July 17, 2008
|  |  | phone: 541-754-7668 address: 227 SW 2nd Street, Corvallis, OR
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| | An Editor's Note
| | | | | This week's issue of the Grass Roots Reader marks my one-year anniversary as the newsletter editor. For many years, I've considered Grass Roots a home-away-from-home type of store. As a regular customer, the staff knew my tastes. I could walk in and ask for "something I won't be able to put down," and invariably be handed a perfect fit. When I did the concert booking for the Corvallis Folklore Society, I used Grass Roots as my classroom for keeping up with the music scene. Often, a staff member would ask, "Have you heard so-and-so yet?" and hand me a CD. Becoming a member of the Grass Roots family has been a real treat. So, I want to take this opportunity to thank the entire staff for making this the perfect job. I'm especially grateful to Jack, Sandy, and Tiff, who have been hugely supportive. And most important, I want to thank you, the readers, for caring about books, music, and Grass Roots. Sincerely,
Anna | | | | ^ back to Table of Contents | |
| Five Good Books
| | | | The Likeness
Heirloom: Notes from an Accidental Tomato Farmer
Love as a Way of Life: Seven Keys to Transforming Every Aspect of Your Life
The Idiot Girl and the Flaming Tantrum of Death: Reflections on Revenge, Germophobia, and Laser Hair Removal
Barbarians to Angels: The Dark Ages Reconsidered
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Tana French
Here's the eagerly anticipated follow-up to the New York Times bestselling psychological thriller and Edgar Award-winning In the Woods. Just months after the events of In the Woods, Detective Cassie Maddox is drawn from her relatively tranquil assignment into a case that comes to threaten her very being. A young woman has been found stabbed to death in a small town outside Dublin. The dead girl's ID says her name is Lexie Madison — the identity Cassie used years ago as an undercover detective — and she looks exactly like Cassie. As she is drawn into Lexie's world, Cassie realizes that the girl's secrets run deeper than anyone imagined. Hardcover, $25.95
Publisher: Viking Penguin, ISBN-13: 9780670018864
| | | | | | Heirloom: Notes from an Accidental Tomato Farmer Tim Stark
In a "back-to-nature" move 14 years ago, Stark uprooted a handful of heirloom tomato seedlings from his Brooklyn brownstone and returned to Eckerton Hill, his Pennsylvanian boyhood home, to plant two acres. Now, elite chefs regularly buy his produce, his tomatoes have graced Gourmet Magazine's cover, and he's been published in the Washington Post. In this honest memoir, he glosses over his successes, exposing his insecurities and the trials he faced. His vivid descriptions transport readers to both his rural world and Manhattan's restaurant scene. Hardcover, $25.95
Publisher: Viking Penguin, ISBN-13: 9780670018864
| | | | | | Love as a Way of Life: Seven Keys to Transforming Every Aspect of Your Life Gary D. Chapman
Chapman follows up his five million-copy bestseller The Five Love Languages with this wise, heartfelt guide to cultivating seven traits that lead to loving relationships. Whereas his work on love languages explored the primary ways people give and receive love, this book explores the entire "attitude of love," with chapters on kindness, patience, forgiveness, humility, courtesy, generosity and honesty. Each chapter includes quizzes, questions for reflection, and ideas for applying that chapter's teachings. Hardcover, $19.95
Publisher: 19.95; ISBN-13: 9780385518581
| | | | | | The Idiot Girl and the Flaming Tantrum of Death: Reflections on Revenge, Germophobia, and Laser Hair Removal Laurie Notaro
In her latest collection of essays, Notaro ( The Idiot Girl's Action-Adventure Club) presents a handful of funny vignettes — episodes of panic on an airplane, spying on guests at a mountain resort, learning to live with the ex-con down the street, and handling the numerous disappointments and betrayals of the human body. Notaro blends sardonic, often self-deprecating comedy with disarming sincerity, delving into weight gain and body hair issues without hesitation. Hardcover, $20.00
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group; ISBN-13: 9781400065035
| | | | | | Barbarians to Angels: The Dark Ages Reconsidered Peter S. Wells
This is a surprising look at a profoundly important period of European history: the so-called Dark Ages (roughly A.D. 400-600). An archeology professor, Wells points out that the only texts available on the cultures of "Dark Age" Europe were written by those educated in the Roman tradition. The only unbiased evidence, therefore, is the material evidence. Covering 50 years of excavation in western Europe, Wells chronicles a revolution in the understanding of Europe after the Western Roman Empire's collapse, providing proof that the post-Roman world pulsed with robust, vital activity. A reminder: All books in our history section are 10% off plus stamps for I-card holders this month. Hardcover, $24.95
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; ISBN-13: 9780393060751
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| For Readers of All Ages
| | | | | The Time Paradox (Artemis Fowl, Book 6)Eoin ColferAge Range: 9 to 12 After disappearing for three years, Artemis Fowl has returned to a different life from the one he left. Now he's a big brother and spends his days teaching his twin siblings the important things in life. But when Artemis' mother contracts a life-threatening illness, his world is turned upside down, and the only hope lies in the brain fluid of the now-extinct silky sifaka lemur. So, with the help of his fairy friends, the young genius travels back in time to save the lemur and bring it to the present. 
Visit the Artemis Fowl web site Hardcover, $17.99
Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children
ISBN-13: 9781423108368
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| Music
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Laurie Lewis and the Right Hands $15.95
Genre: Pop/Folk
This is Laurie Lewis' first live recording (a portion was recorded in Corvallis' First Methodist Church) in her long and acclaimed career. The 18 songs feature her crack band, the Right Hands. The clear, pristine sound is coupled with beautiful singing and playing by Laurie and Tom Rozum (mandolin, vocals), Craig Smith (banjo, vocals), Scott Huffman (guitar, vocals), and Todd Phillips (string bass). The album feature many of Laurie's most requested songs, including the IBMA Award-winning Who Will Watch the Home Place?. Also featured is Corvallis fiddle champ Tatiana Hargreaves. Hear samples of Live at allmusic.com
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Janiva Magness $17.95
Genre: 17.95
The Detroit blues/jazz vocalist sings originals as well as tunes by Tina Turner, Al Green, Marvin Gaye and more. Magness finds terrific, generally obscure material, digging deep to unearth gems such as Teresa James' "I Want a Love" and Annie Lennox's "Bitter Pill," a choice that perfectly captures Magness' tougher edge. The results reflect Magness' early love for the music of Motown.  Recommended if you like: Marcia Ball, Toni PriceHear samples of What Love Will Do at allmusic.com
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Drew Emmitt $17.95
Genre: Pop/Folk
Revered as one of the most innovative mandolin players on the jamband/newgrass scene today, Emmit's talents extend to acoustic and electric slide mandolin, acoustic and electric guitar, and mandola. Long Road also showcases Emmitt's storytelling and versatile vocal abilities, with seven originals that incorporate bits of jazz, folk and rock music. The album features guests John Cowan, Jim Lauderdale, Tim O'Brien and many more. Recommended if you like: Tim O'Brien, Railroad EarthHear samples of Long Road at allmusic.com
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Various Artists $17.95
Genre: Pop/Folk
The folks at the Real World label seek to reinvent traditional English folk music in the tradition of Fairport Convention. The result both honors and updates the music of the past, incorporating elements of world music, contemporary pop, and diverse instrumentation. Contributors include members of Afro Celt Sound System, Billy Bragg, Eliza and Martin Carthy, Sheila Chandra and more. Hear samples of The Imagined Village at allmusic.com
| Life, Death, Love & Freedom John Mellencamp $18.95
Genre: Pop/Folk
Mellencamp's new album is a spare, sometimes dark collection. With more folk and blues pieces than ever before, Life Death Love & Freedom also incorporates elements of gospel and rockabilly. The album features top-notch production by T Bone Burnett , who has provided Mellencamp with updated sound (as he has with many other artists, including Alison Krauss and Robert Plant). Hear samples of Life, Death, Love & Freedomat allmusic.com
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| | Reading Group News
| | | | | Next meeting: Tuesday, August 5, 6:30-9:00 pm, in the cozy Grass Roots loft.
Book: The Brief Wondrous Live of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz No experience or membership necessary: first-timers always welcome! Things have never been easy for Oscar, a sweet but disastrously overweight Dominican ghetto nerd. Oscar dreams of becoming the Dominican J.R.R. Tolkien and, most of all, of finding love. But he may never get what he wants, thanks to the fuku – the curse that has haunted Oscar's family for generations, dooming them to prison, torture, tragic accidents, and ill-fated love. Diaz immerses us in the tumultuous life of Oscar and the history of his family, displaying warmth, humor, and insight into the Dominican–American experience. "...a wondrous first novel that is so original it can only be described as Mario Vargas Llosa meets "Star Trek" meets David Foster Wallace meets Kanye West. – New York Times  Hardcover, $24.95
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA), ISBN-13: 9781594489587
On sale for $21.21 (15% discount) until August 5.
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| | On Our Nightstands
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Jack: City of Thieves, David Benioff Hardcover, $24.95
Sandy:
Service Included: Four Star Secrets of an Evesdropping Waiter
Phoebe Damrosh
Hardcover, $24.95
Tiffany:
The Wishing Year
Noelle Oxenhandler
Hardcover, $24.00
Melody: Idiot Girl And The Flaming Tantrum Of Death : Reflections On Revenge, Germophobia, And Laser Hair Removal
Laurie Notaro
Hardcover, $20.00
See "Five Good Books" for more information.
Anna:
New Policeman
Kate Thompson
Paperback, $8.99
Linda:
The Power of Kindness: The Unexpected Benefits of Leading a Compassionate Life
Piero Ferrucci
Paperback, $12.00
Corrine:
On Beauty
Zadie Smith
Paperback, $15.00
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