http://dogearedbooks.com Events at Dog Eared, Red Hill, and Phoenix Books http://www.dogaredbooks.com/dogeared/events.php#81 http://www.dogaredbooks.com/redhill/events.php#59octomutt.com ]]> http://www.dogaredbooks.com/redhill/events.php#62 http://www.dogaredbooks.com/redhill/events.php#63the Knuckle Knockers stoke the raging fires of the vintage American music tradition. Blazing fiddles, mandolin, guitar, and 5 string banjo set the bookstore in front porch toe tappin mode. The Knuckle Knockers pipe in on all the favorite themes that fill any narrative need: love & death, fire & brimstone. The Knuckle Knockers are: Karen Celia Heil, of the Creole Belles (look for them at this year's Fiesta on the Hill) on fiddle, guitar, banjo, and vocals. Martha Hawthorne of the Stairwell Sisters (who have just released a new hot-selling album) on guitar, banjo, vocals. And Bill Foss a beloved Bay Area Old Timer who performs in everybody's band (the Crooked Jades and the Earl Brothers, et al.) because he's so dang good, on mandolin, fiddle, banjo, vocals. Check out their site! ]]> http://www.dogaredbooks.com/redhill/events.php#78O'Brien's Desk, reads from and signs the second Sarah Kaufman installment, The Natural Selection. Russell holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in literature and English respectively, and her mysteries reflect her abiding interest in the intersection of language, history, sociology and politics. The Natural Selection, which takes place against the backdrop of the Scopes "Monkey" Trial, bumps Sarah Kaufman up against such legendary historical figures as Clarence Darrow and H.L. Mencken, and finds her entangled in an investigation that involves issues of racism, Southern pride, plagiarism and the debate over creationism versus evolution. Like the first Sarah Kaufman novel, The Natural Selection was extensively researched, and is replete with historical detail and well-developed characterization. However, its social scope is particularly faithful to Russell's larger concerns. She notes, “Although my first novel was inspired by a family member, my second has been much more a project of my own passions and sensibility. I’ve always been fascinated with the 1920s, and historical mystery is a perfect genre to represent the political and social complexity of that period." Join us on Halloween Eve for a tale of mystery, murder, and intriguing political history! ]]> http://www.dogaredbooks.com/redhill/events.php#80 http://www.dogaredbooks.com/redhill/events.php#82The Jaguar That Roams the Mind is not only just such an interesting story, but also a fascinating, nuanced exploration of the unique intersection of spirituality, plants, people and place that is the vanishing world of Amazonian shamanism. Tindall shares his travels in the inner and outer landscape of the churches of ayahuasca and with the Kaxinawa Indians in Brazil; his experiences at the pioneering center for the treatment of addiction, Takiwasi, in Peru; and his studies with an Ashaninca master shaman deep in the rainforest jungle. Moving beyond the scientific approach to medicinal plants, which seeks to reduce them to their chemical constituents, Tindall illustrates the shamans’ intimate relationships with plant spirits. He explores the three pillars of Amazonian shamanism: purging (drawing disease out of the body), psychoactive plants (including the ritual use of ayahuasca), and diet (communing with the innate intelligence of teacher plants). Through trials and revelations, the subtle inner logic of indigenous healing unfolds for him. Culminating in a ceremony fraught with terror yet ultimately enlightening, Tindall’s journey reveals the crucial component missing from the metaphysics of the West: the understanding and appreciation of the sentience of nature itself. Please join us on the 7th for an enlightening conversation with Robert Tindall, and an introduction to an amazing work of spirituality and ethnobotany. For more information about Robert and Susana, please visit their blog. ]]> http://www.dogaredbooks.com/redhill/events.php#76What Rhymes with Bastard?. Excited yet? Robertson will be both reading and performing songs from Bastard, which means that you can get your literary fix while simultaneously being musically entertained by Miss Accordion San Francisco and her illustrious upright bassist Tom Edler. Robertson's memoir has garnered praise across the UK and the US, but it is, in many ways, an essentially San Francisco tale. Chronicling her move from Scotland to SF in the company of what she calls "the worst boyfriend ever," Bastard is equal parts squirm-inducing, hilarious self-revelation and meditation on the redemptive value of making art. A Hawaiian reviewer notes, "Far from standard chick-lit, this book is brave, unvarnished, sometimes repulsive and an often moving tale of how her own voice and independence (along with winning accordion playing) sprung from the humor and sadness of a decaying relationship. It’ll make you wish your breakups were that inspiring, and then thankful they weren’t. Besides, her songs are much better than ours could ever be." And the SF Weekly says Bastard is "simply a very good read — genuine, wickedly funny, and highly alert." What's not to like? This reading has everything: heartbreak, humor, and a smashing soundtrack. Please join us on the 14th to see for yourselves! ]]>