Hello All - The past month has really felt like spring in spite of the drizzle and the torrential downpours. The flowers are gorgeous and the trees are greening up nicely.
Jody and I are in countdown mode. We take off for New Orleans on May 10th for the RT Bookovers Convention. This is going to be so much fun. Webmaster, Kimberly, will be joining us and sister Susan has also decided to go. For those of you that don't already know, Jody and I are sisters and we have a couple more sisters, but the birth order is I am #1 (of course), Jody is #3 and
Susan is #5. We have big plans for New Orleans, we have already booked the river boat cruise to the Battlefield and Jody has memorized the words to The Battle of New Orleans by Johnny Horton. She has a grand plan to sing it loud and proud on the ship. Kim plans to film rather than participate. Watch the
blog, we will be posting often with updates on what we are doing, who we are meeting, the free stuff we are gathering, and if you are lucky... a video of our rendition of The Battle of New Orleans.
Before we leave for New Orleans we have exciting things going on. Bestselling author, Dakota Cassidy, will be in the house on May 3rd, from 7 to 9. We will be celebrating the release of Dakota's new Harlequin Romance series. This should be quite the party, but then our parties are always good. I hear there are cupcakes involved and a lot of fun. Stop by and join the fun - click for details on our
website or
Facebook.
On May 9th we are selling the books for a Tigard Library Event with Ramez Naam,
a futurist, technologist and science fiction author. His novels Nexus and Crux trace the impact of a drug that allows human brains to link. Will this become a reality in our lifetimes? 
Naam's novels examine where nanotechnology and neuroscience meet. My nephew got quite excited when he saw the books in the store and then heard he could hear him speak. Check out the books, we have them in stock and then join us at the Tigard Library on May 9 from 7 to 9.
Mother's Day is also coming up on Sunday May 11th. From now until Mother's Day, get $10 off a Kobo Aura eReader and we will be having a used book sale the weekend of Mother's Day. Buy 4 used books, get the 5th free. Books make great gifts for Mom!
You will also want to mark Memorial Day Weekend on your calendar. We will be having a One of a Kind Sale. Check in-store for more details.
Did you notice we have Fudge? We Do Fudge is made in Sequim,
Washington and it is scrumptious - so soft and creamy. I am surprised by how fast it has been leaving the store, I have already ordered more. It comes in some wonderful varieties including Espresso, Chocolate Mint, Orange Cream, Chewy Praline, Peanut Butter Chocolate, Raspberry Truffle, plus so many more. All are gluten free. Pick up a package next time you are in the store. What could be better than a little chocolate while you read.
Have a great month!,
Hey, all!
I so hope you'll consider joining me May 3, 2014 at 7:00 pm for the launch of my new series beginning with Talk Dirty To Me, a story about a group of sassy, Southern women who run a phone sex company in small town Georgia! It involves redemption, friendship, forgiveness, hot hunky men and most of all forever love.
There'll be laughs (swear it. Ask anyone), food (cupcakes. I distinctly remember hearing about cupcakes!), more laughter (because can you ever laugh enough?), hair tips (I'll braid your hair--I will), and plenty of time to hang out and get to know each other (I like long walks on the
beach, in case you feel inclined to woo an author). Promise to tell you all about my conversation with a phone sex operator (research is hard, people!). So please join me, won't you? I'd love to meet you!
Dakota Cassidy :)
Meet Dakota Cassidy at
Jan's Paperbacks
Saturday May 3rd 7-9pm
THE ONE AND ONLY by Emily Giffin
(OUT MAY 20TH ) I have liked all of Emily Giffin’s novels to date, but, for me, the jury is still out on THE ONE AND ONLY. I liked the characters, but finished the book feeling conflicted. I was a little turned off by the amount of football details in the story – football just isn’t my thing – but understand it was the basis for the entire story. The relationships between the characters were also left a little thin. I didn’t feel like I understood each characters motivations – it all felt very surface. I finished the book thinking, I liked it and I didn’t like it at the same time. Not that it will stop me from reading any other Emily Giffin novel. -Jill
Read the full book summary here
Order online (Hardback $28.00)
SUNRISE OVER FALLUJAH by Walter Dean Myers
This book is set in the beginning of the war in Iraq. The author interviewed some folks who served in Iraq and were willing to share their insights and experiences. Mr. Myers son shared his views about the Middle East as he had served in the first Gulf War. Mr. Myers daughter-in-law also shared information about problems facing returning veterans.
The story is told from a first person point of view; Robin (nicknamed Birdy) is assigned to a Civilian Affairs unit. This unit is supposed to come along after the combat is over and try to build a relationship with the natives. The reader follows Birdy as he develops relationships with his unit, shares his fears and thoughts as they get shot at, as I.E.D.’s blow up comrades and the first time he has to kill another person. Birdy shares his insights and his confusion as to what their goal is supposed to be and the roadblocks, political, physical and emotional, to achieving those goals. Most of Birdy’s insights are in letters he writes to his uncle who is a Viet Nam veteran. At the end of the book Birdy writes this to his uncle
, “Uncle Richie, I used to be mad when you wouldn’t talk about Viet Nam. I thought you were being selfish, in a way. Now I understand how light the words seem. If I ever have kids, I think I won’t tell them much about what I did here, or what I’ve seen. I’ll tell them something because I’ll want them to know about war. But are there really enough words to make them understand?”
This is a well told story, engaging with characters that are very real to this reader. I believe that the author accurately reflected the cultures on both sides, and in addition put a very human face on the soldiers who were in Iraq and on the Iraqi’s themselves. I thought this was probably a fairly accurate portrayal of a war zone; there was no glory, though there was heroism in the form of the members of Birdy’s unit taking care of each other and in their attempts to help the natives when war had devastated their lives and the compassion they showed.
I think this book would be appropriate for early teens and older. Mr. Myers does not focus on the horrors of war but on the people of both sides and how war affects them and he does not show war as a glorious enterprise, he tells it like it is. War is muddy and ugly and though the governments and the media try to make the reasons for war simple and clear cut, they are not. I think this is an excellent message for teens to read and Mr. Myers does it without being preachy. -Jody
Read the full book summary here
Order online (Paperback $7.99, eBook $7.19)
AVA AND PIP by Carol Weston
AVA AND PIP is the story of a fifth grader named Ava and a 7
th grader named Pip. Ava is talkative and likes to write in a diary. Pip is quiet as a mouse and likes to draw. They are completely different but they are sisters. Ava and her new friend Bea make a plan to ‘get Pip out of her shell.’ And then Pip gets out of her shell and starts making new friends.
What I liked about the book was that Ava was being nice to her sister by helping her and being by her side the whole book. I would recommend this book for 8-10 year olds. -Austin (Jan's Customer, age 8)
Read the full book summary here
Order online (Hardback $15.99, eBook $7.69)
LEARNING TO WALK IN THE DARK by Barbara Brown Taylor
WOW! I knew before I was half-way through the introduction that this book would have a permanent place on my bookshelf- that I would return to it as one visits an old friend. This author has obviously “walked the walk” and, by sharing her own experiences of the dark, offers a new perspective on what it means to live fully.
Well researched, well written and intensely personal. I loved it. -Sharri (Jan's Customer)
Read the full book summary here
Order online (Hardback $24.99, eBook $14.99)
