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| Powells Books Events Calendar |
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| 09.05: Bike Commute Workshop, plus author Ray Thomas |
(Fri, 05 Sep 2008)
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| It's time to gear up for the 2008 Bike Commute Challenge, the Bicycle Transportation Alliance's friendly workplace-to-workplace competition to see who can get more employees biking to work. The BTA's Bike Commute Workshops are a great first step toward bike commuting. Join us at 5:30 p.m. to learn more or share your knowledge of commuting with new riders. Then at 6:30 watch a tire-changing demonstration and ask questions about bike maintenance issues with experienced Powell's bike commuter Ryan Thomas. At 7:00 author Ray Thomas
(Pedal Power)
presents the talk "How Pushing Rights for Bikes Helped Propel Oregon's Bicycle Movement." |
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| 09.08: The Body Toxic |
(Fri, 05 Sep 2008)
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| Our bodies now carry a dizzying array of chemical contaminants, by-products of modern industry and innovation that contribute to a host of developmental deficits and health problems in ways just now being understood. In
The Body Toxic
(North Point Press), investigative journalist Nena Baker explores the many factors that have given rise to this condition — from manufacturing breakthroughs to policy decisions to political pressure to the demands of popular culture. |
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| 09.08: Seduce Me |
(Fri, 05 Sep 2008)
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| With beautifully drawn characters and evocative prose, Megan Clark's
Seduce Me
(Kensington Publishing) tells a captivating tale of two unique women who cross paths -- and embark on an uninhibited journey that brings them to very different destinations. |
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| 09.09: Macintosh Users Group |
(Fri, 05 Sep 2008)
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| Join us every other Tuesday for a fun and informal meeting with like-minded Mac geeks. Bring your questions and tips to share with the group. |
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| 09.09: Violence |
(Fri, 05 Sep 2008)
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| With
Violence
(Picador), philosopher, cultural critic, and agent provocateur Slavoj Žižek constructs a fascinating new framework to look at the forces of violence in the world. "[B]rilliantly argued," hails Publishers Weekly, while Kirkus calls it a "compelling and provocative philosophical work." |
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| 09.10: David Ebershoff |
(Fri, 05 Sep 2008)
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| The new novel from David Ebershoff (author of The Danish Girl and Pasadena),
The 19th Wife
(Random House) is a spellbinding work of literary suspense, set against the history of the Mormon Church, that combines historical fiction with a modern-day mystery. "Great fun to read with its enticing characters, swift dialogue, and neatly structured plot," praises Booklist (starred review). |
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| 09.11: Deadly Diversions Book Group |
(Fri, 05 Sep 2008)
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| This month our mystery book group meets to discuss The Silence of the Rain by Luiz Alfredo Garcia-Roza. New members to the group are always welcome. |
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| 09.11: Guernica |
(Fri, 05 Sep 2008)
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| Calling to mind such timeless love-and-war classics as Corelli's Mandolin and The English Patient, David Boling's debut novel
Guernica
(Bloomsbury) is an extraordinary epic of love, family, and war set in the Basque town of Guernica before, during, and after its destruction by the German Luftwaffe during the Spanish Civil War. "Boling is skillful with characters and dialogue, possessing a great sense of timing and humor," praises Publishers Weekly. |
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| 09.11: The Alchemy of Air |
(Fri, 05 Sep 2008)
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| In
The Alchemy of Air
(Harmony), Thomas Hager recounts the story of the two men who found a solution to the eminent problem of global starvation at the turn of the 20th century. But their discovery came at a price: the same process they engineered into synthetic fertilizer was used to make the explosives that killed millions during both World Wars. "Science writing of the first order," raves Kirkus (starred review). |
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| 09.12: Stuart Archer Cohen |
(Fri, 05 Sep 2008)
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| Powerful, disturbing, and unforgettable, Stuart Archer Cohen's
The Army of the Republic
(St. Martin's Press) is an urgent and provocative political thriller about a war of ideals that tears a family and a troubled America apart. "One of the first works of art with the courage to live up to our historical moment," praises Naomi Klein, author of The Shock Doctrine. "Brilliant, terrifying and much too close for comfort." |
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| 09.12: American Pests |
(Fri, 05 Sep 2008)
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| Inspired by the still-revolutionary theories of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, James E. McWilliams's
American Pests: The Losing War on Insects from Colonial Times to DDT
(Columbia University Press) argues for a more harmonious and rational approach to people's relationship with insects, one that does not harm the environment and, consequently, ourselves along the way. Publishers Weekly says, "McWilliams's treatment is as well written as it is thorough and should appeal to readers interested in history as well as environmental issues." |
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| 09.13: Bats at the Library |
(Fri, 05 Sep 2008)
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| Those joyful critters from the New York Times bestseller Bats at the Beach are back! Join Brian Lies for a reading from his new book,
Bats at the Library
(Houghton Mifflin). Youngsters can join in the free-for-all fun with Lies' book-loving bats, whose nocturnal celebration casts library visits in a new light. |
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| 09.15: 1,000 Recordings to Hear before You Die |
(Fri, 05 Sep 2008)
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| Doing for music what Patricia Schultz, author of the phenomenal 1,000 Places to See before You Die, does for travel, award-winning music journalist Tom Moon recommends
1,000 Recordings to Hear before You Die
(Workman Publishing), guaranteed to give listeners the joy, mystery, revelation, and sheer fun of great music. |
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| 09.16: Prompt: A Write Around Portland Writing Workshop |
(Fri, 05 Sep 2008)
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| Join Write Around Portland (W.A.P.) for Prompt, a 10-week seminar devoted to generative writing and the transformative power of writing in community. Based on the successful W.A.P. model, this dynamic workshop incorporates exercises designed to inspire the writing life. Group members will have an opportunity to read their work at a local event to cap off the course. Please note: This workshop will meet Tuesdays, September 16 through November 18, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Advance registration is required. For more information and to register, contact W.A.P. at 503-796-9224. |
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| 09.16: Neal Stephenson |
(Fri, 05 Sep 2008)
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Anathem
(William Morrow & Company), the latest invention of Neal Stephenson, the New York Times-bestselling author of Cryptonomicon and The Baroque Cycle, is a magnificent creation: a work of great scope, intelligence, and imagination that ushers readers into a recognizable -- yet strangely inverted -- world. "A magnificent achievement," cheers Booklist (starred review). Please note: This ticketed event takes place at the Bagdad Theater, 3702 SE Hawthorne Blvd. Tickets, $5, are available at the Bagdad Theater box office, the Crystal Ballroom box office, Ticketmaster.com, and all Ticketmaster outlets. |
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| 09.16: Thom Hartmann **This event has been rescheduled for October 19th.** |
(Fri, 05 Sep 2008)
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| **This event has been rescheduled for October 19th.**
According to Air America radio host Thom Hartmann, the apologists of the Right have become masters of the subtle and subconscious aspects of political communication. Conservatives didn't invent the path to persuasive messaging, and, as Hartmann shows in
Cracking the Code
(Berrett-Koehler), there is no reason why progressives can't learn these tactics, too. |
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| 09.17: Hannah's Dream |
(Fri, 05 Sep 2008)
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| In the tradition of Water for Elephants comes Diane Hammond's
Hannah's Dream
(Harper Paperbacks), a charming, captivating story of an aging caretaker and his beloved elephant, with an extraordinary cast of quirky characters centered around a dilapidated zoo. Booklist raves, "Irresistibly touching, delectably uplifting, Hammond's understated yet gargantuan tale of devotion and commitment poignantly proves that love does indeed come in all shapes and sizes." |
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| 09.18: Brian Herbert & Kevin Anderson |
(Fri, 05 Sep 2008)
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| In
Paul of Dune
(Tor Books), New York Times-bestselling authors Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson pick up where Frank Herbert's classics Dune and Dune Messiah leave off, answering many of the questions raised in the earlier works. Paul of Dune is a novel everyone will want to read and no one will be able to forget. |
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| 09.18: The Impenetrable Forest |
(Fri, 05 Sep 2008)
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| Scientist, writer, and self-described "eco-nerd" Thor Hanson brought to life the nascent gorilla tourist program in Bwindi National Park. With grace and good humor, Hanson's book
The Impenetrable Forest: My Gorilla Years in Uganda
(1500 Books LLC) navigates the local customs, mores, and bureaucracy to build infrastructure, hire and train staff, and fend off millions of ants, among many other creatures, while studying and acclimating the mountain gorillas to humans in their midst. |
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| 09.18: Beside a Burning Sea |
(Fri, 05 Sep 2008)
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| From master storyteller John Shors, author of Beneath a Marble Sky, comes
Beside a Burning Sea
(New American Library), a new novel that follows a man and a woman from separate worlds, as the barbarity of war looms in the distance. |
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| 09.19: Rose City Romance Group Event |
(Fri, 05 Sep 2008)
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| Join us in supporting local romance authors at our second Rose City Romance event! Meet these very talented women, ask questions, take pictures, and get autographs in a casual setting. Featured authors include: Elizabeth Boyle
(Tempted by the Night),
Megan Clark
(Seduce Me),
Meljean Brook
(First Blood),
Vanessa Gilfoy
(Healing Wounds),
Dawn Calvert
(His and Hers),
Samantha James
(Seduction of an Unknown Lady),
Minette Meador
(The Centurion and the Queen),
Alexis Morgan
(Dark Warrior Unleashed),
Lacy Danes
(Animal Lust),
Terri Reed
(Double Jeopardy),
Mary Vine
(Maya's Gold),
Rebecca Goings
(Cursed Hearts),
Delilah Marvelle
(Mistress of Pleasure),
Jenn Bayley-Burke
(For Kicks)
and Dina James and Alexis Morgan
(Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance).
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| 09.19: Paul Auster |
(Fri, 05 Sep 2008)
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| A new novel with a dark political twist, Paul Auster's
Man in the Dark
(Henry Holt) is the story of 72-year-old August Brill, who is recovering from a car accident in his daughter's house in Vermont. When sleep refuses to come, he lies in bed and tells himself stories, struggling to push back thoughts about things he would prefer to forget. "Probably Auster's best novel," praises Kirkus (starred review). |
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| 09.21: In the Land of No Right Angles |
(Fri, 05 Sep 2008)
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| When Alex, a 20-year-old American student spending the year in Nepal, agrees to help her friend, she finds herself embroiled in a strange triangle where the lines between friendship, love, and lust grow more tangled every day. Daphne Beal's
In the Land of No Right Angles
(Anchor Books) is a debut novel that "dazzles most with its deft descriptions, which transform an unimaginably foreign land into terra cognita" (Publishers Weekly, starred review). |
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| 09.21: Chuck Klosterman |
(Fri, 05 Sep 2008)
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Downtown Owl
(Scribner), the first novel by bestselling author Chuck Klosterman (Fargo Rock City), combines an irresistible portrait of Midwestern small-town life with his own remarkable sense of humor. "[A] perfect balance between the funny and the profound," praises Publishers Weekly. |
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| 09.22: Out of the Book, Volume 3: State by State |
(Fri, 05 Sep 2008)
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State by State,
a "wonderful...beguiling" collection (Publishers Weekly, starred review) of 50 original essays, resurrects a landmark effort from the 1930s when the Federal Writers' Project commissioned America's best authors "to describe America to Americans." What do we talk about when we talk about our states? Join Live Wire's Courtenay Hameister, State by State editor Sean Wilsey, author Daphne Beal, and other special guests at this one-night-only Portland screening of
a candid and captivating 35-minute film about the book,
which stars 19 of its contributors — Anthony Bourdain, Susan Orlean, David Rakoff, Alison Bechdel, and others. Please note: This ticketed event takes place at the Bagdad Theater, 3702 SE Hawthorne Blvd. Tickets, $5, are available at the Bagdad Theater box office, the Crystal Ballroom box office, Ticketmaster.com, and all Ticketmaster outlets. |
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| 09.22: Irvine Welsh |
(Fri, 05 Sep 2008)
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| Irvine (Trainspotting) Welsh's sizzling new novel,
Crime
(W. W. Norton), is a thrilling journey into the bright glamour of the Sunshine State and a seething underworld of utter darkness, in a shocking story about the corruption and abuse of the human soul. "Welsh applies his singular artistic gifts to a more conventional storyline and succeeds admirably," hails Booklist (starred review). |
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| 09.23: Macintosh Users Group |
(Fri, 05 Sep 2008)
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| Join us every other Tuesday for a fun and informal meeting with like-minded Mac geeks. Bring your questions and tips to share with the group. |
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| 09.23: Washington County Peak Oil Reading Group |
(Fri, 05 Sep 2008)
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| This month we meet to discuss the first half of
Fostering Sustainable Behavior
by Doug McKenzie-Mohr and William Smith. New members to the group are always welcome. |
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| 09.23: Steven Erikson |
(Fri, 05 Sep 2008)
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| A thrilling, harrowing novel of war, intrigue, and dark, uncontrollable magic,
Toll the Hounds
(Tor Books) is the new chapter in Steven Erikson's monumental series The Malazan Book of the Fallen — epic fantasy at its most imaginative and storytelling at its most exciting. "Erikson is a master of lost and forgotten epochs, a weaver of ancient epics," hails Salon.com. |
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| 09.23: Bernard-Henri Lévy |
(Fri, 05 Sep 2008)
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| In
Left in Dark Times
(Random House), world-renowned intellectual and New York Times-bestselling author Bernard-Henri Lévy explores totalitarianism's regimes — past and present — and argues that modern societies must create a new, ethical vision of politics. |
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| 09.24: How Perfect Is That |
(Fri, 05 Sep 2008)
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| In Sarah Bird's
How Perfect Is That
(Knopf) Blythe Young — a wannabe Texas princess — is plummeting precipitously from up- to downstairs, banging her head on every step of the Austin social ladder as she falls. Funny, fast-paced, sharp-eyed, an old-fashioned morality tale with an appropriately 21st-century ending, How Perfect Is That is a comic triumph of a novel. "Pure wicked fun...delivers big laughs." (Kirkus Reviews) |
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| 09.24: Classics Book Group |
(Fri, 05 Sep 2008)
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| This month we meet to discuss
Sentimental Education
by Gustave Flaubert. New members to the group are always welcome. |
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| 09.25: Be the Cat |
(Fri, 05 Sep 2008)
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| Because felines today live like surrogate children, many owners don't understand their animal's natural instincts; they can't "think like a cat." The result: frustrated pets with behavioral issues, from eating disorders to excessive vocalization to aggressiveness. Head these problems off, using Steve Duno's
Be the Cat
(Sterling) a revolutionary method of effective feline empathy. You'll learn what it takes to keep kitty safe and fulfilled; identify his personality; create a secure, enriched home environment; and catch subtle signs of illness or impending mischief. |
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| 09.25: Santiago's Children |
(Fri, 05 Sep 2008)
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| In his beautifully written memoir
Santiago's Children
(University of Texas Press), Steve Reifenberg recalls his two years spent working at a small orphanage in a poor neighborhood in Santiago, Chile, where a determined single woman was trying to create a stable home for a dozen or so children who had been abandoned or abused. An engrossing story not only of Reifenberg's own coming-of-age, but also of the courage and resilience of the poorest and most vulnerable residents of Latin America. |
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| 09.25: The Numerati |
(Fri, 05 Sep 2008)
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| An urgent look at how a global math elite is predicting and altering our behavior — at work, at the mall, and in bed — Steve Baker's
The Numerati
(Houghton Mifflin) shows how a powerful new endeavor, the mathematical modeling of humanity, stands to transform everyone's daily life. "[C]aptivating," raves Publishers Weekly (starred review). |
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| 09.26: John Elder Robison |
(Fri, 05 Sep 2008)
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| In
Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's
(Crown), John Elder Robison delivers a moving, darkly funny memoir of growing up with Asperger's at a time when the diagnosis simply didn't exist. A born storyteller, Robison takes readers inside the head of a boy whom teachers and other adults regarded as defective. "It's a fantastic life story told with grace, humor, and a bracing lack of sentimentality," says Entertainment Weekly. |
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| 09.28: Alex Cox X-Films |
(Fri, 05 Sep 2008)
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| In his thoughtful autobiography X-Films (Soft Skull Press), filmmaker Alex Cox (Repo Man, Sid and Nancy) examines his craft and influences, and provides insights into many of his favorite films. Cox weaves his own "confessions" with his notes to the new guard, resulting in a readable, startling treatise on both the film innovations of today and the thrilling potential of future filmmaking. Note: This event takes place at Cinema 21 and is followed by a screening of Cox's new film, Searchers 2.0. Ticket, $6, are available at the Cinema 21 box office. |
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| 09.28: Posthumous Keats |
(Fri, 05 Sep 2008)
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Posthumous Keats: A Personal Biography
(W. W. Norton) is the result of Stanley Plumly's 20 years of reflection on the enduring poetry of one of England's greatest Romanticists. Incisive in its observations and beautifully written, this work is an ode to the man who saw his mortality as fatal to his poetry. |
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| 09.28: Floyd Skloot |
(Fri, 05 Sep 2008)
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| In his new memoir,
The Wink of the Zenith
(University of Nebraska Press), award-winning poet Floyd Skloot sifts through memories and observations to discover how circumstance and nature conspired to make him the writer he is. And his latest poetry collection,
The Snow's Music
(Louisiana State University Press), continues Skloot's lyrical and narrative explorations of memory, love, loss, and artistic expression. |
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| 09.29: Kathleen Norris |
(Fri, 05 Sep 2008)
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Acedia and Me
(Riverhead) is Kathleen Norris's masterpiece: a personal and moving memoir that resurrects the ancient term "acedia," or soul-weariness, and brilliantly explores its relevancy to the modern individual and culture. "[A] fascinating inquiry [that] casts our predicament in a new light and maps a course out of this enervating despair," hails Booklist (starred review). |
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| 09.29: Emma Donoghue |
(Fri, 05 Sep 2008)
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| Based on a scandalous divorce case that gripped England in 1864, Emma Donoghue's
The Sealed Letter
(Harcourt) is a riveting, provocative drama of friends, lovers, and divorce, Victorian-style, from the bestselling author of Slammerkin and Life Mask. "Donoghue's latest has style and scandal to burn," raves Publishers Weekly (starred review). |
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| 09.30: Arthur Nersesian & Adam Gnade |
(Fri, 05 Sep 2008)
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The Sacrificial Circumcision of the Bronx
(Akashic Books) is the highly anticipated follow-up to The Swing Voter of Staten Island, the first two installments in Arthur Nersesian's series of novels offering an alternate history of New York. The characters in Adam Gnade's debut novel,
Hymn California
(Dutchmoney Books), witness a strange, wide-sweeping, panoramic America unfolding before them, while its 200 pages examine an abusive relationship with a place rather than a person. |
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