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PSYCHOANALYTIC IDEAS SEMINAR TICKET
Tattered Cover Summer Seminar: Psychoanalytic Ideas for Everyday Living with Ruth Neubauer, LCSW. Historic LoDo: Thursdays, June 21 through July 26, 4:00 to 6:00 pm
$115.00 per person, includes copy of Necessary Losses
SKU/ISBN 11-12-14816-7
Ruth Neubauer, LCSW, is on the faculty of the Washington School of Psychiatry, and
taught psychoanalytic concepts to the lay public through American
University’s Institute for Learning in Retirement
as well as Politics and Prose, an independent bookstore in Washington,
DC. Ruth now also teaches through Denver University's OLLI - Osher
Lifelong Learning Institute - in Denver, Colorado.
As a licensed clinical social worker, she maintains a private psychotherapy practice in Denver, Colorado working with individual adults and couples.
Welcome to Tattered Cover Book Store
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The Tattered Cover Book Store began as a small store with only 950 square feet of retail space in the Cherry Creek North district of
Denver, Colorado. It has grown for 40 years into one of the premier independent bookstores in America with 3 expansive locations in the greater Denver Metro area. Find store locations & hours here. For a complete history with lots of pictures, visit our 40th Anniversary page here.
Denver, Colorado. It has grown for 40 years into one of the premier independent bookstores in America with 3 expansive locations in the greater Denver Metro area. Find store locations & hours here. For a complete history with lots of pictures, visit our 40th Anniversary page here.Take a virtual tour of our Historic Lower Downtown store here.
Our exciting new venture is up and running! For more about our books on demand services, click here.
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Virtual Tattered Cover Staff Recommends Shelf
Lisa C. recommends:
The Reconstructionist by Nick Arvin
"You might
remember Arvin's debut novel Articles of War, which won the
Colorado Book Award and was the One Book
One Denver choice. It is still
on my favorites of all time list. The Reconstructionist is as finely
written as his first novel. Nick has a spare way of writing, making each word
necessary to the story. His writing is exquisite, really no other word will do. In the new novel, the
character, Ellis, as a boy hears the fatal car accident which kills his older
half-brother. This changes his life. Years later, after college Ellis becomes a
forensic reconstructionist. He investigates fatal car accidents, finding the
reasons behind them. But Ellis' life takes another turn and becomes its own
crash site. You won't be able to put this book down and trust me, if you haven't
read Articles
of War - you might as well put it immediately on your reading list as
well."
__________________________________________________________
Pete S. recommends:"In many -- if not all -- big time sports events, the second the
action stops here comes the ear-splitting pop songs, the launching of
cheap t-shirts, the advertisements racing across the jumbo-tron. You
wonder if you're experiencing an actual athletic contest, or if you're
merely part of someone's dazzling marketing strategy. Thoughts of this
kind race through Billy Lynn's brain as he and the rest of the Army
Bravo Company spend an afternoon at Texas Stadium during a two week
break from fighting in Iraq. They'd won a crucial battle, though not
without consequences, and as guests of the Dallas Cowboys Bravo Company
is besieged by grateful fans (grateful if their team is winning, if the
weather is nice) with heavy words such as heroic, patriotic, blessed,
values, and freedom, freedom, freedom for our way of life. But Billy has
discovered that words alone cannot describe exactly what's going on out
there in the desert, cannot describe what it's like to hold his buddy
as his young life has come to an end on the battlefield.
Bravo Company is being honored and used at the same time. On the plus side, there is a movie deal in the works. On the minus side, every movie studio it seems is trying to ace them right out of the project. The guys are given autographed footballs and other swag, but then have to pose stupidly in front of the camera and shout out someone's pre-written script about God, country, and home. In the end, all the Bravos really want to do is not get blown up during the next part of their extended tour of duty. Billy Lynn's got less than 24 hours to make sense of it all. That's a lot for someone just 19, when the fog of war sometimes makes more sense than what's happening at home.
Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk is already being hailed as this generation's Catch-22 for its darkly comic take not only on war, but what happens back home when you simply start asking the question...why?"
merely part of someone's dazzling marketing strategy. Thoughts of this
kind race through Billy Lynn's brain as he and the rest of the Army
Bravo Company spend an afternoon at Texas Stadium during a two week
break from fighting in Iraq. They'd won a crucial battle, though not
without consequences, and as guests of the Dallas Cowboys Bravo Company
is besieged by grateful fans (grateful if their team is winning, if the
weather is nice) with heavy words such as heroic, patriotic, blessed,
values, and freedom, freedom, freedom for our way of life. But Billy has
discovered that words alone cannot describe exactly what's going on out
there in the desert, cannot describe what it's like to hold his buddy
as his young life has come to an end on the battlefield.Bravo Company is being honored and used at the same time. On the plus side, there is a movie deal in the works. On the minus side, every movie studio it seems is trying to ace them right out of the project. The guys are given autographed footballs and other swag, but then have to pose stupidly in front of the camera and shout out someone's pre-written script about God, country, and home. In the end, all the Bravos really want to do is not get blown up during the next part of their extended tour of duty. Billy Lynn's got less than 24 hours to make sense of it all. That's a lot for someone just 19, when the fog of war sometimes makes more sense than what's happening at home.
Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk is already being hailed as this generation's Catch-22 for its darkly comic take not only on war, but what happens back home when you simply start asking the question...why?"
Pete also recommends:
"Most of the reviewers for the highly acclaimed The Art of Fielding (now in paperback and google ebook download) go
to great extent in writing that this novel is not really about
baseball, and therefore may be enjoyed without knowing anything about
the sport. To that I would agree, except to say so what if it is about
baseball? In this time of year, with light snow still falling, it's
comforting to know that signs of baseball -- its green grass, warm sun,
hot dogs, beer, and the game itself -- are right around the corner.
The Art of Fielding
is really about four students and the
president of Westish College, the kind of small, picturesque mid-western
school maybe you wish you'd attended. The psychological impact of one
errant throw alters the lives of each of the characters. Four stumble
into something akin to love while the fifth completely falls apart. But
in baseball the game is never over until the final out, so there is an
opportunity for redemption no matter how grievous the error. We're
talkin' baseball all right, though it's not really about baseball (even
though it sort of is)."
Pete's Favorite Reads of 2011:
__________________________________________________________
Linda M. recommends:
"Penelope Lively is one of our most gifted storytellers - dry witted, insightful, compassionate. In How it All Began
she has done it again, presented us with a story of real characters,
flawed but hopeful, pursuing their lives in search of meaning, love,
safety, acknowledgement.
She is a master at unfolding a story, layer after layer, giving us
multiple perspectives on the same event, showing us how our separate,
single lives affect each other.
In this story, Charlotte, an older woman, is accosted by a petty
thief on the streets, and from this single act lives are changed, not
only Charlotte's but many others, as well, who don't even know
Charlotte. This is a storynabout chance and the role it can play in our
lives. With the lightest of touches, Penelope Lively wryly spins out a
delightful and thought provoking novel."
Linda also recommends:
The Voice of the River by Melanie Rae Thon
"The Voice of the River is a
lovely book, with the twists and turns, the clarity and murkiness of a
river winding its way to the sea. It sings its song with a haunting
musicality and the characters who walk it in search of the lost boy and
his dog feel like cousins to the characters in Winesburg Ohio
- each carrying within them the secrets and burdens and the hopes of
their own lives, each with their own deep and murky stories to tell,
drawn together in this small town, along this river.
Each chapter adds another verse and another person's voice to the
song. And, while it is the song of the search for the boy, it is the
song of the bigger search that each one of us undergoes as we follow the
paths our lives take.
This is a book that takes some unraveling or, rather, one must be
willing to allow its unraveling and to let it take you along with it and
discover its mysteries as it slowly winds along its way."
__________________________________________________________
"Tim Carvell is the lead writer for The Daily Show, and has been writing Planet Tad for Mad Magazine for quite some time. But now, at long last, comes the first volume in what I can only assume/hope will be a series, because this stuff is just wicked funny. This is definitely a book a family could share with each other. It's a one year blog/diary of Tad's life, observations, and ruminations of being 12/13 year old. Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert are fans--what more to you need to know?"
Jackie also recommends:
Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake by Anna Quindlen
"This is about being a woman, past, present and to some extent future. It's what she learned in her life and what she made peace with over the years. Read this book with a pencil or some book darts on hand, because it is full of wonderful quotes. It's realistic yet uplifting, and it makes you wish you were sitting at her kitchen table with a cup of coffee and a chance to ask questions and draw out more stories from this brilliant woman. Given the current political climate, I especially loved hearing about the progression of the women's movement in her lifetime--what she has seen in the past could not be more relevant to this very moment. I think this would be a wonderful book club book--there are so many things in this book that could fire amazing conversations. I'd also argue that it would be a lovely gift for any woman, whether she is graduating college or celebrating her 75th birthday."
Jackie also recommends:
"T. Greenwood is a master at writing riveting family drama, and
this book might just be her best yet. Kurt and Elsbeth have been
together forever it seems, and they've fallen into a number of common
traps--accidental pregnancy that canceled college plans, taking over
Kurt's family business after his brother was driven out of town, his
mother died and his father became ill. The recession and a refinanced
mortgage that now involved a huge balloon payment made things that much
worse. Then there was Trevor--always a difficult child, and now that
he's a teenager, and 6'2", the problems seem to be worse. What his
parents don't understand is that he was only defending himself from some
major bullies at school who were making his life a living hell. Little
6 year old Grace is the light of everyone's life. But the problems
mount, and everyone tries to cope. Kurt picks up a second job, Elsbeth
shoplifts compulsively as a way to deal with an ever present feeling of
wanting, and Trevor picks up a camera to find a new way to see the
world.
In a parallel story, there is the story of Crystal, a high school senior
in the same town who has just given birth to a baby that she was forced
to give up for adoption. She's struggling with what everyone else
wants her to do and what she wants for herself.
Lack of communication and too many assumptions by too many people brings
both stories to a literally explosive conclusion in this tightly woven,
complex and completely absorbing drama. If you are like me, after
reading the first two pages, you will not be able to put this amazing
book down."
Among Jackie's Favorite Reads of 2011:
__________________________________________________________
Our Lead Buyer Cathy L. Recommends:
A Land More Kind Than Home by Wiley Cash
"The voices that bear witness to the
events in Wiley Cash's moving novel A Land More Kind Than Home
are haunting in their telling of a tale of innocent mistakes and evil
incarnate in a small North Carolina mountain community. A charismatic
preacher has a parish in his thralls. Mysterious goings on, inside and
outside of the shrouded little church lead to tragedy for young Jess and
his mute older brother Stump. This is a heartbreaking, brilliant
novel. Deeply southern and utterly universal."
Cathy also Recommends:
The Perfect Gentleman by Imran Ahmad
"The Perfect Gentleman is the perfect memoir. Imran Ahmad's
recounting of growing up Muslim in London is wry, sometimes laugh out
loud funny, and always insightful, offering a window into a world most
of his readers will have heretofore been utterly ignorant. His voice
bright even as he conveys many of the darker aspects of his
experiences, and brings to light the racism and indignities he and
others endure. His observations of the many quandaries encountered in
multicultural societies are thought provoking and quite
entertaining. The Perfect Gentleman is the Muslim Tender Bar."
Cathy's Favorite Reads of 2011:
________________________________________________
Joe Recommends:
Waiting for Sunrise by William Boyd:
"This is the first novel I've ever read by William Boyd, and having
read this one, I'm a little ashamed at myself. How have I missed this
amazing writer? I've heard a lot of praise for his writing, and now I
get it.
In Waiting For Sunrise, William Boyd
takes the reader to
pre-World War One Vienna. Birthplace of both psychoanalysis and the
Hapsburg Empire that started the first world war, Vienna is a
fascinating place even now, but then, it was a city struggling with the
modern world even as it held on to its traditional ways. In this city,
we meet Englishman Lysander Rief, abroad to sort out his life before he
marries back in England. While in his analyst's office, he meets an
intriguing woman with whom he falls into an affair. His sojourn in
Vienna ends when he is accused of a crime he didn't commit, and becomes
indebted to the British Embassy for his
legal woes.
Lysander returns to England, and resumes his career as an actor. But
as Europe blossoms into war, the British government calls on Lysander to
help repay his debt by spying for them. What follows is an
international tour-de-force of such intensity and twists and turns that
kept me guessing right until the end.
William Boyd's writing is excellent, and his descriptions of life
during wartime are fascinating and horrible at once. Boyd describes
early espionage as if he had been there, and same goes for the scenes of
wartime carnage. As I said, the book kept me guessing... who was the
traitor? How do these characters all relate together? And it is all
brought together in a surprising and satisfying conclusion. Lysander
Rief uses the skills he gleaned as an actor to good effect in the world
of international espionage. William Boyd uses his skills as a writer to
bring this world, these characters, to life. This is a novel not to be
missed."
__________________________________________________________
Our Children's Buyer Judy B. Recommends:
"Winner of the 2011 French Caldecott, Little Bird
is a story for all ages. Extremely visual, with very few well-chosen
words, the story unfolds as
a man drives his truck out to the wilderness
and releases several colorful birds to the sky. One tiny bird remains.
He encourages the tiny bird to fly. The ending will surprise readers.
The message? 'There are no greater treasures than the little things.'"
Judy also recommends:
The Dog Who Danced by Susan Wilson
"Justine has her dog, Maksim, and then, just like that, she doesn't.
Mack is named after Maksim the dancer because Justine and Mack take
part in a competitive dancing, canine freestyle. Although a grown woman
now, Justine still has issues with her father. Old ones, the kind that
are hard to resolve. There's grief involved, and mistrust, and
pain--lots of pain. Alice and Ed have some of these same issues with
each other. There used to blame, too, but that's not there as much
anymore, these years later.
Mack has intertwined his life with all of them, like some graceful,
swirling waltz of devotion. He has given Justine, Alice and even Ed,
who reluctantly let him, a measure of grece-giving love that has lifted
them each over that hard wall of pain. It may just finally have let
them soar. And because of that realization, neither Justine nor Ed and
Alice want to lose Mack. About this one thing they are quite certain.
How pets heal us with their extraordinary love is the focus of this book. It was inspiring--I give it 10 wags!"
Judy's Favorite Young Adult Reads of 2011:
__________________________________________________________
Lynn F. Recommends:
Under the Surface: Fracking, Fortunes, and the Fate of the Marcellus Shale by Tom Wilbur
"One of the more notable voices this month joining the chorus of
concern over hydraulic fracturing (or 'fracking') to get at natural gas
was James Hansen's in an op-ed in the New York Times (5-10-12).
Hansen calls what's going on 'a frantic stampede to extract every
fossil fuel through mountaintop removal, longwall mining, hydraulic
fracturing, tar sands and tar shale extraction, and deep ocean and
Arctic drilling.' The trouble with fracking is that an enormous amount
of water (another arguably even more precious resource) is required in
the process and that, despite industry claims to the contrary, many
drilling methods, including fracking, put water sources at great risk of
contamination. If you are a person who pretty much takes for granted
the ability to turn on the tap and trust that potable water will
reliably keep coming to you with ease, consider the experiences of a
community of Dimock, Pennsylvania residents, who initially saw the split
estate arrangement (when the landowner has surface rights to their
land, but a petroleum corporation has the go-ahead to do whatever it
takes to get at the natural gas 'under the surface') as a tremendous
windfall of luck, but over time came to regret that their homes sat atop
such a coveted resource.
In Under the Surface,
author Tom Wilber reveals the complexities of life for those determined
to extract every drop of what they see as a 'clean', job-producing
'bridge fuel' that liberates our nation from dependence on foreign oil
vs. those determined to prevent what they see as a nightmarish waste or
misuse of water and human skill that is despoiling communities, dividing
neighbor against neighbor, postponing dealing with the root problem of
oil/gas addiction, and, ultimately, harming the planet for short-term
gain.
Wilber has been reporting on the interests and challenges
of all constituencies involved in fracking for years, and this book
focuses in particular on putting the current controversies in
Pennsylvania and upstate New York in blow-by-blow historical context. We
meet a range of fascinating characters that span from those with the
power to make, bend and break the rules of resource extraction with near
total impunity to those for whom nothing short of a ban on fracking is
acceptable. They have been battling it out via home-rule charters and
packed town hall meetings to regulate and ensure transparency in an
environment where all odds seem stacked in favor of more and more
drilling.
One incident of semi-local interest is that of a
gas roughneck whose chemical exposure sent him to Mercy Regional
Medical Center in Durango in spring of 2008. Cathy Behr, who treated the
man ,became seriously ill after breathing the vapors from the victim.
Doctors were unable to determine the chemicals that had poisoned her due
to what is termed 'the Halliburton Loophole', which exempts the
industry from having to divulge specific 'proprietary' chemicals used.
Lucky for Cathy, she recovered despite this secrecy. But there remain
many who are dealing with contaminated wells, the aftermath of
explosions caused by 'methane migration' and a slew of environmental and
health issues, let alone being tied to property, the value of which has
skyrocketed, plummeted, or, in any case, changed dramatically due to
natural gas content, whatever one's perspective.
Whether
or not one is living directly above a gas deposit of any type, there are
few of us, whether we're aware of it or not, who don't have a stake in
the issues surrounding fracking or any of the other 'unconventional'
(or, for that matter, conventional) drilling techniques employed to get
atnatural gas, now that the 'low-hanging-fruit' is clearly being
exhausted. Wilber's patience in condensing a wealth of information into a
highly readable and coherent expose on this very current and important
topic is enhanced by his storyteller's eye for the all-too-human
quandaries involved and makes for a highly engaging, at times truly
riveting, read... one which will hopefully find its way into the hands
of decision-makers and citizens across the country, as public discourse
strives to make sense of what goes on 'under the surface' of our
hyper-mobile, fuel-dependant lifestyles."
Lynn also recommends:
"For top-notch investigative reporting about the petroleum industry, you're not likely to do better than to pick up Private Empire by Steve Coll. A New Yorker staff writer and author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Ghost Wars,
Coll's latest book provides a timely window into the petroleum
industry's cast of characters and a context often worthy of an
action/intrigue thriller. Starting with the Exxon Valdez oil spill in
1989 and ending with the BP Macondo spill in April 2010, Coll reveals a
corporate culture that has proven more powerful in many respects than
the presidencies that have come and gone during its tenure as what truly
can best be described as a 'private empire'.
This in-depth saga follows, via fascinating material gleaned via
hundreds of interviews and previously classified documents obtained
under the Freedom of Information Act, the fateful decisions that have
led to a perfect storm-like escalation of challenges to the
fossil-fueled world we live in and that the high-stakes players like
Exxon/Mobil profoundly influence. These challenges include volatile
geopolitical relationships not only in the Middle East or Venezuela, but
with formidably unpredictable human beings in numerous countries like
Equatorial Guinea and Russia... as well as wrestling with the
maintenance of share prices despite the precarious vagaries in
'unconventional gas' development, mounting lawsuits, rampant
corruption and violence worldwide connected with dwindling resources,
the expense of lobbyists battling regulations, industry PR/media damage
control and, of course, the environmental costs/limits of energy
replacement to keep up with worldwide demands with an economic
neoliberal mindset bent on growth. The story in some ways is an
antidote to the quick sound-bites that so often gloss over or entirely
ignore the ramifications of our oil dependency and can't help but
continue to inform one's perspective long after the final page."
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