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For a perfect Saturday morning: visit Danville's Farmer's Market and then, just a short walk down the Iron Horse Trail, Rakestraw Books. Fresh produce and a new book! What could be better? [photo credits: Lou Fancher and Michael Barnard] |
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Dear Friend of Rakestraw Books, What a busy start to the month we have had here at Rakestraw Books. We started handing out Waldo passports (see below) on Sunday. The first completed passport came back yesterday! Official kick-off is tomorrow when Waldo and some of the staff will be in Danville's hometown 4th of July parade. Come join the fun scavenger hunt that has become a summer tradition here in Danville. We would also like to thank all of you who voted for Rakestraw Books in several fabulous reader's choice awards. Thanks to your enthusiastic support, the readers of Diablo magazine, the East Bay Times, and Nextdoor chose Rakestraw Books as the best bookstore in the East Bay. We are deeply touched and very grateful. We couldn't do it without you. Looking ahead there is a lot to forward to here at the shop: several great author visits and so many good books. And, heads-up, more tickets are available for our October event with Jodi Picoult! Those tickets should be purchased HERE. We look forward to seeing you soon and, until then, Happy Reading!
Michael Barnard
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Save the Date for Summer Camp for Grown-Ups!
We are excited to announce the return of one of our most beloved programs: Summer Camp for Grown-Ups! This year's camp will take place on Wednesday, 8 August 2018 in a beautiful new location, Luminary Farm. 87 acres of hiking trails, oak trees, a gorgeous pool, and lots of room for all our activities. You all are going to love it. We are still working out a few details, but we are thrilled to announce that IACP Award-winner Georgeanne Brennan will be our keynote speaker sharing her stunning new book, Windows on Provence. Georgeanne will be at the center of a full day that will include yoga, hiking, hands-on workshops, and time to relax. Full details will be available soon, but please save Wednesday, 8 August 2018 for your best day this summer. Call the shop at (925) 837-7337 with any questions or to make a reservation. Please note that tickets will be required.
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Writers Reading at Rakestraw - July 2018 Although we make every effort to ensure that the information below is accurate, occasionally dates and times may change. We always recommend calling ahead to confirm. Please note that all events, unless otherwise noted, take place at 3 Railroad Avenue (next to Starbucks!) in downtown Danville. Our phone number is (925) 837-7337.
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We are pleased to invite you to a one-of-a-kind evening with bestselling novelist Suzanne Rindell on Tuesday, 10 July 2018 at 7 PM. During her visit to Rakestraw Books, Ms. Rindell will share the adventure and intrigue behind her new novel, Eagle & Crane. A book signing will follow.
Louis Thorn and Haruto "Harry" Yamada are two young daredevil stunt flyers. Known as Eagle and Crane and traversing Depression-era California, a stunt plane disappears soon after Pearl Harbor. Two charred bodies are found and the ensuing investigation by a lone FBI agent revelas ugly truths and secrets involving race, family, loyalty, and the U.S. internment of Japanese citizens during World War II.
Please join us in welcoming Suzanne Rindell to Danville. Make your reservations by calling the shop at (925) 837-7337.
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You are invited to join Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Daniel De Visé at the bookstore on Wednesday, 11 July 2018 at 7 PM. Mr. De Visé will discuss his well-researched new book, The Comeback: Greg Lemond, the True King of American Cycling, and a Legendary Tour de France. A book signing will follow.
In July 1986, Greg LeMond stunned the sporting world by becoming the first American to win the Tour de France, the world's pre-eminent bicycle race, defeating French cycling legend Bernard Hinault. Nine months later, LeMond lay in a hospital bed, his life in peril after a hunting accident, his career as a bicycle racer seemingly over. And yet, barely two years after this crisis, LeMond mounted a comeback almost without parallel in professional sports. In summer 1989, he again won the Tour--arguably the world's most grueling athletic contest--by the almost impossibly narrow margin of 8 seconds over another French legend, Laurent Fignon. It remains the closest Tour de France in history.
The Comeback chronicles the life of one of America's greatest athletes, from his roots in Nevada and California to the heights of global fame, to a falling out with his own family and a calamitous confrontation with Lance Armstrong over allegations the latter was doping. Out of the dramatic, inside-sports story emerges a compelling case for LeMond as a great American hero.
Please join us as we welcome Daniel De Visé to Rakestraw Books. Make your reservations by calling the shop at (925) 837-7337.
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Please join us as we welcome bestselling novelist Gabriel Tallent on Tuesday, 17 July 2018 at 7 PM. During his visit, Mr. Tallent will discuss his debut novel, My Absolute Darling, now out in paperback. A book signing will follow.
Primary protagnoist Turtle Alveston is a survivor. At fourteen, she roams the woods along the northern California coast. The creeks, tide pools, and rocky islands are her haunts and her hiding grounds. She is known to wander for miles. But while her physical world is expansive, her personal one is small and treacherous: Turtle has grown up isolated since the death of her mother, in the thrall of her tortured and charismatic father, Martin. Her social existence is confined to the middle school (where she fends off the interest of anyone, student or teacher, who might penetrate her shell) and to her life with her father.
Then Turtle meets Jacob, a high-school boy who tells jokes, lives in a big clean house, and looks at Turtle as if she is the sunrise. For the first time, the larger world begins to come into focus: her life with Martin is neither safe nor sustainable. Shot through with striking language, My Absolute Darling is an urgently told, profoundly moving read about one fourteen-year-old girl's heart-stopping fight for her own soul.
Please join as we welcome Gabriel Tallent to Rakestraw Books. Make your reservations by calling the shop at (925) 837-7337.
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Rakestraw's Readers Recommend
Caroline, Little House, Revisited by Sarah Miller (Morrow, $15.99). There's noting little about the literary legacy of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s beloved Little House books or the lives of the pioneer families about whch she wrote. Sarah Miller picks up the story, placing Caroline Ingalls -- Laura's mother -- centerstage in this richly told historical fiction novel that pays tribute to the mettle and maternal dedication of "Ma." The Lost Letter by Jillian Cantor (Riverhead Books, $16.00). Peril is made evident in love and war as mysterious events in Austria in 1938 and in Los Angeles in 1989 interweave in Jillian Cantor's gripping historical novel. Austrian resistance during World War II and a postage stamp from the long ago era connect the two stories but it is Cantor's masterful handling of the dual-narrative that keep readers spellbound to the last page. Half Moon Bay by Alice Laplante (Scribner Book Company, $26.00). Fans of best-selling author Alice LaPlante (A Circle of Wives; Turn of Mind) will thrill at this new psychological suspense novel by the accomplished writer. Set in Half Moon Bay, there are plenty of details for Bay Area readers familiar with the locale to enjoy. The dark tale of a mother whose grief over losing her daughter may have turned her to calamatous choices, possibly even including the murder of young girls in the community, is captivating.
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How Hard Can It Be? by Allison Pearson (St. Martin's Press, $27.99). Channeling Kate Reddy, the heroine of her previous New York Times bestseller I Don't Know How She Does It, Allison Pearson delivers a rollicking, irreverent take on motherhood, marriage, caretaking aging parents and returning to the workforce at age 49. Obviously funny and deceptively deep, the second installation keeps Kate on the upswing—exactly where lovers of kick-butt women with hidden hearts of gold want to be. The Bonanza King by Gregory Crouch (Scribner Book Company, $30.00). The real life story of John W. Mackay, born in 1831—a penniless Irish immigrant who rose to become Nevada Comstock Lode's magnate and at the time of his death in 1902 worth a fortune estimated to be $40 billion in today's value—is remarkable. Immensely compelling for sections about the gripping battles of ore mine operators or stock manipulators and a young Mark Twain's early days reporting their stories as a journalist, among other features, Gregory Couch's assured portrayal of American history and one man's journey out of poverty is inspiring. What We Were Promised by Lucy Tan (Little Brown and Company, $26.00). The debut novel by Chinese-American writer Lucy Tan presents the Zhen family and their move from suburban America to post-Maoist Shanghai. The disappearance of a bracelet unleashes a torrent of issues arising from the past and marking the newly affluent family's future. Cross-cultural plot lines are complex but never tangled in Tan's thoughtful, mature treatment of a Western-influenced family living in modern day China.
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Book Group News
4th Friday Morning - Julie's Group
This group meets on Friday, 27 July 2018 at 10:30 AM to discuss Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe.
Staff facilitator: Julie.
3rd Tuesday Morning
This group is taking July off.
4th Tuesday Evening
This group meets on Tuesday, 24 July 2018 at 7 PM to discuss The Summer List by Amy Mason Doan.
***JUST ADDED! - Teen Group
This new group will meet more frequently during the summer months. Please click HERE for more information about this group's meetings and activities.
Please email Amanda for more information about this new group.
These groups are free of charge and open to the whole community. Just read the book and come along to be part of these lively discussions.
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Ready, Set . . . . Waldo!
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Where's Waldo in Danville 2018 There are over 58 million Waldo books in print worldwide, but there's only one Waldo. We've been told the famous children’s book character in the striped shirt and black-rimmed specs is hiding in twenty-two different local businesses throughout our community this July. Which means the free, beloved "Where's Waldo in Danville" scavenger hunt in downtown Danville is on! Promising adventure, prizes and fun for the whole family, pick up a passport at Rakestraw Books starting on July 1st and start scouting.
When you spot Waldo, collect a stamp or signature for that business on your passport.
With 10 different stamps or signatures, stop in at RAKESTRAW BOOKS to collect a Waldo coloring sheet. There's a bonus for the FIRST 100 people to come in: a special Waldo button and a coupon. After you collect 18 of the possible 25 stamps or signatures, turn in your passport at RAKESTRAW BOOKS and automatically become eligible to win the grand prize of a 6-book deluxe set of the Waldo books or other great prizes.
The fun never stops during the month long hunt. Join us to celebrate the Waldo kick-off at Danville's famous July 4th parade. Have your picture taken with Waldo at RAKESTRAW BOOKS and post it at Instagram or Facebook with the hashtag #WheresWaldoinDanville.
Finally, clear your calendar and plan to attend the Waldo party and prize drawing at 5 p.m. on July 31st at RAKESTRAW BOOKS.
Click HERE for more details. (Remember, it's fun for the whole family!)
TEEN BOOK GROUP Rakestraw's Teen Book Group -- facilitated by Amanda -- has a full summer planned. We're going to meet every two weeks to discuss a great book, enjoy some refreshments, and hang out. Don't worry if you can't make every meeting, come join the fun when you can! Click HERE for the full meeting schedule. (Ages 13 and up)
It's StoryTime! We will be hosting two sessions of our It's StoryTime! program each week during the summer months -- Fridays (except 6/22) and Saturdays at 9:30 AM. In addition to sharing a couple of wonderful stories, we may be playing games or sharing a simple craft. Reservations recommended. (All ages but most enjoyable for kids 3 to 6)
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Book Quest BINGO This fun game encourages kids to read all sorts of books from STEM titles to books about dragons. Complete a simple BINGO with five across or black out the board for even bigger prizes. And, of course, the best prize of all is improving both reading confidence and enjoyment! BINGO cards will be available for pick-up at the shop on Monday, 4 June 2018 or you can print your own copy by clicking HERE. (Ages 5 and up)
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Spotlight on July 2018
IN-PERSON AUTHOR VISITS are a big part of what makes Rakestraw Books a valued part of the San Ramon Valley, And, let's face it they're fun!. This month treat yourself to bestselling novelist Suzanne Rindell on Tuesday, 10 July 2018 at 7 PM to share her new novel, Eagle & Crane. Cycle on over the next day to hear a riveting presention by Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Daniel De Visé on Wednesday, 11 July 2018 at 7 PM. He'll discuss his new book, The Comeback: Greg Lemond, the True King of American Cycling, and a Legendary Tour de France. Wrap it up with a bow when bestselling novelist Gabriel Tallent visits on Tuesday, 17 July 2018 at 7 PM to discuss his acclaimed debut novel, My Absolute Darling, now out in paperback. Please make your reservations by calling the shop at (925) 837-7337.
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“Call us at 837-7337 for more information.”
Our phone number has followed the shop since 1973. It’s practically a business asset. This lovely ad appeared shortly after the shop’s move to the Town & Country in 1977. Michael is currently gathering old photos, newspaper clippings, and any other memorabilia of the shop for a 45th anniversary project. He would love to see anything you might have to share. He's particularly interested in tracking down an old "Monopoly"-style boardgame of Danville that the AAUW produced more than almost 30 years ago.
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Newsletter team: Michael Barnard and Lou Fancher, editor, reviewer, and constant reader.
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