Story Time Thursday

Come in Thursday morning (May 1) at 10:00 for our TRAINS story time! Remember ... every story time at Camalli is FREE, and every story time includes a craft. Story times last approximately 30 minutes, and the ideal ages are 3 - 6, however the younger & older ones are always welcome, too. We just ask that parents mind their little ones so that everyone can hear and participate in story time.

Story Time Thursday!

Thursday morning 10:00 a.m. is story time. This week the theme is penguins and we have a VERY cute craft to go with our stories. All kids, all ages welcome.

We hope to see you!

Cold Day, Warm Poem

Those of us in Bend woke up to more than an inch of snow on the ground this morning. Yep, on the eighth of April we woke up to snow, when in many other places the only white on the trees comes from the spring blossoms. So, we're sharing a warm poem. It's a Neruda poem, so the warmth comes from the author's love heat ;-)

Te recuerdo como eras (I Remember You as You Were)

by Pablo Neruda (1904-1973)

I remember you as you were in the last autumn.
You were the grey beret and the still heart.
In your eyes the flames of the twilight fought on.
And the leaves fell in the water of your soul.

Clasping my arms like a climbing plant
the leaves garnered your voice, that was slow and at peace.
Bonfire of awe in which my thirst was burning.
Sweet blue hyacinth twisted over my soul.

I feel your eyes traveling, and the autumn is far off:
grey beret, voice of a bird, heart like a house
towards which my deep longings migrated
and my kisses fell, happy as embers.

Sky from a ship. Field from the hills:
Your memory is made of light, of smoke, of a still pond!
Beyond your eyes, farther on, the evenings were blazing.
Dry autumn leaves revolved in your soul.

Driving with Books

I’m about to take a long drive … down to Berkeley, California for a dear friend’s wedding on April 12. So I’m driving down on Thursday the 10th and when it comes to a long trip like that I’ve discovered that I actually do enjoy books on CD. If you’re traveling with others listening to a book is tough, because not everyone enjoys the same thing. But seeing as this is a solo trip for me, I can pick whatever I want! Being a reader and a book lover, listening to a book has always felt like cheating to me, but I was quickly converted on my last drive south. I listened to three books on that trip: The Reluctant Fundamentalist, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, and The Fourth Bear. I did miss my music a bit … another joy of driving by yourself is you can crank up the stereo as loud as you want and no one asks you to change the CD. There is a certain joy to be found cruising down I-5, a joyless stretch on its own, and twisting the knob clockwise and being washed over by tunes from your favorite bands (for me, Wilco, Flaming Lips, vintage X and Throwing Muses).

So this time I may do one or two books on CD and some music. I’m thinking about listening to a personal hero, Joseph Campbell … perhaps The Hero with a Thousand Faces. I’m also considering a good classic, such as Hesse’s Siddhartha or Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury. Hmmm. I also very much want to read Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray (so twisted!) … but that I may save to read rather than listen to.

Decisions, decisions. Regardless of what I listen to, it will be a great trip. A weekend spent with life-long girlfriends, sharing a hotel room and laughing into the wee hours. It’s hard for any book to beat that.

Spring is Springing!

Many people (us included) are anxiously awaiting that warmer weather, whether it's to dig our fingers in the dirt or to sip a glass of wine on the deck. If you're itching to get your home ready for a new season there are (of course) some books you may want to consider. Architect Sarah Susanka's books bring to light a new way of thinking about what makes a place feel like home—characteristics that many people desire of their homes and their lives, but haven't known how to verbalize. Her books include The Not So Big House: A Blueprint for the Way We Really Live, Outside the Not So Big House: Creating the Landscape of Home, and one of my favorites, The Not So Big Life: Making Room for What Really Matters. For your yard, local landscapers and gardeners Fred Swisher and Sarah Whipple offer up 55 Myths, Tips and Secrets: Bend's Essential Guide to Landscaping. Fred and Sarah were in the store last month, but they'll be back again with more tips and answers to local gardening dilemmas.

Shaping Up in Spring
Some might consider doing a little spring cleaning beyond their homes. I spoke with a customer today who goes through a multi-day fast at the start of every spring ... a body spring cleaning, if you will. If you're looking to do some personal spring cleaning, consider joining Camalli on Friday, April 11 at 6:00 when Lorette Simonet-Jones discusses her book, Kiss Your Fat Goodbye. By no means a slim-down-quick book, Lorette's book focuses on helping people develop the healthy attitudes that allow them to achieve the health and fitness they deserve. Lorette is a yoga instructor, health educator, and weight managment expert.

Book Club
We had a great discussion on Monday that started with Philippa Gregory's The Other Boleyn Girl and eventually branched off into all sorts of thought-provoking topics. Eventually we got around to naming our April pick: Bernhard Schlink's The Reader. Originally published in Germany, Schlink's book explores the difficulties of comprehending the Holocaust as experienced by the generations growing up afterward—and whether it can be understood through language alone. We will discuss The Reader on Monday, April 28 at 6:00 p.m. Remember … EVERYONE is welcome to join us!

Story Times
Here are the April Story Time dates:
Thursday, April 3, 10:00 a.m. ... theme: DOGS
Wednesday, April 9, 3:00 p.m. ... theme: SPACE
Thursday, April 17, 10:00 a.m. ... theme: PENGUINS & PUFFINS
Wednesday, April 23, 3:00 p.m. ... theme: TINA'S PICKS

Thursday, May 1, 10:00 a.m. ... theme: TRAINS
Story times are approximately 30 minutes long, and that includes craft time.

Recent Releases and Top Sellers
Perhaps you heard the interview on NPR … Kurt Vonnegut's son discussed his Dad's posthumous release, Armageddon in Retrospect. It was officially on sale today and was snapped up immediately (but of course more are now in)! Also out and receiving a lot of attention given the recent uprising in Tibet is Pico Iyer's The Open Road: The Global Journey of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama. Saturday's article in the Bulletin has renewed interest in Molly Gloss's novel, Hearts of Horses, and it's moving back onto the bestseller table. If you're a mystery lover, look for this year's Edgar Award nominees, including Benjamin Black's Christine Falls; Tana French's In the Woods; Vincent Bugliosi's Reclaiming History: The Assassination of John F. Kennedy; Kevin Wignall's Who is Conrad Hirst?; and Michael Chabon's The Yiddish Policeman's Union. Also off the shelf as soon as it landed … Red Bird: Poems by Mary Oliver

Speaking of Poetry . . .
April is National Poetry Month! National Poetry Month was established by the Academy of American Poets as a month-long, national celebration of poetry. So celebrate! Pick up an anthology, a classic, or something brand new. And remember … Camalli posts new poems weekly (sometimes bi-weekly) outside the front of the store. These poems are by locals whenever possible (hint, hint: submit your poems!) and are BEAUTIFULLY illustrated by our lovely artist and bookseller, Britanny Zendejas.