Something for those cozy, rainy evenings ahead...

The last week has been full of abolutely golden autumn days, with just a touch of crispness in the air. All afternoon I've heard customers waxing poetic about the weather. It comes with extra poignancy as I peek ahead into the future on Yahoo Weather and see that which we dread: THE RAINY SEASON. Sigh...

Typically I'm able to embrace our damp winters with a warm heart and some enthusiasm. This year is more of a challenge, since summer seems to have barely set foot in the Willamette Valley. The rain is coming, though, so I'll remind myself of the bright side of the dim: fuzzy wool yarn, bamboo knitting needles, and delicious cookies. Now that's my idea of a cozy way to greet the weather.

Two books have arrived that I am rather eager to get my mitts on.  The first is Stitch 'n Bitch Superstar Knitting: Go Beyond the Basics by Debbie Stoller. I have long admired Stoller's work, since it was while having her first book awkwardly cracked open on a coffee shop table that I learned to knit. No, I haven't made it far beyond scarves and dish rags (plus two cup cozies and ONE lonely sock), but I like to aspire to greatness. Stoller's newest work goes far beyond the basics, and includes 41 patterns for garments and accessories. There are even some sassy new scarves that I might try.

The other knitting book with allure that is within my reach (and the abilities of my stash) is Sock Yarn One-Skein Wonders: 101 Patterns That Go Way Beyond Socks by Judith Durant. See that? Beyond socks! Perhaps I could knit my lone sock a friend that is not a sock, yet conveniently color coordinates! I would be knitting beyond the sock... There are some really really really adorable scarves in here at any rate. Ah, the Loveliness! Oh, the yarn! Sigh, the happiness!

These things should keep my hands busy for a little while. Well, that and the flutter of my fingers over the keyboard in November for NaNoWriMo. Perhaps I will be more successful with that than with my regular blog posts here. Sorry, but the stack of books waiting at home for me is just so distracting...

In between my distractions, I'll see you at the bookstore!
Pamela.

A Very Literary Halloween

Halloween is fast approaching, and that means costume time!!! (I'm very excited.)  Here are a few tips for those of you who want to make Halloween a book-appreciative event and could use some ideas.

1.  Do you want your costume to translate immediately?  It helps to dress as a character that has a visual trademark.

Think: Alice in Wonderland, Frankenstein's monster, Sherlock Holmes, Hester Prynne, Hamlet, or even Edward from the Twilight series (hmmm...that may not qualify as literary...).  These are usually easy costumes because they require one or two signature props (Alice wears a puffy blue dress and white pinafore; Holmes has his hat and pipe; Frankenstein's neck plugs; Prynne's scarlet A;  Hamlet carries Yorick's skull; Edward has that dreamy glittery complexion).

Example:

Hamlet--a costume you can whip up at home

2.  Supporting characters are a fun option that may make fellow partygoers pause for thought.  Rooster Cogburn of "True Grit," The Queen of Hearts, Zaphod Beeblebrox from "A Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy," a Siren from "The Odyssey," Miss Havisham from "Great Expectations," and Ophelia covered in seaweed are just a few ideas.

Zaphod Beeblebrox

Dickens' Miss Havisham

Add some seaweed and a frown for a more sinister Ophelia.

 3.  Some costumes are destined to be misinterpreted, and others are simply too obscure for accurate translation.  Embrace it!  Go as your favorite character, even if that means your Laura Ingalls is thought to be a random prairie girl until you correct people.  If it really drives you nuts, carry around a copy of the book that your character stars in.  Fun ideas:  Leonard Maltin of movie review fame; the guy that stole Jonathan Franzen's glasses (I've been trying to persuade our receiver, Michael, to do this!); Mikael Blomkvist or Lisbeth Salander from "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" (make sure to carry a faux-MacBook and a cup of coffee); Sookie Stackhouse from "True Blood;" and Penelope from "The Odyssey"

Who?...OH, that movie guy...What's-his-na--that's right, Leonard Maltin!

  4.  On a related note, there are a few authors that have enough of a look to hold up to imitation.  My favorites are Anne Rice (somebody please do this!), Edgar Allen Poe, Hunter S. Thompson, and Sylvia Plath.

Guess who!  Hunter S. Thompson's a bit batty.

5.  For readers who will be spending Halloween surrounded by adorably costumed children, here are some kid-friendly costume ideas: Mrs. Frisby from "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" (white mouse with a cape);  a Hogwarts instructor; the Man in the Yellow Hat (perhaps with a little stuffed monkey wrapped around an arm, or, um, see below); Waldo of "Where" fame; you can even get the whole family involved for an Alice in Wonderland or Wizard of Oz theme.

The Man in the Yellow Hat and Curious George.

Fun for the whole family

Have a great Halloween, everyone!

NaNoWriMo Approacheth

National Novel Writing Month is bearing down upon my head! Whatever will I write about? Whatever will YOU write about? Don't know what I'm talking about? Oh, let me tell you of the terrors and triumphs of NaNoWriMo...

For someone who has always wanted to write a book, NaNoWriMo is an inspiring challenge. Give yourself a deadline, and the words will just pour fourth. That's the premise anyway.

What NaNoWriMo does is give you 30 days--the month of November--to write a 50,000 word novel. Doesn't sound like much, right?  After all, it breaks down to about 1,667 words a day. Totally doable. To make it easier, you're joining approximately 360,000 other writers around the world to accomplish the same task.  You're a team!

And then you start crunching out the words.

I can only speak for myself, really, but during those 30 days I have cranked out some of the worst drivel of my entire life. Inane dialog. Unnecessary descriptions. Superfluous words. Just to get a word count!

It makes one question one's worthiness as a writer. It makes one question one's sanity. Relationships suffer.  Health suffers. Typing fingers suffer.

Don't fret! There is help! The Office of Letters and Light (I don't make this stuff up) has a website full of suggestions, connections to other local NaNo'ers, and inspiration at http://www.nanowrimo.org/. You're not in this alone. There's also a fantastic book called No Plot, No Problem: The Low-Stress Guide to Writing a Novel in 30 Days by Chris Baty, the founder of NaNoWriMo. I find it to be quite handy for any aspiring writer.

But in the end, if you've stuck with it, you have written a book.  Look, Ma! A novel of my very own! The satisfaction is immeasurable, and that's a good thing. You're not winnin' anything else for that piece of piddly writing.

However, you can bask in the glow of success. You're a writer! You've written a book!

Go forth to plod and plot.
See you in the bookstore--when I'm not plodding myself!

Pamela.

Postcard from Paradise

I realize this post is a little belated.  In mid-September I took a vacation to Hawaii with My Honey, and I did in fact send postcards to the store.  However, I didn't get to share them with all of my Grass Roots friends.  My vacation mostly entailed sitting around by pools and on beaches, my nose in a book or soaking up the sun.  (Had to stock up on my vitamin D while I could!)  So here, I bring you a bookish-themed post about my vacation.

First of all, I have to say I made good use of guide books (My Honey is more of an online person himself.), and found the Hawaii: An Explorer's Guide book to be particularly interesting to read, as well as helpful.  It's more than just a list of hotels, restaurants and places to see; there's actually backstory on the history of the places and people of the islands.  Another useful series of guides is Hawaii Revealed, which may also be known as the blue books about Hawaii.  They cover out of the way places and give honest opinions, even if they're negative.  I found the writing style to be kind of annoying, but even skimming it revealed great information.

Pearl Harbor is this far away from Portland.

Crew's Library on the USS Missouri

Where did we go once we got there?  Well, we started on Waikiki Beach, which was everything I heard it would be.  Ahem.  I am very glad we were there in the off-season, and we left just about exactly when we were ready to.  My postcard from Oahu?  It features the crew library on the USS Missouri.  Unfortunately while we were visiting Pearl Harbor, a movie was being filmed on "The Mighty Mo", and we didn't get access to everything visitors usually do.  Boo on them.  I forgave them, however, because I got to see  the library and the pie kitchen.  (Can you imagine a whole kitchen with a battery of ovens just for pies?  AWESOME!)

Representing Grass Roots at Volcanoes National Park.

Next we hopped over to the Big Island for two nights in Hilo, two nights north of Kona, and a stop at Volcanoes National Park and South Point in between.  The volcano was pretty awesome, but all we saw was steam.  And at night?  We saw colored steam.  Well, boo on the lava, but I enjoyed it anyway.  And it turns out Mark Twain visited the volcano as well.  I decided I need to bond with my literary brethren and had my picture taken where he was.  (Look where Grass Roots has been!)  South Point was pretty cool; it's the southern most point in the United States. 

Book.  And Maui beach.

We had to finish up our visit to Hawaii on Maui.  I love Maui.  I love laying by the pool and having people bring my drinks.  I also enjoy laying in a lounge chair on the beach reading a book.  Sigh...  My postcard from Maui features a page of my favorite reading material on my vacation, The Group by Mary McCarthy.  It was fantastic and scandalous.  I admit, I sometimes struggled to keep track of all the characters, but I was interested in their lives.  Oh, I did enjoy it.

Now I am settled in back at home, working my way through different books and getting back into my routine at the bookstore.  It is nice to be home in Corvallis, but it's always nice to dream of exciting new places to go.  For now, I think I'll hold onto my memories from Hawaii.

Aloha, friends!
Pamela.

October Events at Grass Roots!

October is shaping up to a great month at Grass Roots.  I'm super excited because cooking and children's picture book titles are starting to arrive for the holiday shopping season.  Woo hoo!  October is also Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so be aware of it!


Reading Group
There are some awesome events coming up this month, in and out of the store, as well.  Important to note first is that the book group meeting date has changed this month.  Please join our discussion of The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon on Tuesday, Oct.12 (moved from Oct. 5) at Grass Roots, 6:30 to 8 p.m.

Lecture and Book Signing
On Tuesday, Oct. 5, Grass Roots will be selling books at the Marcus Borg lecture, entitled "Christian and American: Then and Now", at the First Presbyterian Church in Corvallis.  The event is part of the celebration for the opening of the church's new John and Nancy Dennis Conference Center and Fellowship Hall, and proceeds from book sales will go to the building fund.  The event is free and open to the public, and begins at 7 p.m.

Author Signings and Discussions
The third weekend in October will be a busy at Grass Roots, as we will be hosting two author events.

On Saturday, Oct. 16, we are hosting Debra Daniels-Zeller, the author of The Northwest Vegetarian Cookbook at 3 p.m. Even if you're not a vegetarian, Debra has some great recipes for using our local, seasonal produce.  After stopping by the farmer's market that day, get some lunch downtown, then come by Grass Roots for ideas on what to do with your purchases!

On Sunday, Oct. 17, Penelope Scambly Schott will be at Grass Roots, reading from and discussing her new book of poetry Crow Mercies.  The book is published locally by Calyx Press.  The event starts at 3 p.m.

Also, don't forget to check out our calendar at the bottom of the blog--it includes all of our store events, as well as local events we are a ticket outlet for.  As always, you can stay abreast of what's going on at Grass Roots by receiving our weekly online newsletter, The Grass Roots Reader, following us on Facebook, and of course checking in with us here.  And never hesitate to stop by and say hello!

See you at the bookstore--soon, I hope!
Pamela.