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That you can order books 24/7 on our website? Select "pay in store/pick up in store," and we'll notify you when they're ready for you to pick up!
That we happily gift wrap any of your purchases from us at no additional charge?
That our gift certificates never expire? If we don't expire, they don't expire!
That more than almost anything else we love helping you choose just the right gift? So don't hesitate to ask for ideas if you're stuck.
That we are long-time supporters of local literary and educational activities?
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Sunday
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Broadway Books
A Great Little Store with Great Big Service
August 2013 Newsletter
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Greetings!
It's August already! We're feeling like putting our feet up and relaxing with a cold beverage and a great book. If you provide the beverage, we'll offer up some great ideas for summer reading in this newsletter.
Normally, we take a breather in August and don't schedule any evening events, but we are making an exception this month because we were made an offer we couldn't refuse. Below you will find information about Alan Wieder's appearance on August 20. You'll also find a sneak peek of some of the events we have lined up for the Fall, and we introduce you (with a little extra incentive) to a new series of international noir - crime fiction so good it ought to be illegal!
This month we're launching our Who's Reading What series, which will introduce one of our staff members each month and tell you a bit about what they're reading and have liked lately. Given that our staff recommendations shelf is one of the most popular displays in the store, we're hoping you enjoy this series. And, who knows? We may expand it to include customers who are willing to share their favorite books! Anybody interested?
We're also launching a new weekly surprise sale - play with us on Twitter and Facebook to grab a discount on a great book. Finally, as always, we'll leave you with some new books in hardcover and paperback.
Roberta Dyer and Sally McPherson
Broadway Books, 1714 NE Broadway, Portland, OR 97232
(503) 284-1726
bookbroads@qwestoffice.net |
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Tuesday, August 20th, 7 pm: Alan Wieder: Ruth First and Joe Slovo in the War Against Apartheid
Alan Wieder will be with us to present his newly published book, Ruth First and Joe Slovo in the War Against Apartheid (Monthly Review Press). Many Americans are not familiar with this story, and with Nelson Mandela so much on our minds these days, we feel this timely book is important. Ruth First and Joe Slovo, husband and wife, were leaders of the war to end apartheid in South Africa. Communists, scholars, parents, and uncompromising militants, they were the perfect enemies for the police state. Together they were swept up in the growing resistance to apartheid, and together they experienced repression and exile. Their contributions to the liberation struggle are undeniable.
This book, the first extended biography of the couple, is a remarkable account of the revolutionary moment in which they lived. In her foreword, Nadine Gordimer says, this is "a truly remarkable work. Alan Wieder shows himself as a writer equal to their life story, their inspiring bravery in action and self-analysis". Alan Wieder is an oral historian who lives in Portland. He is distinguished professor emeritus at the University of South Carolina and also has taught at the University of the Western Cape and Stellenbosch University in South Africa. In the last ten years he has published two books and numerous articles on South Africans who fought agains the apartheid regime. |
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A Sneak Peek at Some Fall Events
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We're lining up lots of store events for September through November, and here are a few highlights:
An incredibly well-balanced and friendly coonhound named Maddie will be here on October 1 with her owner Theron Humphrey to present their picture book, Maddie on Things, and to advocate for the adoption of rescue animals. You will love Maddie!
On October 24, the always popular and indefatigable Matt Love will read from his new work of creative nonfiction, Of Walking in Rain. Matt is an Oregon treasure (Literary Arts agrees, as they gave him the Stewart H. Holbrook Literary Legacy Award in 2009) and we consider his students at Newport High School to be among the luckiest in the state.
And speaking of indefatigable, the one and only Karen Karbo will be presenting her new book, Julia Child Rules: Lessons on Savoring Life on November 14. The latest in Ms. Karbo's series of books about "kick-ass women," this one promises to be every bit as enjoyable as her earlier books on Coco Chanel, Georgia O'Keeffe and Katherine Hepburn.
Also in November, at a date to be determined, we'll have our annual "Book Talk" that so many of you look forward to each year. We'll be talking about our favorite new books, with an eye toward gift-giving. We promise it will be fun. We may drink a little bit of wine.
That's all we have room for but trust us: more events are on the schedule. We'll post the schedule in each month's newsletter and also on our website. We hope you can join us for some of these events.
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We've been fans of Europa books since they began publishing literary fiction in 2004. Started by an Italian couple with extremely good taste, Europa publishes mainly fiction in translation from European languages. The stories are good. The translations are good. The physical books themselves are all printed in the same trade paperback format (with classy French folds) and are a joy to hold in your hands. And even though you probably never heard of the author, you won't be sorry you read one of these gems. Europa is currently promoting their new "World Noir" series, which features the very best in international crime fiction (the series even includes two American authors and two other English language authors).
We have a terrific selection of these titles, and during the month of August, we're offering the "World Noir" books at 20% off. So if you are a mystery fan who is looking to expand your field of vision, now is the perfect time to discover a new favorite author. Perfect summer reading!
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Twitter Tuesday/Facebook Fridays
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Do you follow us on Twitter or Facebook? We're social media mavens (NOT!) and love to tweet and post (although we don't do it very often). We also love following our friends and customers and colleagues. It's a great way to discover new things and connect with people all over the globe as well as people around the corner. So now we're going to give Portlanders even more reason to follow us (we are @bookbroads): Twitter Tuesdays and Facebook Fridays!
Each Tuesday we will post on Twitter a one-day-only, in-the-store-only discount on a book that we love. On Fridays we'll do the same on Facebook. Get in on the action by adding @bookbroads to the list of people you follow on Twitter, and "friend" us on Facebook.! The fun starts on Tuesday, August 6th.
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 This is the first in our series that will profile a Broadway Books staffer. We have chosen to feature Chris Miller this month for a couple of reasons. The first reason is that we love him to pieces, and the second reason is that we are going to be losing him this month. Chris will be spending August in Iceland with his wife Kim and some musician friends (Chris is a member of the band called Harlowe, and some of them will be playing several gigs in Iceland). After August, he is taking an extended leave from our store to have great adventures. A trip to Europe is in the offing. More music and more travel are ahead for Chris in the next few years, although he will still be based in Portland. We're very happy for you and Kim but we'll miss you so much, Chris! You are a "bookbro" of the best kind.
Here's what Chris has to say about three books he loves:
Along with George RR Martin, Patrick Rothfuss is a current King of the Fantasy Epic. What makes his books special is the layered nature of the storytelling. In this first volume of the Kingkiller Chronicle, we get glimpses of the hero's story as a larger-than-life legend juxtaposed beautifully with the matter-of-fact truths behind the legend. There's also a wizard school, for fans who miss being at Hogwarts.
I always like a story that depicts the game of baseball with love and reverence. What makes this book by Chad Harbach special is its small cast of characters. We see good people's dreams become threatened and broken, and then we see that those dreams were only a sliver of who they were, and who they could become.
George Saunders' most recent collection of short stories showcases a mastery of the form. The internal dialogue of his characters does well to illustrate the wide ranging neurosis of our inner lives. These stories are funny and wise, showing that even the harshest of critiques can be coupled with compassion.
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 David Rakoff's previous book, Half Empty, won the Thurber Prize for American Humor in 2011. His finished his newest book last August, just before he died at age forty-seven.This poignant, beautiful, witty, and wise novel in verse leaps cities and decades as Rakoff sings the song of an America whose freedoms can be intoxicating, or brutal. Rakoff's insistence on beauty and the necessity of kindness in a selfish world raises the novel far above mere satire. NPR (where we once reveled in Rakoff's essays on "This American Life") says "Rakoff marries deft, humane observation with jauntily tripping verse structure - in places, you'll find yourself thinking of Dr. Seuss - to create a series of jewel-toned interlocking miniatures." |
 The cat's out of the bag on this "debut" detective novel: it was in fact written by J.K. Rowling, she of Harry Potter fame. PI Cormoran Strike lost a leg to a land mine in Afghanistan. He is down to one client, and the creditors are calling. He has also just broken up with his girlfriend and is living in his office. Then he happens upon the case of the death of supermodel Lula Landry, known to her friends as the Cuckoo. The police have ruled it a suicide, but her brother thinks it's murder and hires Strike to uncover the truth.
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 We won't be hosting Maddie at the store until October 1, but we just can't wait til then for you to see this marvelous book about a sweet-tempered rescued coonhound who can balance on anything. Humphrey traveled around the country for a year - covering 65,000 miles - photographing Maddie doing what she does best: standing on things. From bicycles and basketball nets to grocery carts and garbage cans, Maddie does her thing across the country.
"Maddie taught me that I should wake up every day and be grateful. She taught me that committing to something and sticking to it is how we grow. But most of all, she taught me that standing on things, everyday objects, can be incredible. She's my best friend and I wouldn't trade our time together for anything." How can you resist?
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 New York Times bestselling author Michael Paterniti found himself in a cave dug in a hillside in Spain, listening to a larger-than-life Spanish cheesemaker named Ambrosio Molinos de las Heras as he spun an odd and compelling tale about a piece of cheese. Shortly thereafter he relocated his young family to Guzm�n to chase the truth about this cheese and explore the fairy tale-like village. Equal parts mystery and memoir, travelogue and history, The Telling Room offers a moving exploration of happiness, friendship, and betrayal. And cheese.
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 James Lee Burke's Dave Robicheaux mystery series is one of our most popular. The twentieth book in the series featuring the Louisiana sheriff, Light of the World takes place in Montana, where he and his long-time friend and partner Clete Purcel are vacationing. A hellbent death-row inmate escapes and comes gunning for Robicheaux, his family, and his friends. The book is a powerful meditation on the nature - and smell - of evil from a writer named Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America and a rare winner of two Edgar Awards. |
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Contact Information
Roberta Dyer or Sally McPherson Broadway Books (503) 284-1726 bookbroads@qwestoffice.net |
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