May 15, 2008
|  |  | phone: 541-754-7668 address: 227 SW 2nd Street, Corvallis, OR
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| | Eight Good Books
| | | | China's Great Train: Beijing's Drive West and the Campaign to Remake Tibet
Easy Company Soldier: The Legendary Battles of a Sergeant from World War II's Easy Company
The Art of Racing in the Rain
The Host
The Legend of Colton H. Bryant
Cathedral of the Sea
Moyers on Democracy
My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey
| | China's Great Train: Beijing's Drive West and the Campaign to Remake Tibet Abrahm Lustgarten
In the summer of 2006, the Chinese government fulfilled a fifty-year plan to build a railway into Tibet. Focusing on the lives of the Chinese and Tibetans swept up in the project, Fortune magazine writer Lustgarten follows innovative Chinese engineer Zhang Luxin as he makes the train's route over the treacherous mountains and permafrost possible. The book is a timely, provocative, and absorbing first-hand account of the Chinese expansion into the Tibetan Plateau, and the benefits and costs of rapid development. Hardcover, $26.00
Publisher: Henry Holt & Company, Incorporated, ISBN-13: 9780805083248
| | | | | | Easy Company Soldier: The Legendary Battles of a Sergeant from World War II's Easy Company Don Malarkey, Bob Welch
Easy Company Soldier is the memoir of Don Malarkey, a Band of Brothers soldier who spent more consecutive days in combat than any other member of the Easy Company. It tells the dramatic tale of those days as he fought his way from the shores of France to the heartland of Germany. This is an epic story of how an adventurous kid from Oregon became a leader of men and a recipient of the Bronze Star for his heroism in battle. The book is co-authored by Bob Welch, who grew up in Corvallis and currently lives in Eugene, where he writes for The Register Guard. Hardcover, $24.95
Publisher: St. Martin's Press , ISBN-13: 9780312378493
| | | | | | The Art of Racing in the Rain Garth Stein
Enzo knows he is different from other dogs: he's a philosopher with a nearly human soul who educated himself by watching television and listening closely to the words of his master, would-be NASCAR driver Denny Swift. The restless Lab-terrier mix narrates the story as he takes stock of his life and everything his human family has been through. This is a heart-wrenching but deeply funny and uplifting story of family, love, loyalty, and hope. Hardcover, $23.95
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers; ISBN-13: 9780061537936
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Stephenie Meyer
In this tantalizing sci-fi thriller, planet-hopping "Souls" are inserting themselves into human brains, curing cancer, eliminating war and turning Earth into paradise. But some people want Earth back, and Melanie Stryder refuses to surrender, even though she's become an unwilling host to an alien named "Wanderer." Inhabiting a human mind and body is unlike anything Wanderer has ever known. As she becomes overwhelmed by Melanie's memories and feelings, Wanderer is driven to reconnect with Melanie's old life as the two develop an accommodation to one another. Hardcover, $25.99
Publisher: Little, Brown & Company; ISBN-13: 9780316068048
| | | | | | The Legend of Colton H. Bryant Alexandra Fuller
The author of Don't Let's Go to the Dog Tonight and Scribbling the Cat has written a powerful biography imbued with a palpable sense of Western locale. She narrates the tragically short life of Colton H. Bryant, a Wyoming roughneck in his mid-20s who in 2006 fell to his death on an oil rig. A Wyoming resident herself since 1994, Fuller is expert in evoking the stark landscape and recreating the speech and mentality of her adopted state's native sons. Along the way, she sheds light on the tough, unpredictable lives of Wyoming's oilmen and the toll exacted on their families. Hardcover, $23.95
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA); ISBN-13: 9781594201837
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Ildefonso Falcones, translated by Nick Caistor
Falcones's historical novel about medieval Barcelona was Spain's #1 bestseller for a full year. It follows the fortunes of the Estanyol family from their peasant roots to their acquisition of spectacular wealth. Barcelona is shown as a city of light and darkness, dominated by the construction of the city's great pride — the cathedral of Santa Maria del Mar — and by its shame, the deadly Inquisition. The cast of characters includes arrogant knights, debt-ridden barons, conniving wives, and greedy kings, creating a colorful portrait of medieval society. Hardcover, $26.95
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA), ISBN-13: 9780525950486
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Bill Moyers
Most people know Bill Moyers from his many years of PBS television journalism. But he is also one of America’s most sought-after public speakers. Moyers on Democracy collects many of Bill Moyers’s most moving speeches to connect the dots on what is happening to our country — the twinned growth of private wealth and public squalor, the assault on our Constitution, the undermining of the electoral process, the accelerating class war against ordinary Americans, the dangers of an imperial executive, the attack on the independence of the press, and the despoiling of the earth we share as our common gift. Hardcover, $26.95
Publisher: Doubleday Publishing, ISBN-13: 9780385523806
| | | | | | My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey Jill Bolte Taylor, Ph.D.
Jill Bolte Taylor was a 37-year-old Harvard-trained brain scientist when a blood vessel burst in her brain. She was unable to walk, talk, read, write, or recall any of her life. But, her understanding of how the brain works helped guide her to recovery of her mind, brain and body. Jill shares her recommendations for recovery and the insight she gained into the unique functions of the right and left halves of her brain. She pushes the envelope in our understanding about how we can consciously influence our own neural circuitry. Hardcover, 24.95
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA), ISBN-13: 9780670020744
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| Featured for Young Readers
| | | | | Dragon Slippers,Jessica Day GeorgeNew in paperback Recommended ages: 9 to 12 Special note: Dragon Flight, the sequel to Dragon Slippers, has just been published.
Hardcover, $16.99, ISBN-13: 9781599901107 Creel is a poor, orphaned, farm girl whose aunt decides to sacrifice her to a dragon. But Creel bargains with the dragon and obtains a pair of fabulous shoes from his hoard. When she discovers that the shoes have the power to save her kingdom, or possibly destroy it, Creel must bravely face the challenge. The novel's female characters are spunky, the dragon lore is well-crafted, and the story is a balance of comic and tragic elements. Paperback, $7.99
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's Books; ISBN-13: 9781599902753
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| Music
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Biomusique $16.95
Genre: New Age
This exquisitely-crafted debut collaboration of acclaimed singer/songwriter Lisbeth Scott and eclectic percussionist Greg Ellis weaves a layered soundscape of richly atmospheric songs, ranging from poignantly moving to serene. The album exudes an epic, cinematic quality— both artists are contributors to major film soundtracks.  Recommended if you like: Dead Can Dance, VasHear samples at allmusic.com
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T Bone Burnett $18.95
Genre: Pop/Folk
The celebrated producer Burnett began this song cycle for a 1972 Sam Shepard play, and continued working on it over the years. The results are more avant-garde than his roots music releases, making use of such disparate elements as jazz orchestration, treated percussion, and off-kilter guitar and keyboard tones. One tune was written with Roy Orbison the day before his death, and another is a spooky duet with ex-wife Sam Phillips Hear samples at allmusic.com
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Duffy $10.95
Genre: Pop/Folk
Welsh songbird Duffy has paired with guitarist Bernard Butler to update the British soul-pop last heard from Dusty Springfield and Petula Clark. Already a massive hit at home, Rockferry crosses the Atlantic on a wave of good press. Duffy has been called "safer" than Amy Winehouse, and more consistent than any of the other British neo-soul divas Hear samples at allmusic.com
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Old 97's $16.95
Genre: Pop/Folk
The Old 97's are more pop-oriented than most of their alt.country contemporaries. Blame It on Gravity revisits the sonic sweet spot that made Too Far to Care the ideal pop album for people in cowboy boots, or the perfect country album for those who'd never heard of Lyle Lovett and Gram Parsons. Recommended if you like: Drive-By Truckers, WilcoHear samples at allmusic.com
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Putumayo $15.95
Genre: Ethnic/World
Released in part as an anniversary celebration for Putumayo, African Party showcases the label's original sounds — simple African dance music. The styles are wide-ranging, from West Africa to South Africa and all points in between. The singers are primarily seasoned pros who have been performing for decades Hear samples at allmusic.com
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| Special Events
| | | | | Larry Weinstein, Grammar for the Soul: Using Language for Personal ChangeSaturday May 17, 3:00pm, Grass Roots loft 
Weinstein shows that simple grammar such as syntax and punctuation can be tools for change and growth, just as yoga and the martial arts are used for self-improvement
He compares the realm of grammar to a kind of psycho-social gymnasium, where — instead of weights, a treadmill, mats, and a balance beam — one finds active verbs, passive verbs, periods, apostrophes, dashes, and a thousand other pieces of linguistic equipment. In Grammer for the Soul, he suggests that we change who we are when we change our verbal conduct.
David Barsamian
Presented by the Corvallis Oddfellows
Sunday May 18th, 3:00pm, Oddfellows Hall, 223 SW 2nd St.
Suggested donation: $3 - $5 Barsamian is the award winning founder and director of Alternative Radio, the independent weekly series based in Boulder, Colorado. He is a radio producer, journalist, and author of Targeting Iran and The Rise and Fall of Public Broadcasting. He will be speaking on "Stopping War in Iran and Iraq." The talk will be followed by Q&A and a book-signing. For more information, visit David Barsamian's Web Page.
Jane Powell book signing
Tuesday, May 20th, 12:30 - 1:00pm, Grass Roots
Keynote speaker for Historic Preservation Month; Tuesday, May 20th, 6:30 pm, Benton County Courthouse Powell is the proprietor of "House Dressing," a business dedicated to renovating and preserving old homes, particularly bungalows. She bought her first bungalow in 1987 and renovated it in a way that preserved its original features. After selling it at a profit, she bought another. Several bungalows later it had turned into a career. She has written: Bungalow Details: Interior; Bungalow Details: Exterior; Bungalow: The Ultimate Arts & Crafts Home; Bungalow Kitchens; Bungalow Bathrooms; and Linoleum.
Jo Dereske, author of the Miss Zukas mysteries
Friday May 23, 3:00pm, Grass Roots loft Jo Dereske is the author of seventeen published books: two mystery series and three books for young people. The New York Times called the Miss Zukas series, "a loving sendup of the stereotype of the prim and proper librarian." Jo lives in the foothills of Mount Baker near Bellingham, Washington. For more information, visit her web site.
Molly Gloss, The Hearts of Horses
Wednesday June 4, Corvallis Arts Center, details TBD
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| | On Our Nightstands
| | | | |  Here's what we've been reading this week.
Sandy:
Garden Spells
Sarah Addison Allen
Paperback, $12.00
Jack:
The Open Road: The Global Journey of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama
Pico Iyer
Hardcover, $24.00
Tiffany:
The Art of Racing in the Rain
Garth Stein
Hardcover, $23.95
For more information, see "Eight Good Books."
Melody:
The Host
Stephenie Meyer
Hardcover, $25.99
For more information, see "Eight Good Books."
Deborah:
Rock On: An Office Power Ballad
Dan Kennedy
Paperback, $14.95
Anna:
Dog Man: An Uncommon Life on a Faraway Mountain
Martha Sherrill
Hardcover, $25.95
Corrine:
Unaccustomed Earth
Jhumpa Lahiri
Hardcover, $25.00
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