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| June 9, 2016 |
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Greetings, Grass Roots Readers,
Need a breather from the occasional heatwave? Stay cool and stop in the store to browse our latest arrivals!
This week's shiny new releases include a venture into military science by the eminent and witty Mary Roach, a new poetry collection by the beloved Wendell Berry, and a jazz album from the late great Allen Toussaint.
Keep scrolling for the reveal of our exciting new reading group selection for August at 15% off for a limited time, see what's on our booksellers' nightstands, and get a sneak peek at author events slated for the summer.
Enjoy your weekend!
~Marissa
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New Hardcovers
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by Mary Roach
[Non-Fiction]
"Roach is a rare literary bird, a best-selling science writer, and her irresistible if often unnerving subject is the human body and how it reacts to all that we put it through, from eating ( Gulp) to sex ( Bonk), space travel ( Packing for Mars), and, in her latest, war. Roach avidly and impishly infiltrates the world of military science to discover what measures are taken to protect combatants against perils ranging from bomb blasts to food poisoning to sleep deprivation. Roach's unerring instinct for astounding stories and her delight in sketching quick and vivid portraits enliven every page. . ." - Booklist, Starred Review
Hardcover; $26.95
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; ISBN: 9780393245448
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by Neil Hayward
[Non-Fiction]
"At the start of 2013, after a fairly disastrous year, Hayward, as always, chose to go birding, this time flying to the birding mecca of southeastern Arizona to sort out his life while adding new birds to his list. So began an accidental Big Year, a quest to find as many bird species as possible during the next 12 months. . .The record of 748 species set in 1998 seemed unbeatable. As we follow Hayward from Key West to Vancouver, the Pribilofs to Texas, we are treated to. . .a wonderful leavening of avian tidbits, and sheer wonder at some of the species he sees. . ." - Booklist, Starred Review
Hardcover; $28.00
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA; ISBN: 9781632865793
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by Wendell Berry
[Poetry]
More than 35 years ago, when the weather allowed, Wendell Berry began spending his sabbaths outdoors, walking and wandering around familiar territory, seeking a deep intimacy only time could provide. These walks arranged themselves into poems and each year since he has completed a sequence dated by the year of its composition. This new sequence for 2014 is one of the richest yet. This group provides a virtual syllabus for all of Mr. Berry's cultural and agricultural work in concentrated form. Many of these poems are drawn from the view from a small porch in the woods, a place of stillness and reflection.
Hardcover; $25.00
Publisher: Counterpoint LLC; ISBN: 9781619026162
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by Alexis M. Smith
[Fiction]
"Smith's excellent sophomore effort (after Glaciers) follows struggling journalist Lucie Bowen who, after being deeded ownership of the island cottage of her childhood, returns there to live and regroup [after 20 years]. . .The looming sense of menace ratchet[s] up the novel's suspense. . .[As Lucie] along with forest ranger Carey McCoy and colony leader Sister interact over a weekend on the island, it becomes disturbingly clear that Marrow Island may be having a sinister effect on the dedicated, religious citizen farmers living off the primitive land. . .a thoroughly eerie reading experience capped off with a startling conclusion." - Publishers Weekly
Hardcover; $23.00
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin; ISBN: 9780544373419
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by Jessica Valenti
[Non-Fiction]
Who would I be if I lived in a world that didn't hate women?" In a memoir that Publishers Weekly calls "bold and unflinching," Valenti explores the toll that sexism takes on women's lives, from the everyday to the existential. From subway gropings and imposter syndrome to sexual awakenings and motherhood, Sex Object reveals the painful, embarrassing, and sometimes illegal moments that shaped Valenti's adolescence and young adulthood in New York City. In the tradition of writers like Joan Didion and Mary Karr, Sex Object is a profoundly moving tour de force that is bound to shock and enthrall.
Hardcover; $25.99
Publisher: Dey Street Books; ISBN: 9780062435088
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New Paperbacks
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by Sloane Crosley
[Fiction]
Kezia, Nathaniel, and Victor are reunited at the extravagant wedding of a college friend. Now at the tail end of their twenties, they arrive absorbed in their own lives, but soon slip back into old roles: Victor loves Kezia. Kezia loves Nathaniel. Nathaniel loves Nathaniel. When they learn of a valuable necklace that disappeared during the Nazi occupation of France, they embark on a madcap adventure to locate it, learning some valuable lessons along the way. The Clasp is a story of friends struggling to fit together now that their lives haven't gone as planned and learning to separate the real from the fake.
Paperback; $16.00
Publisher: Picador USA; ISBN: 9781250097217
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by Erika Swyler
[Fiction]
"Long Island librarian Simon Watson knows loss. His mother purposely drowned herself and his father died a few years later. The little sister he had to raise ran off and now contacts him only infrequently. One day Simon receives an unsolicited book in the mail, posted from a book dealer, [which] documents some previous suicides by drowning dating back to the early nineteenth century. . .More sleuthing turns up the startling information that these doomed women were, in fact, ancestors of his mother. . .Simon then has to figure out if this family curse will claim his sister's life as well. . ." - Booklist
Paperback; $15.99
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; ISBN: 9781250055637
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by Elizabeth Bard
[Non-Fiction]
Ten years ago, New Yorker Elizabeth Bard followed a handsome Frenchman up a spiral staircase to a love nest in the heart of Paris. Now, with a baby on the way, Elizabeth takes another leap of faith with her husband when they move to Provence and open an artisanal ice cream shop. Filled with enticing recipes such as stuffed zucchini flowers, fig tart, and honey-and-thyme ice cream, Picnic in Provence is the story of everything that happens after the happily ever after. With wit, humor, and a scoop of wild strawberry sorbet, Bard reminds us that life -- in and out of the kitchen -- is a rendezvous with the unexpected.
Paperback; $15.99
Publisher: Back Bay Books; ISBN: 9780316246170
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by Neil Gaiman
[Fiction]
Published in 1997, Neil Gaiman's darkly hypnotic first novel, Neverwhere, heralded the arrival of a major talent and became a touchstone of urban fantasy. Now Gaiman's preferred edition of his classic novel reconciles these works and reinstates a number of scenes cut from the original published version. Neverwhere is the story of Richard Mayhew, a young London businessman with a good heart and an ordinary life, which is changed forever when he discovers a girl bleeding on the sidewalk. He stops to help her an act of kindness that plunges him into a world he never dreamed existed.
Paperback; $15.99
Publisher: William Morrow & Company; ISBN: 9780062459084
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New For Young Readers
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by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
[Fiction]
Ages 9 to 14
 For 12-year-old Emily, the best thing about moving to San Francisco is that it's the home city of her literary idol: Garrison Griswold, book publisher and creator of the online sensation Book Scavenger (a game where books are hidden in cities all over the country and clues to find them are revealed through puzzles). Then Emily learns that Griswold has been attacked and is now in a coma. Racing against time, Emily and her new friend James rush from clue to clue, desperate to figure out the secret at the heart of Griswold's new game before those who attacked Griswold come after them too.
Paperback; $7.99
Publisher: Square Fish; ISBN: 9781250079800
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New Bargain Books
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New Music
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Allen Toussaint
American Tunes
Jazz
The great New Orleans composer and pianist passed away last year at age 77. This posthumous record features small ensemble arrangements of tunes like "Big Chief," "Southern Nights," "American Tune," and more.
($18.98)
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Brandy Clark
Big Day In a Small Town
Pop/Folk
The country writer's debut 12 Stories record won critical accolades and awards. Her follow-up features more smart country and Americana songs about small town life.
($13.98)
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Colvin & Earle
Colvin & Earle
Pop/Folk
For the first time, Shawn Colvin and Steve Earle come together on one album. Their CD features co-written originals as well as covers, with the singers sharing vocals on all tracks.
($15.98)
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Joan Baez
75th Birthday Celebration
Pop/Folk
As featured on Public TV, the iconic singer-songwriter celebrates her birthday at New York's Beacon Theatre. Baez is joined on this live set by famous friends like Paul Simon, Mavis Staples, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and more.
($18.98)
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Events at Grass Roots
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Susan Conrad
 Friday, June 17, at 7:00 p.m.
Grass Roots Books & Music
227 SW 2nd St.
Corvallis, OR
Inside: One Woman's Journey Through the Inside Passage is a plucky adventure memoir of the sea and soul told by a woman on a big adventure in a small boat along the coast of western North America. In Spring 2010, with her world scaled down to an 18-foot sea kayak and the 1,200 mile ribbon of water called the Inside Passage, Susan Conrad launched a journey that took her north to Alaska. On the way, she forged friendships, lived her dream, and discovered the depths of her own strength and courage.
Susan Marie Conrad grew up on a small farm near Woodbourne in upstate New York. By dint of exploring the mountains of Colorado, Oregon, and Montana, she eventually discovered the dynamic and addictive environment of coastal British Columbia and Washington State, where she thrives as an adventure-seeker. Susan is a writer, photographer, personal trainer, kayak instructor, and outdoor enthusiast. The author will be reading and signing books at this event.
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Bill C. Hall
Wednesday, June 22 at 7:00 p.m.
Grass Roots Books & Music
227 SW 2nd St.
Corvallis, OR
McCallandia is a novel that imagines a world where Oregon's colorful, iconic Governor, Tom McCall, becomes president of the United States. In the pages of McCallandia, you'll visit a world where Tom McCall is Richard Nixon's successor. President McCall brings his unique style, candor, and environmental ethic to Washington, and the world changes. For the better. McCallandia features an outside cast of supporting characters, including Hunter Thompson, Ken Kesey and Steve Prefontaine. Publisher Matt Love calls McCallandia "The best political novel ever written about Oregon."
McCallandia is the first novel by Lincoln County Commissioner Bill Hall, who, like Tom McCall, made the transition from journalism to politics. Bill is a native Oregonian and met Tom McCall in 1978, when he volunteered for his ill-fated comeback campaign. Hall lives in Newport. The author will be reading and signing books at this event.
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Barbara Quinn
Wednesday, June 29 at 7:00 p.m.
Grass Roots Books & Music
227 SW 2nd St.
Corvallis, OR
Quinn-Essential Nutrition is your trustworthy manual for eating -- and enjoying! -- healthful food as you live your life in the real world. Inspired by her widely distributed newspaper column, Quinn On Nutrition, registered dietitian Barbara Quinn thoughtfully unpacks and delivers reliable answers to over 100 current nutrition topics. From pregnancy to old age, sports to diabetes, Quinn-Essential Nutrition is your user guide to healthful eating -- no matter what your circumstance.
Barbara Quinn, MS, RDN, CDE is a registered dietitian nutritionist and certified diabetes educator affiliated with the Diabetes and Nutrition Therapy program at Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula. Quinn is also certified Health and Wellness coach. The author will be reading and signing books at this event.
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Maximilian Uriarte
Monday, July 18 at 7:00 p.m.
Grass Roots Books & Music
227 SW 2nd St.
Corvallis, OR
The White Donkey is the first graphic novel about the war in Iraq written and illustrated by a veteran. Originally funded by a Kickstarter campaign that received major national news coverage and went viral on social media, Uriarte's first printing of 3,000 paperback copies sold out in 36 hours and has been unavailable since then. Little, Brown and Company has now re-released the book in a new, hardcover edition. A vivid and moving look at war and PTSD, The White Donkey follows young Marines as they experience the ugly, pedestrian, and often meaningless side of military service in rural Iraq.
Maximilian Uriarte enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 2006 at the age of nineteen and served for four years. In 2010 Uriarte created the popular comic strip Terminal Lance while still on active duty. Uriarte has a bachelor's degree from California College of the Arts. 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 6/10-6/16
-The Lobster -R In a dystopian society, single people must find a mate within 45 days or be transformed into an animal of their choice. The odd kind of movie you love us for. Colin Farrell, John C. Riley, Rachel Weisz.
-Maggie's Plan -R Maggie's plan to have a baby on her own is derailed when she falls in love with John, a married man, destroying his volatile marriage to the brilliant Georgette. Ethan Hawke, Julianne Moore.
-The Meddler -PG-13 The Meddler transcends its cutesy title and familiar premise with a heartfelt look at family dynamics that's honored by a marvelous performances from Susan Sarandon and JK Simmons.
-The Man Who Knew Infinity -PG-13 In 1913 a self-taught Indian mathematics genius forged a bond with his brilliant, eccentric mentor professor at Trinity College, Cambridge. The true story of a friendship that forever changed mathematics. Jeremy Irons, Dev Patel.
-Time to Choose -NR In Oscar-winning director Charles Ferguson's documentary we review the worldwide challenges of climate change and meet the innovators and leaders who work to find a solution. All is not lost! Yet!
*Opens Wednesday, June 15.
Arts/Literary Events
Willamette Writers on the River: Quarterly Reading
Monday, June 20, 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 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.
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Community Events with Grass Roots
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Store News
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Find Waldo Local 2016
 Where's Waldo? In Corvallis, of course! The famous children's book character in the striped shirt and black-rimmed specs is visiting 20 different local businesses throughout our community this July. Those who spot him can win prizes, including stickers, book coupons, gift certificates, and more. From American Dream Pizza to Tried & True Coffee, from The Inkwell Home Store to Grass Roots Books & Music, Waldo figures will be well hidden in local business establishments. Find Waldo is a great summer vacation activity, and a wonderful way for residents to support local business and the Buy Local First movement. The search for Waldo will be from July 1st -31st (all month long). To participate, pick up a "Find Waldo Local in Corvallis!" passport at Grass Roots with the names of all the participating businesses, and then get your passport stamped or signed for each Waldo you spot. The first 100 Waldo seekers to get their passports stamped or signed at 10 or more sites can bring their passports back to Grass Roots to collect prizes. For 18 or more stamps, you'll be entered into a grand prize drawing on August 1, at Grass Roots at 1:30 p.m. This year, participants can also #ColorWaldoAndWin: when you share a completed coloring sheet of Waldo on Instagram, you'll be entered into a drawing to be one of five lucky winners of a deluxe prize pack. Full list of participating businesses:
American Dream Pizza
Animal Crackers
Burst's Chocolates
Fingerboard Extension
Footwise
Francesco's
Gracewinds Music
Grass Roots Books & Music
The Inkwell Home Store
Irene's Boutique
Kaleidoscope Studios (Day Dreamers)
Many Hands Trading
Mod Pod Decor
New Morning Bakery
Northern Star
Peak Sports
Second Glance
Second Glance: The Annex
Second Glance: The Alley
Sedlak's Shoes
Sibling Revelry
The Toy Factory
Tried & True Coffee
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Great gifts for Father's Day
Browse an excellent selection of books and Father's Day cards for your reader dad at Grass Roots! Stop in and let us help you find the perfect gift.
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Jigsaw
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Reading Group Selection
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Tuesday, August 2, at 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.
Join our newest bookseller Donovan as she leads our August reading group with The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt, winner of the Pulitzer Prize. Please note that due to the length of the book, we will take an extra month to read!
Theo Decker, a 13-year-old New Yorker, miraculously survives an accident that kills his mother. Abandoned by his father, Theo is taken in by the family of a wealthy friend. Bewildered by his strange new home on Park Avenue, disturbed by schoolmates who don't know how to talk to him, and tormented above all by his longing for his mother, he clings to the one thing that reminds him of her: a small, mysteriously captivating painting that ultimately draws Theo into the underworld of art. As an adult, Theo moves silkily between the drawing rooms of the rich and the dusty labyrinth of an antiques store where he works. He is alienated and in love -- and at the center of a narrowing, ever more dangerous circle.
Regular Price: $20.00
On sale for: $17.00
Until Tuesday, August 2
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
ISBN: 9780316055444
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Night Stands
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Amber
[Non-Fiction]
It's hard to believe that there is something out there so valuable that people would drop $150,000 to get their hands on it, even kill to get it. What's even harder to believe is that this item is an aquarium fish. Treasured as a status symbol believed to bring good luck, the Asian arowana (dragonfish) is bred on high-security farms in Southeast Asia and sold for ridiculous amounts of money -- both legitimate channels, but also on the black market, in some countries like the U.S. While hundreds of thousands are bred in captivity, the wild fish has become a near-mythical creature ("the mass-produced endangered species"). Voigt unearths a paradoxical truth behind the dragonfish's rise to fame, one that calls into question how we protect the world's rarest species.
Hardcover; $26.00
Publisher: Scribner Book Company; ISBN: 9781451678949
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Mary
(Autographed First Edition!)
by Neil Gaiman
[Non-Fiction]
As a huge fan of Neil Gaiman and his thinking process, I was immediately drawn to this book. But you don't have to be a fan to love it, because A View From the Cheap Seats is for people who love reading and words. This is not a novel but a terrific treasure chest of reviews, introductions, speeches, reflections, predictions, warnings, and recollections from a brilliant man. It shows his depth and wisdom as not only a storyteller, but as a person.
Hardcover; $26.99
Publisher: William Morrow & Company; ISBN: 9780062262264
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