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January 26, 2017 |
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Dear Readers,
When it comes to new books, we've got you covered. Fresh on the shelves this week: the amazing
Audacity on Barack Obama's legacy of hope, an illustrated guide to effective empathy, and neuroscience novels now in paperback. Spread the love of reading this Valentine's Day (and check out our variety of cards and sweets in the store now)!
We're absolutely thrilled to welcome acclaimed writer and journalist
Ta-Nehisi Coates to OSU this coming Thursday. And speaking of Beaver Nation, why not join us the following Thursday for a celebration of our state animal with author
Frances Backhouse?
Keep reading for more award-winning books and upcoming events.
We'll see you there!
~Marissa
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New Hardcovers
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by Jonathan Chait
[Non-Fiction]
Over the course of eight years, Barack Obama's administration saved the American economy from collapse, expanded health insurance to tens of millions who previously could not afford it, negotiated an unprecedented nuclear deal with Iran, helped craft a groundbreaking international climate accord, reined in Wall Street, launched a fundamental overhaul of our education system, and formulated a new vision of racial progress. He has done all of this despite a left that frequently disdained him as a sellout, and a hysterical right that did everything possible to destroy his agenda. Now, as the page turns to possibly the most dangerous Commander in Chief in our history, Audacity makes clear what we need to fight for next.
Hardcover; $27.99
Publisher:
Custom House; ISBN:
9780062426970
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by Professor Brian Cox and Andrew Cohen
[Non-Fiction]
Forces of Nature takes you to the great plains of the Serengeti, the volcanoes of Indonesia and the precipitous cliffs in Nepal, to the humpback whales of the Caribbean and the northern lights of the Arctic. A breathtaking and beautiful exploration of our planet, this groundbreaking book accompanies the new BBC One TV series, providing the deepest answers to the simplest questions: What is motion? Why is every snowflake different? Why is life symmetrical? To answer these and many other questions, Professor Brian Cox uncovers some of the most extraordinary natural events on Earth and in the Universe and beyond.
Hardcover; $29.99
Publisher:
William Collins; ISBN:
9780007488827
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by Tom McAllister
[Fiction]
Otherwise unmotivated Hunter Cady spent roughly half his 29 years accomplishing very little, which makes him about 15 in terms of real-life experience. But he's the luckiest man on earth when it comes to his wife. Beautiful and confident, Kait is somehow charmed by Hunter's awkwardness and droll humor. So when she dies quite suddenly, Hunter is crushed. Numb with grief, he stumbles forward the only way he knows how: by running away. To the dismay of her family, Hunter takes Kait's ashes with him and heads west. Insightful, wry, and sometimes laugh-out-loud funny, The Young Widower's Handbook is a testament to the power of love.
Hardcover; $25.95
Publisher:
Algonquin Books; ISBN:
9781616204747
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by Kelsey Crowe and Emily McDowell
[Non-Fiction]
When someone you know is hurting, you want to let her know that you care. But many people don't know what words to use -- or are afraid of saying or doing the wrong thing. This thoughtful, instructive guide, from empathy expert Dr. Kelsey Crowe and greeting card maverick Emily McDowell, blends well-researched, actionable advice with the no-nonsense humor and the signature illustration style of McDowell's immensely popular Empathy Cards, to help you feel confident in connecting with anyone experiencing grief, loss, illness, or any other difficult situation. It is a helpful illustrated guide to effective compassion with good judgment instead of fear.
Hardcover; $25.99
Publisher:
HarperOne; ISBN:
9780062469991
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by Lydia Peelle
[Fiction]
"In this satisfying debut novel, Billy Monday, an Irish immigrant, and Charles McLaughlin, his young, orphaned accomplice, are small-time con artists who end up in Richfield, Tenn. The year is 1916 and war fever is mounting in the U.S. The two begin buying and selling mules to be used by the British Expeditionary Force on the Western Front, but they are themselves taken when they buy a mare from local bigwig Leland Hatcher that turns out to be a killer. Further complicating matters is Hatcher's daughter, Catherine, with whom Charles promptly falls in love, finding himself out of his depth in her elite social world. . ." - Publishers Weekly
Hardcover; $26.99
Publisher:
Harper; ISBN:
9780062475466
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New Paperbacks
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by Jane Mayer
[Non-Fiction]
Why is America living in an age of profound economic inequality? Why have even modest environmental efforts been defeated again and again? Why have protections for employees been decimated? Why do hedge-fund billionaires pay a far lower tax rate than middle-class workers? The conventional answer is that a popular uprising against "big government" led to the rise of a broad-based conservative movement. But Mayer argues in this history that a network of exceedingly wealthy people with extreme libertarian views also played a key role by bankrolling a systematic, step-by-step plan to fundamentally alter the American political system.
Paperback; $17.00
Publisher: Anchor Books;
ISBN:
9780307947901
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by Richard Russo
[Fiction]
Russo returns to North Bath, the Rust Belt town first brought to unforgettable life in Nobody's Fool. Now, 10 years later, Doug Raymer has become the chief of police and is tormented by the improbable death of his wife -- not to mention his suspicion that he was a failure of a husband. Meanwhile, the irrepressible Sully has come into a small fortune, but is suddenly faced with a VA cardiologist's estimate that he only has a year or two left to live. Filled with humor, heart, and hard-luck characters you can't help but love, Everybody's Fool is a crowning achievement from one of the great storytellers of our time.
Paperback; $16.95
Publisher: Vintage;
ISBN:
9780307454829
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by Janie Chang
[Fiction]
In 1908, Jialing is only seven years old when she is abandoned in the courtyard of a once-lavish estate near Shanghai. Jialing is zazhong -- Eurasian -- and faces a lifetime of contempt from both the Chinese and Europeans. She can survive only if the estate's new owners, the Yang family, agree to take her in.
Jialing finds allies in Anjuin, the eldest Yang daughter, and Fox, an animal spirit. As Jialing grows into womanhood, she finds herself drawn into a murder at the periphery of political intrigue, a relationship that jeopardizes her friendship with Anjuin, and a forbidden affair that brings danger to the man she loves.
Paperback; $15.99
Publisher: William Morrow & Company;
ISBN:
9780062388957
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by Patrick Hemstreet
[Fiction]
Neuroscientist Chuck Brenton and mathematician Matthew Streegman have made an astonishing breakthrough. Combining their rather disparate research, they have discovered the key to accessing the incredible power dormant in 90 percent of the human brain. Using test subjects, they have stimulated abilities that elevate brain function to seemingly "godlike" levels, steering human evolution toward miraculous -- and potentially deadly -- frontiers. These extraordinary abilities can transform the world, replacing fear and suffering with tranquility and stability. But in an age of increasing militarization, corporate exploitation, and explosive technological discovery, a group of influential power brokers is determined to control these new superbeings for its own manipulative ends. . .
Paperback; $15.99
Publisher: Voyager;
ISBN:
9780062419521
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by Joyce Carol Oates
[Fiction]
In 1965, neuroscientist Margot Sharpe meets Elihu Hoopes: the "man without a shadow," who will be known, in time, as the most-studied and most famous amnesiac in history. A vicious infection has clouded anything beyond the last seventy seconds just beyond the fog of memory. Over the course of thirty years, the two embark on mirrored journeys of self-discovery: Margot, enthralled by her charming, mysterious, and deeply lonely patient, as well as her officious supervisor, attempts to unlock Eli's shuttered memories of a childhood trauma without losing her own sense of self in the process.
Paperback; $15.99
Publisher: Ecco Press;
ISBN:
9780062416100
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by John Churchman and Jennifer Churchman
[Fiction]
Ages 2 to 4
One cold winter night, Sweet Pea becomes very sick. Everyone at the farm is worried about her! Under the watchful care of Farmer John, Laddie the sheepdog, and Dr. Alison the veterinarian, she slowly recovers. When Sweet Pea is better again, she's ready for a fun and imaginative "SheepOver" celebration!
This charming story of caring and friendship by farm owners John and Jennifer Churchman is brought to life with entrancing photo-illustrations and will enchant readers and make them fall in love with Sweet Pea and her friends.
Board Books; $7.99
Publisher:
LB Kids; ISBN:
9780316273558
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Events at Grass Roots
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Bonnie Arning
Friday, February 3, at 6:00 p.m.
Grass Roots Books & Music
227 SW 2nd St.
Corvallis, OR
From the moment of a marriage's heated inception to its period of luminous crowding and onward into distance and darkness, Bonnie Arning's
Escape Velocity asks if it's possible to exist outside the only universe we've ever known. In modes both lyric and narrative, we are given a peephole into the height and decline of a marriage that begins beneath the moving lights of Las Vegas, Nevada, and traverses the devastating terrain of gambling, miscarriage, infidelity, and violence.
However dark, collectively these poems tell a love story -- an acceptance of our capability to love those who hurt us, but also the love-of-self required to slowly and steadily reach "the velocity to be everleaving."
Bonnie Arning is a poet from Albuquerque, New Mexico. She earned her MFA from the University of New Mexico. Her work has appeared in Colorado Review, Prairie Schooner, Cream City Review, and others. Currently, she teaches English and ESOL in Corvallis, Oregon. The poet will be reading and signing books at this event.
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Community Events
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Darkside Show Times for 1/27-2/2
-The Brand New Testament -NR In this irreverent, cheerfully blasphemous dark comedy, God exists and He's a jerk. When his daughter Ea leaks his scheduled death dates for everyone, madcap comedy ensues. Subtitled. 83% RT.
-Moonlight -R A young man's struggle to find himself as he experiences the ecstasy, pain, and beauty of falling in love, while grappling with his own sexuality. Mahershala Ali, Naomie Harris, and Janelle Monáe. 98% on RT.
-20th Century Women -R In 1979 Santa Barbara, a single mom enlists three young people as role models for her teenage son in a changing world. Annette Bening, Greta Gerwig, Elle Fanning, Billy Crudup. Comedy, Drama. 95% RT.
-Elle -R When a successful businesswoman tracks down the unknown man who raped her, they are both drawn into a thrilling and dangerous game. Golden Globe winner Best Foreign Language film. Subtitled French. Isabelle Huppert. Drama, Thriller. 87% RT.
Arts/Literary Events
Steve Gillette and Cindy Mangsen In Concert
Presented by the Corvallis Folklore Society
Friday, February 3, at 7:30 p.m.
First United Methodist Church
Martha Room, 1165 NW Monroe Ave.
Corvallis, OR
A Gillette & Mangsen concert features compelling songs, rich harmony, and a good dose of humor. Steve and Cindy have performed on National Public Radio, across North America and Europe, delighting audiences with traditional music and original songs.
"Steve and Cindy have hit on a combination that consistently produces high quality recordings and entertaining stage shows. Their voices and their styles meld seamlessly with a gentleness and a maturity that is unmatched in the world of folk duos."
- Matt Watroba, Sing Out Magazine
Advance tickets now available at Grass Roots Books & Music! Cost is $15 in advance for CFS members, seniors 65+ and kids 12 and under, and $16 for nonmembers; add $1 at the door. Info: (541) 754-7668,
corvallisfolklore.org
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Reviewed by Charles Goodrich; sponsored by Friends of the Library
Wednesday, February 8, at 12:00 to 1:00 p.m.
Corvallis-Benton County Public Library
645 NW Monroe Ave.
Corvallis, OR
Friends of the Corvallis-Benton County Library's "Clear Out the Warehouse" BIG Book Sale
Friday, February 24, at 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. for Friends' Members only
Friday, February 24, at 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. (sale opens to the public)
Saturday, February 25, at 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Sunday, February 26, at 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Benton County Fairgrounds
110 SW 53rd St.
Corvallis, OR
Most books $1 to $4. Anyone can become a member for $10 at the door. Prices reduced each day. All proceeds benefit programs and services of the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library System.
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Community Events with Grass Roots
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OSU Provost Lecture Presents
Ta-Nehisi Coates
"Race in America: Ta-Nehisi Coates and the Burden of History"
Thursday, February 2, at 6:00 p.m. 
The LaSells Stewart Center
875 SW 26th St.
Corvallis, OR
Ta-Nehisi Coates is one of the most original and perceptive intellectual voices today. Coates is the author of the #1
New York Times
bestseller,
Between the World and Me
, and is a national correspondent for
The
Atlantic.
A former Village Voice writer, Coates is the Journalist in Residence at the School of Journalism at CUNY. He was previously the Martin Luther King Visiting Associate Professor at MIT, and has been awarded the Hillman Prize for Opinion and Analysis Journalism. He is the winner of a 2015 MacArthur Fellowship.
Co-sponsored by the Office of the Provost and Phi Beta Kappa, Coates was recognized as a Foundation Member during OSU's installation of its Phi Beta Kappa chapter in 2016.
General admission tickets are required. Grass Roots will be selling books at this event.
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SPARK Arts & Science at OSU Presents
Frances Backhouse
Thursday, February 9, at 5:45 to 6:30 p.m. (reception and book signing to follow)
The LaSells Stewart Center
875 SW 26th St.
Corvallis, OR
Award-winning Backhouse examines humanity's 15,000-year relationship with
Castor canadensis
, and the beaver's even older relationship with North American landscapes and ecosystems. From the waterlogged environs of the Beaver Capital of Canada to the wilderness cabin that controversial conservationist Grey Owl shared with pet beavers; from a bustling workshop where craftsmen make beaver-felt cowboy hats using century-old tools to a tidal marsh where an almost-lost link between beavers and salmon was recently found, Backhouse goes on a journey of discovery to find out what happened after we nearly wiped this essential animal off the map, and how we can learn to live with beavers now that they're returning.
This author talk is part of Beaver Tales, an environmental art and science exhibit at OSU.
Grass Roots will be selling books at this event.
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Saturday, February 11, at 8:00 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. 
The LaSells Stewart Center
875 SW 26th St.
Corvallis, OR
Insights Into Gardening is a day-long seminar hosted by Benton County Master Gardeners. Whether you are an experienced or novice gardener, new to the area or an Oregon native, you will find plenty of practical, research-based ideas to make your gardening easier, more enjoyable, and more successful. And new this year: A series of basic gardening classes appropriate for any gardeners but particularly for newbies. (Check out the Gardening 101 strand in the program.) Plus 20+ garden-related exhibitors, raffle prizes, and book sales. Registration is open here. Please join us for an educational and fun day!
Grass Roots will be selling books at this event.
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Store News
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2017 Newbery and Caldecott Medals
by Javaka Steptoe has won the 2017 Caldecott Medal. The further list of honors can be viewed here at
Shelf Awareness.
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Celebrate science!
Books are always there for us, and scientific knowledge is no exception. We've put together displays on titles we find highly relevant to the national discourse, exploring current issues like climate change, women in the field, astronomical research, and more. We hope you enjoy browsing!
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Night Stands
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Donovan
[Fiction]
Ages 3 to 7
Like all splendid things, this book is simple: Simple repetition of cheerful rhymes. Seemingly simple illustrations (the very best kind have a way of looking like they were easy to make). The bold yet spare watercolors complement the prose perfectly.
Every line and stroke that you see (and especially the ones that you don't) is spirited. Every word, carefully crafted, whirls 'round and 'round again like a wee carousel.
See a g
raceful greyhound meet a grubby groundhog. Frolic through a field full of "flutterbies", dash past a bog, gallop through a log, then flop down on the ground. Nap. Now pick it up and read it again! Postscript: If I may say, this book would make a perfect gift for Groundhog's Day.
Hardcover; $17.99
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade Books; ISBN: 9780553498059
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Jigsaw
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