Laurel Book Store 
1423 Broadway,  Oakland, CA 94612
510-452-9232

 

 www.laurelbookstore.com  

[email protected]     

Your neighborhood book store in downtown Oakland.     2-5-15
    

Laurel Book Store
1423 Broadway
Oakland, CA 94612
510-452-9232
Mon - Sat 10-6
Except Event nights and First Fridays
 Sun Closed    Find us on Facebook

 
In This Issue


We can't wait to see
you here!


UPCOMING
EVENTS
click the date for info


2/6 6pm Sarah Van Gelder 
Sustainable Happiness

2/6  7:30 Pam Consear 
Artist's Reception

2/7 Dorothy Hom
4pm (not 3!)

2/17 The Bloom reading with various writers

2/18 Patricia Bracewell 
Power Hour- noon

2/20 Elmaz Abinader
7pm

2/21 Colleen
Patrick-Goudreau

2/27 Reading of Oakland School for the Arts writers

3/4  Miki Kashtan
6pm 


3/7  Kati Hites
Children's event!
11am reading
11:30 workshop for kids 10 and up

3/11  Harvey Smith
Power Hour- noon

3/14   Steven Burchik
5pm

4/15  Vivek Shraya, Amber Dawn, and
Leah Horlick
7pm

4/17   Elana Dykewomon
7pm

4/21 P.E. Chute

4/22 Janet Dawson and Margaret Grace
Mysteries!

4/25  Kate Schatz
11am




Don't forget that Valentine's Day is coming up. Yes, it's still February 14 and that's only two Saturdays away.
Show your valentine that you really get them. Maybe a journal and the Writer's Market. Maybe bath salts and to be left alone for an hour. Maybe a wonderful new novel.
We are here to help.

   

Dear Reader,

    Wow! We are having some fun meeting so many new people and showing off the store to our existing customers!

     And we are delighted to have lots of people attending our events. Each time we host an author we have such a great time and in reaffirms why I am in this business.

 

     It's First Friday, so we have things going on! 

     At 6pm Friday we are honored to host Sarah van Gelder, co-founder and editor in chief of Yes! Magazine. She has edited an incredible book of essays by top thinkers and activists entitled Sustainable Happiness; Live Simply, Live Well, Make a Difference.  Here's your feel good and do good things book of the year.

     At 7:30 we will host an artist's reception for this month's artist Pam Consear. If you haven't been in yet, get here and see her wonderful paintings and mixed media works.  And come by on Friday night to toast creativity.

     And then on Saturday you should come by at 4. Talk about creativity. We'll have Dorothy Hom who has published her first novel at 95 years of age. Seriously, you don't want to miss her.

 

     Finally, yes we will be carrying the new Harper Lee book when it's released in July. We are currently taking preorders on Go Set a Watchman and will keep To Kill A Mockingbird in stock.  

 

     Next week I am lucky enough to be going to Asheville, North Carolina for the tenth annual Winter Institute for booksellers. We attend discussions and network in order to do our jobs better as independent booksellers. I'm very much looking forward to bringing back new ideas, new perspectives and new books! 

 

     And with that, we're on to the books! 

 

Happy reading, 

Luan 

 

 

Flavor Flours by Alice Medrich, $35   I went to a demonstration by Alice Medrich last week for her book Flavor Flours. Wow! She's been a shero of mine for a long time, yes because of Cocolat the shops and, well, chocolate, in general, but also because I think she's one of the best cookbook writers around. And now I know that she's a great speaker and possesses a really creative food mind. Why go at something for what it is not? Rather than create "gluten free" recipes, she is showcasing non-wheat flours that are fabulous and figures out how to use them for baked goods that are really yummy. I love to bake so this appealed to me a great deal. If you want to kick up your baking skills a notch and also make the gluten intolerant in your life happy, this is the book for you.  -Luan

Against the Grain by Nancy Cain $27.50 is no slouch either. Beautiful photos, a wide range of recipes, and easy to obtain ingredients make this book one I want to try out. The best line so far "Gluten-free baking is kind of like having a new baby: There is no lack of unsolicited opinions about what you
should be doing." Plenty of instruction on the basics will help novices as well as seasoned bakers.

It must be lunch time.

Trigger Warning by Neil Gaiman $26.99 is a collection of short fictions and disturbances. Really, it says so on the cover.  This third collection of short fiction by Gaiman includes previously published pieces of short fiction -- stories, verse, and a very special Doctor Who story that was written for the fiftieth anniversary of the beloved series in 2013 -- as well "Black Dog," a new tale that revisits the world of American Gods. Tales from Both Sides of the Brain; A Life in Neuroscience by Michael S. Gazzania $28.99 The brain is hot! In the mid-twentieth century, Michael S. Gazzaniga, "the father of cognitive neuroscience," was part of a team of pioneering neuroscientists who developed the now foundational split-brain brain theory: the notion that the right and left hemispheres of the brain can act independently from one another and have different strengths. In this book, Gazzaniga tells the impassioned story of his life in science and his decades-long journey to understand how the separate spheres of our brains communicate and miscommunicate with their separate agendas. By turns humorous and moving, Tales from Both Sides of the Brain interweaves Gazzaniga's scientific achievements with his reflections on the challenges and thrills of working as a scientist. In his engaging and accessible style, he paints a vivid portrait not only of his discovery of split-brain theory, but also of his comrades in arms-the many patients, friends, and family who have accompanied him on this wild ride of intellectual discovery.

A Memory of Violets; A Novel of London's Flower Sellers by Hazel Gaynor $14.99

In 1912, twenty-year-old Tilly Harper leaves the peace and beauty of her native Lake District for London, to become assistant housemother at Mr. Shaw's Home for Watercress and Flower Girls. For years, the home has cared for London's flower girls-orphaned and crippled children living on the grimy streets and selling posies of violets and watercress to survive. Soon after she arrives, Tilly discovers a diary written by an orphan named Florrie-a young Irish flower girl who died of a broken heart after she and her sister, Rosie, were separated. Moved by Florrie's pain and all she endured in her brief life, Tilly sets out to discover what happened to Rosie. But the search will not be easy. Full of twists and surprises, it leads the caring and determined young woman into unexpected places, including the depths of her own heart.  Commuter book don't you think? Cruising along on BART but your heart is in London......

 

I Am Not a Slut; Slut Shaming in the Age of the Internet by Leora Tanenbaum $15.99

The author of the groundbreaking work Slut! explores the phenomenon of slut-shaming in the age of sexting, tweeting, and "liking." She shows that the sexual double standard is more dangerous than ever before and offers wisdom and strategies for alleviating its destructive effects on young women's lives.

Young women are encouraged to express themselves sexually. Yet when they do, they are derided as "sluts." Caught in a double bind of mixed sexual messages, young women are confused. This is an important issue that needs to be addressed in the larger context of attitudes toward women.

 

Kid President's Guide to being Awesome by Brad Montague & Robby Novak  $21.99  An inspirational first book by the 10-year-old YouTube sensation discusses his dedication to kindness, corn dogs and the everyday joys of life.  And really, what else is there? 


 

Red; A Crayon's Story by Michael Hall $17.99 Red's factory-applied label clearly says that he is red, but despite the best efforts of his teacher, fellow crayons and art supplies, and family members, he cannot seem to do what's expected of him until a new friend offers a fresh perspective. And we can all use a fresh perspective every now and then.

Picture book for 5 and up. 

  Please come to the store through March to see Pam Consear's artwork on our walls. Pam is a painter, mixed media artist, muralist and mosaic artist. Her works here are whimsical, colorful, and a whole lot of fun. We will have a reception for her at 7:30 on Friday, February 6 so come by to meet the artist.

A Contest! We are looking for some book related art to hang in the store on a permanent basis. We have some ideas and are working out the details now.
Take a look here to see what we have in mind.
Are you up for the challenge?
If so, drop us an email and we'll make sure you get the info.
Book Club News   Open to all, drop on in!
 
BOOK GROUP

The monthly book group is suspended until further notice.  If you'd like to know about when we start up again, drop us a line at [email protected].
But keep reading!