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June 2012: Staff Reviews & More
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Greetings!
We
have a trio of new staff reviews for you! Also, get out your calendar
for late June and July author readings. And plan a summer vacation with
our Travel round-up.
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Staff Reviews
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Our staff brings you three new staff favorites:
The Wedding Beat
by Devan Sipher
reviewed by Hannah
As a late thirty-something, single male, Gavin Greene is a hopeless
romantic, a fact which seems to coincide well with his career as the
"Vows" columnist at a highly touted New York City newspaper. He loves
his job but is becoming increasingly aware that he too wants to find
true love and that being around completely smitten couples day in and
day out is starting to wear him down. Finally thinking he's found the
love of his life, Melinda, at a New Year's Eve party, Gavin tries to
pursue a relationship with her, only to find out that she is engaged and
that he has been summoned to write the article on her wedding. With
biting wit and subtle sarcasm, author Devan Sipher, who also happens to
write the "Vows" column for the New York Times, brings a
refreshing male perspective to typical "chick lit," proving that
finding true love can be elusive for anyone and that, if you just
believe and keep your heart open, you'll find it.
Alif the Unseen
by G. Willow Wilson
reviewed by Michael
In this debut novel, a young Middle Eastern hacker must open his mind
to the powers of an unknown realm if he is to escape the crushing grasp
of The Hand. Graphic novelist G. Willow Wilson leaves the
illustrations behind, in this ingenious melding of techno-thriller and
Arabian legend. Instead, her compelling tale relies on sharp prose,
strong characters, and a vividly realized portrait of "The City." The
citizens of this fictional metropolis are jailed (or worse) for
questioning its totalitarian regime, led by The Hand. When The Hand
turns Alif's newest program against him, he and his childhood best friend, Dina, escape to the streets of The City. Will the ancient book The Thousand and One Days
bring them answers, or only more trouble? And is it really so wise to
seek counsel from someone (or something) named Vikram the Vampire? Alif
and Dina's race against captivity lead them through a labyrinth wherein
technology, religion, cultural revolution, and mythology all bleed into
one. Full of hairpin turns, Alif the Unseen is a wild ride, and one that you'll be eager to take at a breakneck speed.
Hitlerland
by Andrew Nagorski
reviewed by Jeff
 It's been said that journalism is the first draft of history.But it's not an easy task, as Andrew Nagorski shows in Hitlerland. His
book focuses on the community of American news correspondents stationed
in Germany during the rise of Nazism and their differing views about
Hitler's political skills and the potential danger he posed to the rest
of Europe. The book shines well-needed light on the late 1920s, when
Hitler and his followers were dismissed by many Germans as a fringe
movement of troublemakers and extremists. But as Hitler skillfully
tapped into German feelings of national pride and the dark undercurrent
of anti-Semitism, it became obvious that he wasn't going to fade away.
"What is happening in Germany?" and "What does Hitler really want?" were
two key questions facing the American reporters. Their search for
answers shows how complicated and controversial the first draft of
history can be. |
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Readings
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Anna Keesey
Little Century
Wednesday, June 27, 7pm
In this debut novel, a young woman heads West and finds she must choose
between family and love. In the tradition of such classics as My Ántonia and There Will Be Blood, Little Century
maps our country's cutthroat legacy of dispossession and greed, even as
it celebrates the ecstatic visions of what America could become.
Matt Love
Sometimes a Great Movie
Thursday, June 28, 7pm
 Matt Love documents the legend of the magical summer when Paul Newman traveled to the Oregon Coast to film Ken Kesey's Sometimes a Great Notion.
What ensued was a wild working vacation between Hollywood and
Oregonians involving beer, sex, scotch, loggers, beaches, and perhaps, a
spectacularly vandalized pool table. Love's book presents over 125
never-before-seen photographs, including many in color.
Plan Ahead for Our July Readings:
Natalie Serber - Tuesday, 7/10
Joe Meno, Nathan Larson & Kim Baxter - Wednesday, 7/11
Heather Barbieri - Thursday, 7/12
Wild in the City - Wednesday, 7/18
Mark Ellis - Thursday, 7/19
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Travel Books
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 Breaking the mold of traditional bicycling guides, Ellee Thalheimer's Cycling Sojourner
provides all the tools bicyclists need for multiple day, self-supported
bicycle tours in Oregon. Each chapter guides bikers through a
different trip throughout the Pacific Northwest, steering travelers
through every turn, while pointing out attractions of note. Bicycling is
an excellent way to have an active vacation and this guidebook offers
bicycle adventures all throughout Oregon. From beginners to experts,
this book is suitable for all riding levels and budgets.
 Off the Beaten Path Oregon
features the things travelers and locals want to see and
experience--if only they knew about them. From the best in local dining
to quirky cultural tidbits to hidden attractions, unique finds, and
unusual locales, Myrna Oakley's guide book takes the reader down the road less traveled and reveals a side of Iowa that other guidebooks just don't offer.
 In one of the most inventive travel books in years, Ina Caro
invites readers on twenty-five one-day train trips that depart from
Paris and transport us back through seven hundred years of French
history. Whether taking us to Orleans to evoke the visions of Joan of
Arc or to the Place de la Concorde to witness the beheading of Marie
Antoinette, Caro animates history with her lush descriptions of
architectural splendors and tales of court intrigue. Paris to the Past has become one of the classic guidebooks of our time. Now out in paperback!
 A self-described Francophile from when he was little, Rosecrans Baldwin
always dreamed of living in Paris. When he and his wife moved there for
his new job, things were not eactly what Rosecrans remembered from a
family vacation when he was nine years old. Paris, I Love You but You're Bringing Me Down
is a nimble comic account of observing the French capital from the
inside out. It is a book about a young man finding his preconceptions
replaced by the oddities of a vigorous, nervy city-which is just what
he needs to fall in love with Paris for the second time.
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