Who: You! — Imagine spending an hour or a day reading!

What: Reading on the Rakestraw patio (for an hour or longer) while drinking a cool beverage and raising money to benefit the collection of the Danville Library.

When: Thursday, 12 August 2010 between 9:30 AM & 5:30 PM

How much: While this event is free to participants, we hope that participants will seek sponsors who will each pledge $1 for each hour they spend reading.

Why you should care: Well, first of all, it will be fun and relaxing! Then, too, you'll be helping build up the collection of the Danville Library. That's two great reasons and, really, do you need more reasons than that? So, come down to the shop, fill out a registration form (you'll have a choice of time slots and of cool beverages!), and pick up a pledge form. You can also register over the phone by calling us at (925) 837-7337 (don't worry we can email you the pledge form!). It's "A Day in the Shade with a Book!" Relax. Raise money for charity. Drink cool beverage. Read!

Who: Carl Hiaasen

What: Discussing his new novel, Star Island as well as his work and contemporary American life with Diablo magazine's Pete Crooks. A book signing will conclude this special event.

When: Friday, 13 August 2010 at 7 PM

How much: $35/single or $40/couple (both ticket levels include a copy of Star Island). Tickets are already selling quickly, buy yours today by calling the shop at (925) 837-7337. Note: Ticket proceeds will benefit Earth Team.

Why you should care: Newsweek says, "Carl Hiaasen isn't just Florida's sharpest satirist — he's one of the few funny writers left in the whole country . . . I think of him as a national treasure [and] I have yet to be disappointed." And the Rocky Mountain News writes, "Hiaasen [is] the king of the screwball comedies . . . . The charismatic, animated characters deliver lines that will bring tears of laughter to even the most jaundiced readers . . . . This is top-notch storytelling by a truly original comic novelist."

Carl Hiaasen is very funny and very smart. And, Pete Crooks from Diablo is a hug Hiaasen fan, so his conversation with Carl will be both insightful and funny. We think is going to be a wildly amusing evening. You'll have a great time. Big bonus: the proceeds from ticket sales for this evening will benefit Earth Team, a local non-profit that works with local teens. Please join us.

Who: Robert Hass

What: Discussing and signing his new book, The Apple Trees at Olema: New and Selected Poems

When: Friday, 20 August 2010 at 7 PM. Note: This event was originally scheduled for June. We are extremely happy to be able to present it now.

How much: Tickets are $7 — proceeds benefit the collection of the Danville Library. Reservations are essential. Please make yours by calling the shop at (925) 837-7337. NOTE: If you bought a ticket to the previously scheduled event, your ticket is good for this evening. ***A limited number of tickets remain. Please make your reservation early.***

Why you should care:Robert Hass's work is grounded in the beauty of the physical world. His familiar landscapes are the landscapes of our shared home — San Francisco, the northern California coast, the Sierra high country. They come vividly alive in his work. His themes include art, the natural world, desire, family life, the life between lovers, the violence of history, and the power and inherent limitations of language. He is a poet who is trying to say, as fully as he can, what it is like to be alive in his place and time. His style — formed in part by American modernism, in part by his long apprenticeship as a translator of the Japanese haiku masters and Czeslaw Milosz — combines intimacy of address, a quick intelligence, a virtuosic skill with long sentences, intense sensual vividness, and a light touch. It has made him immensely readable and his work widely admired.

Robert Hass has won the National Book Award and, in 2008, both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award. He is also a past United States Poet Laureate. It is a great honor for us to welcome back to Rakestraw Books; please join us!

Note: The broadside for this evening's event was printed by our friend, Victoria Heifner, at Milkfed Press. It includes a stunning photograph by Jeffrey Murray.

Who: Mary Roach

What: Discussing and signing her new book, Packing for Mars

When: Wednesday, 25 August 2010 at 7 PM

How much: $Free though reservations are recommended. Please make your reservation by calling the shop at (925) 837-7337.

Why you should care:Space is a world devoid of the things we need to live and thrive: air, gravity, hot showers, fresh produce, privacy, beer. How much can a person give up? How much weirdness can they take? What happens to you when you can't walk for a year? What happens if you vomit in your helmet during a space walk? Is it possible for the human body to survive a bailout at 4,000 miles per hour? To answer these questions, space agencies set up all manner of quizzical and startlingly bizarre space simulations — making it possible to preview space without ever leaving Earth. From the space shuttle training toilet to a crash test of NASA's new space capsule (cadaver filling in for astronaut), Packing for Mars takes us on a surreally entertaining trip into the science of life in space and space on Earth.

Mary Roach's visit here last summer was so entirely enjoyable — she's smart, funny, and cool — that when we were offered the chance to host an evening for Packing for Mars, we jumped at the chance. I hope you can join us for this special evening.

Who: Christine Hanna

What: Discussing and signing her new book, The Winemaker Cooks: Menus, Parties, and Pairings, over dinner.

When: Friday, 27 August 2010 at 7 PM

How much: $30 (ticket includes dinner). Advance reservation is absolutely essential. Please purchase your tickets early as these dinner events fill up very quickly. Call the shop today at (925) 837-7337.

Where: This event will take place at a private garden here in Danville. The exact address will be made known to paid attendees the week of the event. Trust me: it's a gorgeous place!

Why You Should Care: Christine Hanna of Hanna Winery & Vineyards and Rakestraw Books invite you to celebrate the good life and the end of summer by joining us for a special dinner in celebration of Christine's first book, The Winemaker Cooks. Part practical cookbook, part inspirational entertaining guide, The Winemaker Cooks brims with 100 recipes for impressively simple appetizers, main course, seasonal salads, and splendid desserts, as well as exclusive tips for entertaining from one of the best hostesses in Sonoma County./p>

When my sales rep from Chronicle Books was selling me the summer season, I looked at the sample pages from The Winemaker Cooks and immediately called Christine Hanna's publicist to set up this event. This is exactly the kind of food I like to cook and exactly the kind of food I like to eat. It's bright and fresh and seasonal and just altogether yummy. The only question now is what to make: Spicy Summer Corn Pudding? Early Girl Tomato Salad with Feta and Mint? Grilled Coriander Shrimp Kabobs with Raita? You see my problem I'm sure. No matter what we choose though, it's sure to be a lovely dinner.