1/15/08

Greetings, Readers!

I hope this finds you warm and well. That was quite a storm we had last night! I lost power in the evening, and played Scrabble by candle light. It was actually quite nice, with the click of the tiles and the howl of the wind outside, my girlfriend teasing me for playing "buttes."  What do you do when the power is out? I hope it's something fun! I also hope that the poor folks who went out to fix our lines didn't get too cold, it was awfully nasty out there.

Drive safely, Readers, it's icy out!

Want the world? We've got you covered! If you buy a book, we can ship it anywhere in the United States for $2.35, or anywhere in the world for as little as $9! Also, we've got free in-store gift wrap in addition to the sheets we sell, so if you need something wrapped, we've got you covered on any budget!

The Mirror Theater presents Shakespeare Sundays! You, the audience, will do the acting for these performances. Come sign in at 1:15 for the part you're dying to play. No preference is given for race, gender, or age, and scripts are provided! If you're musically inclined, then come accompany the acts on your instrument of choice! The schedule: Henry the Fourth, Part I: January 27th Hamlet: February 10th, 24th and March 16th The Tempest: May 4th and 18th. A two-dollar contribution is required to participate. The plays will be based on the Oxford Shakespeare, second edition, but as noted above, scripts will be provided! For more information, visit www.MirrorTheater.org !

Hugh Moffatt will play a benefit concert at the Pullman Presbyterian Church! Sounds like fun to me! Check it out on Saturday, January 19th at 7:00pm. All proceeds will benefit the endowment fund of the Common Ministry at WSU, a well-loved organization. Check out their website at www.wsu.edu/~commin or get a preview of the performance from Hugh Moffatt's website at www.hughmoffatt.com.

Do you like writing? Then commit to it, with Commit to Writing, a prose workshop for writers of fiction and nonfiction with Nancy Casey. The class meets Wednesday evenings from 6pm-8pm, right here at BookPeople! The first session is January 23rd. Registration costs $60, and all proceeds will be donated to KRFP 92.5, Moscow's non-commercial community radio station. For more information, email Nancy@turbonet.com

The next installment of the Auditorium Chamber Music Series is coming soon, Readers! The Escher String Quartet will play Thursday, January 24th at 7:30pm in the University of Idaho Administration Building Auditorium. For more information about the show, check out www.auditoriumchambermusic.org

 The Palouse Water Conservation Network is having a winter membership meeting and fundraiser on January 25trh, 2008. The event will take place from 6:00-9:00pm at the 1912 Center in Moscow. The event will start out with a Potluck dinner, backed by the lovely sound of local band Zungunrue, from 6-7pm, and then presentations and announcements until 7:30, and more music, fun, and silent auctions! Beer and wine will be provided by Mikey's. They are seeking contributions from local businesses and individuals to support the event - if you would like to make a donation (something for the silent auction, or cash donations are always welcome), email them at pwcn@moscow.com.

Pat Cary Peek, author of "One Winter in the Wilderness," will have a reading and signing on Saturday, January 26th at BookPeople from 11am-1pm. The event is for her new novel, "Silver Threads: War in the Coeur d' Alenes 1891-1892." The book tells the story of the McCarthy family and their struggles in the strikes and conflict surrounding the Bunker Hill Mine.

The Prichard Art Gallery is having an auction and art exhibit! The date is Saturday, February 9th. The event kicks off with a social hour from 6:30 to 7:30, and will be followed by a live auction starting at 7:30. Hors d'oeuvres, deserts, and premium wines (all of the highest quality, of course!) will be provided by Nectar. Tickets are $10, and are available at BookPeople (Cash or check only, please, checks payable to Prichard Art Gallery!

The Family Series is returning to Beasley Coliseum at WSU for a 6th year! These family-oriented productions are perfect for fun-loving parents and kids, and are a steal at only $6 for adult tickets and $4 for kids under 13. The events this year are: Mad Science presents "Newton's Revenge" Monday, February 11th (2008) - 7:00pm Fred Garbo's Inflatable Theater Monday, April 7th (2008) - 7:00pm

 The Winter Fishtrap is coming up! This year's theme is "Living Right: Empathy, Charity, and Responsibility". This year's presenters are: Debra Dean, the author of a (best-selling!) novel about art and Alzheimer's, 'The Madonnas of Leningrad'. Michael Rohd, the founding artistic director of Sojourn Theatre in Portland, Oregon. The even takes place from February 22nd to February 24th. For more information, or to register, visit http://www.fishtrap.org/winter.shtml - remember, last year's Winter Fishtrap sold out, and was a smashing success! So don't wait to register, get your spot today!

It's 2008, and you know what that means! The Moscow Renaissance Fair Poster Contest is here again! Pick up an entry form at BookPeople, we have tons. The prizes are: 1st place - $200 with artwork appearing on the annual poster; 2nd place - $100 with artwork appearing on the program cover. All entries must be received by 12:00 noon on Saturday, February 23rd. Entries can be submitted at BookPeople of Moscow. Public judging of finalists will begin at 2:00pm, Saturday February 23rd at BookPeople of Moscow, and winners will be notified that very day! Contact Jennifer Whitney at jenwhitney@gemail.com / 208-882-1942 with any questions.

A Night at the Oscars is coming back! Join Sojourners' Alliance, get dressed up, walk the red carpet, and watch the stars, all while enjoying a silent auction, a live auction, a cash bar, and dinner and dessert! Tickets are $45 per person, or for $360 you can reserve a table for eight. The event will be Sunday, February 24th at the University Inn Best Western, from 4pm-9pm. Tickets will be available at the door, or can be purchased from Sojourners' Alliance by calling 883-3438.

Reader recommendations: Myron has been reading "The Religion," a historical novel about the Knights of St. John, the Hospitallers, and the Great Siege of Malta, one of the last great battles between western European Christianity and the Ottoman Empire, and the last hurrah of the armored knights. The Knights of St. John, "The Religion" explains, were the founders of what has become the modern Hospital, originally a resource for sick pilgrims. This novel is an epic tale of men and arms, devotion to duty, the Honor of knights, and the strength of women's love for their children. "The Religion" is a page-turning tale which you can't put down until the very end.

John recommends "Mistborn: Final Empire" by Brandon Sanderson, for Science Fiction fans. This is a novel where the characters speak in different voices, where nothing is what it seems, and where the story revolves around a simple question: What happens if the hero fated by prophecy... fails?

The Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association has chosen winners for the 2008 book awards!

Let's hear what they have to say about the six victorious books: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie: In his first young adult novel, Sherman Alexie hilariously and heartbreakingly chronicles the contemporary adolescence of one unlucky but resilient boy trying to rise above the life everyone expects him to live on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Congratulations, Sherman, on another award-winning novel!

Returning to Earth, by Jim Harrison: "Life and death; family and friends; past and future -- Returning to Earth covers the full range of human experience as the reader shares a journey with a Michigan man of Finnish and Native American ancestry. Told as four stories, each with a different central characters, Jim Harrison deftly explores how we all search for redemption."

Tree of Smoke, by Denis Johnson: "Instantly compelling, Tree of Smoke is, at its core, a novel about the Vietnam War and the people, places, and history that were forever changed because of it. Like the war itself, the storylines dart and weave and are only truly understood as they connect themselves in the end"

Dancing with Rose: Finding Life in the Land of Alzheimer's, by Lauren Kessler: Lauren Kessler confronts the confounding disease that took her mother as only a journalist could -- she becomes a caregiver at an Alzheimer's facility. By turns brutally honest, compassionate, and instructive, Kessler finds grace, humor, and unexpected connections with the patients and caregivers.

The God of Animals, by Aryn Kyle: A breathtaking debut novel about a girl growing up amid a dying way of life on a horse ranch in small-town Colorado, The God of Animals beautifully captures familiar themes of the West: families, horses, love, death, class and weather. AS novelist Andrew Sean Greer says, it's "a perfect read."

Bad Monkeys, by Matt Ruff: Matt Ruff wins his second PNBA Award with this page-turning psychological thriller full of funhouse twists and turns. Bad Monkeys is, as Neal Stephenson says, "Fast. Wicked. Scarily clever and equally fun for those who like thrillers and those who don't."

Also, Readers, I wanted to drop a recommendation for a book I've been enjoying very much: Kelly Link's Stranger Things Happen. It is absolutely, breathtakingly spectacular. A perfect mix of the macabre, the surreal, and the sensual. Short stories are really my favorite medium, because so much is left to the imagination. Kelly Link's writing is a feast for the imagination. If you like fantasy, and aren't unsettled by a bit of horror here and there, you should very seriously consider buying this book. And then, you should come in and buy it!

All the best!

--BookPeople of Moscow

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