| Bookpost #44 -- The Email Newsletter of
Rakestraw Books -- March 2004 Dear Friends,
Have you ever wanted to run away to a lush tropical island? As Spring struggles to find a
toehold here in the damp hills of the East Bay, we celebrate the joys of the Caribbean with
Ann Vanderhoof and her memoir An Embarassment of Mangoes. And to commemorate my
wonderful vacation to Kauai in early February, I offer a selection from the even dozen of
books I read on the beach.
Following up on last month's wonderful event with Susan Vreeland, we are happy to return to a
full schedule of author visits including an evening with Andrew Sean Greer whose novel The
Confessions of Max Tivoli is taking the world by storm. We look forward to visiting with
you here at Rakestraw Books "The Bookstore in Danville." Come see us soon!
Best Wishes and Happy Reading!
Michael Barnard
and the Staff of Rakestraw Books "The Bookstore in Danville"
Inside this issue of "Bookpost":
- Calendar of Events for January-February 2004;
- Rakestraw's Readers Recommend;
- Introducing the Toby Press;
- Book Gift Certificates;
- Book Group News (including a new book group discount!);
- Fun Run for the Library. |
| ANN
VANDERHOOF VISITS TUES., 2 MARCH AT 7:00 PM In the mid-1990s, Ann Vanderhoof and
her husband were driven, ambitious, forty-something professionals who were desperate for a
break from their harried, deadline-dominated lives. So they quit their jobs, rented out their
house, moved onto a 42-foot sailboat called Receta and set sail from their home in
Canada for the Caribbean. An Embarrassment of Mangoes is Vanderhoof’s intimate
account of this two-year, midlife interlude during which they travel more than 7,000 nautical
miles, drop anchor in sixteen countries, and adapt to a new life on “island time.”
In graceful prose, Vanderhoof chronicles their experiences as the entire length of the
Caribbean islands becomes a second home. Throughout she includes irresistible recipes for the
dishes they enjoy from cracked conch in the Bahamas to curried lobster in Grenada; from spicy
island gingerbread to West Indian rum punch. An Embarrassment of Mangoes is the
enticing story of discovering not just a vibrant new culture and cuisines, but new priorities
and what really matters. Join us for a potluck dinner with Ann Vanderhoof on Tuesday, 2 March
at 7:00 PM. We’d love to share recipes from the book; reservations required.
Join
us for dinner with Ann! Click here to let us know what you will contribute to our potluck
feast. |
|
| SARAH DUNANT VISITS
THURS., 18 MARCH AT NOON  The Birth of Venus has everything a good historical thriller
should have: a strong plot, a fascinating piece of history, a sympathetic character, intrigue,
and a great thwarted passion. Renaissance Florence is one of the richest backgrounds in
European history and novelist Sarah Dunant plays it to the hilt in her third novel. Already a
huge bestseller abroad, The Birth of Venus is poised to be one of the biggest favorites
of 2004. Coming as it does on the heels of The Da Vinci Code, I think this going to
strike a powerful chord with readers.
It is a pleasure to invite you to join us as we celebrate the publication of The Birth of
Venus with a reading and signing with Sarah Dunant on Thursday, 18 March 2004 at noon.
Please phone us at (925) 837-7337 to make reservations.
A New
Zealand bookshop has developed some excellent discussion questions for The Birth of Venus.
Check them out here. |
| PAUL WALDMAN
VISITS MON., 22 MARCH AT 7:00 PM
Paul Waldman, brother of Ayelet Waldman and brother-in-law of Michael Chabon, is a rising
star in the world of political commentary. Formerly the associate director of the Annenberg
Public Policy Center, he is currently the executive editor of The Gadflyer, an internet
magazine about politics launched in January 2004.
Waldman visits Rakestraw Books to discuss his newly published book, Fraud: The Strategy
Behind the Bush Lies and Why the Media Didn't Tell You. In Waldman's words, the power of
the fraud lies in the ability of the Bush machine to manipulate the press, and thereby avoid
having the truth exposed. Waldman's findings reveal an astonishing record of how the nation's
media has not only given Bush a pass again and again, but have failed to follow up on even the
most openly dishonest parts of the Bush agenda.
Bound to be controversial, Waldman's book is sure to provoke to heated debate here at
Rakestraw Books. Please join us for a lively evening on Monday, 22 March 2004 at 7:00 PM.
Paul
Waldman's online political journal, "The Gadflyer" launches this month. Click here
to check it out. |
|
| PEGGY
RATHMANN VISITS ON WED., 24 MARCH AT 10:00 AM "What a lovely
day at the fair!/Children lining up for pony rides . . . /Moms and dads in pie-eating contest
. . ./Babies chasing butterflies . . . /Babies heading for the tress . . . /I SAY!/Where ARE
those babies GOING?" Caldecott-medalist Peggy Rathmann's marvelous new picture book, The
Day the Babies Crawled Away combines lovely, and lively, illustrations with a rollicking
rhyming tale of some adventurous babies and the pint-sized hero who saves the day.
It is our pleasure to welcome Peggy Rathmann back to Rakestraw Books as she presents The
Day the Babies Crawled Away to audience of schoolchildren. Peggy's presentations are
memorable ones, so this should be a very special morning indeed. Join us on Wednesday, 24
March 2004 at 10:00 AM. To make reservations to bring a class group, please call us at (925)
837-7337.
Visit
Peggy Rathmann's official website. |
|
| ANDREW SEAN GREER VISITS
ON THURS., 25 MARCH AT 7:00 PM  “We are each the love of someone’s life.” So
begins The Confessions of Max Tivoli, a heartbreaking love story like no other. Already
a very old man at birth, Max Tivoli is destined to grow younger as he ages. With each
transformation, he meets the love of his life only to find that she does not recognize him.
Writing in The New Yorker, John Updike says "Resplendently poetic and loftily
sorrowing...[Max's] awry existence, set out with such a wealth of verbal flourishes and gilded
touches, serves as a heightened version of the strangeness, the muted disharmony, of being
human." Andrew Sean Greer’s new novel is a reminder of what it is to live. Very
highly recommended. It is a delight to invite you to a reading and signing with Andrew Sean
Greer on Thursday, 25 March 2004 at 7:OO PM.
Visit
Andrew Sean Greer's official website. |
RAKESTRAW'S READERS RECOMMEND
This month I am delighted to present some of the many books that whiled away many delicious
hours spent lazing beneath the palms on north shore of Kauai. Thrillers. Comedies. Sequels.
And, two absolutely stunning literary novels. Good stuff for the beach or a rainy afternoon by
the fire.
A Death in Vienna by Daniel Silva Art restorer and master spy Gabriel Allon is
sent to Vienna to find the truth behind a bombing that has gravely wounded an old friend. But
the truth is not so easy to uncover in a city still haunted by the secrets of World War II.
Each piece of the puzzle that Gabriel uncovers only leads to more mystery. A great intrigue
thriller that finds Silva very much at the top of his game.
The Confessions of Max Tivoli by Andrew Sean Greer One of the two literary
titles on this list, Greer's second novel is garnering some of the best reviews, from critics
and readers alike, of the season. For my part, I will add that I have not been so fond of
characters in a book for a long time. The interwoven tales of Max Tivoli, the woman he loves,
and others will stay with you for a long time. Very highly recommended.
The Bookman's Promise by John Dunning The long hoped for follow-up to Dunning's
beloved Booked to Die and The Bookman's Wake has at last published. The
Bookman's Promise finds Cliff Janeway, rare bookdealer and detective, on the trail of
Richard Francis Burton. A nearly legendary explorer and man of letters, Burton's exploits in
the antebellum American south are leading to a body count even today. A great read and worth
the wait. Signed copies are available and in stock now.
The Well of Lost Plots by Jasper Fforde At the end of Lost in a Good Book
(now in paperback) LiteraTec and novice JurisFiction agent Thursday Next took refuge in the
Well of Lost Plots. But even in the basements below the Great Library, our heroine can not
escape trouble. Battling grammasites, her own fading memories of her erradicated husband, and
the debut of UltraWord, Thursday has more than enough comic and intriguing adventures to keep
her busy indeed. Good fun. Signed copies are available and in stock.
The Song of Names by Norman Lebrecht In a ravishing novel of music and suspense,
debut novelist Lebrecht unravels the strands of love, envy, and exploitation that knot
geniuses to their admirers. In doing so, he also evokes the fragile bubble of Jewish life in
prewar London; the fearful carnival of the Blitz; and the gray new world that emerged from the
ashes. A fantastic fiction. Available in paperback.
If you
would like the full Books of the Year 2003 list, just send us an email and we will happy to
send it to you. |
INTRODUCING THE TOBY PRESS
We are pleased to announce that we are now stocking a selection of titles from the Toby Press.
Founded in 1999 with the intention of publishing both fine literary works of enduring merit as
well as commercial appeal, the Toby Press has a couple of major areas of focus. They have been
the first to publish new writing by authors including Crystal Wilkinson, Samantha Dunn, Joshua
Barkan, Naveed Noori, Brian Howell, Krista McGruder, Michael Bornstein Oren, Beatrice Colin
and other exceptional and award winning first time authors. They have also brought together
the writings of PEN award winner John Auerbach, which had never been published previously in
the original English. They have also introduced a significant number of celebrated and admired
authors whose works have never appeared before in English. These include Anna Enquist of the
Netherlands, Yasmina Khadra of Algeria, Hartmut Lange and Katharina Hacker of Germany, Haim
Sabato and Shlomo DuNour of Israel, Laurent Gaudé (winner of the Prix Goncourt) and Arlette
Armel of France, and many others.
Among the many books published by the Toby Press, there are two that I would particularly
commend to your attention:
Nude Untitled by Beatrice Colin (paper, $15.95). Kate, the highly strung editor
of a fashionable London magazine, is determined to wrest the secret diaries of a newly
discovered Russian painter of the Revolutionary period from the woman she thinks was his
mistress. Clara, however, has her own agenda. In pursuit of the diary, Kate drives the aged
and mischievous Clara from her home in Paris to a seaside hotel in Normandy. The weekend
there, and their encounter with a struggling artist from Prague, changes all their lives.
The Last Cantata by Philippe Delelis (paper, $15.95). In 1747, at the command of
Frederick the Great, Bach composes his last cantata. But there is an error in the score, one
which is studied by a young woman from the Paris Conservatory many years later. An error? Or a
secret, which leads to the murder of friends and teachers… and Mozart.
Click here to visit The Toby
Press's website. |
| GIFT CERTIFICATES In
addition to our wonderful brown paper Rakestraw Books Gift Certificates (available in any
amount), we are pleased to be able to offer Booksense Gift Certificates redeemable in more
than 1,200 independent bookstores nationwide. If we are unable to help you choose a book for
your farway reader, a Booksense Gift Certificate is the way to go.
Click
here for a list of Booksense bookstores across the country. |
| BOOK GROUP NEWS We
host four book groups here at Rakestraw Books: an Evening Group, a Morning Group (NEW!), a
Spanish Group (NEW!), and the Mother-Daughter Group. The details of their December meetings
are as follows:
The Morning Book Group Our selection for the month is Reading Lolita in Tehran
by Azar Nafisi. This month's meeting is on Wednesday, 31 March at 10:30 AM.
The Evening Book Group We will be discussing The Song of Names by Norman
Lebrecht. This month's meeting is Wednesday, 24 March at 7:00 PM.
Spanish Book Group Do you read comfortably in Spanish? Would you like to practice your
Spanish discussion skills? Would you like to spend an enjoyable evening discussing books with
other Spanish speakers? Then our new El Club de Libros is for you! During our meeting
on Tuesday, 9 March at 7:00 PM, we will be discussing El casa en Mango Street por
Sandra Cisneros. Please join us! Veteran Spanish teacher Carolyn Thiessen facilitates this
group.
The Mother-Daughter Book Group Our selection for the month is Ruby Holler by
Sharon Creech. We will meet this month on Tuesday, 23 March at 7:00 PM. Please join us.
We are now happy to offer book group members a 20% discount on their group's monthly
selections. There is no need to register your group (though of course we would be happy if you
do). We look forward to seeing you soon.
|
| FUN RUN BENEFITS CONTRA
COSTA COUNTY LIBRARIES  The Contra Costa Library is
sponsoring its First Annual 5K Fun Run/Walk on Sunday, 25 April 2004. Rain or shine,
participants will start the paved, level course at 9:00 AM. The route includes both city
streets and a bike path. Pre-registration is $25 (including a t-shirt) and is available
online.
Proceeds from this fun event will benefit all Contra Costa Libraries and will go to purchase
new adult and children's books.
Hope to see you there!
For
more information about the Fun Run, click here. |
And, that's Bookpost #44! We hope you found
it interesting, useful, and enjoyable. Of course, if you need more information, please feel
free to contact us by telephone at (925) 837-7337. Or, if you are in the lovely San Ramon
Valley, stop by the real books-and-mortar shop at 409 Railroad Avenue, Danville, California
94526. Or, if you prefer not to leave your computer, simply email us at
rakestraw_books@yahoo.com.
Best wishes for a happy Spring. We look forward to seeing you soon. Happy Reading!
Sincerely,
Michael Barnard
and the Staff of Rakestraw Books "The Bookstore in Danville"
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