May 29, 2008
|  |  | phone: 541-754-7668 address: 227 SW 2nd Street, Corvallis, OR
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| | Five Good Books
| | | | The Political Mind: Why You Can't Understand 21st-Century American Politics with an 18th-Century Brain
The Enchantress of Florence
The Front
The Garden of Last Days
Biting the Wax Tadpole: Confessions of a Language Fanatic
| | The Political Mind: Why You Can't Understand 21st-Century American Politics with an 18th-Century Brain George Lakoff
If you ever wonder why many Americans vote against their own interests (as pointed out by Thomas Frank in What's the Matter with Kansas?), you'll benefit from reading this book. Lakoff points out that ideas, morals, and values do not exist somewhere outside the body; they exist inside the brain and take physical shape there. He argues that conservatives have framed the debate on vital issues more effectively than liberals because they comprehend that most brain functioning is grounded in emotionalism. This is a fascinating read for anyone interested in how the mind works, how society works, and how they work together. Hardcover, $25.95
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA), ISBN-13: 9780670019274
| | | | | | The Enchantress of Florence Salman Rushdie
The Enchantress of Florence is the story of a woman attempting to command her own destiny in a man’s world. It spans two Renaissance cities at the height of their powers — the hedonistic Mughal (Indian) capital and the sensual city of Florence. In the Mughal capital, the Emperor Akbar the Great dreams his ideal mistress into existence. In Florence, an orphan rises to become the military champion of Islam, and a black-eyed beauty casts a spell on every man who sees her. Other characters include Machiavelli and Botticelli, Amerigo Vespucci, Adm. Andrea Doria and Vlad the Impaler (better known as Dracula)." It is a wonderful tale, full of follies and enchantments. East meets west with a clash of cymbals and a burst of fireworks." - Ursula K Le Guin Hardcover, $26.00
Publisher: Random House Adult Trade Publishing Group, ISBN-13: 9780375504334
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Patricia Cornwell
Autographed copies available!Cornwell brings back her cast of characters from her hugely successful At Risk. Here, D.A. Lamont sends Garano to Watertown, the home base for a loose association of municipal police departments called "The Front." Garano finds himself in a house of mirrors. where everywhere he turns, he’s not quite sure if what he’s seeing is true. It's a story with fascinating characters, solid plot, great pacing and expertly crafted prose. Hardcover, $22.95
Publisher: Patricia Cornwell; ISBN-13: 9780399154188
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Andre Dubus
This is a raw, passionate narrative set in a Florida strip club on the weekend before 9/11. Dubus ( House of Sand and Fog) shows a profound empathy as he gets inside the heads of a number of characters, with coincidence, chance and a clash of cultures building to a shattering climax. Through quick-cutting chapters, he propels the action forward while providing the context that brought these characters together for a night that will change their lives. Hardcover, $24.95
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.; ISBN-13: 9780393041651
| | | | | | Biting the Wax Tadpole: Confessions of a Language Fanatic Elizabeth Little
Little uses charming anecdotes, witty sidebars, attractive illustrations, and a strong sense of humor to create a fascinating introduction to linguistics for a wide audience. She uses her favorite examples from dead, difficult, and invented languages to reveal how language study is the ticket to traveling the world without leaving the comforts of home. You'll learn about Shona, a language lacking distinct words for "green" and "blue;" why Icelandic speakers must decide if the numbers 1-4 are plural; which language is the only one lacking verbs; and what the Swedish names of IKEA products really mean. (Interesting note: The title refers to the mistranslation in Chinese of "Coca-Cola.") Hardcover, $21.95
Publisher: Melville House; ISBN-13: 9781933633336
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| Featured Book for Young Readers
| | | | | Seekers Book 1: The Quest BeginsErin HunterRecommended ages: 9 to 12 From the author of the nationally bestselling Warriors books comes a brand-new animal fantasy series. Three young bears from different species — black, polar, and grizzly — are separated from their families as young cubs. To survive, they must draw on their underdeveloped instincts. They find themselves brought together on a perilous, life-changing journey towards a future they cannot yet imagine. Hardcover, $16.99
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers; ISBN-13: 9780060871222
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| New in Paperback
| | | | At Large and At Small: Familiar Essays
Austenland
The Short Bus: A Journey Beyond Normal,
| | At Large and At Small: Familiar Essays Anne Fadiman
Fadiman, a National Book Critics Circle Award winner for The Spirit Catches You and You Fall, makes a bold claim: "I believe the survival of the familiar essay is worth fighting for." With the combination of humor and erudition that has distinguished her as one of our finest essayists, she draws us into twelve of her personal obsessions: from her slightly sinister childhood enthusiasm for catching butterflies to her monumental crush on Charles Lamb, from her wistfulness for the days of letter-writing to the challenges and rewards of moving from the city to the country. The collection rolls good-naturedly through its subjects until the final piece — an account of a whitewater rafting trip that went tragically awry. Paperback, $12.00
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux; ISBN-13: 9780374531317
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Shannon Hale
In her first novel for adults, Newbery Honor Medalist Hale ( Princess Academy) puts an intriguing twist on Austenmania by creating a Jane Austen theme park where actors play out women's romantic fantasies. To 32-year-old singleton Jane Hayes, no man can measure up to Mr. Darcy — specifically the Mr. Darcy played by Colin Firth in the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. When her wealthy great-aunt dies and leaves her an all-expenses-paid vacation to the park, Jane is forced to confront her obsession. Paperback, $12.99
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA; ISBN-13: 9781596912861
| | | | | | The Short Bus: A Journey Beyond Normal, Jonathan Mooney
Labeled “dyslexic and learning disabled,” Jonathan Mooney was a short-bus rider — a derogatory term used for kids in special education. To learn how others had moved beyond labels, he bought his own short bus and set out cross-country, looking for kids who had discovered ways to overcome the obstacles that separated them from the so-called normal world. The Short Bus is his irreverent and poignant record of that odyssey and the people he met who taught him that there's no such thing as normal. Paperback, $14.00
Publisher: Henry Holt & Company, Inc.; ISBN-13: 9780805088045
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| Music
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David Benoit $18.95
Genre: Jazz
Contemporary Jazz pianist and composer Benoit applies his melodic jazz arrangements to the music of the musicians who have inspired him and shown him a way forward. Included are covers of songs by Dave Brubeck, Bill Evans, Horace Silver, Elton John, the Beatles, and more. Hear samples at allmusic.com
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Eliza Gilkyson $17.95
Genre: Pop/Folk
Gilkyson has been at the top of the Contemporary Folk ladder for several albums now. Her songs blend elements of the personal and universal, the political and spiritual. For her new album, Gilkyson attempts to speak of our environmental situation without resorting to anger or hopelessness. Joining her are her own road band and a slew of guests.  Recommended if you like: Patty Griffin, James McMurtryHear samples at allmusic.com
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Al Green $18.95
Genre: Pop/Folk
The veteran Soul and Gospel singer is joined by friends such as Corinne Bailey Rae, John Legend and Anthony Hamilton. Green's inimitable falsetto remains at the heart of the songs, and the album leans more to the classic-sounding Green than the contemporary R&B of his most recent albums. This is a slow-burning, solid soul record. Hear samples at allmusic.com
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John Hiatt $16.95
Genre: Pop/Folk
Hiatt's new album is mostly ballads, and the lyrics are more reflective than on previous albums. Hiatt has made the transition from a fiery roots and bluesman to a rootsy balladeer, and the blessings and trials of maturity are a recurring theme in these 11 songs. Hear samples at allmusic.com
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Putumayo $15.95
Genre: Ethnic/World
Putumayo's newest compilation serves as a strong introduction to the music of Cuba. As with their other collections, Cafe Cubano combines well-known and unknown artists, including Pedro Luis Ferrer, Jose Conde, Rene Ferrer and more. Hear samples at allmusic.com
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| This Week - MOLLY GLOSS Party and Reading
| | | | | An evening with Molly GlossWednesday, June 4, 7:00pm, at the Corvallis Arts Center. Doors open at 6:30 Jointly sponsored by Grass Roots and The Arts Center Molly will read from her latest novel, The Hearts of Horses. 
The evening is a true community event. Fiddle music by OSU student Justin Feeman starts at 6:30. Local photographer Tina Buescher will share her black and white landscapes of eastern Oregon and Idaho. Mehlhaf's is lending their Pendleton blanket "Celebrate the Horse," and the Henderer family is providing western saddle and tack. Local author Linda Crew will do the introductions. There'll be bales of hay, dessert, and cowboy coffee. All this sets the stage for telling Molly Gloss's latest story of nineteen-year-old Martha Lessen, a shy young girl from Pendleton who gets a ranch job breaking horses. The story follows Martha as she grows into her relationships with both the horses she trains and the people she works with. The story is set in an unromanticized World War I-era American West. Gloss's writing is realistic as she weaves a one-of-a-kind story about the connections between people and animals. About the author: Molly Gloss is a fourth-generation Oregonian who lives in Portland. Her novel The Jump-Off Creek is a Pacific Northwest classic, winner of the Oregon Book Award and the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Award, and a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award. The Dazzle of Day received the PEN West Fiction Prize and was a New York Times Notable Book.
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| Reading Group News
| | | | | Next meeting: Tuesday, June 3, 6:30-8:00 pm, in the cozy Grass Roots loft.
Book: Finn by Jon Clinch No experience or membership necessary: first-timers always welcome! Jon Clinch takes us on a journey into the heart of one of American literature’s most mysterious figures: Huckleberry Finn’s father. The result is a story that springs from Twain’s classic novel but takes on a life of its own. Finn is a novel about race, paternity in its many guises, the shame of a nation, and an unforgettable family. Above all, Finn reaches back into the darkest waters of America’s past to fashion something compelling, fearless, and new. "Haunting...Clinch reimagines Finn in a strikingly original way, replacing Huck’s voice with his own magisterial vision that is nothing short of revelatory." – Washington Post  Paperback, $14.00
Publisher: Random House Trade, ISBN-13: 9780812977141
On sale for $11.90 until June 3.
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| | On Our Nightstands
| | | | |  Here's what we've been reading this week.
Jack:
Something Rotten
Jasper Fforde
Paperback, $14.00
Sandy:
Ferns for American Gardens
John Mickel
Paperback, $24.95
Tiffany:
The Magician (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel)
Michael Scott
Hardcover, $16.99
Tiff is reading an advanced copy; the book will be released on June 24
Melody:
On Guerilla Gardening: A Handbook for Gardening without Boundaries
Richard Reynolds
Hardcover, $25.99
Deborah:
Finn
Jon Clinch
Paperback, $14.00, on sale for $11.90
See "Reading Group News" for more information
Anna:
The Last Chinese Chef
Nicole Mones
Hardcover, $24.00
Corinne:
The Namesake
Jhumpa Lahiri
Paperback, $14.00
The Reluctant Fundamentalist
Moshin Hamid
Paperback, $14.00
Divisadero
Michael Ondaatje
Paperback, $13.95
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