February 21, 2008
|  |  | phone: 541-754-7668 address: 227 SW 2nd Street, Corvallis, OR
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| | Five Good Books
| | | | The Life of the Skies
Trespass: Living on the Edge of the Promised Land
The Third Jesus: The Christ We Cannot Ignore
An Incomplete Revenge: A Maisie Dobbs Novel
The Wisdom of Donkeys: Finding Tranquility in a Chaotic World
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Jonathan Rosen
Today, forty-six million Americans are bird-watchers. The Life of the Skies is an exploration into the meaning of this national pastime, seen in the context of a culture torn between the desires to conquer and to conserve. Rosen argues that birding plays a central role — historical and literary, spiritual and scientific — in a drama in which we are both players and spectators, where the outcome is literally a matter of life and death. Hardcover, $24.00
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, ISBN-13: 9780374186302
| | | | | | Trespass: Living on the Edge of the Promised Land Amy Irvine
Trespass is the story of one woman’s struggle to gain footing in an inhospitable setting. After her father's suicide, Amy Irvine sought respite in southern Utah’s red-rock country — home to a rugged brand of cowboy Mormonism. Her story is one of ruin and restoration, and of learning to live among people whose fear of the wilderness fuels an antagonism toward environmental concerns. As Irvine mourns her own losses, she ultimately discovers that nature and faith are not as distinct as she once believed. Hardcover, $25.00
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, ISBN-13: 9780865477032
| | | | | | The Third Jesus: The Christ We Cannot Ignore Deepak Chopra
Who is Jesus Christ? Bestselling author and spiritual leader Deepak Chopra provides an answer to this question that is both a challenge to current systems of belief and a fresh perspective on what Jesus can teach us all, regardless of our religious background. There is not one Jesus, Chopra writes, but three. Chopra argues that Christianity needs to refocus on being a religion of personal insight, spiritual growth, compassion, and tolerance. Hardcover, $24.00
Publisher: Crown Publishing Group; ISBN-13: 9780307338310
| | | | | | An Incomplete Revenge: A Maisie Dobbs Novel Jacqueline Winspear
The mystery heroine Maisie Dobbs has been described as a cross between Agatha Christie's famous sleuth Hercule Poirot and Sebastian Faulks's sassy spy Charlotte Gray. In this fifth installment in the series (after 2006's Messenger of Truth), the psychologist/investigator digs deep into a village's long-buried secrets. Winspear vividly evokes England between the wars, when the old order crumbled and new horizons beckoned working women. Hardcover, $24.00
Publisher: Henry Holt & Company,Inc.; ISBN-13: 9780805082159
| | | | | | The Wisdom of Donkeys: Finding Tranquility in a Chaotic World Andy Merrifield
Searching for tranquility, Andy Merrifield set out on a journey with a friend’s donkey to walk amid the spectacular vistas of southern France’s Haute-Auvergne. The pace of the journey and the subtle wisdom of Gribouille, his donkey companion, teach him that "real happiness comes in unforeseen places, through surprising twists and turns, through honesty." Hardcover, $19.95
Publisher: Walker & Company; ISBN-13: 9780802715937
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| New in Paperback
| | | | Peony in Love: A Novel
Shroom: A Cultural History of the Magic Mushroom
The Boys in the Trees
Travels in the Scriptorium
Thumbs, Toes, and Tears: And Other Traits That Make Us Human
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Lisa See
Peony in Love is a tale of love and death in 17th century China. Young Peony, betrothed to a suitor she has never met, has dreams of her own. When she catches sight of an elegant, handsome man at an opera performance, she begins a difficult journey of love and destiny, desire and sorrow. Lisa See’s haunting novel is based on actual historical events. Paperback, $14.00
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group; ISBN-13: 9780812975222
| | | | | | Shroom: A Cultural History of the Magic Mushroom Andy Letcher
Letcher, an eco-protestor who once lived in a tree house, wrote this exhaustive history in order to debunk the folklore of hallucinogenic mushrooms. To demonstrate that the real story is "less fanciful and far more interesting," Letcher draws on biological and archeological studies, social history and even his own diaries to chronicle phenomena like Algerian cave drawings and the plight of Siberian shamans. Paperback, $14.95
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers; ISBN-13: 9780060828295
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Mary Swann
Swan's first novel explores how a late 19th-century small town in Canada deals with a horrific crime committed by the head of a close, respected family. In beautifully crafted prose, Mary Swan examines the volatile collisions between best intentions — how a passing stranger can leave an indelible mark as people become alienated by tides of self-preservation and regret. “This is a mesmerizing novel, that can truly claim to be filled with a ‘terrible beauty.’” —Alice Munro Paperback, $14.00
Publisher: Henry Holt & Company, Inc.; ISBN-13: 9780805086706
| | | | | | Travels in the Scriptorium Paul Auster
An old man awakens, disoriented, in an unfamiliar chamber equipped with cameras, a manuscript, and a haunting set of photographs. With no memory of the past, he begins to piece together clues to his own identidy and the identity of his captors. Both chilling and poignant, Travels in the Scriptorium is vintage Auster: mysterious texts, fluid identities, a hidden past, and a hidden tormentor. Paperback, $12.00
Publisher: Picador USA; ISBN-13: 9780312426293
| | | | | | Thumbs, Toes, and Tears: And Other Traits That Make Us Human Chip Walter
Countless behaviors separate us from the rest of the animal kingdom, but all of them can be traced to six traits unique to the human race—our big toe, opposable thumb, oddly shaped pharynx, and our ability to laugh, kiss, and cry. Walter weaves together fascinating insights from complexity theory, brain scanning techniques, anthropology, artificial intelligence, cognitive psychology, and robotics to explore how small evolutionary changes enabled a primate once on the brink of extinction to evolve into the creature that has created all of human culture. Paperback, $15.95
Publisher: Walker & Company; ISBN-13: 9780802716255
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| TV's 'Lost' Features 'The Invention of Morel'
| | | | | The Invention of MorelAdolfo Bioy CasaresWe'll have the book in stock by 2/26.You can use the Online Order Form to reserve your copy. Continuing the tradition of using a well-placed book to provide clues to the mysteries of the hit show, this Thursday's episode (02/21) of "Lost" features Sawyer reading the New York Review Books Classic edition of The Invention of Morel by Adolfo Bioy Cesares. The Island of Doctor Moreau inspired this 1940 novella. Set on a mysterious island, The Invention of Morel is a story of suspense and exploration as well as an unlikely romance, where every detail is both crystal clear and deeply mysterious. Paperback, $12.95
Publisher: New York Review of Books; ISBN-13: 9781590170571
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| Music
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Celtic Fiddle Festival $17.95
Genre: Celtic/Irish
Always a popular ensemble with Corvallis' Irish music fans, CFF features traditional fiddle-based music by a quartet of masters: fiddlers Christian LeMaitre, Andre Brunet, and Kevin Burke, with guitarist Ged Foley.
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Allison Moorer $15.95
Genre: Folk/Pop
Moorer's new album pays tribute to her favorite female songwriters. Covers include tunes by Patti Smith, Gillian Welch and June Carter Cash, as well as a great take on Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now." The album includes a stellar cast of players including Moorer's husband Steve Earle, Tim O'Brien, and Phil Madeira.
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Gary Louris $16.95
Genre: Folk/Pop
As guitarist and songwriter with the Jayhawks, Gary Louris was on hand from the group's country-influenced early recordings to their later pop productions. Louris' first solo album leans further toward his former band's pop tendencies, remaining true to their trademark sound.
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Carla Bruni $16.95
Genre: World/Ethnic
On No Promises, former supermodel (and wife of French president Nicolas Sarkozy) Carla Bruni sets poems by Emily Dickinson, W. B. Yeats, Dorothy Parker, and Christina Rossetti, among others, to music. The singer's whispery vocals are accompanied by acoustic guitar and sparse instrumentation.
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Mondo Candido $13.95
Genre: World/Ethnic
The Italian band Mondo Candido creates a blend of soundtrack, bossa nova, jazz, and retro. Lead singer Luisella is backed by flute, Hammond Organ, Fender Rhodes, and piano to create a warm, textured sound.
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| New Solo Album from China Forbes (Pink Martini)
| | | | | ' 78 — China Forbes
Album to be released on 2/26/07 $16.95You can use the Online Order Form to reserve your copy. China Forbes is best known as the lead singer for Pink Martini. You may not know that she set aside her career as a singer-songwriter when she joined the band. On her long-awaited solo album, ’78 , Forbes dusts off her guitar and returns to her singer-songwriter roots. She recorded the album of strikingly personal songs in Portland, Oregon with producer/drummer Gregg Williams. Backed by Williams on drums and multi-instrumentalist Eric Earley (Blitzen Trapper) with a cameo by Eric Matthews, Forbes plays a variety of instruments, including guitar, piano, bass, harmonium and Wurlitzer.
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| Reviews@Roots
| | | | |  Share your own book review with other members of the Grass Roots community. (Grass Roots Reader has almost 1200 subscribers!) You can submit your review to the newsletter editor by visiting: www.grassrootsbookstore.com and clicking Reviews@Roots in the navigation menu.
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| Book Club News
| | | | | Next meeting: Tuesday March 4, 6:30-8:00 pm, in the cozy Grass Roots loft.
Book: Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears by Dinaw Mengestu No experience or membership necessary: first-timers always welcome!  Paperback, $14.00
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA), ISBN-13: 9781594482854
On sale for $11.90 until March 4.
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| Survey Results
| | | | | Thank's for participating in our survey on special events. Here's what we learned. - Types of book clubs: Respondents were most interested in fiction and non-fiction clubs. There was less interest in clubs related to spiritual studies, poetry, and parent/child activities.
- These other types of events generated the most interest: author events, informal concerts, and poetry readings.
- Time preferences: Sunday afteroon was the most preferred, followed by Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, and Saturday afternoon.
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| On Our Nightstands - What We're Reading
| | | | | - Jack - Discover Your Inner Economist: Use Incentives to Fall in Love, Survive Your Next Meeting, and Motivate Your Dentist by Tyler Cowen
Hardcover $25.95 - Sandy - Thumbs, Toes, and Tears: And Other Traits That Make Us Human by Chip Walter
Paperback $15.95 (See "New In Paperback" for more information.) - Tiffany - Chrysalis: Maria Sibylla Merian and the Secrets of Metamorphosis by Kim Todd
Hardcover $27.00 - Melody - Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah
Hardcover $23.95
- Deborah - Babylon by Bus by Ray Lemoine & Jeff Neumann
Paperback $15.00
- Anna - People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
Hardcover $25.95 - Michael - The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears by Dinaw Mengestu
Paperback $14.00 (GR Reading Group selection for 3/4)
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