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Book Events Alumni Presenters |
For those of you who wish to learn more about some of our former Book Event presenters, here is a list of the writers, illustrators and other literary illuminaries who have appeared at a Gallery Bookshop Book Event in 2007. Links to the Book Events guest speakers' websites will open in a separate window, so you may easily return to the Gallery Bookshop website. |
Taylor Lockwood Chasing the Rain
My Treasure Hunt for the World's Most Beautiful MushroomsSunday, December 9, 2007, at 3:00 pm
Chasing the Rain is the fruit of Taylor Lockwood's travels in search of the world's most beautiful mushrooms. Through pictures, it relates the diversity of life-forms found in this very large, but still relatively little-known kingdom. Chasing the Rain tells the stories behind those pictures, shows us ones not yet published, and reveals something new.
Taylor's anecdotes on photographing mushrooms in various climes and conditions chronicles the connection between people who hunt mushrooms all over the world. Developing friendships with colleagues and fellow mushroom enthusiasts around the globe has afforded Taylor a unique perspective on people, travel, and nature -- from the ground up. With fungi as the common denominator, barriers of language, culture, and politics are erased.
Through his lens, we are taken on a gentle journey that is sometimes exciting, oftentimes funny, and always close to the earth.
Find out more about Taylor Lockwood at his website, taylorlockwood.com.
Orders/Information:
Chasing the Rain: My Treasure Hunt for the World's Most Beautiful Mushrooms
Paperback, self-published by Taylor Lockwood, $29.95 ISBN 9780970944924
James Gurney Dinotopia
Saturday, December 8, 2007, at 11:00 am
Welcome to James Gurney's fantastic lost world of Dinotopia, where humans and intelligent dinosaurs have lived together in harmony for centuries, undiscovered by the rest of the world. The Dinotopia books are a celebration of the imagination for readers of all ages. In 1862, biologist Arthur Denison and his young son Will are washed up on the shore of an uncharted island, where they discover humans and an ancient race of dinosaurs sharing a civilization of wonder and adventure.
James Gurney has received awards from a cross-section of arts groups, including seven Chesley Awards from the Association of Fantasy Artists, two Hugo Awards from the World Science Fiction Convention, and Best of Show from the Art Director's Club. His art has appeared in museum exhibitions worldwide. In 2006, he was the Artist Guest of Honor at the World Science Fiction Convention and was the subject of an American Artist cover story, "Fact and Fantasy: The Paintings of James Gurney." He lives in the Hudson River Valley of New York with his wife, two sons, and a blue parakeet -- a living descendant of dinosaurs.
Discover the world of Dinotopia at www.dinotopia.com.
Orders/Information:
Dinotopia
Hardcover, Andrews McMeel, $29.95 ISBN 9780740764318
Mark Ferrari The World of Joby
Wednesday, December 5, 2007, at 7:00 pm
The Book of Joby is an epic fantasy complete in one volume. Lucifer and the Creator have entered, yet again, into a wager they've made many times before, but this time, the existence of creation itself is balanced on the outcome.
Born in California during the twilight years of a weary millennium, nine year old Joby Peterson dreams of blazing like a bonfire against the gathering darkness of his times, like a knight of the Round Table. Instead, he is subjected to a life of crippling self-doubt and relentless mediocrity inflicted by an enemy he did nothing to earn and cannot begin to comprehend. Though imperiled themselves, the angels are forbidden to intervene. Left to struggle with their own loyalties and the question of obedience, they watch Lucifer work virtually unhindered to turn Joby's heart of gold into ash and stone while God sits by, seemingly unconcerned.
And so when he is grown to manhood, Joby's once luminous love of life seems altogether lost, and Lucifer's victory assured. What hope remains lies hidden in the beauty, warmth, and innocence of a forgotten seaside village whose odd inhabitants seem to defy the modern world's most inflexible assumptions, and in the hearts of Joby's long lost youthful love and her emotionally wounded son.
But the ravenous forces of destruction that follow Joby into this concealed paradise plan to use these same things to bring him and his world to ruin. As the final struggle unfolds, one question occupies every mind in heaven and in hell. Which will prove stronger, love or rage? The Book of Joby is an instant classic of contemporary fantasy.
The Book of Joby is a rare gem, the kind that is only seen once every generation or so -- a novel that sparkles with wit and charm, humor and wisdom, courage and compassion. Mark Ferrari reveals himself to be a master storyteller, never once faltering in his quest to entertain. Imagine a novel where Harry Potter meets King Arthur and they both go on a quest to fight the devil -- and you'll only begin to grasp the kind of fun you'll have reading this book."
--David Farland, author of Sons of the OakLearn more about Mark Ferrari and The Book of Joby at Mark's website, markferrari.com.
Orders/Information:
The Book of Joby
Paperback, Tor Books, $15.95 ISBN 9780765317537
Marion Dusoir Ennes
Howard Ennes, editorNature's Way
Observations of a Good EarthkeeperSunday, November 18, 2007, at 3:00 pm
North Coast resident Marion Ennes is no longer with us to share her observations on the wonders of nature, but her husband Howard has collected her essays and assembled an engaging book titled Nature's Way: Observations of a Good Earthkeeper. Gallery Bookshop's booksigning this Sunday featured Ennes' family and the new book.
In a long colorful life the author wore many hats. A wife, mother, psychiatric social worker, business executive and weaver, the author was also an excellent amateur naturalist. Beginning in 1986 in New York state with a bird club newsletter which lead to a newspaper column called "Nature's Way" her writings gave the average reader a solid basis to observe, understand and marvel at segments of the natural world.
With some of the 349 essays Ennes wrote in this collection readers learn the unexpected ... flying squirrels are strictly nocturnal ... wood ducks are America's only perching duck ... dragonflies have been around 200 million years ... and more, and gain an appreciation for Ennes' questioning mind wanting to share the hows and whys of nature.
Orders/Information:
Nature's Way: Observations of a Good Earthkeeper
Paperback, Cypress House, $22.95 ISBN 9781879384736
John Hamamura The Color of the Sea
Wednesday, November 14, 2007, at 6:00 pm
Growing up in a time between wars, Sam Hamada finds that the culture of his native Japan is never far from his heart. Sam is rapidly learning the code of the samurai in the late 1930s on the lush Hawaiian Islands, where he is slowly coming into his own as a son and a man.
But after Sam strikes out for California, where he meets Keiko, the beautiful young woman destined to be the love of his life, he faces crushing disappointment -- Keiko's parents take her back to Japan, forcing Keiko to endure their attempts to arrange her marriage. It is a trial complicated by how the Japanese perceive her -- as too Americanized to be a proper Japanese wife and mother -- and its pain is compounded by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, which ignites the war that instantly taints Sam, Keiko, and their friends and family as enemies of the state.
Sam himself is most caught between cultures when, impressed by his knowledge of Japanese, the U.S. Army drafts and then promotes Sam, sending him on a secret mission into a wartime world of madness where he faces the very real risk of encountering his own brother in combat.
From the tragedies of the camps through to the bombing of Hiroshima, where Sam's mother and siblings live, Sam's very identity both puts his life at risk and provides the only reserve from which he can pull to survive. In this beautifully written historical epic about a boy in search of manhood, a girl in search of truth, and two peoples divided by war, Sam must draw upon his training, his past, and everything he has learned if he's ever to span his two cultures and see Keiko, or his family, again.
John Hamamura was born in the final year of WWII in a U.S. Army hospital in Minnesota. His father was a GI Japanese language instructor. His mother's family was behind barbed wire at a camp in southern Arkansas. His father's mother and siblings lived in Hiroshima; two of them survived the atomic bomb. He lives in Oakland, California.
More information is available at www.johnhamamura.com.
Orders/Information:
The Color of the Sea
Paperback, Random House, $13.95 ISBN 9780307386076
Bobby Markels Mendocino Malady
The Complete Collection, 1966 - 2006Sunday, November 4, 2007, at 3:00 pm
Local Mendocino author Bobby Markels read from her collected works, and a raucous good time was had by all. And if you haven't yet discovered her writing, you're in for a treat.
Orders/Information:
Mendocino Malady: The Complete Collection, 1966 - 2006
Paperback, Cypress House, $17.95 ISBN 978188099108
Alethea Eason Hungry
Sunday, October 28, 2007, at 3:00 pm
Deborah is starting to notice things about her best friend, Willy -- like how cute he looks in his Halloween costume and the adorable way his red hair curls just above his collar. He's the coolest boy in sixth grade, and the closest friend she's got ... that is, until her alien parents tell her she has to eat him for dinner. After all, she's an alien, too -- even if she and her family do live in disguise.
Should she keep Willy alive and survive on forbidden hamburgers and chocolate ... or point her tentacles at her best friend and gain approval from alien kind?
There are times when everyone feels like they're from outer space. A zany adventure and a close and sympathetic look at middle-school friendships and rivalries, Alethea Eason's wonderfully unique first novel satisfies that craving to fit in.
Alethea Eason lives in Cobb, California, and has taught in elementary schools for more than twenty years, as a third-grade teacher and reading specialist. Hungry is her first novel and grew out of the short story "Deborah's Choice," published in Bruce Coville's Alien Visitors, and from a birthday request from her husband, Bill, to write more about "those flesh-eating aliens." Like Deborah, she has a good appetite, but her favorite course is dessert, not meat.
Find out more about those hungry aliens (and Alethea Eason) at www.aletheaeason.com.
Orders/Information:
Hungry
Hardcover, HarperCollins, $15.99 ISBN 9780060825546
Andrew Todhunter A Meal Observed
Sunday, October 21, 2007, at 3:00 pm
No trip to Paris would be complete without a memorable meal, but few are lucky enough to have the experience Andrew Todhunter shares in this seductive account of a luxurious dinner with his wife at the legendary Taillevent.
Awarded three stars by Michelin, Taillevent is one of the finest restaurants in the world. Todhunter spent several months working in its kitchen in preparation for the divine experience of eating a five-hour meal in the nineteenth-century dining room. From the amuse-bouche (a warm cheese puff to "amuse the mouth") to the crowning glory of the fantasie, he perfectly captures the sensual pleasure of the meticulously served dinner. Along the way he expertly discusses everything from the state of French haute cuisine and the complexity of running a renowned restaurant to the chemistry of chocolate and the history of salt. A Meal Observed is a rare treat, a paean to the French and French cuisine that is as enchanting and richly satisfying as the meal it describes.
Orders/Information:
A Meal Observed
Paperback, Random House, $13.00 ISBN 9780385720205
Wes Walker Tuscan Country
A Photographer's JourneyWednesday, October 10, 2007, at 7:00 pm
Travel with landscape photographer Wes Walker through the Tuscan countryside and discover the unique rural culture of the entire region, from the hill towns of western Siena to the Chianti wine country. Walker's stunning photographs uncover the lesser-known splendors of the region -- fields of sunflowers in bloom, intimate country cafes, ornate village churches, and the majestic vineyards and ancient wine cellars that produce the varied and unique wines found throughout Tuscany. These vivid scenes are captured through the seasons in all their rich texture and natural vibrancy and set side-by-side with quotes, poetry, and literature. Walker's own observations about his journey can be found in each photo caption, offering tidbits, practical information, and an insider's guide to some of the most magical destinations off the beaten path.
Text to accompany the photographs is excerpted from the works of Italian writers and literary greats from around the world: Italo Calvino, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Henry James, Heinrich Heine, Charles Dickens, Giuseppe Verdi, Virginia Woolf, D. H. Lawrence, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Dylan Thomas, Frances Mayes, and more.
The stunning artistry of the photographs and literature takes the reader on an intimate journey through the centuries-old wineries, rolling hills, lush landscapes, tidy villages, and hidden wonders of Tuscany. For those interested in truly experiencing the region, Tuscan Country also offers a resource section packed with the most delicious culinary destinations, coziest country villas, wineries, shops, and other places not to be missed along the way.
Wes Walker is a retired Justice of the Court of Appeal in San Francisco, and served for twelve years as a Superior Court Judge for Napa County. During his professional career, Wes often escaped with his camera and traveled extensively throughout the world, including trips to the Galapagos Islands, Peru, Turkey, Patagonia, and Alaska. He has backpacked in the Sierras and trekked in Nepal and Ladakh. His photographs were first published in the 1970's by the Sierra Club and have appeared since in various publications including Sierra, Defenders of Wildlife, Outdoor and Travel Photography, The New Yorker, and National Geographic Adventure. A grape-grower himself, Walker is also the author of Hidden Sonoma and Hidden Napa Valley.
Orders/Information:
Tuscan Country, A Photographer's Journey
Hardcover, Welcome Books, $29.95 ISBN 9781599620220
Laurence Hillman Planets in Play
How to Reimagine Your Life Through the Language of AstrologyWednesday, October 3, 2007, at 6:30 pm
Planets in Play is the first foundational book that lets the reader reimagine his or her inner life through the self-exploratory language of astrology. Author Laurence Hillman -- a widely respected astrologer with a loyal following -- reconnects the planets with the character traits given them by the ancients. Whether or not one accepts astrology as being "real," its language and concepts can go a long way toward helping us see the archetypes that play on our lives.
In observing the strengths, weaknesses, and character traits of each planet and zodiac sign, readers will receive a toolbox filled with instruments with which to newly understand their lives. The reader will then be able to make more conscious choices about how he or she is living out these different aspects. To that end, Hillman provides specific tactics and highly practical ideas of how to expressly nourish or minimize these tendencies through choice of behavior, lifestyle, and personal surroundings. Case examples, stories, and anecdotes run throughout the book to demonstrate and ease this process. In addition, Hillman offers a basic grounding in astrology for those readers, therapists, or counselors who wish to learn how the ancient art works at a psychological level without necessarily committing themselves to its study.
Laurence Hillman is a highly regarded professional astrologer, teacher, and lecturer, and a force in the movement to merge astrology with depth psychology. He has lectured internationally and writes a monthly column at ArtInfo.com.
Find out more at www.lhillman.com.
Orders/Information:
Planets in Play
Paperback, Penguin Books, $18.95 ISBN 9781585425877
Barbara Quick Vivaldi's Virgins
Sunday, September 23, 2007, at 3:00 pm
In Barbara Quick's luminous new novel, Vivaldi's Venice is at the height of its splendor and decadence. The legendary Grand Inquisitor rules by fear, and yet festivity is the city's trademark. Sober piety marks one half of the year; the music, masks, and revelry of the Carnival mark the other. It is a city of stark contrasts and mystery, especially to Anna Maria Violina, a 15-year-old orphan student of Maestro Vivaldi's.
Like all the orphan musicians of the Ospedale della Pieta, Anna Maria is named for the instrument she plays. Her origins unknown, she nonetheless writes letters to her mother in the hope that she will find her again one day. Enchanted by Vivaldi, the electrifying "Red Priest" whose name would later be tarnished by scandal, and the world that lies beyond the convent doors, the adolescent Anna Maria embarks on a journey of personal and artistic awakening, through the dance halls of the elite and the ghettos of the Jewish poor, uncovering her mysterious past and the key to her uncertain future. In the tradition of the international bestseller Girl With a Pearl Earring, Quick's Vivaldi's Virgins pairs the seductive lost world of a creative legend with the coming of age of a young girl guided by an artistic soul of her own.
Barbara Quick's work has appeared in the New York Times, Newsweek, Ms., and the San Francisco Chronicle. She lives in Berkeley, California, with her fourteen-year-old son.
Visit her website at www.barbaraquick.com.
Orders/Information:
Vivaldi's Virgins
Hardcover, HarperCollins, $24.95 ISBN 9780060890520
David Wallace Neptune's Ark: from Ichthyosaurs to Orcas
Wednesday, September 19, 2007, at 7:00 pm
Neptune's Ark illuminates the dramatic saga of evolution spanning 500 million years of marine life along the magnificent Pacific coast of western North America. In an engaging narrative that artfully blends elements of science, history, folklore, and personal observation, renowned naturalist David Rains Wallace reveals a marvelous diversity of creatures, not only modern ones, but those from the far prehistoric past. Mysterious forms have abounded -- from giant sea cows, oyster bears, and flightless toothed birds to the orcas, elephant seals, and sea otters of modern times.
Wallace tells a story about evolution as well as a tale of the storms, scurvy, and shipwrecks that plagued the coast's explorers, naturalists, and scientists, many of whom led turbulent or tragic lives, with themes reflected in the wonder and danger of the coast itself. Neptune's Ark is full of vivid characters -- from explorers like Sir Francis Drake and Captain James Cook, to pioneer naturalists including Georg Steller and Charles Scammon, to early paleontologists Othniel Marsh and Edward Cope, and to recent scientists and ecological visionaries.
David Rains Wallace is the author of more than a dozen books, including The Klamath Knot, The Bonehunter's Revenge: Dinosaurs, Greed, and the Greatest Scientific Feud of the Gilded Age, The Monkey's Bridge: Mysteries of Evolution in Central America (a New York Times Notable Book), and The Quetzal and the Macaw: The Story of Costa Rica's National Parks.
Orders/Information:
Neptune's Ark: from Ichthyosaurs to Orcas
Hardcover, University of California Press, $27.50 ISBN 9780520243224
David Barsamian Targeting Iran
Friday, September 14, 2007, at 3:00 pm
Iran and the United States are on a dangerous collision course. Washington's saber rattling in response to Iran's hard-line government eerily evokes U. S. rhetoric prior to the invasion of Iraq. The United States is operating within a preemptive strike doctrine, and war is on the table.
As threats between Washington and Tehran escalate, it is of utmost importance for US citizens to become informed. In Targeting Iran, David Barsamian examines the issues with three scholars who discuss the political complexities of the Iran-US conflict, including the 1953 CIA coup and the rise of the Islamic regime; Iran's internal dynamics and competing forces; the influence of the Iraqi insurgency; and the possible long-term consequences of US policy.
David Barsamian, founder and director of an award-winning and widely-syndicated weekly show, Alternative Radio, has authored several books of interviews with leading political thinkers, including Arundhati Roy, Howard Zinn, Edward Said, and especially Noam Chomsky.
Read more about David Barsamian at the Alternative Radio website, http://www.alternativeradio.org/barsamian.shtml.
Orders/Information:
Targeting Iran
Paperback, City Lights Books, $11.95 ISBN 9780872864580
Ruth Gendler Notes on the Need for Beauty
Wednesday, August 22, 2007, at 6:00 pm
An after-hours, women only event: Rediscover beauty with henna hand painting, simple beaded jewelry projects, free mini facials & champagne!
Calling all beautiful babes -- and that means everyone! We brought back the after-hours, women-only gathering that was such a success this spring. At 6:00 pm the doors closed on the regular business day, men were gently escorted out and women were welcomed in for browsing, conversation and a glass of champagne. You could beautify your bod with an intricate henna hand painting or create your own lovely beaded jewelry -- supplies were provided, no experience necessary. You could even relax and enjoy a free mini-facial.
At 7:00 pm Ruth Gendler talked about her new book, Notes on the Need for Beauty. From the introduction: "Beauty, like every other quality -- courage, fear, ugliness, trust, truth, wisdom -- is a part of us and apart from us, inside us and outside us, personal and impersonal. Beauty invites us to build bridges and make connections between the senses and the soul, between contemplation and expression, between ourselves and the world."
In this wide-ranging and deeply felt book, artist and writer J. Ruth Gendler invites us to reclaim and celebrate the often misunderstood quality of beauty as one of the most profound and essential forces in our lives. Drawing upon observations from art and mythology, science and nature, contemporary culture and personal experience, the author looks at her subject in its most generous implications -- not simply as a reflection of surface and image, but as a pathway to wholeness, integrity, coherence, and ultimately, to love. Written with curiosity, courage, a discerning eye and a lyrical sensibility. Illustrated with evocative line drawings by the author, Notes on the Need for Beauty displays the strong personal voice that has made her previous book, The Book of Qualities, so beloved. It is a work to savor and to share.
Janet Ruth Gendler wears orange socks, arranges her clothes by color in the closet, keeps the herbs in alphabetical order, and doesn't understand the separation between work and play. Gendler was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska and received B.A.'s in English and Communication from Stanford University in 1977. She has written articles on the arts, health, and education. She works in publishing and teaches intuitive art classes. Gendler currently lives in Berkeley, California.
Read more about Ruth Gendler at her website, http://www.ruthgendler.com/.
Orders/Information:
Notes on the Need for Beauty
Paperback nonfiction, Marlowe & Company, $15.95 ISBN 9781569242926
Josie Iselin Seashells
Sunday, August 12, 2007, 3 pm
Artist Josie Iselin joined us for a Beachcomber's Art Party. It was a BYOBT (Bring Your Own Beach Treasures) affair, or you could explore our collection of natural objects gathered by Mendocino Community High School Botany & Science students. Then, we created our own unique object to take home -- guidance was provided, no experience was necessary! We enjoyed a slice of juicy watermelon and a cold beer and browsed Josie's exhibit of art prints, then sat down for a fascinating look at her unique books.
Iselin celebrates the diversity and beauty of nature with her exquisite portraits of seashells. Like her extremely popular Beach Stones and Leaves & Pods, Seashells is not a field guide but an artful and informative portrayal of a beloved part of our natural world. The book balances the exotic with the familiar, from tropical corals and rare fossils to everyday clamshells and barnacles. In her introduction and captions, marine geologist and paleontologist Sandy Carlson introduces the reader to seashells in all their variety, explaining why they look as they do. Both an art book and a contemplation of nature, Seashells combines aesthetic delight in natural things with scientific fact and philosophical wonder.
Josie Iselin is the author of the popular Beach Stones and Leaves & Pods. She lives in San Francisco. You can visit her website at http://josieiselin.com
Orders/Information:
Seashells
Hardcover non-fiction, Harry Abrams Publishing, $17.95 ISBN 9780810993273
Eric Schaeffer I Can't Believe I'm Still Single
Tuesday, July 31, 2007, at 7:00 pm
Author, actor & filmmaker Eric Schaeffer talked about his new book, I Can't Believe I'm Still Single. The book, a funny and poignant memoir about his efforts to find true love, has this subtitle: "Sane, slightly neurotic (but in a sane way) filmmaker into good yoga, bad reality TV, too much chocolate, and a little kinky sex seeks smart, emotionally evolved ... oh hell, at this point anyone who'll let me watch football."
Eric Schaeffer has written, directed, produced and starred in many films and television programs, such as My Life's in Turnaround, Fall, If Lucy Fell, and the controversial sitcom Starved. Like most confident men, he believed that when he was ready, he would land the Big Love: an intelligent, sexy, affectionate wife. But his last girlfriend left him on his knee with a ring in his hands. I Can't Believe I'm Still Single offers a window into the rarely seen psyche of the "regular guy." In the end, all of us -- men, women, single, married, romantic, or antiromantic -- will find something to identify with in the book.
Readers attending the Eric Schaeffer event received 10% off all books in the Memoir, Men's Studies, and Sexuality sections.
Find out more about Eric Shaeffer at his website, http://www.icantbelieveimstillsingle.com/ or at his personal MySpace blog, www.myspace.com/eric_schaeffer.
Orders/Information:
I Can't Believe I'm Still Single
Paperback Memoir, Thunder's Mouth Press, $14.95 ISBN 9781568583372
Nik Colyer Channeling Biker Bob
Sunday, July 29, 2007, at 3:00 pm
"A woman wants a man to stand up to her without turning to stone." So says Harley-riding spirit-guide, Biker Bob. "One job of the warrior is to face a woman's intensity without taking on her anger, belittling her, or allowing the situation to become violent."
When Colyer started writing his playful fourth novel, Channeling Biker Bob, he never anticipated that it would speak so strongly on issues of relationship.
Nik says, "I was interested in writing a fast moving, compelling adventure that would remain with my readers long after they finished the final page. I wanted to tweak the reader's perception of men, relationships, and introduce them to that special breed of Harley rider, the 'one percent of one percent' bikers.
Though the novel is fictional, Colyer admits that, like all writers, there is a bit of his own life experience woven through the pages of the story. Finding equilibrium between the tough biker, while continuing to stay close to authentic masculine feeling, is a theme throughout Channeling Biker Bob and much of Colyer's writings.
Visit the Channeling Biker Bob website at http://channelingbikerbob.com
Orders/Information:
Channeling Biker Bob
Paperback fiction, Singing Reed Press, $13.95 ISBN 0970816308
J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows
Friday, July 20, 2007, 10 pm to 12:30 am
Harry Potter Pajama Party!There was only one place to be at midnight: our Community Pajama Party. We transformed our back room into a comfy spot to watch Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone on a big-screen TV while we waited for the magic moment to release the books. Popcorn & chocolate frogs were available for all!
You could have won a free copy of Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows in our "Write the Ending" contest. Fans of all ages were invited to imagine how Harry's story turned out. Who lives? Who dies? Entrants decided and described it in 100 words or less. Entries were judged on their own merits, not accuracy in predicting J.K Rowling's solution. Separate prizes for children and adults. Entries were posted at the store for everyone to enjoy between June 1 and July 31
Jane O'Connor's Fancy Nancy and the Posh Puppy
Sunday, June 10, 2007, at 3:00 pm
We invited you to come celebrer (that's a fancy way of saying celebrate) with us. We served canapes (that's a fancy way of saying snacks) ... you wore your most smashing dress-up clothes! You had your picture taken in your fabulous duds, decorated a picture frame, and explored our dress-up trunk for even more glam-tastic ideas.
Then we gathered under the fancy blue canopy for a reading of two favorite picture books, the original Fancy Nancy and the new Fancy Nancy & the Posh Puppy, by Jane O'Connor.
Yes, Fancy Nancy is back! And when her family decides to get a dog, she's certain she can be fancier than ever. After all, a papillon -- a small, delicate, fluffy dog -- is the ultimate accessory. But her family wants a large, plain dog. How unglamorous!
With "Fancy Nancy"'s trademark humor and warmth, Nancy discovers that real fanciness does not depend simply on appearance but more on a genuine joie de vivre, which is a fancy phrase for having lots of fun.
Read more about author Jane O'Connor and her Fancy Nancy books at the Harper Collins website: http://www.harpercollins.com/authors/12552/Jane_OConnor/index.aspx
Orders/Information:
Fancy Nancy and the Posh Puppy
Children's Hardcover, Harper Collins, $16.99 ISBN 9780060542139
Nancy Red Star Star Ancestors:
Indian Wisdomkeepers Share the Teachings of the ExtraterrestrialsWednesday, June 6, 2007, 7:00 to 10:30 pm
Author and filmmaker Nancy Red Star spoke on Wednesday June 6 at Gallery Bookshop's Stargazer's Gathering, beginning at 7:00 pm. Red Star's books include Star Ancestors: Indian Wisdomkeepers Share the Teachings of the Extraterrestrials. After a career in academia teaching courses on Native American society, Red Star became involved in UFO studies when she was asked to co-produce a televised special on the alleged crash of a UFO in Roswell, New Mexico. Since then, she has interviewed tribal elders from Australia to North, Central and South America about their contact experiences with extraterrestrials.
Red Star believes that we can tap into the wisdom of our "Star Ancestors," through these indigenous stories of contact, to help us deal with the crises facing our planet. "We have to be very realistic about the state of the planet and understand that the continued raping of this world is not going to lead us to fruition. So each person as an individual has the ability to manifest a better way to live, because it's within our mental capability to alter our reality ... This is really a beautiful time to be alive. It's very exciting because we're moving out of the dark ages into an Age of Light, the New Age. We're in that period where we still have time to get it right."
The Stargazer's Gathering featured "Astrology, Astronomy and Our Alien Ancestors" in a full evening of activities. It began with wine, nibbles, and conversation with other seekers, stargazers & UFO enthusiasts at 7 pm. Local expert Antonia Lamb was on hand to discuss Astrology and what it can tell us about the challenges we face. At 8:00 pm Nancy Red Star spoke. Weather permitting, we went outside at 9:30 to view the sky through a high-powered telescope courtesy of Out of This World.
Read more about Nancy Red Star at her website, http://nancyredstar.com
Orders/Information:
Star Ancestors: Indian Wisdomkeepers Share the Teachings of the Extraterrestrials
Paperback nonfiction, Inner Traditions International, $29.95 ISBN 9780892818198
Anne Semans Sexy Mamas: Keeping Your Sex Life Alive While Raising Kids
Wednesday, May 9, 2007, at 6:00 pm
Gallery Bookshop celebrated Mother's Day with a women-only, after-hours event involving wine, snacks, chocolate, book browsing, and the company of other Sexy Mamas! At 7 pm Anne Semans talked about her book, Sexy Mamas.
Mothers know that our sexuality doesn't disappear when children arrive; it simply gets buried under an avalanche of diapers, carpool routes, and conflicting demands. Sexy Mamas offers advice, real world stories, and practical information from doctors, therapists, and the most knowledgeable experts -- other mothers. Here's an excerpt from the book:
Sexuality is the source of your creativity; it infuses you with love, energy, and a sense of well-being; it improves all your relationships; and makes you more human to your own children. Whether you're carving a new notch in the bedpost every night, or whether you can't remember the last time you got a little action, your erotic nature is your undeniable birthright.Anne's interest in accurate sex education was sparked by the nun who taught eighth grade religion class and counseled her students to "think of a hamburger when you find your thoughts straying to the impure ... it will distract you." Suspecting that God really didn't intend for us to choose between two things as wonderful as sex and food, Anne made a point of learning as much about sex as she could. She's spent the last 20 years educating herself and others about the wonders of sex, primarily through writing and working with several women-owned sex toy stores, most recently as Marketing Director at Babeland.com.
Anne believes that all people, including children, deserve information about their sexuality in order to lead more fulfilling lives, which is what inspired her to write Sexy Mamas.
She has written several other books including:
She lives in Fort Bragg, California, with her two daughters.The Many Joys of Sex Toys (Broadway Books, 2004)
The Good Vibrations Guide to Sex (Cleis, 2002)
The Woman's Guide to Sex on the Web (Harper San Francisco, 1999) Visit the website of Anne & her co-author Cathy Winks at http://www.anneandcathy.com/
Orders/Information:
Sexy Mamas: Keeping Your Sex Life Alive While Raising Kids by Anne Semans
Inner Ocean, Paperback non-fiction. $14.95 ISBN 9781930722279
Karin Uphoff Botanical Body Care: Herbs & Natural Healing for Your Whole Body
Sunday, May 6, 2007, at 6:00 pm
Learn how to make botanical remedies from expert herbalist Karin Uphoff, author of the new Botanical Body Care: Herbs & Natural Healing for Your Whole Body.
Karin brought her new book to life with a presentation that included hands-on demonstrations, samples, and a short reading.
Would you like to increase your vitality, strengthen your immune system, relieve stress, and prevent or treat common ailments without the side effects of conventional pharmaceuticals? Join the amazing partnership between plants and people! Plants have remarkable powers that can work with your body to restore balance and promote healing. Readily available herbs are easily made into teas, tinctures, extracts and salves, for use as gently and effective natural remedies for many medical conditions.
Providing a deeper understanding of how our bodies heal, Botanical Body Care is an invaluable resource for health practitioners, nutritionists, resort and spa professionals, and anyone who wants to take better care of themselves and their loved ones.
Karin Uphoff holds a bachelor of science degree from Oregon State University and a master's degree in sociology from Arizona State University. Having worked as a wildlife ecologist, animal behavior researcher, teacher and environmental consultant, she undertook advanced training in massage therapy, vibrational medicine, and yoga, then earned a diploma in herbal medicine and natural healing in the UK. Her professional affiliations include the Pacific Envionmental Education Center, the American Herbalist Association, the American Herbalist Guild, and Unite Plant Savers. Karin is a practicing herbalist, teacher, and nutritional consultant.
Karin's Botanical Body Care website is at http://rainbowconnection.net/
Orders/Information:
Botanical Body Care: Herbs & Natural Healing for Your Whole Body by Karin Uphoff
Cypress House, Paperback non-fiction. $18.95 ISBN 9781879384675
Steve Ryals Drunk with Wonder
Sunday, April 29, 2007, at 3:00 pm
Steve Ryals presented "Getting to Wonder," a short seminar drawn from his book on spiritual growth, Drunk with Wonder.
In Drunk with Wonder, Steve Ryals suggests that we are the heroes we've been waiting for, and that each one of us contains an infinitely precious spark of the divine. Those new to philosophical inquiry or just beginning a spiritual practice will find Ryals' lively and engaging dialogue to be thoroughly engrossing. Cosmology, the nature of reality and many other often-challenging subjects are introduced in an easy-to-follow format. Using spirited dialogue, Ryals gently guides the reader to perennial wisdom echoed in the great traditions of Shamanism, Eastern and Western thought, and contemporary science. Seasoned spiritual practitioners and philosophical seekers alike will glean a new, perhaps liberating perspective.
Steve Ryals has published over 1,200 music reviews in the past 12 years in magazines such as New Age Retailer and Sedona Journal. He has been a student of philosophy, religion, spirituality, science, and human behavior for 30 years.
Learn more about Steve Ryals here: http://steve-ryals.zaadz.com/
Orders/Information:
Drunk with Wonder by Steve Ryals
Rock Creek Press, Paperback non-fiction. $17.95 ISBN 1933906170
David Skibbins The Star: A Tarot Card Mystery
Sunday, April 15, 2007, at 3:00 pm
Bestselling author David Skibbins read from The Star, his third Tarot Card Mystery, set in Berkeley. Door prizes included a Tarot reading and free hardcover copies of the original Tarot Mystery, Eight of Swords.
David Skibbins's two previous novels have received high praise, both for his unusual and likable sleuth, the "hippie of a certain age" Warren, and the vivid Berkeley setting. With this third installment, Skibbins gives readers another thrilling adventure embellished with the mysteries of the tarot.
After two recent encounters with crime, Warren Ritter is determined to live the quiet life, but fate isn't paying any attention. His daughter, Fran, with whom he has only recently become acquainted, is in serious need of his help. She has separated from her husband, Orrin, who has taken their five-month-old son and refuses to give him back. If she challenges him, he will lie about her suitability as a mother. He's a police officer and she is afraid he can get away with it. Things become even more complicated when Orrin is found dead and Fran becomes the prime suspect. Now it's going to take Warren's full store of resources to clear his daughter's name.
David Skibbins won the St. Martin's Press 2004 Best First Traditional Mystery Contest with his first fiction book, Eight of Swords. He is a certified life coach. David lives on the Pacific Coast at The Sea Ranch, California, with his brilliant wife and his goofy Portuguese Water Dog.
David Skibbins' website: http://www.davidskibbins.com/
Orders/Information:
The Star: A Tarot Card Mystery by David Skibbins
St. Martin's Press, Hardcover fiction. $23.95 ISBN 9780312361938
Ken Rose A Brief History of Qi
Sunday, April 1, 2007, at 3:00 pm
Ken Rose discussed his work in Chinese Medicine and community supported health care, reading from his books A Brief History of Qi and Who Can Ride the Dragon?
Ken Rose is a local author who moved to Greenwood Ridge (between Elk and Philo) in 2005 after living and studying in Mainland China for more than a dozen years. His first book, Who Can Ride the Dragon?, is an exploration of the cultural roots of traditional Chinese medicine. It has been used as a teaching text in schools of Chinese medicine as well as Chinese studies programs since its publication. It has been translated into German and French and is widely read as a basic introduction to Chinese medicine around the world.
Ken's second book, A Brief History of Qi, is a monograph on one of the most widely misunderstood words in any language, qi. Martin Inn writes, "It clearly shows the historical development of the concept of Qi from its philosophical, cultural, and metaphysical roots to its present use in Chinese medicine, qi gong, and tai ji quan. This book should be read by all who are interested in Chinese culture or who practice Chinese medicine or the martial arts."
Ken has worked as a writer and editor in the field of Chinese medicine for the past ten years. He was Chief Editor of the first peer-reviewed professional journal in the English language on the subject, Clinical Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, published by Harcourt (later Elsevier Science).
He is currently working on a number of projects in the field including a collaborative text on qi and complexity as well as a manual of Chinese massage therapy.
Ken Rose's blog: http://www.paradigm-pubs.com/blog/17
Orders/Information:
A Brief Histry of Qi by Ken Rose
Paradigm Publications, Paperback non-fiction. $21.95 ISBN 0912111631
Tom Kendrick Bluewater Gold Rush
The Odyssey of a California Sea Urchin DiverSunday, March 25, 2007, at 3:00 pm
Surfer, writer, and longtime urchin diver Tom Kendricks shared true stories of underwater adventure on the Mendocino Coast and points south.
An avid Sanda Barbara surfer gets into sea urchin diving as a means to explore the waves of the Channel Islands. His travels take him from the harbor of Santa Barbara to the harsh waters of the North Coast, and the shark-infested Farallon Islands. Bluewater Gold Rush follows a unique group of underwater pioneers from 1978 through 1996, chronicling the adventure, humor, and tragedy of the people involved in this fascinating way of life.
In his search for secret surf spots at the Channel Islands, off the Santa Barbara coast, Tom Kendrick fell into a 22 year urchin diving career. He broke in as a deckhand in 1978, and started diving a year later. The unusual job took him to Mexico, Oregon, Alaska, northern California, and the Farallons. At age 54 he no longer dives professionally, but still surfs and writes. He lives in Sebastopol, California.
Tom Kendrick's Bluewater Gold Rush website: http://www.bluewatergoldrush.com/
Orders/Information:
Bluewater Gold Rush: The Odyssey of a California Sea Urchin Diver by Tom Kendricks
Bored Feet Press, Paperback non-fiction. $16.95 ISBN 0967793432
Tad Hills Duck, Duck, Goose
Tuesday, March 6, 2007, at 3:00 pm
Best-selling author and illustrator Tad Hills read his brand-new picture book, Duck, Duck, Goose, in our newly expanded story corner.
Duck & Goose, Goose & Duck. Feathered friends forever . . . or are they? That's what we discover in this charming and hilarious follow-up to the bestselling Duck & Goose. You see, there's a challenge to their friendship: a little whippersnapper of a duck named Thistle. Thistle's good at "everything" (or so she thinks), from math to holding her breath to standing on her head. Duck thinks she's fantastic. But Goose does "not"! And so Goose is faced with a problem close to the hearts of children everywhere: what happens when your best friend makes a "new" friend?
Orders/Information:
Duck, Duck, Goose by Tad Hills
Random House. Hardcover picture book. $18.99 ISBN 0375840680
Jody Weiner Prisoners of Truth
Sunday, March 4, 2007, at 3:00 pm
San Francisco novelist and attorney Jody Weiner read from his novel, Prisoners of Truth: "Hilarious when you least expect it ... draws the reader in through a desire to peel away the characters' outer layers and expose the darker hearts beneath."
If you haven't discovered Prisoners of Truth, this acclaimed and suspenseful tale of self-discovery is "ingeniously told" "with bright humor and unstinting honesty." Weiner's legal mystery skewers the fiction writing process and manages to reflect on some deep moral issues. Drawing from thirty years experience as an attorney, the author masterfully weaves a plot spanning four generations while "engaging truth in a deeply comic and spiritual manner."
Visit Jody Weiner's website: http://prisonersoftruth.com/
Orders/Information:
Prisoner of Truth by Jody Weiner
Council Oak Books, Paperback fiction. $13.95 ISBN 9781571781970
Terri Pischoff Wuerthner In A Cajun Kitchen
Sunday, January 28, 2007, at 3:00 pm
Terri Pischoff Weurther's new book of recipes and stories, In a Cajun Kitchen, is one of this season's hottest food books, in more ways than one! Terri shared cooking ideas as well as her signature Cajun Pecans at this event.
When most people think of Cajun cooking, they think of blackened redfish or, maybe, gumbo. When Terri Pischoff Wuerthner thinks of Cajun cooking, she thinks about Great-Grandfather Theodore's picnics on Lake Carenton, children gathering crawfish fresh from the bayou for supper, and Grandma Olympe's fricassee of beef, because Terri Pischoff Wuerthner is descended from an old Cajun family. Through a seamless blend of storytelling and recipes to live by, Wuerthner's In a Cajun Kitchen will remind people of the true flavors of Cajun cooking.
When her ancestors settled in Louisiana around 1760, her family grew into a memorable clan that understood the pleasures of the table and the bounty of the Louisiana forests, fields, and waters. Wuerthner spices her gumbo with memories of Cajun community dances, wild-duck hunts, and parties at the family farm. From the Civil War to today, Wuerthner brings her California-born Cajun family together to cook and share jambalaya, crawfish etoufee, shrimp boil, and more, while they cook, laugh, eat, and carry on the legacy of Louis Noel Labauve, one of the first French settlers in Acadia in the 1600s.
Along with the memories, In a Cajun Kitchen presents readers with a treasure trove of authentic Cajun recipes: roasted pork mufaletta sandwiches, creamy crab casserole, breakfast cornbread with sausage and apples, gumbo, shrimp fritters, black-eyed pea and andouille bake, coconut pralines, pecan pie, and much more. In a Cajun Kitchen is a great work of culinary history, destined to be an American cookbook classic that home cooks will cherish.
Terri Pischoff Wuerthner, a tenth-generation Acadian, is an award-winning culinary writer whose work has appeared in Bon Appetit, Better Homes & Gardens, Cooking Light, Mademoiselle, Sunset Magazine, The Herb Companion, The Washington Post, San Francisco Examiner, Press Democrat, Gastronomica, and "Snail." The coauthor of Food for Life: The Cancer Prevention Cookbook, and Everyday Favorites of Sonoma County, Wuerthner lives in northern California, where she teaches Cajun and southern cooking.
Visit Terri's Kitchen at http://terris-kitchen.com/
Orders/Information:
In A Cajun Kitchen by Terri Pischoff Wuerthner
St. Martin's Press. $29.95 ISBN 0312343051
Scott Eberle The Final Crossing
Friday, January 26, 2007, at 6:00 pm
Dr. Scott Eberle shared his ideas about "learning to die in order to live more fully." Scott provided a thought-provoking but practical discussion about how end-of-life issues affect us all.
This new book from Lost Borders Press is the story of two worlds meeting, told on both a personal and an historical scale. The personal account recalls "the final crossing" of Steven Foster -- one of the pioneers of modern-day wilderness rites of passage -- from the perspective of the hospice physician who helped ferry him across. Interspersed with Steven and Scott's story is a more sweeping historical view of how the rites of passage movement and the hospice movement have converged.
Read more about The Final Crossing at Scott's website, http://www.thefinalcrossing.com/
Orders/Information:
The Final Crossing by Scott Eberle
Lost Borders Press. $19.95 ISBN 0977763218
Amy Wachspress The Call to Shakabaz
Sunday, January 21, 2007, at 3:00 pm
Kids and parents enjoyed Amy's spellbinding reading from her new fantasy adventure about four siblings on a quest to save a world they've just discovered. After the reading, Amy engaged kids in a discussion of "Everyday Things You Can Do to Save the World". Hot cider and cookies, too!
An evil enchanter commands the most powerful device in the land, and the use of violence to defeat him is foredoomed to failure. Can four children light the way for good to prevail? Newly orphaned, Doshmisi, Denzel, Maia, and Sonjay discover a carefully guarded secret about their family. Travel with them and their pesky parrot to the distant land of Faracadar, where they must try to retrieve the Staff of Shakabaz and free the land from the clutches of the malevolent Sissrath. Only if they discover how to use their individual gifts can the children fulfill their destiny in the ultimate confrontation. Set in an African American cultural context, this book embraces African American cultural constructs, values, and language.
Find out more about Amy Wachspress and Woza Books at http://www.wozabooks.com/.
Orders/Information:
The Call to Shakabaz by Amy Wachspress
Woza Books. $15.50, ISBN 9780978835026
Antonia Juhasz The Bush Agenda: Invading the World, One Economy at a Time
Friday, January 5, 2007, at 3:00 pm
The Bush Agenda is the first book to expose the Bush Administration's radical economic agenda for global domination, a plan more extreme, unilateral and audacious than any of his predecessors, a plan that has created the greatest level of violent opposition to America and Americans in recent history.
The Bush Agenda: Invading the World One Economy at a Time explores the Bush Administration's plan to invade the world through a corporate globalization agenda, first in Iraq, then the Middle East with the proposed U.S.-Middle East Free Trade Area, and ultimately as a cornerstone to the global Bush Doctrine of Pax Americana. What is Bush's "free trade?" It's an economic model that argues that by removing restrictions on multinational corporations, these companies will be freed to become engines of economic growth in countries around the world, but in fact bring vast wealth to a small number of global elites while entire populations suffer dislocation, poverty and violence, creating a perfect Petri dish for breeding terrorists. The instruments for this takeover include such corporations as Bechtel, Lockheed Martin, ChevronTexaco, Halliburton, and many others.
This book addresses the history of U.S. economic relations throughout the world over the past 25 years, the key role of U.S. corporations, and the larger Bush economic agenda and what the potential impact of this agenda will be on the United States and the world. It concludes with specific alternatives to guide the U.S. on a more peaceful and sustainable course in the future. Using Naomi Klein's No Logo and Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation as models, The Bush Agenda is based on hard analytic fact and presented so that it will not only be persuasive, but highly engaging and entertaining to a broad audience.
Find out more about The Bush Agenda at http://www.thebushagenda.net/
Orders/Information:
The Bush Agenda: Invading the World, One Economy at a Time by Antonia Juhasz HarperCollins. $26.95 ISBN 0060846879
PO Box 270
Main & Kasten Streets, Mendocino, CA 95460
707-937-BOOK (2665)
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