Check out J. V. Hart's richly mysterious, yet informative, website.

Visit Andrew's lovely website to learn more about his work.

Linda's website has some interesting and informative material. Check it out here!

Complete with rollicking tunes and lots of fun information, visit Laura's playful website!

Take a visit to Elisa's magical world of art and story.

Visit Thacher's official website by clicking here.

The Plot Against America by Philip Roth (Vintage, $14.95). From our most ambitious novelist comes a richly imagined alternate history of mid-century America. Imagine that in 1940, Charles Lindbergh, heroic aviator and fierce isolationist, elected President. Shortly thereafter, he negotiates a “cordial understanding” with Adolf Hitler, while the new government embarks on a folksy program of anti-Semitism. For one family in suburban New Jersey, Lindbergh’s election is the first in a series of ruptures that threatens to destroy its small, cozy corner of the American Dream. A powerful novel indeed.

The Darling by Russell Banks (Harper Perennial, $14.95). Set in the United States and in West Africa between 1975 and 1991, The Darling follows the story of Hannah Musgrave, privileged WASP and member of the Weather Underground. Having fled the burnt out wreckage of the early 70s, Hannah ends up in Liberia where she and her Liberian husband become first friends and then victims of the warlord Charles Taylor. Told with an almost terminal detachment and coolness by Hannah, this novel moved me as few recent books have. As blissfully ignorant as we Americans so often are of the rest of the world, we nonetheless seem to expect to remain free of its dangers. Watching as Hannah Musgrave gets sucked down by the undertow of her own ignorance and actions is instructive and captivating.

Queen of Dreams by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (Anchor Books, $13.95). The beloved author of Sister of My Heart and Mistress of Spices presents the story of Rakhi, a young painter and single mother, struggling to come to terms with her love for her ex-husband and with her dream-teller mother. Set in present-day Berkeley, this fragrant and colorful novel was a favorite of Julie, who loved the characters and their efforts to make their lives whole again.

Shantarum by Gregory David Roberts (St. Martin’s Griffin, $14.95). In the words of The Washington Post review, “A sprawling, intelligent novel . . . full of vibrant character . . . . But Bombay itself is Shantarum’s strongest performance and Roberts’s love of India and the people who live there is unmistakable and a joy to read about . . . . Roberts brings us through Bombay’s slums and opium house, its prostitution dens, and ex-pat bars, saying, You come now. And we follow.” Edith loved this massive, epic-scale novel and has barely stopped recommending it since it arrived in paperback.

Magical Thinking: True Stories by Augusten Burroughs (Picador, $14). From the author of Running with Scissors comes a collections of weird and wonderful true stories like no other. Whether he’s chronically his days as a student at the Barbizon School of Modeling or recounting his relationship with a Manhattan undertaker, Burroughs never fails to shock or amuse. Perhaps the most moving essay in the book is the closing piece, an outwardly normal, even banal, account of buying an iron for his boyfriend at the Kmart. The domestic normalcy of the piece represents such an accomplishment for the writer whose life has never been so settled or so secure. Laugh out loud funny and yet heartfelt, this one’s been a favorite.

Caravaggio: Painter of Miracles by Francine Prose (HarperCollins, $21.95). The mission statement of the series of Eminent Lives, of which this slim volume is part, reads “brief biographies by distinguished authors on canonical figures [which] join a long tradition in this lively form, from Plutarch’s Lives to Vasari’s Lives of the Artists to Dr. Johnson’s Lives of the Poets to Lytton Strachey’s Eminent Victorians. Pairing great subjects with writers known for their strong sensibilities and sharp, lively points of view, the Eminent Lives are ideal introductions designed to appeal to the general reader, the student, and the scholar. “To preserve a becoming brevity which excludes everything that is redundant and nothing that is significant,” wrote Strachey: “That, surely, is the first duty of the biographer.” Novelist Prose’s account of the tumultuous life of the 17th century Italian painter is a small triumph. Very highly recommended.

The Great Wines of America by Paul Lukacs (Norton, $29.95). Subtitled “The Top Forty Vintners, Vineyards, and Vintages,” this wonderfully enjoyable book is not only an honor roll of great wines, but also a fine presentation of the stories and people behind the bottles. Reading these pieces makes me want to take a trip up to the Anderson Valley to visit Roederer (for their Reserve Brut) and Navarro (for their Dry Gewurtztraminer), or at the very least to nip over to Andronico’s to check out the selection of Oregon pinot noirs. Pour yourself a glass of something fine, and enjoy . . . .

Noisy Outlaws, Unfriendly Blobs, and Some Other Things That Aren’t as Scary, Maybe, Depending on How You Feel about Lost Lands, Stray Cellphones, Creatures from the Sky, Parents Who Disappear in Peru, a Man Named Lars Farf, and One Other Story We Couldn’t Quite Finish, So Maybe You Could Help Us Out edited by Ted Thompson (McSweeney’s, $22). A vibrant and lively collection of short pieces by such folks as Nick Hornby, Neil Gaiman, Jon Scieska, Jonthan Safran Foer, and Lemony Snicket, this a book like no other. Aimed at a young adult audience, this one is a wild good time. Plus, there’s a cool writing contest so check it out.

California: A History by Kevin Starr (Modern Library, $24.95). California has always been our Shangri-La – the promised land of countless pilgrims in Search of the American Dream. Now the Golden State’s premier historian, Kevin Starr, distills the entire sweep of California’s history into one splendid volume. From the age of exploration to the age of Arnold, this is a story of place at once quintessentially American and utterly unique. A brisk and interesting read, this is one that belongs on every bookshelf.

The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion (Knopf, $23.95). Written following the death within a few months of each other of Didion’s husband and only child, this powerful book is Didion’s attempt to make sense of the “weeks and then months that cut loose any fixed idea I ever had about death, about illness . . . about marriage and children and memory . . . about the shallowness of sanity, about life itself.” This is a stark and lovely book, already a beloved favorite.

Wake Up, Sir! by Jonathan Ames (Scribner, $14). Alan Blair, the hero of this witty novel, is a young man with a gift for creating problems for himself: mental, emotional, sexual, spiritual, and physical. Fortunately for Alan, he has a manservant, who is more than equal to all of these challenges, a valet named Jeeves. When at the artists’ colony of Saratoga Springs, Alan encounters a gorgeous femme fatale with the most spectacular nose in the history noses, only disaster can ensue. And ensue, disaster does. What happens? Read it and find out.

Mark Twain: A Life by Ron Powers (Free Press, $35). A brilliant recounting of the life of the most American of novelists, this is my early pick for the Pulitzer Prize. In charting the many twists and turns of Twain’s exciting life, Powers highlights the parallels between Twain’s story and the story of nineteenth century America. From the frontier of 1840s Missouri to the Wild West years in Nevada to the staid confines of suburban New York, Twain saw and experienced it all. For the serious reader, this one is a must read.

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J. V. Hart's debut novel, Capt. Hook: The Adventures of a Notorious Youth is one of my favorites for the season. He will be here to read and sign the book on Monday, 17 October 2005 at 10 AM.

Berkeley's newest novelist, Andrew Beahrs visits us on Thursday, 20 October 2005 at 7:00 PM as we celebrate the publication of his first novel, Strange Saint.

Newbery Medalist Linda Sue Park's first visit to Rakestraw is still recalled fondly by all who met her that fine March day. It's a treat to announce that she will be visiting us again on Friday, 21 October 2005 at 10 AM.

One of our all time favorite visitors is Laura Numeroff! We couldn't be more delighted to welcome her back on Friday, 21 October 2005 at 12:30 PM. She will be reading and signing her newest book If You Give a Pig a Party.

People who love picture books adore Elisa Kleven's magical tales. It is a special pleasure to bring her back to Rakestraw Books on Thursday, 27 October 2005 at 10 AM to read and sign her newest book The Paper Princess Flies Again.

Doris Muscatine understands the good life better than most. She celebrates it in her debut memoir, The Vinegar of Spilamberto and Other Italian Adventures with Food, Places, and People. Join us for a reading and signing and refreshments on Thursday, 27 October 2005 at 7 PM.

Since his first appearance here in 1996, Thacher Hurd has been a good friend to Rakestraw Books. It is a pleasure to welcome him back as he visits to share his new book Sleepy Cadillac with an audience of school children on Thursday, 3 November 2005 at 10 AM.

Way back in 1994, Peter Mayle's visit was the highlight of the year. More than a decade later and, at long last!, we are absolutely thrilled to announce that Peter Mayle will be returning to Rakestraw Books on Friday, 4 November 2005 at 7:00 PM. This event will benefit Meals on Wheels. A bread and wine reception rounds out this evening. Tickets are $15/person or $20/couple. Advance ticket purchase is suggested.

Renowned journalist and food writer Mark Bittman will join us to celebrate the publication of his new cookbook The Best Recipes in the World on Thursday, 10 November 2005 at 7:00 PM. Fans of Bittman's opinionated ideas and fabulous food will love this new book! More information to come.

Two of our long time favorite writers, Craig Lesley and John Daniel, have both recently published memoirs. Join us as we bring them together in conversation on Monday, 14 November 2005 at 7 PM.

Jonathan Harr's last book A Civil Action was a Rakestraw bestseller. It will be a pleasure to welcome him back as we celebrate the publication of The Lost Painting, an exciting true story about Caravaggio, art history, and more, on Friday, 18 November 2005 at Noon.

Everyone’s favorite storyteller Walter the Giant Storyteller visits Rakestraw Books as we celebrate the publication of his first book for young people, Walter the Giant Storyteller’s Giant Book of Giant Stories on Thursday, 1 December 2005 at 10 AM.

We kick off the New Year with an evening with Po Bronson and his new book, Why Do I Love These People? , on Thursday, 12 January 2006 at 7 PM. I just finished reading the manuscript of this book and I just loved it. I cannot wait to start selling it!

English fantasy writer David Clement-Davies joins us to present his new novel, The Telling Pool, on Wednesday, 1 February 2006 at 10 AM. I’ve been a fan of David’s work since the publication of Fire Bringer several years ago. It’s a treat to be bringing him to Rakestraw on his first American tour.

Bestselling historian Ross King joins us for a brunch reading on Saturday, 4 February 2006 at 11 AM. A favorite since the publication of Michelangelo and the Pope’s Ceiling, Ross will be presenting his new book, The Judgment of Paris, a history of Impressionism. Reservations will be necessary, watch this space for details!

I am delighted to announce that on Thursday, 18 May 2006 at 7 PM, Michael Chabon will be returning to Rakestraw Books to read and sign his new novel The Yiddish Policemen’s Union, his first adult novel since the beloved The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, winner of the Pulitzer Prize. Reservations will be necessary, watch for more details.

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.
 

For a limited time only Rakestraw Books will have a selection of good quality secondhand books. Some recent, some very old, some scholarly, some trivial --- all relatively unusual and not ones that you see at every used bookstore and library sale on the planet. We have them uniformly priced at $5 for hardcovers, $3 for paperbacks, and $8 for signed books. Come in often as the selection rotates and the best bargains are snapped up quickly.

Check out the official race website!