March 13, 2008
|  |  | phone: 541-754-7668 address: 227 SW 2nd Street, Corvallis, OR
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| | Five Good Books
| | | | Dreamers of the Day
The Man Who Made Lists: Love, Death, Madness, and the Creation of Roget's Thesaurus
Curse of the Spellmans
The Good Husband of Zebra Drive
Fire to Fire: New and Selected Poems
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Mary Doria Russell
Russell's ( A Thread of Grace) fourth novel is historical fiction that focuses on the years immediately following World War I. When narrator Agnes Shankli finds herself the sole surviving member of her family, she decides to take a trip to Egypt and the Middle East. There, she is swept into the company of several renowned diplomats and spies attending the 1921 Cairo Peace Conference. As Agnes observes the tumultuous inner workings of nation-building, she is drawn into geopolitical intrigue and toward a personal awakening. Mary Doria Russell illuminates the long, rich history of the Middle East with a story that nicely elucidates today’s headlines. Hardcover, $25.00
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group, ISBN-13: 9781400064717
| | | | | | The Man Who Made Lists: Love, Death, Madness, and the Creation of Roget's Thesaurus Joshua Kendall
First published in London in 1852, Roget's Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases has sold almost 40 million copies worldwide. How and why did a physician produce a masterpiece linguistic work? Journalist Kendall provides a very personal answer, namely, that Roget originally pursued his thesaurus to stay mentally occupied despite numerous tragic deaths in his family. Drawing upon letters, diaries, and other family documents, Kendall blends historical research with storytelling. Hardcover, $25.95
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA), ISBN-13: 9780399154621
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Lisa Lutz
In this sequel to Lutz's side-splittingly funny debut novel, The Spellman Files, licensed P.I. Isabel "Izzy" Spellman has been arrested for the fourth time in two months, and no one from her oddball family of fellow investigators will bail her out. To complicate life further, a man with the suspiciously ordinary name of John Brown has moved next door, and Izzy is certain he is hiding an evil secret. Once again, Lutz treats readers to a madcap roller-coaster ride. Hardcover, $25.00
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group; ISBN-13: 9781416532415
| | | | | | The Good Husband of Zebra Drive Alexander McCall Smith
This is the eighth installment in the internationally bestselling series No. 1 Ladies’ Detechive Agency series. When her longtime assistant, Grace Makutsi, suddenly resigns, Ramotswe has her hands full with a trio of cases involving unexplained deaths at a nearby hospital, an allegedly cheating husband, and thievery at a print shop. But the exceedingly wise owner of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency confronts all these situations with compassion, discretion, and her trademark wry Botswanan sense of humor. With tidbits of quiet wisdom sprinkled throughout, The Good Husband of Zebra Drive explores the importance of trust and tolerance. Paperback, $12.95
Publisher: Knopf Publishing Group; ISBN-13: 9781400075720
| | | | | | Fire to Fire: New and Selected Poems Mark Doty
Fire to Fire collects the best of Mark Doty's seven books of poetry, along with a generous selection of new work. Here, one of contemporary American poetry's most lauded, recognizable voices speaks to the crises and possibilities of our times. Doty's subjects — our mortal situation, the evanescent beauty of the world, desire's transformative power, and art's ability to shape human lives — develop across twenty years of poems. His signature style encompasses both the plainspoken and the artfully wrought. Hardcover, $22.95
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers; ISBN-13: 9780060752477
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| For Readers of All Ages
| | | | | Into the Firestorm: A Novel of San Francisco, 1906Deborah Hopkinson (Corvallis author)Recommended for grades 5-8 (208 pages) When his grandmother dies, 12-year-old Nicholas Dray runs away from his Texas orphanage to San Francisco. Upon his arrival, he gets a job in a beautiful stationery store and finally feels safe. But it's April, 1906, and early one morning a devastating earthquake and firestorm ravage the city. Nick must make a difficult decision: escape to safety or stay to help others. Nick's odyssey gives readers vivid glimpses of the disaster's scope, and insight into the range of human response to a sudden catastrophe. Paperback, $5.99
Publisher: Random House Children's Books; ISBN-13: 9780440421290
Deborah Hopkinson is the author of many acclaimed books for young readers, including Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt, Apples to Oregon, and Saving Strawberry Farm.
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| Music
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Kaki King
Genre: Folk/Pop
Innovative guitarist Kaki King earned her reputation with her debut album and unique sound: a John Fahey for her generation. Her next two albums further defined her sound with a band and a few hushed vocals. Dreaming of Revenge is another evolutionary step, with more emphasis on vocals and songwriting.
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Eric Bibb
Genre: Folk/Pop
Bibb is a steel guitarist/vocalist who style spans folk, blues and gospel. For Get On Board, he is joined by friends Bonnie Raitt and Ruthie Foster.
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Charles Lloyd
Genre: Jazz
Veteran saxman and bandleader Lloyd has been consistent in his pursuit of melodic jazz throughout his career. Now 70, Lloyd releases his first live quartet recording, joined by a revamped lineup including young stars Jason Moran on piano and Reuben Rogers on bass. The album is up-tempo and ballad-oriented.
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Anthony Robbins
Genre: New Age
Inspirational speaker Robbins collected these pan-denominational songs and chants to highlight the diversity of spiritual expression in song. Featured artists include Deva Premal, Shaina Noll, Miten and more.
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Shawn Mullins
Genre: Folk/Pop
Austin singer-songwriter Shawn Mullins came to the public attention with the 1998 hit "Lullaby." Mullins sets his evocative character studies to folk arrangements. He shifts from acoustic performances, some with just unplugged guitar, to slightly larger yet still rootsy band productions that change moods without settling into any specific groove.
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| Reviews@Roots
| | | | |  Here's a review submitted by a member of our Grass Roots community. You can submit a review by visiting: www.grassrootsbookstore.com and clicking Reviews@Roots in the navigation menu.
Runemarks
Joanne Harris
Genre: Fiction
Reviewer: Wendolyn Molk  I love Joanne Harris' writing. She lived up to my expectations with Runemarks. Like the Phillip Pullman series, His Dark Materials (Golden Compass), you'll find Runemarks in the kid's section at Grassroots. Do not be fooled. It has plenty of depth and quite a complex, multi-layered plot. There are some delightful characters in Runemarks. You'll be on a first name basis with characters from Norse Mythology — and their personalities (antics in the case of Loki, the trickster) will stay with you. Thank goodness for parents writing books for their children. Joanne Harris wrote this for her daughter Anouchka. Some of my favorite books have come from that inspiration: Winnie the Pooh and Peter Pan, to name a couple. And coming in May, Joanne Harris Fans: The Girl With No Shadow — a book that follows the novel, Chocolat!
Hardcover, $18.99
Publisher: Random House Children's Books; ISBN-13: 9780375844447
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| On Our Nightstands - What We're Reading
| | | | | - Jack - Fourth Uncle in the Mountain: The Remarkable Legacy of a Buddhist Itinerant Doctor in Vietnam by Quang Van Nguyen and Marjorie Pivar
Paperback $15.95 - Sandy - A Life at Work: The Joy of Discovering What You Were Born to Do by Thomas Moore
Hardcover $24.95 - Tiffany - Good Dog. Stay. by Anna Quindlen
Hardcover $14.95 - Linda - Brick Lane by Monica Ali
Paperback $15.00 - Melody - Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
Paperback $6.99
- Anna - Peony in Love by Lisa See
Hardcover $23.95 - Michael - Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future by Bill McKibben
Paperback $14.00
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