April 2019: Author Readings, Indie Next, and New in Sports

April 2019: Author Readings, Indie Next, and New in Sports
 
Visit us on First Friday, find out which authors are reading here soon, discover some great new books from the latest Indie Next list, and check out what's new in our Sports section. But first....
 
Upcoming Releases
 
These books are among the most anticipated new releases in the coming weeks. Click on a cover or title to pre-order from our website.
by Ruth Reichl
Out: April 2
 
Trailblazing food writer and beloved restaurant critic Ruth Reichl took the job (and the risk) of a lifetime when she entered the glamorous, high-stakes world of magazine publishing. Now, for the first time, she chronicles her groundbreaking tenure as editor in chief of Gourmet. This is the story of a former Berkeley hippie entering the corporate world and worrying about losing her soul. It is the story of the moment restaurants became an important part of popular culture, a time when the rise of the farm-to-table movement changed, forever, the way we eat. Complete with recipes, Save Me the Plums is a personal journey of a woman coming to terms with being in charge and making a mark, following a passion and holding on to her dreams—even when she ends up in a place she never expected to be.
by Nina George
Out: April 9
 
Henri steps into the road without looking and collides with oncoming traffic. He is rushed to a nearby hospital where he floats, comatose, between dreams, reliving the fairytales of his childhood and the secrets that made him run away in the first place. After the accident, Sam—a thirteen-year old synesthete with an IQ of 144 and an appetite for science fiction—waits by his father’s bedside every day. There he meets Eddie Tomlin, a woman forced to confront her love for Henri after all these years, and twelve-year old Madelyn Zeidler, a coma patient like Henri and the sole survivor of a traffic accident that killed her family. As these four very different individuals fight—for hope, for patience, for life—they are bound together inextricably, facing the ravages of loss and first love side by side.
by Ian McEwan
Out: April 23
 
Machines Like Me takes place in an alternative 1980s London. Charlie, drifting through life and dodging full-time employment, is in love with Miranda, a bright student who lives with a terrible secret. When Charlie comes into money, he buys Adam, one of the first synthetic humans and—with Miranda's help—he designs Adam's personality. The near-perfect human that emerges is beautiful, strong, and clever. It isn't long before a love triangle soon forms, and these three beings confront a profound moral dilemma. In his subversive new novel, Ian McEwan asks whether a machine can understand the human heart—or whether we are the ones who lack understanding.
 
First Friday
 
On April 5, visit us during First Friday in Multnomah Village.
 
For your browsing enjoyment, we'll be serving wine. Plus, we'll be giving away great prizes for our monthly drawings. Drop by Annie Bloom's anytime after 6:00 on Friday night to sign up.
 
One lucky adult will win:
edited by Catherine Burns
 
Carefully selected by the creative minds at storytelling phenomenon The Moth, and adapted to the page to preserve the raw energy of stories told live, onstage and without notes, Occasional Magic features voices familiar and new. Inside, storytellers from around the world share times when, in the face of seemingly impossible situations, they found moments of beauty, wonder, and clarity that shed light on their lives and helped them find a path forward. From a fifteen-year-old saving a life in Chicago to a mother of triplets trekking to the North Pole to a ninety-year-old Russian man recalling his standoff with the KGB, these storytellers attest to the variety and richness of the human experience, and the shared threads that connect us all. With honesty and humor, they stare down their fear, embrace uncertainty, and encourage us all to be more authentic, vulnerable, and alive.
 
And our kids prize is:
by Christian Robinson
 
This prize comes with a beautiful canvas tote bag! In his eagerly anticipated debut as author-illustrator, Caldecott and Coretta Scott King honoree Christian Robinson brings young readers on a playful, imaginative journey into another world. What if you…encountered another perspective? Discovered another world? Met another you? What might you do?
 
Upcoming Author Readings
Last of the Name
Tuesday, April 2, 7pm
at Gastromania (next door)
 
Join Annie Bloom's own Rosanne Parry for the launch party for her latest novel, Last of the Name. The event will be held next door to the store, at Gastromania. In addition to a reading from the book, there will be live Irish music from Nancy and Mark Jarell, with songs by David Ingerson and poetry and traditional dancing by Phil Mehan. In Last of the Name, twelve-year-old Danny O'Carolan and his sister, Kathleen, arrive in New York City in 1863. Kathleen refuses to be parted from her only remaining relative, so she finds a job in domestic service for herself and her younger...sister. Danny reluctantly pretends to be a girl to avoid being sent to the children's workhouse or recruited as a drummer boy for the Union army. When he occasionally sneaks off to spend a few hours as a boy and share his rich talent for Irish dancing, he discovers the vast variety of New York's neighborhoods. But the Civil War draft is stoking tensions between the Irish and free black populations. With dangers escalating, how can Danny find a safe place to call home?
The Oasis This Time
Tuesday, April 2, 7pm
 
In her book, the Oregon author thoroughly and eloquently explores human attitudes toward water in the West, from Twentynine Palms, California, to Sitka, Alaska. A lifelong immersion in all things water forms the author's deep thinking about living with this critical compound and sometimes dying in it, on it, with too much of it, or for lack of it. The Oasis This Time, the inaugural Waterston Desert Writing Prize winner, is a call for us to evolve toward a sustainable and even spiritual connection to water.
Clockbreakers Two: Morrigan's Revenge
Tuesday, April 9, 7pm
 
Portland author Kate Ristau presents Morrigan's Revenge, the sequel to her Middle Grade debut, Clockbreakers. Charlie's dad is gone, and she's on a magic adventure to get him back! But first – fifth grade. She rolls her wheelchair into her classroom and then straight into an Ancient Irish battle. But this is not the time travel she expected. Betrayed by her friends, Charlie faces the wrath of the goddess, Morrigan, and the warriors think she is one of the fairies. Can Cuchulain--the hero of Irish folklore--help? Or will she be trapped back in an ancient myth forever?
The Widmer Way
Thursday, April 11, 7pm
 
Portland author and beer guru Jeff Alworth's book The Widmer Way chronicles Kurt and Rob Widmer's journey from humble homebrewers to craft beer pioneers and purveyors of the iconic Widmer Brothers Hefeweizen. Alworth also dives deep into Portland's history, setting the scene for Widmer's rise in the city now known for its exquisite beer. Kurt and Rob Widmer have a deep affection for the city that fostered their success, providing sports team sponsorships, support for up-and-coming brewers, and hundreds of jobs for their community. The Widmer Way emphasizes this special relationship with a story that will resonate with Portland's legion of beer aficionados as it illustrates how Portland became "Beervana."
Blackthorn
Wednesday, April 17, 7pm
 
The Portland author returns for the latest in her Emma Golden Mystery Series. A crumbling old resort. A dead brother. A phantom boat in the mist. Nightmares. And then, a body. In this modern-day gothic novel set on the scenic Columbia River Gorge, Sage Blackthorn revisits demons from her past and confronts a multitude of new ones when she returns to her childhood home to solve the mystery of her brother’s death. Once at Blackthorn, the family’s decrepit resort, Sage is confronted with a flood of problems. What is going on, and who can she trust?
Revenge in 3 Parts
Thursday, April 25, 7pm
 
The Oregon author reads from her debut thriller, which takes the reader from Paris to Portland, Oregon, and finally to Kauai. Criminal attorney Angeline Porter thrives on crime--righting wrongs, fighting for justice, putting away murderers. But after rebuking the sexual advances of the head of her firm, plus putting away his friend, a serial rapist, Angeline is disbarred. When Angeline's beautiful but troubled sister Sophie commits suicide, she seeks to right the myriad of injustices that provoked her sister and acts to avenge her death. Taut and intense with heart-pumping twists, Revenge in 3 Parts uses classic noir language laced with modern tropes--a hacker named Snoop, the Ashley Madison dating site, and Snapchat--and burns with contemporary femmes-noir energy creating a new crime genre and heroine for a disturbed modern age.
 
Indie Next
 
Every month, the coalition of independent bookstores puts together a list of titles recommended by booksellers across the country. Come in to browse the titles below, along with other great new bookseller picks for April 2019.
by Martha Hall Kelly
 
"Once in a position of power and prestige but now in peril, the White Russians are fleeing the Bolshevik regime by the thousands, many with only the clothes on their backs, including Sofya, friend of the young Eliza Ferriday. In this prequel to The Lilac Girls, set during WWI, socialite Eliza is frantically fighting to find Sofya and her aristocratic family, who were forced from their homes by gunpoint. From the shores of South Hampton to the tumultuous streets of St. Petersburg, Kelly weaves a narrative full of feeling that is fraught with suspense and so very worth the ride. I loved every minute of it!" —Kristin Bates, McLean & Eakin Booksellers, Petoskey, MI
by Steven Rowley
 
"Steven Rowley's new novel is exactly the balm I needed in today's climate. Focusing on a young writer who discovers that his editor is none other than Jackie Kennedy Onassis, the book explores both romantic and familial relationships in a humorous and touching manner. Although the writing is wickedly barbed and the zingers fly at the speed of a 1940s rom-com, The Editor is so much more. There is real heart in the writing as well as real love between the characters. It's a true delight and the kind of book people who loved Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine or Less will truly enjoy. Just be prepared with a box of tissues and your favorite cocktail (Jackie would suggest daiquiris)." —William Carl, Wellesley Books, Wellesley, MA
by Mary Norris
 
"What a pleasure to again spend a few hours with Mary Norris. The author of Between You & Me is back with a second book, and this time her subject is all things Greek — the language, the people, the mythology, and the culture. Greek to Me recounts Norris' experiences learning Greek and traveling the country while putting her new skills to the test. As in her first book, Norris is excellent company, spinning tales and charming readers. Blending memoir, history, and travel, all topped off with heaps of wordy nerdiness, Greek to Me is a joy to read." —David Enyeart, Common Good Books, St. Paul, MN
 
These previous Indie Next picks are now available in paperback!
by Michael Ondaatje
 
“With his usual virtuosity, master storyteller Michael Ondaatje delivers a mysterious, shimmering new coming-of-age novel. Warlight is the unexpected story of two teenagers abandoned by their enigmatic parents in post-war London. Casually watched over by a dodgy cast of characters - petty criminals, opera singers, and panting greyhounds - Nathaniel and Rachel try to make sense of their new world while struggling to define their parents' shadowy wartime pasts. Years later, Nathaniel embarks on a quest to discover the disturbing truth, and his own unwitting part in it. Balancing poignance with surprising comic touches, Warlight is a stellar addition to the Ondaatje canon.”
— Chrysler Szarlan, Odyssey Bookshop, South Hadley, MA
by Christopher Moore
 
"Christopher Moore has done it again! Noir is now among my very favorites by this popular novelist. This book is everything it promises: A love letter to hard-boiled detective fiction, a thorough and loving bath in the atmosphere of 1947 San Francisco, and loads of laughs along the way. Aliens? Yes. Romance? Also yes. Add in a cast of characters with heart, moxie, and beguiling banter and you've got Noir, a recipe for pure enjoyment."
— Mary McDonald, Nicola's Books, Ann Arbor, MI
 
New in Sports
 
Take a look at some of the latest titles from our Sports section.
by Caitlin Murray
 
The U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team has won three World Cups and four Olympic gold medals, set record TV ratings, drawn massive crowds, earned huge revenues for FIFA and U.S. Soccer, and helped to redefine the place of women in sports. But, despite their dominance and their rosters of superstar players, they've endured striking inequality: low pay, poor playing conditions, and limited opportunities to play in professional leagues. The National Team, from leading soccer journalist Caitlin Murray, tells the history of the USWNT in full, from their formation in the 1980s to the run-up to the 2019 World Cup, chronicling both their athletic triumphs and less visible challenges off the pitch. Murray also recounts the rise and fall of U.S. professional leagues, including the burgeoning National Women's Soccer League, an essential part of the women's game. A story of endurance and determination, The National Team is a complete portrait of this beloved and important team.
by Christie Aschwanden
 
In recent years recovery has become a sports and fitness buzzword. Anyone who works out or competes at any level is bombarded with the latest recovery products and services: from drinks and shakes to compression sleeves, foam rollers, electrical muscle stimulators, and sleep trackers. In Good to Go, acclaimed FiveThirtyEight science writer Christie Aschwanden takes readers on an entertaining and enlightening tour through this strange world. She investigates whether drinking Gatorade or beer after training helps or hinders performance; she examines the latest trends among athletes, from NFL star Tom Brady's infrared pajamas to gymnast Simone Biles' pneumatic compression boots to swimmer Michael Phelps's "cupping" ritual; and she tests some of the most controversial methods herself, including cryochambers, float tanks, and infrared saunas. At a time when the latest recovery products and services promise so much, Good to Go seeks answers to the fundamental question: Do any of them actually help the body recover and achieve peak performance?
by Marc Skelton
 
In 2006, the Fannie Lou Hamer Panthers basketball team was 0-18. Since 2007, the year Marc Skelton, a New Hampshire native, took over as head coach, the Panthers' record has been 228-68, and they've won three Public School Athletic League championships and one statewide championship. In Pounding the Rock, Skelton tells the thrilling story of the 2016-2017 season, as the Panthers seek to redeem an early exit from the playoffs the year before. But this is far more than a basketball story. It's a profile of a school that, against the odds, educates kids from the poorest congressional district in the country and sends the majority of them to college; of an unusual coach who studies the game with Talmudic intensity, demands as much of himself as he does of his players (a lot), and finds inspiration as much from Melville, Gogol, and Jacob Riis as from John Wooden; and of a squad of young men who battle against difficulties in life every day, and who don't know how to quit. In a world of all too many downers, Pounding the Rock is one big up, on the court and off. All fans of basketball and of life will rise up and applaud.
by Ron Rapoport
 
Ernie Banks, the first-ballot Hall of Famer and All-Century Team shortstop, played in fourteen All-Star Games, won two MVPs, and twice led the Major Leagues in home runs and runs batted in. Banks's public display of good cheer was a mask that hid a deeply conflicted, melancholy, and often quite lonely man. Let's Play Two is based on numerous conversations with Banks and on interviews with more than a hundred of his family members, teammates, friends, and associates as well as oral histories, court records, and thousands of other documents and sources. Together, they explain how Banks was so different from the caricature he created for the public.