Archive for September, 2011

“If you are anything like me, you might wish you knew some of the people in this book. Yes, they are a figment of Justin Taylor’s imagination, but there is an element here that reminds me of NPR’s “This American Life.” I can see how these characters’ experiences, although much more exciting, reckless and cavalier than any I have had, are related to my own. I may not have seen the world end as I tried to beat Tetris, but I have considered, as a character did, that perhaps it was not a game you were ever meant to beat. I had never considered Tetris as a metaphor for life, but as soon as I read the words it felt familiar. Out of all of the fantastic things that happen in this book, the most wonderful is that it causes you to discover things about yourself.” —Chad, Auntie’s Bookstore, Spokane. Buy Everything Here Is the Best Thing Ever from Auntie’s.

Boy Meets Girl With Cake, 30 Years Later

Filed under:Regional Reprints

We love, love, love this story about two Powell’s booksellers geeking out over Richard Brautigan’s former lover. The woman stopped by the store last week to pick up a copy of Brautigan’s story collection Revenge of the Lawn and mentioned to bookseller/author/editor/publisher Kevin Sampsell that she was the woman on the cover, the one smiling over the chocolate cake. “This was probably the closest I would ever get to the legendary author, so I instantly turned into super fanboy,” Sampsell writes. “I guess I felt kind of like a Star Wars fan meeting the guy who played Boba Fett or something. My lit-geek adrenaline was kicking in hard.” He and his co-worker started peppering her with questions, some of which she answered (a Google search later filled in some of the blanks). They didn’t take her picture, or buy her any cake, which they regret. Sampsell calls it a “strange and wonderful encounter.”

When you work in a bookstore, this kind of stuff happens every once it awhile, making your day, sometimes your week. We’re still talking about a conversation we had once with Faye Kesey. Sampsell has a way better story, though.

The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta, Dennis Boutsikaris

Filed under:Face Out

“What if the Rapture happens, leaving behind a few? Or what if it wasn’t the Rapture at all, but something murkier, a burst of mysterious, apparently random disappearances that shattered the world in a single moment, dividing history into Before and After, leaving no one unscathed? The Leftovers is a startling, thought-provoking novel about love, connection and loss from The New York Times bestselling author of The Abstinence Teacher and Little Children.”—Jen, Rediscovered Books, Boise. Buy The Leftovers from Rediscovered Books.

Happy Banned Books Week, from Beach Books!

Filed under:Regional Reprints

We love watching the videos that Beach Books (Seaside, OR) has posted with friends of the store reading from banned books. Among them, a Seaside High School teacher reads from The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian; a Seaside librarian reads from One Hundred Years of Solitude; Beach Books’ owner Karen Emmerling reads from Kate Chopin’s The Awakening, local author Gloria Linkey from The Diary of Anne Frank; and Beach Books’ Alexa Butler from the Gossip Girl series. There’s something really charming about being read to from the Internet. Thanks, Beach Books!

Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes by Chris Crutcher

Filed under:One Nightstand

I just finished reading this book for my blog’s celebration of Banned Books Week, and it was well worth my time. (more…)

We went camping with Cecelia Hagen’s new collection of poetry, which resulted in its pages becoming smudged with dirt, stained with the juice of an over-ripe pluot and marked up by a toddler with an orange crayon. This works well as supplemental art, actually, because Hagen’s poems are full of imperfection—our “daily stumblings” she calls them. Hagen takes the clumsy and mundane and works it into something more elegant and sometimes funny, finding beauty or the unexpected in the pockets of a Salvation Army jacket, on the teacups at Disneyland, studying her ex-husband as he draws her a map to get across town. Of the collection, the poet Dorrianne Laux says, “I love the clear, sensual music of Cecelia Hagen’s Entering, the strange and ruined beauty of this solitary poet’s landscapes, the bristled and voluptuous memories of growing up, each rough truth: the knife that ‘speaks to what it cuts’ (saying) ‘your turn.’”

Entering will be published October 1 by Airlie Press, a nonprofit poetry collective based in Oregon. Hagen is the author of two previous chapbooks, Fringe Living and Among Others. She teaches memoir and poetry writing in Eugene, where she and her husband do most of their tango dancing. We asked her a few questions. (more…)

Feynman: A graphic novel by Jim Ottaviani and Leland Myrick

Filed under:Face Out

“Meet the quirky, heartwarming man who turned modern physics upside down, in a book packed with the exhilaration of real learning and the genuine excitement of scientific discovery. Our Book Club selection for October is one of the most gorgeous graphic novels ever produced, smart and funny and thought-provoking, perfectly tied in to the beginning of this school year! Richard Feynman changed the face of modern science. He was a brilliant teacher who broke all the rules. He was notoriously fun at parties. Now you can enjoy the perfect introduction to this pioneering thinker and universally-acclaimed genius. If you’ve never tried a graphic novel, or think you don’t like them, give this one a try. It’s the perfect combination of topic, writing, art and wit, a delicious visual concoction of thoughtfulness and laugh-out-loud entertainment. What a great subject! There’s only one Feynman. Let him into your life. And come discuss the book with us at University Book Store on Monday, October 24 at 6 pm.” —Nick, University Book Store, Seattle. Buy Feynman from University Book Store.

Fromm’s New “Ballet”

Filed under:Regional Reprints

Some of us have been wondering what Montana author Pete Fromm has been up to. We know that a movie has been (or is being) made of his award-winning novel As Cool As I Am; we know he went off to France on a promo tour; we know he’s teaching in Pacific University’s low-residency writing program. But what exactly has he been writing? Narrative has published a short story of his called Ballet. It’s about way more than dancing, though, and, beware, it might make you cry. Highly recommended. Don’t let the sign-in requirement stop you; just give them your email and whatever password you want, then go on to reading Pete. You won’t regret it.

Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend by Susan Orlean

Filed under:Face Out

“Yes, another dog book, but this is by Susan Orlean and is about World War I (Did you know 50,000 dogs were used in the battlefields, and that’s where Rinty was found as a pup?) and the glitzy days of Hollywood and one loner’s devotion to his dog. Quite a tale, and, as always, the best stories are true”—Becky, Vintage Books, Vancouver, WA. Buy Rin Tin Tin from Vintage Books.

King in Residence at A Children’s Place

Filed under:Regional Reprints

Children’s author Bart King will work on his next young adult novel in the window of the Northeast Portland store A Children’s Place on several days in October. The Oregonian reports that King, who’s maybe best known for his The Big Book of Boy Stuff, will work on No Vampires. No Zombies. One Demon and that customers may “be treated to rare glimpses of the writer chatting, snacking, and goofing off.” Catch King at A Children’s Place on Mon., Oct. 3: 3-6 PM  Tues., Oct, 4: 2-5 PM  Wed., Oct. 5: 3-6 PM, Thur., Oct. 6th: 2-5 PM  Fri., Oct. 7th: 1:30-4:30 PM.