We are looking for someone to work with our staff to publish our e-mail newsletter, promote author events and help us extend our customer service electronically. We will gather the basic information; you will format, publish and analyze the results. We hope to understand our customer’s needs & interests and customize their experience for our mutual benefit.
Basically, we want to pay you to have fun – but there are real deadlines and financial considerations. A lot of the work can be done at home, but some time at Grass Roots is necessary. Probably about 4 –6 hours per week.
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HARRY POTTER

ONE MONTH TO GO! We are accepting volunteers to help us put on our final Harry Potter party Friday evening, July 20th 9:30 –midnight (arrive about 9pm). We need people to assist the kids at our various themed stations, serve as guides & monitors, and help with set-up in the afternoon or cleanup at 11:30 pm (very important). We also need a few people to help create new artwork in the next few weeks..

This is a party for the kids and the power of books to inspire us all. It is really amazing to see how important these books have been to them. I hope you can join us for this memorable event.

Please call 754-7668 or e-mail groots@peak.org . Thanks!

The Maytrees

In only her second novel, Dillard uses an anthropologist's eye and a poet's precision to explore the ritual complexities of life, love and death.

With a penchant for alliteration and a refusal to pass moral judgments, she renders her characters as flawed humans trying to make sense of the lives they are living but cannot understand. This compact, elliptical narrative intimately depicts nature's vastness and nearness. (Kirkus Reviews)

On Chesil Beach

One of McEwan's greatest skills is his ability to illuminate the precise, irrevocable moment in which life changes forever.

In On Chesil Beach, he takes on subjects of universal interest -- innocence and naiveté, self-delusion, desire and repression, opportunity lost or rejected -- and creates a small but complete universe around them. McEwan's prose is as masterly as ever, here striking a remarkably subtle balance between detachment and sympathy, dry wit and deep compassion. It reaffirms my conviction that no one now writing in English surpasses or even matches McEwan's accomplishment.
The Washington Post's Book World (Jonathan Yardley)

Michael Tolliver Lives

Though this is a stand-alone novel—accessible to fans of Tales of the City and new readers alike—a reassuring number of familiar faces appear along the way.

As usual, the author's mordant wit and ear for pitch-perfect dialogue serve every aspect of the story—from the bawdy to the bittersweet. Michael Tolliver Lives is a novel about the act of growing older joyfully and the everyday miracles that somehow make that possible.

The Shadow Catcher

At the center of The Shadow Catcher is the real-life photographer Edward S. Curtis (1868-1952). Wiggins combines Curtis's experiences with the adventures of a woman she has created named Marianne Wiggins. This Marianne has written a novel about Curtis, and there are some things that trouble her about his work. His early 20th-century photographs of American Indians fixed their image as a noble, doomed race. "But they're lies," Marianne says. "They're propaganda." Curtis altered his photos to eliminate such traces of modern life as cars and clocks; his subjects were no longer roaming the plains, but "confined in high-security encampments . . . deprived of their livelihoods, forced into the manufacture of 'Indian-ized' tourist junk."
The Washington Post's Book World (Wendy Smith)

Tip-Off: How the 1984 NBA Draft Changed Basketball Forever

It's not the worst mistake in sports history, but it's among the most famous: Sam Bowie instead of Michael Jordan. This is a revealing, behind-the-scenes account of the 1984 NBA draft, considered the greatest ever, as general managers, coaches, and players describe what really went down.

This year's draft eerily mimics the decisions facing the Portland Trail Blazers: height or talent? Why did they pass on Jordan, Stockton, and Barkley? Will they get their second chance right?

Her Way: The Hopes and Ambitions of Hillary Rodham Clinton (
by Jeff Gerth & Don Van Natta Jr $29.99 Little, Brown & Co.

This profile in ambition is rich in anecdote, spending far more time on Clinton's Senate career than Carl Bernstein's bio. Far from a conservative hit job, their reportage tends to focus on public reaction to Clinton rather than to her politics

Van Morrison, The Best of Van Morrison vol. 3 $24.95
The new 2-CD collection, compiled by Morrison himself, offers a comprehensive overview of his later material. The set's 31 tracks include previously unreleased collaborations with Tom Jones and Bobby Bland, as well as duets with John Lee Hooker, B.B. King and Ray Charles.

Hackensaw Boys, Look Out! $17.95
It's bluegrass, stomped on and disrespected (but in a good way). Like Avett Bros, the Boys start in traditional territory, but add punk spirit and adrenaline. Their last CD was featured on Weekend Edition to good response.

Rocky Votolato, Brag & Cuss $13.95
Excellent alt.country singer-songwriter from the Seattle area. This is one of my favorite albums this year. What stands out is his expressive voice and smart lyrics adding an almost "emo" slant to the usual americana faire.

Bruce Springsteen, Live in Dublin $19.95
The Boss brings his Seeger-inspired show on the road,
featuring songs from last year's album along with
reinterpreted Springsteen classics. I've also ordered
a special CD/DVD package and a DVD-only thing.

Acoustic Alchemy, This Way $17.95
One of the earliest and most successful jazz bands to
be embraced by the new age movement, AA is a guitar
duo who have evolved into a respected contemporary
jazz band, with an accessible sound.

Muddy Waters, Breakin' it Up Breakin' it Down $13.95
Legendary, long unavailable session from one of the
most influential blues guitarists and vocalists of all
time. Recorded on tour after the release of Muddy's
comeback CD, Hard Again, features fellow legends
Johnny Winter and James Cotton.

We All Love Ella: Celebrating the First Lady of Song $18.95
Classic Ella Fitzgerald tunes, interpreted by some of
today's foremost jazz vocalists. Includes Natalie
Cole, Dianne Reeves, Michael Buble and more. Will
surely get some nice attention.

Eldar, Reimagination $18.95
Young jazz pianist harkens back to Chick Corea and
Herbie Hancock. His new CD adds new elements of
electronics, turntables and some solo work.