Several weeks ago two local poets came to read in Grass Roots. I hadn’t had the chance to sit down and enjoy a reading in months. As I listened to their voices fill the room, I relaxed into a state of easy bliss. As the evening passed I found that I was deriving as much joy from simply being read to as I was from the actual poetry itself. Perhaps this contentment comes from the many hours I spent in rapt audience to my parents’ ritual nightly read-alouds, I’m not sure. But I do know that listening to human voices breathe life into written words is one of the most comforting pastimes.

I do a lot of reading aloud (since I'm always coming across passages I want to share), but I don’t as often get a chance to listen in. Lately I’ve been daydreaming about some of the books I’d like to have read to me, particularly by the authors themselves. Here are a few…


The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William KamKwamba – because I'm reading it right now and I love it and I love KamKwamba's voice. It is so evident that Kamkwamba comes from a tradition of oral storytelling – he is magnificent as he describes his parents and childhood. I’m only a quarter of the way in, but I’m spellbound.



The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet by Reif Larsen – for the obvious reasons if you open the back flap and see the author's fine blue eyes. Well, and the fact that this was one of the most intriguing and fun books I read this year. All variety of unusual maps and diagrams fill the margins of the pages – if somebody reads this book to you, you'll need to peek over their shoulder, for sure.


The Memory of Old Jack by Wendell Berry – because Berry's fiction is some of my favorite and last week a trusted customer told me that this is Berry's best. I've never heard Wendell Berry's voice, but I suspect it adds even more depth to his stories.





And my Two Favorite Poets: Mary Oliver (from her Poetry Handbook) and Maurice Manning (from his Bucolics) -- because I’ve heard recordings of Mary Oliver and I love her reading voice, and because I’ve heard Maurice Manning read in person before and it was sublime. Transcendent? Sure.




What book would you like read aloud to you by its author?
Take our poll at right.
~April

Alexandra Day and Carl Charm Corvallis

What a whirlwind visit we had from Alexandra Day and her star dog Carl! For days prior to her visit we were swamped with phone calls from eager fans... "do you have any Carl books? Will the dog really be visiting with Alexandra? Will Alexandra Day sign more than one book per person?"

The answers to all questions were Yes, Yes, Yes!!!

Video clips of Carl and his magnificent tricks -- coming soon!
~April

NASEEM RAKHA EVENT POSTPONED

Such sad news!

Naseem Rakha, author of The Crying Tree, has taken ill and will not be able to give the reading previously scheduled for Tuesday, October 13th at the Arts Center in downtown Corvallis.

Once Naseem is feeling better we'll reschedule the reading/singing and you'll be the first to know the new dates!

Best wishes to Naseem for a speedy and easy recovery.

~Grass Roots Staff

Alexandra Day Coming to Town

And yes, Alexandra is bringing Carl along...



Alexandra Day and Carl
Book Signing
Tuesday October 13th 4:30-6pm
Grass Roots Books and Music







Alexandra Day and Carl
Discussion and Signing
Wednesday October 14th 7:30-9pm
Corvallis Arts Center
Downtown Corvallis

Books will be available at each event for purchase and signing.

The Joy of Returning, Continued

To continue my post from last night, here are four more of the new books which have grabbed my attention since my return after a week away from the store.

For any techie who loves classic literature:
Ophelia Joined the Group Maidens Don't Float: Classic Lit Signs on to Facebook by Sarah Schmelling
It's not often that Gabrielle and I weaken enough to bring books home to our personal bookshelves (working in a bookstore as a book lover requires a definite degree of resolve in order to avoid abject poverty as the result of dedicating our paychecks to supporting our bibliophilia). This book, however, has nearly seduced us. This book is clever! And silly! Written in the format of Facebook news feeds and profiles, this is a series of dialogs between our favorite classic lit authors and characters. Particularly amusing, read the comments characters and authors leave on each others' "walls" (e.g. Tolkein's comments on Shakespeare's news feed, or Bridget Jones' comments to Jane Austen).

This is Not a Book by Keri Smith
This book is so sweet (even if it claims not to be a book)! A playful activity book for grown-ups, finally. Page 156, for example, says "this is a RANDOM ADVENTURE. 1. go outside. 2. Walk until you see something red. 3. Take ten steps. 4. Look down at your feet and describe what you see in detail." Other pages include ethnographic studies, escape capsules, action sculptures, friends, annoyances, dares, secret identities, miniature book factories, and sets of directions. Young adults will love this book, too.

Life in the Boreal Forest by Brenda Z. Guiberson, Illustrated by Gennady Spirin
Hey, this book is beautiful. Have you seen Spirin's artwork before? He's won five gold medals from the Society of Illustrators. Aimed for children aged 5-10, this nonfiction narrative leads readers through the boreal forests of Canada and Russia. Did you know that bears in these forests must accumulate five-inch layers of fat to keep warm through the winter?

I Judge You When You Use Poor Grammar: A Collection of Egregious Errors, Disconcerting Bloopers, and Other Linguistic Slip-Ups by Sharon Eliza Nichols
This book is pretty hilarious, particularly if you're a language nut. These photos
of signs, notes, and even icing inscriptions on birthday cakes will make you chuckle, from small watermelons advertised as "personnel watermelons" to "beach access closed do to beach erosion."

The Joy of Returning

I never like to leave the bookstore for long, but last weekend I traveled to Pennsylvania for a quick visit home. Can you imagine how much changes in a bookstore in one week? I returned to Grass Roots this afternoon and was overwhelmed. New beautiful books smiling and leaping into my open arms from every shelf!!!

I was so overjoyed by the new bookstore residents that I had to catalog some of them here for you. Here's a peek at the source of my joy.


The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer
I'm always on the lookout for books to recommend to my mother. I can't wait to tell her about this one (and I hope my book group reads it someday). This is the true story of a young man who grew up in Malawi and started building electricity-generating and water-pumping windmills out of scrap metal, tractor parts, and bicycle halves. Kamkwamba has received international attention for his efforts and inventions. Co-authored by journalist Bryan Mealer. Visit this great website to learn more about Kamkwamba and his projects: Moving Windmills Project. I suspect this might be a great follow-up for those folks who loved Three Cups of Tea and Mountains Beyond Mountains.


The Little Prince Deluxe Pop-Up Book; Unabridged Edition, by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Ah, ah, ah, this magnificent book is finally here in the store resting on our very own shelves in all its sweetness and glory. The original charming illustrations now try to kiss your nose when you turn the pages! Stop by to delight in this clever adaptation in person.


Prairie Home Companion Pretty Good Joke Book, 5th Edition; introduced by Garrison Keillor
I love Garrison Keillor and I love his annual joke show, partly because it always coincides with my April Fool's birthday. My first impulse is to ship this to my little brother in Chia Yi, Taiwan, since he's my favorite joker, but I wonder who he would share the jokes with, since most of his conversations are in Mandarin? Here's just one:

Did you hear Willie Nelson got hit by a car?
He was playing on the road again.


Signspotting III: Lost and Loster in Translation, compiled by Doug Lansky
This book had me chuckling so much my co-worker came across the store to check on me. This is a snapshot collection of awkward signage... want to make a stop at the Death Valley Health Center? Hang your jacket in the Cloa Kroom? And what does this mean? Octopus is available at the EXIT of the car park!


Bananagrams
This isn't a book - it's a game, and I love it! Imagine lots of scrabble tiles inside a yellow bag that looks like a banana... and imagine a game based around anagrams... and you have bananagrams! I've been playing this with my family and with my housemates and we've all been tickled. You can buy the Bananagrams book separately for some extra challenges.

I'm out of time now, but check back tomorrow for the rest of my list!
~April