Dear Friend of Rakestraw Books,

Happy New Year! Welcome to the 21^st issue of "Bookpost." As always, it is our intention to make Rakestraw Books, our events, and our reviews more accessible to you. Feel free to forward this email to a friend or two.

We hope to see you soon.

P.S. – Come to the event on 4 February with Elmore Leonard! It’s going to be so cool.

Inside this issue of "Bookpost":

• Calendar of Events for February 2002
• Rakestraw’s Readers Recommend
• Book Group News
• Frequently Asked Questions and Other Useful Information

CALENDAR OF EVENTS FOR FEBRUARY 2002

ELMORE LEONARD

MONDAY, 4 FEBRUARY 2002 @ 7:00 PM

GROUP RESERVATIONS REQUESTED.

-- As David Lehman wrote in Newsweek, "an Elmore Leonard thriller is an insomniac’s dream. Stylishly, and in a manner all his own, he gives us the best the genre has to offer: crackling dialogue, intricate plots that have an air of inevitability about them, characters as vivid as those in your most recent nightmare."

Rakestraw Books is thrilled to announce that Elmore Leonard is visiting! On Monday, 4 February 2002 at 7:00 PM to celebrate the publication of Tishomingo Blues -- his thirty-seventh book – Elmore Leonard will be reading and signing at Rakestraw Books. Smart, funny, and sophisticated, this is an evening for everyone – men, women, teenagers – join us as we welcome one of the greatest crime writers of our time, perhaps ever. As Walker Percy said in The New York Times, "he is as good as the blurbs say he is."

SEBASTIAN FAULKS

WEDNESDAY, 13 FEBRUARY @ Noon

LUNCHEON BY RESERVATION, $12.

-- Sebastian Faulks has been a favorite with us and with you since the publication of Birdsong. His visits here have been events that many of us continue to remember and cherish. With the publication of a ground-breaking new novel, On Green Dolphin Street, we are pleased to welcome Sebastian Faulks back to Rakestraw Books.

Readers of Birdsong and Charlotte Gray will recognize the close focus of the historical setting, the unforgettable characters and the gathering emotional power of the narrative while enjoying the differences: a love story rather than a war story and the American setting. On Green Dolphin Street is a dramatic, tremendously moving novel that is certain to extend the American audience for this prodigiously talented English novelist’s work.

Faulks will be reading and signing over luncheon on Wednesday, 13 February at noon. The cost is $12 by reservation only.

MICHAEL HOEYE

WEDNESDAY, 20 FEBRUARY @ 7:00 PM

With intricate plot twists, enchanting heros, and nefarious villains, Time Stops for No Mouse is sure to please readers young and old. Rated: Not too Scary.

It is our great pleasure to invite you and your children to an evening with author Michael Hoeye as we celebrate the trade edition of Time Stops for No Mouse. On Wednesday, 20 February 2002 at 7:00 PM, Hoeye will be talking about his book, discussing his creative process with the children, and signing books. A raffle (cool prizes) and refreshments (tasty eats) round out the evening’s festivities.

DONNA GERSHTEN

FRIDAY, 22 FEBRUARY @ 7:00 PM

-- In Kissing the Virgin’s Mouth, a stunning debut novel, Donna Gershten has given life to a daring, unique and humanly fallible character with an impassioned voice. Guadalupe Magdelana Molina Vasquez makes a companion of the Virgin Guadalupe and breaks the rules of gender, class, and religion, in forging her unforgettable life journey. As the first recipient of the Bellwether Prize, established by Barbara Kingsolver to recognize "literature of social change," Kissing the Virgin’s Mouth is a great book group read. We invite you to join when Donna Gershten visits on Friday, 22 February at 7:00 PM.

The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde (viking, $23.95). Based on an imaginary world where time and reality bend in the most unusual ways, The Eyre Affair is set in world in which literature can hold you captive in the most literal way. This is the book I always wanted to write.

The Zygote Chronicles by Suzanne Finnamore (Grove, $22). This hysterical novel will resonate with any woman who has even briefly considered motherhood. The strange purgatory of pregnancy has been a fact of life since Eve ate the apple, but never has it been recounted in such brilliant detail.

Mary and O’Neil by Justin Cronin (Delta, $11.95). Of all the lives we might have led, how did we end up with this one? This fine first novel celebrates the uncommon in common lives, and the redemptive power of love. Trudy loves it!

The Teen Book Group is reading Firebringer by David Clement-Davies for our meeting on Wednesday, 27 February at 7:00 PM. New members are welcome and encouraged to attend.

The Fantasy Book Group is on vacation this month.

Our adult book group has been on hiatus for a several months and we plan on starting again on March 13^th at 7:00 PM. Our first selection is Donna Gershten’s Kissing the Virgin’s Mouth. Let us know you’re interested by calling us at 837-7337.

Rakestraw Books

409 Railroad Avenue

Danville, California 94526

Located in downtown Danville, less than a block from the Danville Farmers’ Market and Andronico’s Grocery.

Owner & Manager: Michael Barnard.

Booksellers: Julie Barnard (webmistress); Tyler Hutton; Trudy Macmillan; KT Nicholson; and Edith Rubanyi.

Book Group Moderators: Jo Loecher, Kathy Moore and Jonathan Hunt.

(925) 837-7337 · Fax (925) 837-7645

Great books, gifts, and lots of recommendations from folks who read an average of four books every week, plus gift certificates, author events and more! We also sponsor four book groups: Mother-Daughter; Children’s Fantasy; a Teen Group; and an Adult Book Group.

Remember all book groups receive 10% their group’s monthly selection as do Friends of the Danville Library and teachers purchasing materials for classroom use. Greater discounts are available for bulk purchases.

Hours of Opening: M thru Th. 9 AM to 6:00 PM; F 9 AM to 7 PM; Sat 9 AM to 5:30 PM; and Sun 12 PM to 5 PM.

And don’t forget dogs and children are always welcome!

Thanks,

Mike Barnard

Rakestraw Books