Nobember 29, 2007
|  |  | phone: 541-754-7668 address: 227 SW 2nd Street, Corvallis, OR
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| | Winter's Eve and Grass Roots' Holiday Catalog
| | | | | We’ve been decking the halls all week to start off the holiday season tomorrow night with Winter’s Eve downtown. We’re always open until 9:00 p.m. on Friday nights, so we’ll look forward to greeting reveling shoppers with a store full of carefully chosen books, CDs (including a host of holiday music), stationery items, and unique gifts. As a courtesy, because we’ll be holding a 9-Hour-Sale on Saturday, we’ll start it early for you at 5 p.m. on Friday. Calendars will be 30% off two or more; holiday cards and seasonal music will be 10% off.
Just before Thanksgiving, we inserted our annual Grass Roots’ Holiday Catalog in the Corvallis Gazette-Times. On the back page of the Holiday Catalog is a coupon for 20% off any two or more Catalog titles through 12/03. As a special thank you to our email customers, we’ll have copies of the catalog at the main counter available for the asking, and we’ll extend the coupon through 12/09. The Catalog is full of over 150 of the season’s best reads, chosen by independent booksellers to reflect the tastes of the Pacific Northwest reader. We hope you can join us on Winter’s Eve, and we thank you for bringing your holiday shopping lists to Grass Roots. | | | ^ back to Table of Contents | |
| Children's Books and Seasonal Music
| | | | | We're doing something a bit different in this edition. Publishers typically don't release many new titles this late in the year. So, instead of "Five Good Books," we're providing recommendations on some of our favorite recent children's books. If you're looking for a special gift for a young person in your life, perhaps our suggestions will help. Likewise, our music recommendations are culled from the large list of albums released for this holiday season. Whether your taste leans towards folk, pop, jazz, classical, or Celtic, there's sure to be a CD that's just right for celebratory or contemplative listening. If you need help finding the perfect present, come by and ask the store staff for suggestions. Sincerely,
The GR staff
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| Pop Up and Interactive Books
| | | | Star Wars: A Pop-Up Guide to the Galaxy
Trail: Paper Poetry
How Many? Spectacular Paper Sculptures
The Time Traveler's Journal
| | Star Wars: A Pop-Up Guide to the Galaxy Matthew Reinhart
Renowned paper engineer Matthew Reinhart has designed a thirtieth anniversary commemorative that comes packed with a variety of novelty features - pop-ups, working light sabers, pull tabs, and other interactive activities. This fantastic book will delight Star Wars fans. Hardcover, $32.99
Publisher: Scholastic, Inc., ISBN-13: 9780439882828
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David Pelham
This beautiful book is both a pop-up book and an art book. Follow the silvery trail through an enchanting maze of stunning pop-up landscapes that range from tranquil to mysterious to magical. This sparkling creation by award-winning designer David Pelham will enchant all who journey through its pages. Hardcover, $26.99
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's, ISBN-13: 9781416948940
| | | | | | How Many? Spectacular Paper Sculptures Ron Van der Meer
Each spread features a different shape (square, circle, star, triangle, rectangle) that has been cleverly paper-engineered to form spectacular sculptures. Readers are invited to find and count as many items as they can per spread - shapes within shapes, shapes of different colors, etc. Whether readers search and count or not, the beautiful paper sculptures will fascinate all who see them. Hardcover, $24.99
Publisher: Random House Children's Books; ISBN-13: 9780375842269
| | | | | | The Time Traveler's Journal Ed Masessa, Daniel Jankowski (Illustrator), Lawrence E. Myers (Illustrator), Dan Jankowski (Illustrator)
The time traveler is Lieserl Einstein, fictional daughter of Albert. Lisa was exceptionally brilliant, and harnessed the power of a comet fragment to develop a GCSL device (Galactic Cosmic String Locator) that allowed her to locate cosmic string tendrils and ride them to other time periods. This book is Lisa's journal and a synopsis of her time travels. Hardcover, $24.99
Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.; ISBN-13: 9780545022118
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| Picture Books
| | | | Knut: How One Little Polar Bear Captivated the World
When Dinosaurs Came with Everything
Skippyjon Jones and the Big Bones
Toy Boat
When a Monster Is Born
| | Knut: How One Little Polar Bear Captivated the World Juliana, Isabella, and Craig Hatkoff and Dr. Gerald R. Uhlich
When Knut was born at the Berlin Zoo, his mother, a rescued circus bear, rejected him. Zookeeper Thomas Dorflein adopted and nurtured him, and the story captured the world's attention. Young children will be captivated by this tale and the accompanying photographs. Backmatter includes more information about polar bears and the threat to their survival, as well as a short list of ways children can help alleviate the effects of global warming. Hardcover, $16.99
Publisher: Scholastic, Inc., ISBN-13: 9780545047166
| | | | | | When Dinosaurs Came with Everything Written by Elise Broach, Illustrated by David Small
Just when a little boy thinks he's going to die of boredom from running errands with his mom, something remarkable happens. He discovers that on this day, and this day only, stores everywhere are giving away a very special, LARGE Jurassic prize with any purchase. Broach ( Shakespeare's Secret) and Caldecott Medalist Small's ( So You Want to Be President?) deadpan delivery of a delectably over-the-top premise makes this tall-format picture book a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. Hardcover, $16.99
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's, ISBN-13: 9780689869228
| | | | | | Skippyjon Jones and the Big Bones Judy Schachner
That devilish, irrepressible Skippyjon Jones is back in his fourth adventure, digging up big-time trouble-again! Hardcover, $16.99
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA), ISBN-13: 9780525478843
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Randall de Seve and Loren Long
A boy's handmade toy boat plays the metaphorical role of a child longing for independence. This is a resonant tale with wide appeal. Hardcover, $16.99
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group, ISBN-13: 9780399243745
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Sean Taylor and Nick Sharrat
From the time a monster is born, it faces a lifetime of possible choices. First, it must decide to be a faraway-in-the-forests monster or an under-your-bed monster. Each choice leads to other choices. This subversive monster story explores the hilarious possibilities of "what if...." The illustrations, with gross monsters in otherwise naturalistic settings, add to the humor. Hardcover, $16.95
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press, ISBN-13: 9781596432543
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| Fiction
| | | | You Wish: The Misadventures of Benjamin Bartholomew Piff (#1)
Wishful Thinking: The Misadventures of Benjamin Bartholomew Piff (#2)
George's Secret Key to the Universe
The Hound of Rowan: Book One of The Tapestry
The Book of Time
Cover-Up: Mystery at the Super Bowl
The Mysterious Edge of the Heroic World
Eulalia! A Tale from Redwall
Powers
Evil Genius
| | You Wish: The Misadventures of Benjamin Bartholomew Piff (#1) Jason Lethcoe
Ages 7-11
On his eleventh birthday, Benjamin Bartholomew Piff accidentally makes a wish that sets into a motion a chain of events that threatens to disrupt the balance between the magical realm of wishes and curses. This is a delightful read, with a fast paced plot, horrible bad guys, interesting good guys, espionage, robots, and an epic battle scene. Hardcover, $9.99
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA), ISBN-13: 9780448444963
| | | | | | Wishful Thinking: The Misadventures of Benjamin Bartholomew Piff (#2) Jason Lethcoe
Ages 7-11
Benjamin Bartholomew Piff thought all of his wishes had finally come true — he’s traded in his soggy cot at Pinch’s Home for Wayward Boys for a home at the Wishworks Factory. He’s even been named manager of Kids’ Birthday Wishes. But his spoiled cousin Penelope quickly learns how to get in on the magic, and her wishes are mean. Will Ben and his friends be able to save Candlewick and the Wishworks Factory from Penny’s conniving clutches? Hardcover, $9.99
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA), ISBN-13: 9780448444970
| | | | | | George's Secret Key to the Universe Lucy and Stephen Hawking
Ages 8 and up
What better way to interest young readers in science - and specifically in its relevance to the long-term survival of humankind - than for one of the world's most renowned theoretical physicists to put his subject at the center of a children's book? The authors create two inquisitive, middle-school heroes, then send them on wondrous adventures through time and space. Hardcover, $17.99
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, ISBN-13: 9781416954620
| | | | | | The Hound of Rowan: Book One of The Tapestry Henry H. Neff
Ages 9-12
Max McDaniels lives in the suburbs of Chicago until he discovers a mysterious Celtic tapestry. His discovery leads him to Rowan Academy, a secret school where both great and not-so-great things await him. When Max learns that priceless artworks and gifted children are disappearing, he finds himself in the crossfire of an ancient struggle between good and evil. Hardcover, $16.99
Publisher: Random House Children's Books, ISBN-13: 9780375838941
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Guillaume Prevost
Ages 9-12
The statue, coin, and old book are as dusty as everything else in the Faulkner Antiquarian Bookstore, where 14-year-old Sam Faulkner seeks his father, who's been missing for days. But when Sam slips the coin into the statue, he's swept back in time to Scotland in 800 A.D. It's the first step in an adventure that will take him to ancient Egypt, World War I, even Dracula's castle -- and a mystery that will end only when Sam saves his father, or loses him in time. Hardcover, $16.99
Publisher: Scholastic, Inc., ISBN-13: 9780439883757
| | | | | | Cover-Up: Mystery at the Super Bowl John Feinstein
Ages 9 and up
When teenage reporters Steve and Susan head to Indianapolis to cover the Super Bowl, they uncover a plot to cover up failed drug tests. The third of Feinstein's sports mysteries, after Last Shot (2005) and Vanishing Act (2006), this is a fun read. The pace is brisk, readers get to rub shoulders with sports celebrities, and the story ends with a moral: "The truth will bring the bad guys down." Hardcover, $16.99
Publisher: publisher, ISBN-13: 9780375842474
| | | | | | The Mysterious Edge of the Heroic World E.L. Konigsburg
Ages 10-14
Two boys find themselves caught up in a story that links a sketch, a young boy's life, an old man's reminiscence, and a painful secret dating back to Nazi Germany. This complex work has all the trappings of vintage Konigsburg: articulate children considering the adult world and trying to stake their claim on it; an art history-related mystery; eccentric grown-ups; and, of course, incisive prose. Hardcover, $16.99
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, ISBN-13: 9781416949725
| | | | | | Eulalia! A Tale from Redwall Brian Jacques
Ages 8 and up
Following in the grand tradition of Watership Down, Brian Jacques’ bestselling Redwall books star animals in medieval England who must protect their home against evil. Equal parts enchanting fantasy and morality tale, these stories have captivated readers worldwide. Hardcover, $23.99
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA), ISBN-13: 9780399242090
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Ursula K. Le Guin
Ages 12 and up
A haunting and complex coming-of-age tale from master storyteller Ursula K. Le Guin, this is the third book in the Annals of the Western Shore Sequence, which began with Gifts and continued with Voices. Le Guin's storytelling talents and dry humor shine through, leavening the somberness of its theme: the nature of power. This is an epic story of survival and self-discovery that speaks to the power of hope and new beginnings. Hardcover, $17.00
Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books, ISBN-13: 9780152057701
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Catherine Jinks
Ages 12 and up
With a series of breakneck twists and turns, Jinks's latest novel follows Cadel Piggott, a seven-year-old Australian boy with an incredible mind and a proclivity toward computer hacking. Jinks has created an intricate, well-constructed and layered story. She is a three-time winner of the Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year award and was honored with a Centenary Medal for her contribution to Australian children's literature. Hardcover, $17.00
Publisher: Harcourt, ISBN-13: 9780152059880
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| | Holiday Music
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Jim Brickman $18.95
Genre: New Age
The warmth of Jim Brickman's heartfelt piano music is a perfect fit for the Christmas season. The album offers an engaging mix of piano solos, easily rhythmic instrumental ensemble pieces, and vocals.
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Michael Buble $7.95
Genre: Jazz
The combination of Bublé's Sinatra-like croon and pretty arrangements creates an ambience that will be a cozy addition to any winter evening. The six tracks offer a few tasty appetizers for the yuletide days.
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Josh Groban $18.95
Genre: Classical
Ranging from pop-oriented to lush classical arrangements, this album delivers a delightful variety of approaches to Yultetide favorites. This superbly produced, holiday-themed album is a worthy showcase for Groban's strong voice.
| An Nollaig: An Irish Christmas Eileen Ivers $17.95
Genre: Celtic
Eivers has been described as the "the Jimi Hendrix of the violin" by The New York Times. The album's 11 songs feature Celtic carols and Irish arrangements of traditional holiday music. Susan McKeown contributes vocals.
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Chanticleer $17.95
Genre: Classical
The vocals are pristine and the instrumentals by the Chanticleer Holiday Orchestra are sublime. But what really makes the album stand out are the lovely arrangements.
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| More Holiday Music
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Over the Rhine $16.95
Genre: Folk/Rock
Snow Angel's jazzy, introspective tunes are a meditation on the holiday season and winter. Karin Bergquist is an unusually gifted vocalist, and her vocals here, accompanied by Linford Detweiler's piano, are impeccable.
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Mindy Smith $16.95
Genre: Folk/Rock
In Mindy Smith's first Christmas album, her feathery, coquettish voice is imbued with a smoky sensuality that lends a sensual edge even to spiritually-oriented originals and traditional songs.
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Mannheim Steamroller $18.95
Mannheim Steamroller's first holiday album in six years features the legendary Johnny Mathis singing the "Christmas Song," as well as Olivia Newton-John in "Christmas Lullaby," a beautiful new song penned by Mannheim mastermind Chip Davis. Other selections include dynamic arrangements of the Yuletide favorites "Let it Snow," "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," "Frosty the Snowman," and more.
| Marshmallow World & Other Holiday Favorites Raul Malo $13.95
Genre: Folk/Rock
Raul Malo seemingly thrives on creative eclecticism, and he's clearly delighted to be showing off his many musical moods on his first seasonal album. The album offers proof that Raul Malo is one of the best vocalists at work today.
| Enchanted Christmas Volume 3 Michael Allen Harrison $16.95
Genre: Classical/Jazz
Recognized as a Steinway Signature Artist, Harrison has built a reputation as a prolific and stylistically multifaceted pianist. In this solo piano album, he plays a collection of original and beloved Christmas Carols, and three magical arrangements of classical masterpieces. | | | ^ back to Table of Contents | |
| Upcoming Events
| | | | | Saturday, December 1st, 4pm, Grass Roots
The Art of Travel with a Sketchbook: Six Steps to Get Started by Mari Le Glatin Keis Traveling with a sketchbook is not about doing “good” drawings or paintings. Traveling with a sketchbook is about taking visual notes, being in the moment and letting the hand record what the eyes see with whatever tool you have available, without judgment, rules or recipes. Words, brush strokes, lines, colors, collages… "In sketching there is no right or wrong, no desire to achieve, no pressure, no expectations. There is only you capturing the moment, wherever you are, in a faraway land or in your backyard." Mari will talk about discovering a way to explore new surroundings and cultures by taking time sketch what you see. All you need are your hands, your eyes and the desire to travel differently. For more information, visit artraveljournals.com.
Monday, December 3rd, 7pm, Grass Roots
More Sand in My Bra : Funny Women Write from the Road, Again! with contributions by Corvallis' own C. Lill Ahrens
Lill will be joined by several friends (including members of the Red Hat Society) for an evening of hilarious travel woes:
- Make breast (not a typo!) friends with Julia Weiler in Thailand.
- Shed your inhibitions Eugene-style with Betsey Lorenzen.
- Join Shelley Hughes on her hunt for a "Little John" in Great Britain's Sherwood Forest.
- Play meat market charades with Alethalou Harmon in Germany.
- Camp out on Catalina Island with Sharon Ashley and her herd of hairy friends.
- Survive a lion attack with C. Lill Ahrens in Seoul, Korea.
Tuesday, December 4, 6:30-8:00pm, Grass Roots
Grass Roots Book Club
The Samurai's Garden: A Novel by Gail Tsukiyama
Paperback, 15% off regular price of $13.95 On the eve of the Second World War, a young Chinese man is sent to his family's summer home in Japan to recover from tuberculosis. He will rest, swim in the salubrious sea, and paint in the brilliant shoreside light. It will be quiet and solitary. But he meets four local residents - a lovely young Japanese girl and three older people. What then ensues is a tale that readers will find at once classical yet utterly unique. Young Stephen has his own adventure, but it is the unfolding story of Matsu, Sachi, and Kenzo that seizes your attention and will stay with you forever. Tsukiyama, with lines as clean, simple, telling, and dazzling as the best of Oriental art, has created an exquisite little masterpiece.
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