|  | We have lots great new plush toys in stock. They're perfect for every day play and, of course, Easter baskets! |
| Dear Friend of Rakestraw Books,
What a fine full month we have to offer you this month! There are so many great events -- food & flowers, fact & fiction, and fun for the kids! We're excited about all of them though our old friend Timothy Egan (who will be here Thursday morning!) deserves a special shout-out. Please note that a few of these events are ticketed. Tickets are available through Eventbrite. Please join us for one of these special times here at the bookshop. I've also included book reviews for a bunch of new paperbacks that would be super picks for your book group or a rainy spring afternoon. And I just finished the best page-turner I've read in ages: The Girl in the Red Coat. It's as gripping and disturbing and brilliant as anything you will read this year. Come see us soon! And, until then, Happy Reading! Michael Barnard & the whole staff of Rakestraw Books
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| Pulitzer Prize-Winning Journalist & Historian Timothy Egan Visits on 3 March 2016 at 9:30 AM
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| We are delighted to welcome Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and historian Timothy Egan back to Rakestraw Books. During his visit here at Thursday, 1 March 2016 at 9:30 AM (there will be coffee and muffins!) he will be discussing his brilliant new biography, The Immortal Irishman: The Irish Revolutionary Who Became an American Hero. Please join for this special morning. Make your reservations by calling us at (925) 837-7337. Click HERE for more information. ***NOTE: Wall Street Journal subscribers will want to check out a fantastic review of the book HERE.
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| Sere Prince Halverson & Melissa Cistaro in conversation on 8 March 2016 at 7 PM
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| In the first of two lively conversation-style events this month, we are pleased to welcome two Bay Area writers -- Sere Prince Halverson and Melissa Cistaro on Tuesday, 8 March 2016 at 7 PM. Their conversation will range across their books -- Sere's new novel, All the Winters After, and Melissa's memoir, Pieces of My Mother -- the writing life, and more. To learn more about both writers and their books, click HERE.
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| Publication Party for Novelist Veronica Rossi on 11 March 2016 at 7 PM
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| Bestselling Danville novelist Veronica Rossi returns to Rakestraw Books on Friday, 11 March 2016 at 7 PM to celebrate the publication of her new novel, Riders. Appealing to teens and adults alike, this is the most gripping fantasy novel I have read this year. It's great stuff! Join us to celebrate with Veronica. Click HERE for more information about this event.
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| Publication Party for Lisa Bakos on 12 March 2016 at 3:30 PM
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| Diablo resident Lisa Bakos joins us for a special publication party on Saturday, 12 March 2016 at 3:30 PM. During this afternoon party we will be celebrating Lisa's first picture book, The Wrong Side of the Bed, with storytelling, refreshments, a raffle, and, of course, a book signing. All ages are welcome for this party, so bring the kids! ***SPECIAL NOTE: Lisa will be the guest storyteller at our weekly "It's StoryTime!" on Friday, 11 March 2016 at 9:30 AM.
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| Brunch with Cookbook Author Erin Gleeson on 13 March 2016 at 11:30 AM
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| Join us as we celebrate the return of Spring with a special brunch for cookbook author and food blogger, Erin Gleeson, on Sunday, 13 March 2016 at 11:30 AM. Our menu will be drawn from Erin's new cookbook, The Forest Feast for Kids -- grilled cheese bar, any one?! Erin's first visit here in May 2014 was one of all-time favorite food events, so we are excited to welcome here back. Tickets are $15/adults and $10/kids. Purchase tickets HERE.
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| A Flower Workshop with Ariella Chezar on 16 March 2016 at Noon
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| Celebrated floral designer Ariella Chezar visits Rakestraw Books (she's one of the guests of honor at the SF Flower Show!) on Wednesday, 16 March 2016 at Noon. Drawing inspiration from her beautiful new book, The Flower Workshop, she will be giving a talk and demonstration. A book signing will follow. Tickets are $5 (each ticket includes a $5 coupon towards book purchase!). Tickets may be purchased HERE. Please join us for this beautiful event.
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| Joyce Maynard & Billie Livingston in Conversation on 16 March 2016 at 7 PM
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| For our second conversation-style event this month we are presenting two marvelous novelists, Lafayette resident Joyce Maynard and Canadian Billie Livingston. Their conversation on Wednesday, 16 March 2016 at 7 PM will range across their new books -- Maynard's Under the Influence and Livingston's The Crooked Heart of Mercy -- their work, and the writing life. Join us for this lively and interesting evening. Click HERE for more information. Make your reservations by calling us at (925) 837-7337.
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| Journalist Alex Abramovich Visits on 18 March 2016 at 7 PM
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| Mortal enemies as children, journalist Alex Abramovich and Trevor Latham, meet again as a adults when Latham becomes the head of an East Bay motorcycle gang. Abramovich's memoir is a probing study of friendship, violence, and a changing urban landscape. Join us as Alex presents Bullies: A Friendship on Friday, 18 March 2016 at 7 PM. Make your reservations for this fascinating talk by calling the shop at (925) 837-7337. Click HERE to learn more about this book and writer.
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| Novelist Helen Simonson Joins Us for Lunch on Tuesday, 29 March 2016 at Noon
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| One of our very favorite novelists, Helen Simonson (remember Major Pettigrew's Last Stand?), joins for a special luncheon event. During her visit on Tuesday, 29 March 2016 at Noon, she will be discussing her marvelous new novel, The Summer Before the War, her work, and more. I met Helen at a cocktail party (she answered some of my questions here!) and I'm so excited to introduce her to you all. Tickets are $15 (includes lunch and a $5 coupon towards book purchase). Tickets may be purchased HERE.
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| Novelist Ally Condie Visits on 30 March 2016 at 7 PM
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| Some stories that are just so strong and bright and fresh that they become instant classics. Teen novelist Ally Condie has written exactly that sort of book with her first novel for middle grade readers, Summerlost. We are thrilled to welcome her on Wednesday, 30 March 2016 at 7 PM. Mark my words: Summerlost could easily be the winner of the 2016 Newbery Medal (you heard it here first!). Make your free reservation for this special event HERE.
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| Check out all scheduled events by clicking HERE.
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| Rakestraw's Readers Recommend
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| H Is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald (Grove, $16).
The instant New York Times bestseller and award-winning sensation, Helen Macdonald's story of adopting and raising one of nature's most vicious predators has soared into the hearts of millions of readers worldwide. Fierce and feral, her goshawk Mabel's temperament mirrors Helen's own state of grief after her father's death, and together raptor and human "discover the pain and beauty of being alive."
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| The Turner House by Angela Flournoy (Mariner, $14.95). The Turner House is a striking examination of the price we pay for our dreams, and the ways in which our families bring us home. National Book Award Finalist.
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| Mislaid by Nell Zink (Ecco, $14.99). With an arch sense of humor and a witty satirical eye, Nell Zink upends the foundational categories of American life race, class, gender, and sexuality in a novel that is at once daring, envelope-pushing, and utterly hilarious, all the while tracing how a mother, daughter, father, and son figure out what it means to belong. National Book Award Finalist.
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| The Sellout by Paul Beatty (Picador, $16). A biting satire about a young man's isolated upbringing and the race trial that sends him to the Supreme Court, Paul Beatty's The Sellout, a comic genius at the top of his game. It challenges the sacred tenets of the United States Constitution, urban life, the civil rights movement, the father-son relationship, and the holy grail of racial equality the black Chinese restaurant. National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist.
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| The Love Song of Miss Queen Hennessy by Rachel Joyce (Random House, $16). A wise, tender, layered novel that gathers tremendous emotional force, The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy underscores the resilience of the human spirit, beautifully illuminating the small yet pivotal moments that can change a person's life.
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| The Harder They Come by T. C. Boyle (Ecco, $15.99). As T.C. Boyle explores a father's legacy of violence and his powerlessness in relating to his equally violent son, he offers unparalleled insights into the American psyche. Inspired by a true story, The Harder They Come is a devastating and indelible novel from a modern master.
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| A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson (Back Bay, $17.99). A God in Ruins tells the dramatic story of the 20th Century through Ursula's beloved younger brother Teddy--would-be poet, heroic pilot, husband, father, and grandfather-as he navigates the perils and progress of a rapidly changing world. After all that Teddy endures in battle, his greatest challenge is living in a future he never expected to have.
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| Painted Horses by Malcolm Brooks (Grove, $16). Malcolm Brooks novel has the hard thrill of the West, when it was still a new world, the tenderness of first love and the pain of knowledge. This book is a gripping, compulsively readable page-turner. Amy Bloom, author of Away.
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| Book Group News
JULIE'S MORNING BOOK GROUP NEWS: For our March meeting, we will be discussing Five Days at Memorial by Sheri Fink. This month's meeting will take place on Friday, 25 March 2016 at 10:30 AM. If you have any other questions about this book group, please call us at (925) 837-7337. Staff facilitator: Julie.
TUESDAY MORNING BOOK GROUP NEWS: For our meeting on Tuesday, 15 March 2016 at 10:30 AM, we will be reading A Dictionary of Mutual Understanding by Jackie Copleton.
PARENT-CHILD BOOK GROUP: For our meeting on Monday, 28 March 2016 at 4 PM, we will be discussing The Unlikely Adventures of Mabel Jones by Will Mabbitt. Come join the fun!
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Contact us: Rakestraw Books "The Bookstore in Danville" 3 Railroad Avenue Danville, CA 94526 (925) 837-7337
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