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January 16, 2014
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Greetings!


Hi readers.  We hope you're enjoying whatever book you're reading.  We're keeping busy over here with the day-to-day: shelving, helping readers find good reads, writing email newsletters, trying not to bask in this tragic but lovely weather.

In today's newsletter we present nine new books worthy of your attention.  Plus six in-store author events, including two you'd be nuts to miss.

Also, our 2014 calendars are now on sale for 50% off, so shop early for the best selection. 

AND, we're getting ready for the first ever California Bookstore Day: May 3, 2014.  You MUST see the authors and teasers below.  Then save the date!

And remember, our partnership with Kobo allows you to read eBooks on any device (except Kindle).  Sign up here, and Green Apple will forever get half of the profits from your eBook purchases.

Read on!
Book of the Month
Each month, we pick a book that is guaranteed to please, a book we're passionate about, a book you shouldn't do without.  This month's pick is brought to you by Nick, and it's backed up by some pretty amazing reviews elsewhere, too.  We have a few signed copies left, too, so act fast!

In On Such a Full Sea we are plunged into a futuristic America where Chinese communities spring up in abandoned cities like B-Mor after environmental catastrophe renders much of China uninhabitable. The residents of B-Mor, sealed off from the crime-infested "outside counties," live in relative peace, with no reason to disturb the status quo. Until Fan, a diver in the tanks that house B-Mor's fish supply, sets off to find her missing lover. This is Fan's story: part myth, part dystopian tale, part love story. Chang-rae Lee's lyrical novel immerses you in a world that captivates the imagination and like the best dystopian tales, forces you to reconsider the political and environmental tides washing against the contemporary world. --npb
New Books We Think You'll Like  

Demon Camp: a Soldier's Exorcism by Jennifer Percy (Scribner) 

     

This is the harrowing story of Caleb Daniels, a traumatized veteran who lost his best friend and seven members of his unit in Afghanistan. Upon returning home to the U.S., Daniels finds himself haunted by ghosts of his fellow soldiars and, in a twist that seems to come out of gothic fiction, a demon he calls "The Black Thing." Percy's riveting tale follows Daniels to a remote camp in Georgia, where exorcists work to free soldiers from the wounds of war... This is a fascinating glimpse into modern day America.

 

Buy Death Camp in-store or online. 

 
Radiance of Tomorrow by Ishmael Beah (Sarah Crichton Books)

 

At the center of Radiance of Tomorrow are Benjamin and Bockarie, two longtime friends who return to their hometown, Imperi, after the civil war. The village is in ruins, the ground covered in bones. As more villagers begin to come back, Benjamin and Bockarie try to forge a new community by taking up their former posts as teachers, but they're beset by obstacles: a scarcity of food; a rash of murders, thievery, rape, and retaliation; and the depredations of a foreign mining company intent on sullying the town's water supply and blocking its paths with electric wires. As Benjamin and Bockarie search for a way to restore order, they're forced to reckon with the uncertainty of their past and future alike.   With the gentle lyricism of a dream and the moral clarity of a fable, Radiance of Tomorrow 
is a powerful novel about preserving what means the most to us, even in uncertain times. 
   
Buy Radiance of Tomorrow in-store or online.

 

The Time Regulation Institute by Ahmet Hamdi Tanpinar (Peguin Classics)  

 

Called by Orhan Pamuk the "most remarkable author in modern Turkish literature," Ahmet Hamdi Tanpinar has only in the past few years been introduced to the English-speaking world. The Time Regulation Institute is his masterpiece: a satire on the efforts of bureaucrats to drag the old world (kicking and screaming) into modernity. Full of eccentric characters and a narrator you'll immediately fall for, this is a wild romp.   

 

Buy The Time Regulation Institute in-store or online. 

 

The New York Times did a cover story last week on the story behind this book--a group of political activists who broke into an FBI office in Pennsylvania in 1971 and made off with secret files that proved that J. Edgar Hoover had created and was operating his own shadow Bureau of Investigation. They released the documents to the media, then disappeared, and the crime was never solved until one of the perpetrators came forth with the story.


Buy The Burglary in-store or online.

The Light and the Dark by Mikhail Shishkin (Quercus)

Mikhail Shishkin is a great writer. He's a great Russian writer, which seems even more impressive, since he's writing in the shadow of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky. That he manages to shine is a testament to his talent. The Light and the Dark is a profound and affecting meditation, told through a series of letters, on the nature of love, war, and loss.

Buy The Light and the Dark in-store or online.

The Mongolian Conspiracy by Rafael Bernal (New Directions)

Richard Stark's Parker meets Raymond Chandler's Marlowe in the character of Filiberto Garcia, a garrulous hit man on the payroll of the Mexico City police department whose job is to make troublesome people disappear. The Mongolian Conspiracy involves some convoluted international intrigue, but the real reason to read this book is to spend time with one of the more entertaining fictional narrators you will encounter.

Buy The Mongolian Conspiracy in-store or online.

Don't be fooled by the unassuming packaging of Where You Are. Inside this box are 16 personal maps that illuminate and stretch the boundaries of cartography. With contributions by Sheila Heti, Geoff Dyer, Alain de Botton, Tao Lin, Leanne Shapton, and others.

Buy Where You Are in-store or online.
 
A Short Guide to a Long Life by Dr. David Agus (Simon and Schuster)

Did one of your New Year's resolutions involve taking better care of yourself? Well, you might start with this slim tome. Here, the author of The End of Illness offers a practical and concise illus�trated handbook for everyday living. Dr. Agus believes optimal health begins with our daily habits. He offers answers to many common and not-so-common questions: Who should take a baby aspirin daily? Are flu shots safe? What constitutes "healthy" foods? Why is it important to protect your senses? Are airport scanners hazardous? Dr. Agus will help you develop new patterns of personal health care using inexpensive and widely accessible tools that are based on the latest and most reliable science.

Buy A Short Guide to Long Life in-store or online.

This new, revised edition of McAlester's classic guide to American residential architecture is wonderful. The book--packed with photographs and blueprints, as well as informative descriptions and thumbnail histories--leaves nothing wanting. Covers everything from Dutch Colonial to New Traditional, along with a look at the sadly uncommon Octagonal house, this is a great addition to any architecture enthusiast's library.

Buy the Field Guide in-store or online.
Author Events
Here are our upcoming author events.  We strongly encourage you to come out and support live literature.  We're especially excited by local author Michelle Richmond's launch party and a visit from the inimitable (and downright dreamy) Willie Vlautin.  Click through for more details on any event.

January 22: Moazzam Sheikh, details here.
 
Join us in the Granny Smith Room on Wednesday, January 22nd at 7:00 p.m. as we welcome Moazzam Sheikh, who will be reading from his newest book Caf� Le Whore and Other Stories.

January 28: Ronald Isetti, details here.

Join us on Tuesday, January 28th at 7:00 p.m. in the Granny Smith Room to hear Ron Isetti reading from his new book On Those Promising Shores of the Pacific: A History of Saint Mary's College.

February 4: Michelle Richmond launch party! Details here.

Please join us on Tuesday, February 4th as we welcome Michelle Richmond for a reading and book signing in the Granny Smith Room at 7:00 p.m. 

 

"Mesmerizing and intricate, Richmond's dissection of California on the violent brink of secession from the nation provides the backdrop for her deeper inspection of the uneasy, fragile relationship between siblings." - Booklist, starred review

February 6: Dan Coshnear, details here

Join us on Thursday, February 6th in the Granny Smith Room at 7pm as we welcome Daniel Coshnear as he reads from his newest book Occupy & Other Love Stories

February 8: Willy Vlautin, details here

Join us on Saturday, February 8th in the Granny Smith Room at 7:00 p.m. as we welcome one of our favorite authors Willy Vlautin, who will be reading from his latest book The Free.

 

"Courageous, powerful, and mercifully refreshing, The Free is nothing less than an affirmation, that rare novel about lost souls which dares to be hopeful in the face of despair. Vlautin's hard knock characters will break your heart with their humanity and grace." - Jonathan Evison, author of The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving

February 11: John Ralston, details here

Please join us in the Granny Smith Room on Tuesday, February 11th as we host John Ralston.  He'll read from his newest book Fremont Older & the 1916 S.F. Bombing: A Tireless Crusade for Justice out from History Press West.
Calendar and Holiday Card blowout!
Hey procrastinators and 2014 holiday early birds!

All our 2014 calendars are 50% off
and
all our boxed holiday cards are only $1.98/box

They're in the annex (520 Clement).
California Bookstore Day
artwork not final
The first-ever California Bookstore Day (CBD) will be held here, and at 90+ other California bookstores, on May 3, 2014.  We will be offering 13 books and items that you can't get anywhere elseNot online, not in New York, not ever again.  We'll also celebrate the day with assorted merriment (details to come).  And Dave Eggers will be on hand to help us celebrate.

The line-up includes:
  • a signed and numbered custom edition of a George Saunders graduation speech
  • a box set with all new covers of four classic California novels by John Fante, Charles Bukowski, Armistead Maupin, and Elmore Leonard
  • a collection of 3-panel book reviews by San Francisco artist Lisa Brown, signed and numbered (with an intro by Mo Willems!) 
  • a joke book for kids with contributions from Jon Scieszka, Todd Parr, Lemony Snicket, Karen Cushman and 50 other children's writers and illustrators
  • a CBD-only edition of a Neil Gaiman short story based on Sleeping Beauty 
  • an original Lemony Snicket print about books (signed and numbered) 
  • a signed lithograph from The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
  • a gorgeous Literary Map of California created by the Sunset's Three Fish Studios
  • a spiral recipe stand from Michael Pollan
  • a punk rock writer's journal from local artist Wendy MacNaughton
  • a Don DeLillo graffiti stencil
  • a collection of California writers on (literally) fantastic bookstores from McSweeney's
  • a tote bag using the text of Dave Eggers's Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius as the art (below) 

Save the date; tell your book-loving friends; and plan to come early, as all quantities are very limited.  

 

 

 

Thanks for reading.
 
Sincerely,
 
Pete et al
Green Apple Books and Music
415-387-2272