I’m about to take a long drive … down to
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
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.
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.
Join us on WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12 for a special story time! Local author Karen Kassy will read from the book Seaman's Journal: On the Trail with Lewis and Clark, by Patricia Reeder Eubank. Kassy will bring her dog, Splash, who happens to be the perfect likeness of the book's hero, Seaman! The book tells the tale of Seaman, a newfoundland dog, who spends three years on an adventure of more than 8,000 miles to the Pacific Ocean and back. The book tells the story of Lewis & Clark's expedition from Seaman's viewpoint. Based on the true entries in Lewis's own journal describing his dog, Seaman. This story time will be great for young readers as well as elementary-school age children who are studying, have studied, or will study this important part of history.
WRITER'S WORKSHOP
There's still time to take part! Bestselling local author, national journalist and writing coach Linden Gross will conduct a series of five one-hour workshops geared towards helping aspiring writers get published. The series, conducted at the store, will cover the following topics: (1) Getting Started, (2) Breaking into Magazines, (3) Getting a Book Deal, (4) Writing that Grabs the Right Kind of Attention, and (5) The Ins and Outs of Publishing vs. Self-Publishing. The How to Get Published workshop series will be conducted on five consecutive Wednesday evenings, starting tonight at the stpre, from 5 - 6 p.m. Linden's fee is $25 per workshop or $100 for the series of five. Contact us for registration information. Walk-in registrants are welcome.
CREATIVITY WORKSHOPS
Release your creative spirit! Join Karen Castelbaum for an inspiring series of "playshops" designed to help you drink from the inner wellsprings of creativity, imagination, and curiosity through guided work and art play. This three-part series features: THURSDAY, MARCH 20 - Alluring Activity: The Art of New Beginnings ... THURSDAY, APRIL 3 - The Gifts You Bring to the World ... and THURSDAY, APRIL 17 - The Muse is "IN": Living with Vision & Zest. Each workshop goes from 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. The cost for each session is $25.00, and Karen is donating 10% of all proceeds to the Kid's Center. Please call about a sliding price scale if cost is an issue. Karen is a counselor, artist, & expressive arts facilitator who loves fooling around with words and images. Contact the store for more information or to register.
BOOK CLUBS
We have two books going on this month, and everyone and anyone is invited to join the discussions. First up is the Oprah pick, A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle, which we will discuss on Thursday, March 20 from 5:30-6:30 p.m. (NOTE TIME CHANGE FROM 6:00 to 5:30).
SECOND BOOK ... the March pick for the store is The Other Boleyn Girl, which is of course now out as a film. I have many customers who count this as one of their favorite reads ever, so it seems like an appropriate time to delve in. We will discuss The Other Boleyn Girl on March 31 at 6:00 p.m.
STORY TIMES
Thursday, March 6 at 10:00 a.m. ... all Dr. Seuss!
Wednesday, March 12 at 3:00 p.m. ... special story time with guest reader and local author of Health Intuition, Karen Kassy. Karen will read from the children's picture book Seaman's Journey, which tells the tale of a Newfoundland dog who traveled with Lewis & Clark on their journey. Karen will bring her own Newfoundland, Splash, for the reading. Karen is a health intuitive and all-around great spirit. The story time will be fun for kids and grownups.
Thursday, March 20 at 10:00 a.m. ... Super Silly Stories
Wednesday, March 26 at 3:00 p.m. ... Super Silly Stories II. For this story time we're looking for anyone who might want to be a guest reader. Tina will be out of town.
READING MATERIAL
Tina is in the midst of four books . Tolle's A New Earth, Gregory's The Other Boleyn Girl, Yogananda's How to Be Happy All the Time, and Richard Yates's Revolutionary Road. I'm amazed by Revolutionary Road, a modern American classic that on one hand I wish I would have read long ago, but on the other hand it's such a pleasure to be so swept away by something for the first time. New in hardback or paperback . check out Aryn Kyle's The God of Animals, just in in paperback, as is Peony in Love, Lisa See's latest since Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. Recent hardcover releases to check out include John Burnham Schwartz's The Commoner, Geraldine Brooks's People of the Book, and Life Class by Pat Barker. Do you have a book-contemporary or classic-that you love, and that you'd love to tell others about? Write a recommendation and we'd be happy to place it with your book selection in the store. Just stop by and ask for the Customer Pick card.
