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.