After many decades in their old location, Grass Roots Books has uprooted themselves and moved around the corner from their prior digs. The new place is at 251 SW Madison, it’s where the Shoe Hutch used to be.
The new space has both the browsable comfortability of the old location, and a refreshed vibe all its own – it feels like walking into an old friend’s new house, and we really like it.
Also, they’re having an easy-going celebration this Saturday, Mar. 9.
Here’s the plan: Anyone who wants to, can meet-up with the owners and staff at around 12 noon in front of the old store at 227 SW 2nd St. At 12:30 everyone leaves for a very quick little parade around the block of the new store. If the rain is too heavy, everyone will simply parade from the old store to the new one – and it is only a short walk. Right now, it looks like it’ll be light showers, on-and-off.
They’re encouraging everyone to bring a sign featuring their favorite literary quote or book. Also, they’re hoping you’ll hangout with them for some refreshments afterwards at the new store.
If you’re a booklover, this will be the place to be for fellowship this weekend.
This Month’s Random Review at The Library
Virginia Weis, Distinguished Professor of Integrative Biology at Oregon State University, will discuss Siddhartha Mukherjee’s The Song of the Cell: An Exploration of Medicine and the New Human as part of the library’s Random Review series.
This month’s iteration is slated for 12 to 1 pm, Wednesday, Mar. 13 in the Library’s Main Meeting Room, 645 NW Monroe Ave., Corvallis.
Siddhartha Mukherjee is author of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Gene, and the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Emperor of All Maladies, which was the subject of a Random Review in 2012. In The Song of the Cell, he draws on his skills as both scientist and storyteller to relate how scientists discovered cells, began to understand them, and are now using that knowledge to “create new humans.” This book was a New York Times Notable Book and named Best Book of the Year in 2023 by The Economist, Oprah Daily, and many others.
Professor Weis has been at OSU since 1996. She specializes in the study of the symbiotic relationship between corals and the microbial algae that inhabit them, particularly the role of the coral’s immune system. It’s an area of study that is closely linked to the very systems that Mukherjee explores in The Song of the Cell.
Weis holds a PhD in biology from UCLA. She has authored over 100 publications, instructed thousands of undergrads in biology classes at OSU, and mentored and trained dozens of doctoral students, postdoctoral fellows and undergrads. She currently is vice chair of the Advisory Board for the Coral Restoration Consortium, a multinational group focused on conservation and restoration of reefs.
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