed his life. Robison reflects on what he learned while delving into the science behind autism treatment and celebrating the people who were with him through truly difficult moments along a path of self-discovery. . .[ Switched On] contains as much vulnerability and honesty as it does discussions of neuroscience and autism." - Publishers Weekly
Hardcover; $28.00
Publisher: Spiegel & Grau; ISBN: 9780812996890
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by James Anderson
[Fiction]
Ben Jones lives a quiet, hardscrabble life, working as a trucker on Route 117, a little-travelled road in a remote region of the Utah desert. For many of the desert's inhabitants, Ben's visits are their only contact with the outside world, and the only landmark worth noting is a once-famous roadside diner that hasn't opened in years. Ben's routine is turned upside down when he stumbles across a beautiful woman named Claire playing a cello in an abandoned housing development. But specters from her past begin to resurface, with serious and life-threatening consequences. . .What really happened all those years ago at the never-open desert diner?
Hardcover; $26.00
Publisher: Crown Publishing Group (NY); ISBN: 9781101906521
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by Timothy Egan
[Non-Fiction]
 "Egan follows [his] Andrew Carnegie Medal [winning biography], Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher. . .with that of another, orator-soldier Thomas Francis Meagher. The son of a wealthy Irish merchant, Meagher became the courageous public spokesman of the revolutionary, though nonmilitary, Young Ireland movement during the Great Hunger. For that he was first condemned to be drawn and quartered, then reprieved and transported [to] Britain's last penal colony. He escaped and reached San Francisco, where he fired up his fellow Irish immigrants for eventual return to and liberation of their homeland. . .[Egan's] prose flashes and flares. . .to accommodate the astonishing figure that he was." - Booklist, Starred Review
Hardcover; $28.00
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin; ISBN: 9780544272880
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New Paperbacks
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by Nina George
[Fiction]
"Jean Perdu's Literary Apothecary is unique among Paris bookshops, and not just because it's a barge moored on the Seine. Perdu has the uncanny ability to prescribe the perfect book to cure any spiritual malady: heartbreak, loneliness, ennui. But for 21 years -- ever since the woman he loved walked out of his life -- Perdu has lived an ascetic, routine-filled existence, and he's never opened the farewell letter she left for him. When he's finally compelled to read it, the unexpected contents spur him to hoist his anchor and take the bookstore barge on a trip upriver to Avignon, in search of closure and forgiveness. . ." - Publishers Weekly
Paperback; $16.00
Publisher: Broadway Books; ISBN: 9780553418798
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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
Paperback; $17.00
Publisher: Broadway Books; ISBN: 9780307408877
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by Vendela Vida
[Fiction]
"What horror is the narrator fleeing as she boards a flight from Miami to Casablanca? Vida's third elegant novel about a solitary, wounded young American woman on a dangerous quest in a foreign land is a gorgeously slippery and covertly cosmic tale about identity, theft, and recovery. As this brooding traveler is checking into her modest hotel, her brand-new backpack is stolen. The ensuing investigation is an absurd tangle of deception and corruption, inducing our besieged narrator to go to another hotel and assume another name. . .Vida's astutely insightful, keenly suspenseful, surreptitiously metaphysical novel demands to be read in a breath-held trance and then plunged into again." - Booklist, Starred Review
Paperback; $14.99
Publisher: Ecco Press; ISBN: 9780062110947
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by Daphne Miller
[Non-Fiction]
"Farmacology is grounded in the principle that human health is deeply linked to agriculture. Family physician Miller explains how sustainable farms serve as a model for a healthy human body: everything is interdependent and balance is paramount. She visits a Sonoma vineyard where the winery's system of integrative pest management offers a paradigm for understanding and treating cancer. Her tour of two chicken farms in Arkansas teaches valuable lessons about stress in poultry and people. A trip to a garden in the Bronx demonstrates the power of preventive medicine derived from urban farming. . .Think like a farmer, and you'll likely cultivate better personal health." - Booklist
Paperback; $16.99
Publisher: William Morrow & Company; ISBN: 9780062103154
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by Naoki Higashida
[Non-Fiction]
"Just thirteen years old, effectively unable to speak, Higashida used a special alphabet grid to compose this slim, informative book, which provides an unprecedented look into the mind of a young person with autism. Constructed in a series of questions and answers, interspersed with short fictional stories, Higashida gallantly attempts to explain why he and others with autism do the things they do, which often confound caretakers and onlookers. He bares his heart by putting forth the questions people ask. . .providing insight into the life of someone with autism. . .The result is a mixture of invaluable anecdotal information, practical advice, and whimsical self-expression. . ." - Publishers Weekly
Paperback; $15.00
Publisher: Random House Trade; ISBN: 9780812985153
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New For Young Readers
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by Katie Haworth
[Fiction]
In a spring garden, the flowers are slowly blooming as the weather warms up. And as the flowers come out, so too do other forms of life, especially those all-important pollinators. . .bees! This companion title to Little Pear Tree is a simple counting book with a difference: as readers count emerging spring flowers from one to 10, by peeking under petals and leaves, they will also discover the same number of bees humming and buzzing about. Among the many delightful flaps, readers will be able to open the petals of a sunflower and turn a vine of rosebuds into an archway of fully bloomed flowers.
Board Books; $14.99
Publisher: Big Picture Press; ISBN: 9780763685317
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New Bargain Books
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| Check back next week for featured titles! |
New Music
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Events at Grass Roots
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Lawrence A. Landis
Monday, March 28, at 7:00 p.m.
Grass Roots Books & Music 227 SW 2nd St. Corvallis, OR
A School for the People tells the story of OSU's nearly 150 years as a land grant institution through more than 500 photographs, maps, documents, and extensive captions. Written by longtime archivist Larry Landis, it tells the full, dynamic story of this multifaceted and living university.
Landis has been an archivist at Oregon State University since 1991. Since 2011, he has served as director of the Libraries' Special Collections & Archives Research Center. He has researched many aspects of OSU's history, particularly its built environment. The author will be reading and signing books at this event.
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Wayne Harrison
Wednesday, April 6, at 6:00 p.m.
Grass Roots Books & Music
227 SW 2nd St.
Corvallis, OR
Wayne Harrison's short stories have appeared in Best American Short Stories 2010, The Atlantic, Narrative Magazine and on NPR's All Things Considered. He is the recipient of a Maytag fellowship, an Oregon Literary fellowship and a Fishtrap writing fellowship. His short story collection Wrench was a finalist for the Serena McDonald Kennedy Award, the Spokane Prize and the Iowa Short Fiction Award. The Spark and the Drive is his debut novel. This event is sponsored by OSU Office of the Provost. The author will be reading and signing books at this event. Reception with hors d'oeuvres and wine, catered by Valley Catering, to follow.
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Lorraine Anderson
Saturday, April 9, at 2:00 p.m.
Grass Roots Books & Music
227 SW 2nd St.
Corvallis, OR
Earth & Eros combines words and photographs to inspire readers to deepen their connection with the wild earth and with their own capacity for reverence. Intended as an antidote to an age obsessed with speed, screens, and machines, the book brings together previously published prose and poetry -- by such authors as Terry Tempest Williams, Gary Snyder, Sherman Alexie, D. H. Lawrence, and Pablo Neruda -- with fine art landscape photographs to explore the sacred erotic dimension of humans' relationship to the earth.
Lorraine Anderson is a freelance writer and editor in Corvallis with a longstanding interest in creating a culture grounded in a reciprocal relationship with nature. The author will be reading and signing books at this event.
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Community Events
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Darkside Show Times for 3/25-3/31
-Embrace of the Serpent -NR Embrace of the Serpent features the encounter, apparent betrayal and finally life-affirming friendship between an Amazonian shaman (the last survivor of his people) and two foreign scientists. 99% ON RT!
-The Last Man on the Moon -NR The Last Man on the Moon takes a justifiably reverent look at a largely unexplored chapter in the history of American space exploration -- and a side of astronaut's lives that's rarely considered.
-The Confirmation -R A quiet weekend turns into an adventure when a down-on-his-luck carpenter (Clive Owen) and his 8-year-old son (Jaeden Lieberher) search for the thieves that stole the man's toolbox. Stars Maria Bello, Patton Oswalt, Tim Blake Nelson, Matthew Modine.
-Hail, Caesar! -PG-13 Joel and Ethan Coen's all-star comedy Hail, Caesar! is set in Hollywood's Golden Age. Stars Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Alden Ehrenreich, Ralph Fiennes, Jonah Hill, Scarlett Johansson, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, and Channing Tatum.
-Where to Invade Next -R This is an expansive, rib-tickling, and subversive comedy in which Michael Moore, playing the role of "invader," visits a host of nations to learn how the U.S. could improve its own prospects. Turns out the solutions to America's most entrenched problems already existed in the world -- they're just waiting to be co-opted.
-Lady in The Van -PG-13 Based on the true story of Miss Shepherd (played by a magnificent Maggie Smith), a woman of uncertain origins who "temporarily" parked her van in Bennett's London driveway and proceeded to live there for 15 years.
Arts/Literary Events
Reviewed by Margaret Manoogian; sponsored by Friends of the Library
Wednesday, April 13, 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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Thursday, March 31, at 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Corvallis-Benton County Public Library
645 NW Monroe Ave.
Corvallis, OR
Book launch and celebration for Forest Under Story, with readings by Charles Goodrich (Director of the Spring Creek Project at OSU), Jeff Fearnside, John Campbell, and Fred Swason, slideshow of forest images by photographer Bob Keefer, and live music composed by Justin Ralls. Michael Nelson will emcee. Forest Under Story is a new anthology of selected works from the Long-Term Ecological Reflections program that showcases the insights of the program's thoughtful and important encounters among writers, scientists, and place. Grass Roots will be selling books at this event.
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Store News
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Children's spring and Easter books
Easter Sunday is this weekend, and our children's section is bright with the season of celebrating new life, from blooming gardens to baby animals. Hop down to the store to peep our display of the best spring books for little ones!
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Jigsaw
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Reading Group Selection
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Tuesday, April 5, at 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.
Join Née as she leads our April reading group with The Tale of the Dueling Neurosurgeons by Sam Kean.
Early studies of the functions of the human brain used a simple method: wait for misfortune to strike -- strokes, seizures, infectious diseases, lobotomies, horrendous accidents -- and see how the victim coped. In many cases survival was miraculous, and observers could only marvel at the transformations that took place afterward, altering victims' personalities. But a few scientists realized that these injuries were an opportunity for studying brain function at its extremes. With lucid explanations and incisive wit, Sam Kean explains the brain's secret passageways while recounting forgotten stories of common people whose struggles, resiliency, and deep humanity made modern neuroscience possible.
Regular Price: $17.00
On sale for: $14.45
Until Tuesday, April 5
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
ISBN: 9780316182355
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Night Stands
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by Claire Fuller
[Fiction]
A powerful debut from a rising author, published by Portland purveyor of fine literary works, Tin House Press. The narrative, which follows the days of a kidnapped girl who lives in the woods, seems a simple premise on the surface, but there is much more at work beneath the layers of Fuller's sophisticated, breathtakingly wrought prose. It is a deeply emotional story of human resilience and the way our own imaginations can act as our best survival instinct. It is also a gripping horror story I couldn't put down, and it lingered with me long after I did.
Paperback; $15.95
Publisher: Tin House Press; ISBN: 9781941040010
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by Helen Macdonald
[Non-Fiction]
Devastated by her father's unexpected death, Helen Macdonald -- fascinated by hawks since childhood and already an experienced falconer -- sees the fierceness of the goshawk as akin to her own wild grief. She buys a goshawk and begins to train it, using T.H. White's book, The Goshawk, for guidance. As she works to tame the bird she calls Mabel, Macdonald explores the ancient sport of falconry, the life of T.H. White, natural history, and her own bereavement. In doing so, and in her incandescent writing, she shares with us the deep connection between humanity and the wildness of nature.
Paperback; $16.00
Publisher: Grove Press; ISBN: 9780802124739
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