I rarely link to book reviews but Pankaj Mishra's review of The Inheritance of Loss in The New York Times Book Review is extraordinary. Read it here.

See who's cooking with Sara by visiting the Foster's Markets website.

Learn more about A. M. Homes and The Mistress's Daughter by clicking here -- what an amazing site!

It's peach and pink and so pretty -- it's Lauren Myracle's website. Visit it today!

To learn about The Princess Project -- one of the Bay Area's most exciting non-profits, click here.

The God of Animals by Aryn Kyle (Scribner, $25). When her older sister runs away to marry a rodeo cowboy, Alice Winston is left to bear the brunt of her family's troubles -- a depressed, bedridden mother; a reticent, overworked father; and a run-down horse ranch. As the hottest summer in fifteen years unfolds and bills pile up, Alice is torn between dreams of escaping the loneliness of her duty-filled life and a longing to help her father mend their family and the ranch. A wise and astonishing novel about the different guises of love and the often steep tolls on the road to adulthood, The God of Animals is a haunting, unforgettable debut. We have a limited number of signed copies available. [Also available on audio compact disc.]

Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar . . . Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes by Thomas Cathcart & Daniel Klein (Abrams, $18.95). Here's a lively, hilarious, not-so-reverent crash course through the great philosophical traditions, schools, concepts, and thinkers. It's Philosophy 101 for everyone who knows not to take all this heavy stuff too seriously. Some of the Big Ideas are Existentialism (what do Hegel and Bette Midler have in common?), Philosophy of Language (how to express what it's like being stranded on a desert island with Halle Berry), Feminist Philosophy (why, in the end, a man is always a man), and much more. Finally -- it all makes sense! This wonderfully funny volume just landed this week and already we've sold a stack off the counter. Absolutely guaranteed to make you giggle!

The Enchanted April by Elizabeth Von Arnim (NYRB Classics, $14.95). A recipe for happiness: four women, one medieval Italian castle, plenty of wisteria, and solitude as needed. The women at the center of The Enchanted April are alike only in their dissatisfaction with their everyday lives. They find each other -- and the castle of their dreams -- through a classified ad in a London newspaper one rainy February afternoon. The ladies expect a pleasant holiday, but they don't anticipate that the month they spend in Portofino will reintroduce them to their true natures and reacquaint them with joy. Now, if the same transformation can be worked on their husbands and lovers, the enchantment will be complete. Now available in an attractive new paperback edition with a lovely, insightful introduction by novelist Cathleen Schine -- this is the perfect escapist read!

Through a Glass, Darkly: A Commissario Guido Brunetti Mystery by Donna Leon (Penguin, $7.99). The "Philadelphia Inquirer" called Leon's incomparable creation Commissario Guido Brunetti the most humane sleuth since Georges Simenon's Inspector Maigret. It's no wonder then that Leon's legion of fans continues to grow with each new book that's published. In Through a Glass, Darkly, Brunetti investigates the murder of a night watchman, whose body is found in front of a blazing furnace at Giovanni De Cal's glass factory along with an annotated copy of Dante's Inferno. Did the cantankerous De Cal kill him? Will Brunetti make the connection between the work of literature and the murderer in time?

The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets by Eva Rice (Plume, $14). Set in the 1950s, in an England still recovering from the Second World War, The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets is the enchanting story of Penelope Wallace and her eccentric family at the start of the rock'n'roll era. Penelope longs to be grown-up and to fall in love; but various rather inconvenient things keep getting in her way. Like her mother, a stunning but petulant beauty widowed at a tragically early age, her younger brother Inigo, currently incapable of concentrating on anything that isn't Elvis Presley, a vast but crumblng ancestral home, a severe shortage of cash, and her best friend Charlotte's sardonic cousin Harry . . . Eva Rice's novel is an utterly engrossing read, in the tradition of Nancy Mitford and I Capture the Castle.

The Road by Cormac McCarthy (Vintage, $14.95). A father and his son walk alone through burned America. Nothing moves in the ravaged landscape save the ash on the wind. It is cold enough to crack stones, and when the snow falls it is gray. The sky is dark. Their destination is the coast, although they don't know what, if anything, awaits them there. They have nothing; just a pistol to defend themselves against the lawless bands that stalk the road, the clothes they are wearing, a cart of scavenged food -- and each other. The Road is the profoundly moving story of a journey. It boldly imagines a future in which no hope remains, but in which the father and his son, "each the other's world entire," are sustained by love. Awesome in the totality of its vision, it is an unflinching meditation on the worst and the best that we are capable of: ultimate destructiveness, desperate tenacity, and the tenderness that keeps two people alive in the face of total devastation.

Alice Waters and Chez Panisse by Thomas McNamee (The Penguin Press, $27.95). Subtitled "The Romantic, Impractical, Often Eccentric, Ultimately Brilliant Making of a Food Revolution," Thomas McNamee's story of Alice Waters and Chez Panisse is a well-researched, pleasurably written study of the Bay Area's most-watched restaurateur and her most brilliant creation. Although an authorized book, McNamee nonetheless maintains a critical stance towards his subject. This is a must read for any admirer of Waters, though I warn you it will leave you rushing to the phone to make reservations!

Grace (Eventually): Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott (Riverhead, $24.95). The world, community, the family, the human heart: these are the beautiful and complicated arenas in which our lives unfold. Wherever you look, there’s trouble and wonder, pain and beauty, restoration and darkness—sometimes all at once. Yet amid the confusion, if you look carefully, in nature or in the kitchen, in ordinariness or in mystery, beyond the emotion muck we all slog through, you’ll find it eventually: a path, some light to see by, moments of insight, courage, or buoyancy. In other words, grace. Wise and irreverent, poignant and funny, Grace (Eventually) is a primer in faith, as we come to discover what it means to be fully human and alive. We have a limited number of signed copies in stock. [Note: this title is also available on audio compact disc.]

Eagle Pond by Donald Hall (Mariner Books, $14.95). This original paperback brings together for the first time all of Donald Hall's writing on Eagle Pond Farm, his ancestral home in New Hampshire, where he visited his grandparents as a young boy and then lived with his wife Jane Kenyon until her death. It includes the entire, previously published Seasons at Eagle Pond and Here at Eagle Pond; the poem "Daylilies on the Hill" from The Painted Bed; and several uncollected essays. Truly, a lovely read.

A Pig in Provence: Good Food and Simple Pleasures in the South of France by Georgeanne Brennan (Chronicle Books, $24.95). From the publisher of Under the Tuscan Sun comes another extraordinary memoir of a woman embarking on a new life -- this time in the South of France. Thirty years ago, James Beard Award-winning author Georgeanne Brennan set out to realize the dream of a peaceful, rural existence en Provence. She and her husband, with their young daughter in tow, bought a small farmhouse with a little land, and a few goats and pigs -- and so began a life-affirming journey. Filled with delicious recipes and local color, this evocative and passionate memoir describes her life cooking and living in the Provencal tradition—an entrancing tale that will whet the appetite and the spirit -- perfect for foodies, Francophiles, or anyone who's dreamed of packing their bags and buying a ticket to the good life.

Chief of Station, Congo by Lawrence Devlin (PublicAffairs, $26). Larry Devlin arrived as the new chief of station for the CIA in the Congo five days after the country had declared its independence, the army had mutinied, and governmental authority had collapsed. As he crossed the Congo River in an almost empty ferry boat, all he could see were lines of people trying to travel the other way—out of the Congo. Within his first two weeks he found himself on the wrong end of a revolver as militiamen played Russian-roulette, Congo style, with him. During his first year, the charismatic and reckless political leader, Patrice Lumumba, was murdered and Devlin was widely thought to have been entrusted with (he was) and to have carried out (he didn't) the assassination. Then he saved the life of Joseph Desire Mobutu, who carried out the military coup that presaged his own rise to political power. Devlin found himself at the heart of Africa, fighting for the future of perhaps the most strategically influential country on the continent, its borders shared with eight other nations. He met every significant political figure, from presidents to mercenaries, as he took the Cold War to one of the world's hottest zones. This is a classic political memoir from a master spy who lived in wildly dramatic times.

The Invisible Wall by Harry Bernstein (Ballantine, $22.95). "Harry Bernstein returns home and, magically, takes us with him. With its dancing prose and captivating descriptions of neighborhood life, we experience with the child Harry all the wonder, thrill, and heartbreak of being a working-class kid learning to navigate the balkanized world of Christians and Jews within a single English mill town. Bernstein gives us a people’s history, a street-level perspective on a world that might otherwise have been lost, with crucial lessons that will endure throughout time." –Michael Patrick MacDonald, author of All Souls.

A Year in the World: Journeys of a Passionate Traveller by Frances Mayes (Broadway, $15). The author who unforgettably captured the experience of starting a new life in Tuscany in bestselling travel memoirs expands her horizons to immerse herself -- and her readers -- in the sights, aromas, and treasures of twelve new special places. A Year in the World is vintage Frances Mayes -- a celebration of the allure of travel, of serendipitous pleasures found in unlikely locales, of memory woven into the present, and of a joyous sense of quest. An ideal travel companion, Frances Mayes brings to the page the curiosity of an intrepid explorer, remarkable insights into the wonder of the everyday, and a compelling narrative style that entertains as it informs. With her beloved Tuscany as a home base, Mayes travels to Spain, Portugal, France, the British Isles, and to the Mediterranean world of Turkey, Greece, the South of Italy, and North Africa. In Andalucia, she relishes the intersection of cultures. She cooks in Portugal, gathers ideas in the gardens of England and Scotland, takes a literary pilgrimage to Burgundy, discovers an ideal place to live in Mantova, and explores the essential Moroccan city of Fez.

We are also now taking reservations for three of the most eagerly anticipated pubications of the next few months: Barbara Kingsolver's Animal Vegetable Miracle; Khaled Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns; and J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
 

Australian novelist Max Barry visits Rakestraw Books on Monday, 2 April 2007 at 7:00 PM to present his hysterical new novel, The Company. Barry's work has been a favorite here since the publication of Syrup several years ago. It's a treat to bring him to Rakestraw.

We are honored to invite you to an evening with Kiran Desai, winner of the 2006 Man Booker Prize for her fine novel The Inheritance of Loss. This event will take place on Wednesday, 4 April 2007 at 7:00 PM. Desai's first visit to Rakestraw is one we still look back on with particular fondness. We are thrilled that so many more of you will have a chance to meet her. Book groups are particularly invited to attend.

English writer Virginia Ironside joins to share her new book No! I Don't Want to Join a Book Club: Diary of a Sixtieth Year on Wednesday, 11 April 2007 at 7:00 PM. Book groups will love this witty and acerbic look at life. A great read. CANCELLED DUE TO ILLNESS.

All y'all are invited to join us for lunch on Friday, 13 April 2007 at noon to meet Sara Foster of Foster's Market of North Carolina. We will be celebrating the publication of Casual Cooking from Foster's Market with a menu of southern favorites. Reservations will be necessary. Luncheon is $15.

Writer A. M. Homes visits Rakestraw on Monday, 16 April 2007 at noon to present her new memoir The Mistress's Daughter. Please call for more information.

Bestselling teen novelist Lauren Myracle visits Rakestraw Books to present her new novels L8r G8r and Twelve on Thursday, 19 April 2007 at 10:00 AM. Please let us know if you are interested in arranging a school visit.

Tim Gunn, star of the Emmy Award-winning "Project Runway" visits to discuss his new book, Tim Gunn: A Guide to Quality, Taste and Style, on Friday, 4 May 2007. We will be producing a runway-style fashion featuring 12 recent graduates of the FIDM in San Francisco. This will be a judged show. Judges include Gina Pell of splendora.com and Carolyn Rovner, fashion editor of Diablo magazine. Tickets – available by advance purchase – are $30. Ticket proceeds will benefit The Princess Project. Tickets will be on sale from Monday, 11 April 2007 at noon exclusively through Rakestraw Books.

Alisa Smith and J. B. McKinnon visit to share their newly published book Plenty: One Man, One Woman and a Raucous Year of Eating Locally on Tuesday, 8 May 2007 at noon. We will be serving a locally-sourced, all-organic luncheon for $15. Details to come.

Marjorie Hart visits Rakestraw Books to present her newly published memoir Summer at Tiffany on Saturday, 12 May 2007 late in the afternoon. We will be hosting a special reception for her at Christe James Fine Jewelry Works -- watch this space for more details. All Kappas -- past and present -- will want to save this date.

Award-winning children's author-illustrator Peter McCarty visits Rakestraw Books on Monday, 14 May 2007 at 10:00 AM. He will presenting his latest picture book Fabian Escapes. Please let us know if you are interested in arranging a class visit by phoning the shop at (925) 837-7337.

Best buddies and bestselling novelists Tom Dolby and Melissa de la Cruz present an anthology of pieces that they have edited, Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys. This event will be on Friday, 18 May 2007, time to be determined. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Trevor Project. Please phone the shop at (925) 837-7337.

Bestselling novelist, and longtime Rakestraw favorite, Susan Vreeland returns to the bookshop as we celebrate the publication of her new novel, Luncheon of the Boating Party. We are planning a special garden party and picnic lunch for this event on Saturday, 19 May 2007 at 2:00 PM. Please save the date! More details will be available soon.

Award-winning writer of the West Ron Carlson presents his first novel in more than thirty years, Five Skies on Friday, 25 May 2007 at 7:00 PM. We are still determining the format for this event, please watch this space for more details.

What happens when a busy New York City lawyer decides to make fixing and eating dinner with his family a top priority? Find out on Thursday, 7 June 2007 at 7:00 PM when Cameron Stracher presents Dinner With Dad: One Man's Epic Struggle to Make It Home, Make a Meal, and Sit Down With His Family. We will be serving dinner and the whole family is invited!

It is our honor to invite you to an evening with Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Michael Chabon on Wednesday, 13 June 2007 at 7:00 PM. Michael will be reading from and signing copies of his new novel The Yiddish Policeman's Union. We will be producing one of our special broadsides in commemoration of this memorable event. Reservations will be necessary.

Novelist Carrie Brown visits to read and sign her terrific new novel The Rope Walk on Monday, 25 June at 7:00 PM.

Rakestraw Books hosts a spectacular party in celebration of the publication of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows on Friday, 20 July 2007 at 10:00 PM. Admission will be by advance reservation only. Details to come.

Bestselling novelist, and book group favorite, Jonathan Tropper visits Rakestraw Books on Thursday, 2 August 2007 at 7:00 PM as we celebrate the publication of his new book How To Talk to a Widower.

Please note that these events are subject to change but that as of this writing all details are correct. We encourage you to call us at (925) 837-7337 to confirm. In addition, you should remember that more events will be added to this calendar so be sure to check each newsletter for additions.