7/31/07

Greetings Readers! Cheryl Dudley will be visiting BookPeople on Saturday, August 4th, from 10:00am until noon. Carol is the author of "The Legendary Appaloosa", a beautiful tribute to the amazing Appaloosa breed of horses. We have a nice big pile of her books on their way from parts unknown, and we're sure that you'll be delighted with them! We hope that you'll join us in welcoming Cheryl to BookPeople and congratulating her on her amazing book!

Are you ready for some Chamber Music? More specifically, the University of Idaho Auditorium Chamber Music Series, which is starting up in September! The first show, featuring Trio Solisti, will be Tuesday, September 18th. Trio Solisti, a violin-cello-piano trio, is renowned nationwide for their passionate, committed, and adventurous performances. The Washington Post praises their "zealous abandon in a transcendent performance". Sounds like a good show to me! more information on the other performances will be forthcoming as we draw closer to their respective dates.

The University of Idaho and Washington State University are both hosting some (very) distinguished visiting writers this fall semester! The University of Idaho will host Mark Halliday on September 26th, Patricia Hampl on November 14th, and Ann Pancake in March of next year. The readings will all be at 7:30pm, on their respective days, in the University of Idaho Law Building Courtroom. BookPeople will, of course, be present at all three events with plenty of books for sale, and we will also have their books for sale in the store before the events. Washington State University will be hosting Jonathan Johnson on October 11th and Peter Chilson on November 8th. Both readings will be at the WSU Museum of Art, times to be announced. We might not make it to Pullman for those, but you can be darn sure we'll have their books out here! So come pick one up, read it, and go show your support for the author by getting it signed! There's nothing authors love more than to know that someone has enjoyed their books.

Also, Readers, I thought you might like to hear a little bit about what I'm reading right now. I'm working on three books at the moment (because I like to have a book for every mood). As I mentioned last week, I am reading Joe Hill's Heart-Shaped Box. It's scary, and atmospheric, and it's very, very good. It should be out in paperback soon, but the hardcover is available at the moment and is quite reasonably priced. I recommend it only for fans of horror, however. I think it is edgy and clever enough to have some crossover appeal, but let's be honest; a book about a rock-star's battle with the ghost of his dead girlfriend's father is not going to appeal to everyone. But it appeals to me, and I want you all to know about it! I am also reading Soon I Will Be Invincible, by Austin Grossman, and it is amazing. Heartwarming, funny, dark, thoughtful, thought-provoking, and plain old well-written. It has been a long time since I have enjoyed a book as thoroughly as I am currently enjoying Soon I Will Be Invincible. It just came out, and is only available in hardcover and on audio CDs, but after I read the first page, I decided it was worth it and got it anyway. More people should read this book. It tells the story of Dr. Impossible, genius, madman, and metahuman, and his escape from prison and subsequent attempt (his thirteenth!) and taking over the world. It also tells the story of Fatale, a female half-cyborg who has just joined the Champions, a super-group of super-heroes, and her existential crises, as she comes to grips with her role as a super hero, the nature of power, and her part in the group. Highly recommended for everyone. Don't let the superheroes fool you; this book is good enough that anyone can find something to love in it. My only regret is that it isn't twice as long. The final book in my current collection is Douglas Hofstadter's I Am a Strange Loop, a philosophical and scientific meditation on the nature of consciousness. You may recognize Hofstadter from his earlier (and excellent) work Godel, Escher, Bach. I Am a Strange Loop is similar in style but quite different in intent. Hofstadter is concerned with what it is to be human, and to be conscious, and what it is to be an "I". Highly recommended for those with a keen interest in personhood, consciousness, modern science, or books that are simply fascinating. I can't say terribly much about it, as I am unfortunately not as clever as Hofstadter and do not wish to get anything wrong, but this is a book that is well worth your time.

That's all for now Readers! Thank you very much for reading, and we hope you have a great evening!

 -Book People of Moscow

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