Congratulations Grads

Congratulations to the 2010 graduates of Montana State University! MSU Bookstore will be open Graduation Day 7:30 AM to 4:30 PM, so if you don't have your cap and gown yet, stop in in the morning before it's too late.

A very special congratulations to Vanessa Shaw (the author of this blog for much of the school year), graduating with a Master's in Accounting! Vanessa will be missed at the bookstore, but she is on to bigger and better things.

On another note, today is the last day to sell your books back. See you at the Buyback Window, 8 AM to 5:30 PM today.

CS5 in the Bookstore Soon

Every time you've convinced yourself that Adobe can't take its array of design and production products any further, another version of the Creative Suite comes along to prove you wrong.

Creative Suite 5 (CS5), for both Mac and Windows, injects many of Adobe's existing killer apps—such as Photoshop, Illustrator, and Flash—with some mind-boggling new capabilities, and introduces a new program or two you may not have known you needed. But with the exception of Acrobat, version 9 of which was released in early 2008, every CS5 app has received either a major or minor refreshing, which makes CS5 one of Creative Suite's most extensive updates yet.

Also, there are iPads in stock. Apple purchases only available to faculty, students, and staff.

This Week on the Best Sellers Shelf

Men and Dogs
by Katie Crouch

When Hannah Legare was 11, her father went on a fishing trip in the Charleston harbor and never came back. And while most of the town and her family accepted Buzz's disappearance, Hannah remained steadfastly convinced of his imminent return.

Twenty years later Hannah's new life in San Francisco is unraveling. Her marriage is on the rocks, her business is bankrupt. After a disastrous attempt to win back her husband, she ends up back at her mother's home to "rest up", where she is once again sucked into the mystery of her missing father. Suspecting that those closest are keeping secrets--including Palmer, her emotionally closed, well-mannered brother and Warren, the beautiful boyfriend she left behind--Hannah sets out on an uproarious, dangerous quest that will test the whole family's concepts of loyalty and faith.


Stones into Schools
by Greg Mortenson

A heartening follow-up to the bestselling Three Cups of Tea (2003). Mortenson and his NGO Central Asia Institute (CAI) have been committed to building schools in the most remote corners of Pakistan and Afghanistan for the last 16 years. Here he resumes where he left off in his previous book and spotlights the extraordinary efforts to make good on a promise he made in 1999 to villagers of the Wakhan Corridor, a rugged, isolated area of northeastern Afghanistan.

The Wakhan is occupied by the Kirghiz, who had been forced out of their land with the coming of the Soviets before returning to restricted migratory patterns, and are cut off from basic, life-sustaining government services. For Mortenson and his well-meaning, multiethnic crew he calls his "Dirty Dozen," the village of Bozai Gumbaz proved to be "the definition of our last-place-first philosophy." By enlisting the help of the local leaders and supplying the Kirghiz with necessary building materials (hauled by yak), the CAI fulfilled one of its main goals: to get the people to build a school on their own.

Based in Bozeman, Mont., Mortenson tells the remarkable story of how his group operates. He travels America giving talks, raising awareness and enormous sums of money ($900,000 poured in after a 1993 Parade article), considering proposals about where next to build a school (it must be at least 50 percent girls) and courting local commandhans, or warlords. The organization had to contend with threats of kidnapping, Taliban violence, the Kashmir earthquake of 2005 and ingrained injunctions against educating girls. In his humble, winning style, the author writes of making peace with the U.S. Army, whose bombing caused enormous civilian bloodshed.

Three Cups of Tea is now required reading for counterinsurgency officers, and Mortenson effectively demonstrates the "cascade of positive changes triggered by teaching a single girl how to read and write."Inspiring evidence of the tsunami effects of a committed humanitarian." Kirkus Reviews

Shopping Spree!!

Want to know more? Stop by MSU Bookstore tomorrow for fun giveaways and a chance to win a shopping spree with the giant backpack!

Thursday Laughs - Brought to you by the letter E

Be vewy vewy quiet. He's hunting fwip fwops.

Sign Up to Win Prizes in the Art Department

Come visit the bookstore and sign up for your chance to win these great prizes:

24" X 36" Portfolio with Drawing Board
24" X 36" Portfolio with Watercolor Paper and Gator Board
Staediler 18" X 24" Parallel Straightedge Drawing Board

The drawings will be held:

Thursday 4/22
Monday 4/26
Thursday 4/29

The MSU Bookstore has a wide variety of art supplies that are reasonably priced. Come sign up for your chance to win and check out all of the many art supplies the store has to offer!

Bestsellers

Once a Runner
by John L. Parker, JR.

ONCE A RUNNER IS AN INSPIRING, FUNNY, AND SPOT-ON TALE of one man’s quest to become a champion. Originally self-published in 1978 and sold at road races out of the trunk of the author’s car, the book eventually found its way into the hands of high school, college, and postgraduate athletes all over the country. Reading it became a rite of passage on many teams and tattered copies were handed down like sacred texts from generation to generation. Once a Runner captures the essence of what it means to be a competitive runner, to devote your entire existence to a single-minded pursuit of excellence. In doing so, it has become one of the most beloved sports novels ever published.




Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel

Fate takes many forms. . . .

When Henry receives a letter from an elderly taxidermist, it poses a puzzle that he cannot resist. As he is pulled further into the world of this strange and calculating man, Henry becomes increasingly involved with the lives of a donkey and a howler monkey—named Beatrice and Virgil—and the epic journey they undertake together.

With all the spirit and originality that made Life of Pi so beloved, this brilliant new novel takes the reader on a haunting odyssey. On the way Martel asks profound questions about life and art, truth and deception, responsibility and complicity.

This novels are available at the MSU Bookstore.

Ipad Available in the MSU Bookstore TODAY

On January 27, 2010, Steve Jobs, Apple CEO, announced the new Apple iPad. Now, its available for purchase in the MSU Bookstore.

Perhaps the best way to explain the iPad is to call it a jack-of-all-trades. It has all the functionality of the iPod Touch, including gaming, music, and video. But it's also a day planner, e-mail device, Web tablet, e-book reader, digital picture frame, and portable DVD player.

The high-resolution, 9.7-inch LED-backlit IPS display on iPad is remarkably crisp and vivid. The multi-touch screen on iPad is based on the same revolutionary technology on the iPhone. But the technology has been completely reengineered for the larger iPad surface, making it extremely precise and responsive. The iPad has up to ten hours battery life. It is also available with a choice of 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB of flash storage, giving you lots of room for your photos, movies, music, apps, and more.

With built-in 802.11n, iPad takes advantage of the fastest Wi-Fi networks. It automatically locates available Wi-Fi networks, which you can join with a few taps. iPad also comes with Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, letting you connect to devices like wireless headphones or the Apple Wireless Keyboard. The iPad is available with 3G capability. However, 3G has limited availability in Montana and this version of the ipad will not be available to purchase in the MSU Bookstore.

This new and exciting product from Apple may become much more compelling with the development of new applications specifically designed for the iPad between now and its ship dates. The iPad should be released in March or April of this year. The iPad can be purchased starting at $499 in the MSU Bookstore.

Source:
Apple Website

This Week on the Best Sellers List

The Pacific by Hugh Ambrose

In this companion to the HBO(r) miniseries-executive produced by Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg, and Gary Goetzman-Hugh Ambrose reveals the intertwined odysseys of four U.S. Marines and a U.S. Navy carrier pilot during World War II.

Between America's retreat from China in late November 1941 and the moment General MacArthur's airplane touched down on the Japanese mainland in August of 1945, five men connected by happenstance fought the key battles of the war against Japan. From the debacle in Bataan, to the miracle at Midway and the relentless vortex of Guadalcanal, their solemn oaths to their country later led one to the Great Marianas Turkey Shoot and the others to the coral strongholds of Peleliu, the black terraces of Iwo Jima and the killing fields of Okinawa, until at last the survivors enjoyed a triumphant, yet uneasy, return home.

In The Pacific, Hugh Ambrose focuses on the real-life stories of the five men who put their lives on the line for our country. To deepen the story revealed in the miniseries and go beyond it, the book dares to chart a great ocean of enmity known as The Pacific and the brave men who fought. Some considered war a profession, others enlisted as citizen soldiers. Each man served in a different part of the war, but their respective duties required every ounce of their courage and their strength to defeat an enemy who preferred suicide to surrender. The medals for valor which were pinned on three of them came at a shocking price-a price paid in full by all.

A Reliable Wife
by Robert Goolrick

He placed a notice in a Chicago paper, an advertisement for "a reliable wife." She responded, saying that she was "a simple, honest woman." She was, of course, anything but honest, and the only simple thing about her was her single-minded determination to marry this man and then kill him, slowly and carefully, leaving her a wealthy widow, able to take care of the one she truly loved.

What Catherine Land did not realize was that the enigmatic and lonely Ralph Truitt had a plan of his own. And what neither anticipated was that they would fall so completely in love.

Filled with unforgettable characters, and shimmering with color and atmosphere, A Reliable Wife is an enthralling tale of love and madness, of longing and murder.

Patrick Casey Placed 3rd in the Mile at NCAA Nationals

Long-time Montana State track and field coach Dale Kennedy targeted a top eight finish for Bobcat miler Patrick Casey in this weekend’s NCAA Championships in Fayetteville, Ark.

As it turns out, Kennedy was shooting low.

Casey stayed within striking distance throughout the race before succumbing to defending and current national champion Lee Emanuel of New Mexico, who finished in 3:59.26. In a duel between a pair of fantastic freshmen, Oregon’s Mac Fleet out-kicked Casey to the wire for second place (4:01.63), while Casey grabbed third (4:01.87).

“Patrick went in as the 10^th seed and finished third, so that is a very strong weekend,” Kennedy said. “He’s such a strong competitor, and he competed very well this weekend. I think he represented our University and the state of Montana in a first-class manner.”

Casey ran in front for the first quarter-mile, and was right on target with a 1:00.45 split. Emanuel made his move near the half-mile mark, darting to the front and capturing a 10-yard lead with a split of 2:02.93. Ohio State’s Jeff See temporarily moved into second, but Casey passed him in seemingly effortless fashion.

Casey was the only runner within striking distance of front-running Emanuel, and the thought entered the Laurel native’s mind to chase the national champ. “He went by me at the point in the race where it really starts to hit you how tired you are,” Casey said. “I tried to run with him for a while, but I didn’t want to jeopardize the chance to become an All-America. I was running as hard as I could, and there wasn’t a lot I could do about (Fleet’s closing kick).”

Kennedy put it more succinctly. “He ran a very smart race, much smarter than in the trials. He took a great run at (winning), but I think it was a very intelligent race on his part.”

Casey caps his initial indoor season by becoming the first Bobcat man to earn All-America honors since Lyle Weese, now an MSU assistant, in 2003. He becomes the first Bobcat male to capture All-America honors in the mile and as a freshman.

In addition to making history, Casey said the experience of competing at this weekend’s NCAA Championships is valuable experience. “I’ve been running a lot of strategic races this season,” he said. “I’m trying to develop a strategy that doesn’t involve me getting in trouble in the back of the pack. It was great, a lot of fun, and it was a great learning experience. I don’t know if (becoming an All-America) has sunk in yet, but I know I can still improve. That’s the best feeling.”

Post-race interview video-click here

Men’s Mile - Finals                                                                          

  1 Lee Emanuel               SR New Mexico             3:59.26   10            

  2 Mac Fleet                 FR Oregon                 4:01.63    8            

  3 Patrick Casey             FR Montana State          4:01.87    6            

  4 A.J. Acosta               SR Oregon                 4:02.27    5            

  5 Riley Masters             SO Maine                  4:04.29    4            

  6 Jeff See                  SR Ohio State             4:04.34    3            

  7 Rob Mullett               SR Butler                 4:04.63    2            

  8 Dylan Ferris              SO Stanford               4:04.73    1            

  9 Eric Harasyn              JR Oklahoma               4:04.94                 

 10 Abdi Hassan               SO Arizona                4:05.36   

Montana State Bobcats - Casey Captures All-America Honors, Grabs Third in NCAA Mile

MSU Bookstore Faculty and Staff Appreciation Event

Tomorrow, Thursday March 11th

Come join us on Thursday, March 11th for our first MSU Bookstore Faculty Staff Appreciation Event sponsored by Apple. We will be providing refreshments, a drawinf for an iPod and a one day special discount on most Apple products. MSU Bookstore staff and Apple employees will be on hand throughout the day.

Stuff You Didn't Know was in the Bookstore

Have you every really looked at everything the MSU Bookstore has to offer? If you take the time to browse each aisle you will be shocked by all of the variety of products for sale! From MSU clothing to gifts to art supplies to computers to text books and novels, you are sure to find what you are looking for. Check out some of the featured items at the bookstore right now:

Cradled Painting Boards. These boards are flying off the shelves because of their unlimited possibilities! Use your creative liscense to create frames, boxes, or any art on these boards that are sure to stand out. These boards can be purchased in the art section of the bookstore.

Easter stuff. With the Easter holiday approaching fast, there are many decorations, stuffed bunnies, and candy to go around available at the bookstore. There is a wide range of decorations to help your dorm room, apartment, or house get in the Easter mood. Located on the front display of the gifts section, come browse for your Easter needs.

Life is Crap gear. Do you enjoy T-shirts and hats that make you and other laugh? Well come check out the Life is Crap gear located to the left of the Easter stuff. These shirts and caps play off the popular Life is Good gear. They make a great gift so come check them out!

There are so many other things to chose including photo albums and so much more! So come check out the MSU Bookstore and all it has to offer!

Awesome Books in the Bookstore

House Rules by Jodi Picoult

They tell me I'm lucky to have a son who's so verbal, who is blisteringly intelligent, who can take apart the broken microwave and have it working again an hour later. They think there is no greater hell than having a son who is locked in his own world, unaware that there's a wider one to explore. But try having a son who is locked in his own world, and still wants to make a connection. A son who tries to be like everyone else, but truly doesn't know how.

Jacob Hunt is a teenage boy with Asperger's syndrome. He's hopeless at reading social cues or expressing himself well to others, and like many kids with AS, Jacob has a special focus on one subject — in his case, forensic analysis. He's always showing up at crime scenes, thanks to the police scanner he keeps in his room, and telling the cops what they need to do...and he's usually right. But then his town is rocked by a terrible murder and, for a change, the police come to Jacob with questions. All of the hallmark behaviors of Asperger's — not looking someone in the eye, stimulatory tics and twitches, flat affect — can look a lot like guilt to law enforcement personnel. Suddenly, Jacob and his family, who only want to fit in, feel the spotlight shining directly on them. For his mother, Emma, it's a brutal reminder of the intolerance and misunderstanding that always threaten her family. For his brother, Theo, it's another indication of why nothing is normal because of Jacob. And over this small family the soul-searing question looms: Did Jacob commit murder?

Emotionally powerful from beginning to end, House Rules looks at what it means to be different in our society, how autism affects a family, and how our legal system works well for people who communicate a certain way — and fails those who don't.


The Elements; A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe
by Theodore Gray
Photographs by Theodore Gray and Nick Mann

An eye-opening, original collection of gorgeous, never-before-seen photographic representations of the 118 elements in the periodic table.

The elements are what we, and everything around us, are made of. But how many elements has anyone actually seen in pure, uncombined form? The Elements provides this rare opportunity. Based on five years of research and photography, the pictures in this book make up the most complete, and visually arresting, representation available to the naked eye of every atom in the universe. Organized in order of appearance on the periodic table, each element is represented by a spread that includes a stunning, full-page, full-color photograph that most closely represents it in its purest form. For example, at -183ËšC, oxygen turns from a colorless gas to a beautiful pale blue liquid, pictured here.

Also included are fascinating facts, figures, and stories of the elements as well as data on the properties of each, including atomic weight, density, melting and boiling point, valence, electronegativity, and the year and location in which it was discovered. Several additional photographs show each element in slightly altered forms or as used in various practical ways. The element's position on the periodic table is pinpointed on a mini rendering of the table and an illustrated scale of the element's boiling and/or melting points appears on each page along with a density scale that runs along the bottom.

Packed with interesting information, this combination of solid science and stunning artistic photographs is the perfect gift book for every sentient creature in the universe.

Both of these books can be found in the MSU Bookstore.

REMINDER! Rail Jam in Coming! Get Your Tickets!

March 5 & 6

Make sure to come to the MSU Bookstore to purchase your Rail Jam 2010 tickets! Ticket price is $13. Gain access to every awesome event with these two day tickets! This event is a the Gallatin County Fair Grounds and promises to be the biggest and best event yet!

Here is the schedule of events:

Friday:
Main Stage:
5:00-5:45 Local Band
6:00-6:45 Modifyde
7:00-8:00 Black Mask
8:30-10:00 GZA
Mega Ramp:
6:00-7:10 Ski Prelims
7:20-8:30 Board Prelims
Beer Garden:
5:30-8:00 Oz and Hyperdelic
Zebra After Party:
10:00-11:15 One Leaf Clover
11:30-1:00 Cure for the Common

Saturday:
Main Stage:
5:00-5:45 Local Band
6:00-6:45 Cure for the Common
7:00-8:00 The Chicharones
8:30-10:00 Bassnectar
Mega Ramp:
6:00-7:10 Ski Finals
7:20-8:30 Board Finals
Beer Garden:
5:30-8:00 Oz and Hyperdelic
Zebra After Party:
10:00-11:15 The Linx
11:30-1:00 Black Mask

http://www.therailjam.com/

Book Signing with Robert and Cheryl Gough

March 3rd, 11-1pm in the MSU Bookstore

Robert and Cheryl Gough will be available to sign your copy of The Guide to Rocky Mountain Vegetable Gardening. This book is the first vegetable gardening book to address the unique growing conditions and challenges of the five states of the Rocky Mountain region. Authors highlight how to select, grow, and harvest a host of vegetables that will succeed in the region and offer tips for extending the season.

If you live and garden in the Rocky Mountain region-Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah and Wyoming-you are faced with challenging growing conditions. But you can successfully grow vegetables in your region by knowing the right timing, the right vegetables selections, and the right advice for extending your short growing season.

You can purchase your copy in the MSU Bookstore or at our website.

This Weeks Bestsellers at the Bookstore

The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet
a novel by Reif Larsen

A brilliant, boundary-leaping debut novel tracing twelve-year-old genius map maker T.S.Spivet's attempts to understand the ways of the world.

When twelve-year-old genius cartographer T.S. Spivet receives an unexpected phone call from the Smithsonian announcing he has won the prestigious Baird Award, life as normal-if you consider mapping family dinner table conversation normal-is interrupted and a wild cross-country adventure begins, taking T.S. from his family ranch just north of Divide, Montana, to the museum's hallowed halls.

T.S. sets out alone, leaving before dawn with a plan to hop a freight train and hobo east. Once aboard, his adventures step into high gear and he meticulously maps, charts, and illustrates his exploits, documenting mythical wormholes in the Midwest, the urban phenomenon of "rims," and the pleasures of McDonald's, among other things. We come to see the world through T.S.'s eyes and in his thorough investigation of the outside world he also reveals himself.

As he travels away from the ranch and his family we learn how the journey also brings him closer to home. A secret family history found within his luggage tells the story of T.S.'s ancestors and their long-ago passage west, offering profound insight into the family he left behind and his role within it. As T.S. reads he discovers the sometimes shadowy boundary between fact and fiction and realizes that, for all his analytical rigor, the world around him is a mystery.

All that he has learned is tested when he arrives at the capital to claim his prize and is welcomed into science's inner circle. For all its shine, fame seems more highly valued than ideas in this new world and friends are hard to find.

T.S.'s trip begins at the Copper Top Ranch and the last known place he stands is Washington, D.C., but his journey's movement is far harder to track: How do you map the delicate lessons learned about family and self? How do you depict how it feels to first venture out on your own? Is there a definitive way to communicate the ebbs and tides of heartbreak, loss, loneliness, love? These are the questions that strike at the core of this very special debut.

Reif Larsen, author of the bestselling "The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet," will lecture at 7 p.m. Monday, March 8, in Montana State University's SUB Ballroom A. The talk, which will be followed by questions and answers and a book signing, is free and open to the public.

You can purchase this novel at the MSU Bookstore on the bestsellers shelf.


Committed
by Elizabeth Gilbert

At the end of her # 1 New York Times bestselling memoir Eat, Pray, Love, author Elizabeth Gilbert fell in love in the very best way -- unexpectedly -- with Felipe, a Brazilian-born man of Australian citizenship, who had been living in Indonesia for quite a long while. The couple commenced a life together and resettled in the United States. They swore eternal fidelity to each other, but they also swore to never, ever, under any circumstances get married. (Both were survivors of previous bad divorces, and the mere thought of legal matrimony filled them with dread and suspicion.) Indeed, the two might have gone on living together forever in happily unmarried bliss, but providence intervened one day in the form of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, who -- after unexpectedly banishing Felipe from American shores -- gave the couple a choice: they could either get married, or Felipe would never be allowed to enter the United States again.

Having been effectively "sentenced to wed", Gilbert decided to tackle her fears of matrimony by becoming a student of the institution, trying once and for all to understand what this befuddling, vexing, and contradictory, yet stubbornly enduring habit of human marriage actually is. Over the next ten months, as she and Felipe wandered haphazardly across Southeast Asia, waiting for the U.S. government to permit them to return to America and get married, the only thing she talked about, read about, or thought about was this perplexing subject.

Committed tells the story of one woman's efforts through contemplation, historical study and extensive conversation with every soul she encountered along the way -- to make peace with marriage before she entered its estate once more. Told with Gilbert's trademark wit, intelligence and compassion, the book attempts to "turn on all the lights" when it comes to matrimony, frankly examining questions of compatibility, infatuation, fidelity, autonomy, family tradition, economic realities, social expectations, divorce risks and humbling responsibilities. Myths are debunked; fears are unthreaded; historical perspective is sought; and romantic fantasies are ultimately exchanged for vital emotional compromises. In the end, the book becomes a kind of celebration of love -- with all the complexity and consequence that real love, in the real world, will always entail for any two people who are brave enough to endeavor it.

You can purchase this novel at the MSU Bookstore on the bestsellers shelf.

2010 Vancouver Olympics

Bryon Wilson and Heather McPhie represented the USA and Montana in Vancouver

Heather McPhie

Heather McPhie is formerly a competitive gymnast who began competing in freestyle skiing events at age 12. She soon discovered that jumping was one of her favorite things to do, which she credits to her gymnastics background. Heather is the youngest of three children, and attended Bozeman High School.

She is now 25-years-old, and participated in her first World Cup in 2006, at age 21. She got her first World Cup win at Deer Valley in January, along with a second- and third-place finish, and locked in her spot on the Olympic team. She competed in the Moguls competition Saturday, February 13th and was ranked third going into the finals. However, she fell in her final run knocking her out of medal contention. She finished 18th but has tons of potential to medal in the next Winter Olympics.

Bryon Wilson

Bryon Wilson started skiing at age three and worked his way up to freestyle at age 12 when a coach invited him and his brother Brad to join the Bridger freestyle program. Now 21-years-old, Bryon graduated with honors from Butte High School and went on to participate in his first World Cup in 2007 at age 18, where he placed 27th in moguls. At the 2009 World Cup Bryon got a chance to start after a teammate went out with an injury, and stunned spectators with two second-place finishes making him a new member of the U.S. freestyle ski team.

He was excited to get lunch and travel expenses paid for as part of the U.S. freestyle ski team. Now he's an Olympic medalist. Sunday, February 14th Bryon won the Bronze Medal in the Men's Mogul competition.

Not even Wilson could have expected that in two months he could have propelled himself past the other talented members of the men's moguls team to win a bronze medal and finish as the top American man in the event at the Vancouver Olympics.

"A year ago, I was just hoping to make the Olympics. That was my first goal going into this year," he said. "It was a long shot. But I'm glad I'm here."

"I'm stoked. It's super surprising but, you know, I've been skiing well."

Wilson, who competed in his first World Cup race in Finland in December after a teammate got injured, went on to post two second place finishes and was promoted to the "A" team.

In the men's final on Sunday, Wilson earned the highest marks for aerial tricks as he performed the two jumps with the highest degree of difficulty. His air trick score was higher than Canada's Alexandre Bilodeau, who won the gold.

Local Athlete Olympic Page

This Weeks Bestselling Books

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

"Brilliant and hugely ambitious....It's the kind of book that can be life changing."
-New York Times

It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still.

By her brother's graveside, Liesel Meminger's life is changed when she picks up a single object, partially hidden in the snow. It is The Grave Digger's Handbooks, left there by accident, and it is her first act of book thievery. So begins a love affair with books and words, as Liesel, with the help of her accordion-playing foster father, learns to read. Soon she is stealing books from Nazi book-burnings, the mayor's wife's library, wherever there are books to be found.

But these are dangerous times. When Liesel's foster family hides a Jew in their basement, Liesel's world is both opened up and closed down. In superbly crafted writing that burns with intensity, award-winning author Markus Zusak has given us one of the most enduring stories of our time.

This award winning novel is rumored to become a movie soon. This book can be purchased in the MSU Bookstore on the Bestsellers shelf.


Drive: the Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us
by Daniel H. Pink

From Daniel H. Pink, the author of the bestselling A Whole New Mind, comes a paradigm-shattering look at what truly motivates us and how we can use that knoledge to work smarter and live better.

Most of us believe that the best way to motivate ourselves and others is with external regards like money- the carrot-and-stick approach. That's a mistake, Daniel H. Pink, says in Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, his provocative and persuasive new book. The secret to high performance and satisfaction-at work, at school, and at home-is the deeply human need to direct our own lives, to learn and create new things, and to do better by ourselves and our world.

Drawing on four decades of scientific research on human motivation, Pink exposes the mismatch between what science knows and what business does-and how that affects every aspect of life. He demonstrates that while carrots and sticks worked successfully in the twentieth century, that's precisely the wrong way to motivate people for today's challenges. In Drive, he examines the three elements of motivation-autonomy, mastery, and purpose-and offers smart and surprising techniques for putting these into action. Along the way, he takes us to companies that are enlisting new approaches to motivation and introduces us to the scientists and entrepreneurs who are pointing a bold way forward.

Drive is available for purchase at the MSU Bookstore.

New in Theaters

CHICK FLICKS!
This weekend is the premier of Dear John and When in Rome which are sure to get ladies everywhere in the mood for Valentines day!

Dear John: When a soldier named John Tyree (Channing Tatum) meets an idealistic college student named Savannah Curtis (Amanda Seyfried), it's the beginning of a true romance. Over the next seven tumultuous years, the lovers, separated by John's increasingly dangerous deployment, stay in touch through their letters, meeting in person only rarely. However, their correspondence triggers fateful consequences that neither could foresee.

The movie is based on the book by Nicholas Sparks who's other novels such as A Walk to Remember and The Notebook were made into movies. The movie has received mediocre reviews saying that, "Teens will swoon for far-fetched, syrupy romance."

When in Rome: Beth(Kristen Bell) is at a point in her life where love seems like a luxury she just can't afford. Years of waiting for that perfect romance has made Beth bitter, and one day, while vacationing in Rome, she cynically plucks a handful of coins from a local fountain of love. Almost immediately thereafter, Beth finds herself fending off the advances of a motley crew of suitors. Meanwhile, a smitten reporter (Josh Duhamel) does his best to convince Beth that true love isn't just a topic of fairy tales and romance novels. This romantic comedy also didn't not receive rave reviews but is said to be entertaining.





Show times for Bozeman's theater:

Dear John: 12:45 3:15 7:00 9:45

When in Rome: 1:05 3:30 5:40 8:00 10:05

Make sure to check out other great movies in the theater this weekend! Also, Nicholas Sparks books can be purchased at the MSU Bookstore

"Come Find Us" Pre-Season Trailer

Check out some phenomenal film editing and talented local skiers and snowboarders in this film trailer that is sweeping the internet. Many of the riders in this film are MSU students, and are putting Montana on the map in the ski and snowboard community. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/toysoldierproductions

The iPad

There has been a lot of hype about Apple's next big innovation. Rumors were flying around the web concerning the highly anticipated Apple press release. On January 27, 2010, Steve Jobs, Apple CEO, announced the new Apple iPad.

Perhaps the best way to explain the iPad is to call it a jack-of-all-trades. It has all the functionality of the iPod Touch, including gaming, music, and video. But it's also a day planner, e-mail device, Web tablet, e-book reader, digital picture frame, and portable DVD player.

The high-resolution, 9.7-inch LED-backlit IPS display on iPad is remarkably crisp and vivid. The multi-touch screen on iPad is based on the same revolutionary technology on the iPhone. But the technology has been completely reengineered for the larger iPad surface, making it extremely precise and responsive. The dementions of the iPad are height: 9.56 inches, width: 7.47 inches, depth: 0.5 inch, weight: 1.5 pounds (Wi-Fi model with out 3G). The iPad has up to ten hours battery life. It is also available with a choice of 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB of flash storage, giving you lots of room for your photos, movies, music, apps, and more.

With built-in 802.11n, iPad takes advantage of the fastest Wi-Fi networks. It automatically locates available Wi-Fi networks, which you can join with a few taps. iPad also comes with Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, letting you connect to devices like wireless headphones or the Apple Wireless Keyboard. The iPad is available with 3G capability. However, 3G has limited availability in Montana and this version of the ipad will not be available to purchase in the MSU Bookstore.

This new and exciting product from Apple may become much more compelling with the development of new applications specifically designed for the iPad between now and its ship dates. The iPad should be released in March or April of this year. The iPad can be purchased starting at $499 and will be available in the MSU Bookstore once shipped.

Source:
Video Release
Apple Website
Apple vs. Kindle article
Reasons For and Against Purchase an iPad article

This Week's Best Selling Non-Fiction

Game Change by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin

In 2008, the presidential election became blockbuster entertainment. Everyone was watching as the race for the White House unfolded like something from the realm of fiction. The meteoric rose and historic triumph of Barack Obama. the shocking fall of the House of Clinton-and the improbable resurrection of Hillary as Obama's partner and America's face to the world. The mercurial performance of John McCain and the mesmerizing emergence of Sarah Palin. But despite the wall-to-wall media coverage of this spellbinding drama, remarkably little of the real story behind the headlines has yet been told.

In Game Change, John Heilemann and Mark Halperin, two of the country's leading political reporters, use their unrivaled access to pull back the curtain on the Obama, Clinton, McCain, and Palin campaigns. How did Obama convince himself that despite the thinness of his resume, he could somehow beat the odds to become the nation's first African American president? How did the tumultuous relationship between the Clintons shape-and warp-Hillary's supposedly unstoppable bid? What was behind her husband's furious outbursts and devastating political miscalculations? Why did McCain make the novice governor of Alaska his running mate? And was Palin merely painfully out of her depth-or troubled in more serious ways?

Game Change answers those questions and more, laying bare the secret history of the 2008 campaign. Heilemann and Halperin take us inside the Obama machine, where staffers referred to the candidate as "Black Jesus." They unearth the quiet conspiracy in the U.S. Senate to prod Obama into the race, driven in part by the fears of senior Democrats that Bill Clinton's personal life might cripple Hillary's presidential prospects. They expose the twisted tale of John Edwards's affair with Rielle Hunter, the truth behind the downfall of Rudy Giuliani, and the doubts of those responsible for vetting Palin about her readiness for the Republican ticket-along with the McCain campaign staff's worries about her fitness for office. And they reveal how, in an emotional late-night phone call, Obama succeeded in wooing Clinton, despite her staunch resistance to become his secretary of state.

Based on hundreds of interviews with the people who lived the story, Game Change is a reportorial tour de force that reads like a fast-paced novel. Character driven and dialogue rich, replete with extravagantly detailed scenes, this is the occasionally shocking, ofter hilarious, ultimately definitive account of the campaign of a lifetime.

This book can be found on the bestsellers shelf in MSU Bookstore.

This Week's Best Selling Fiction

Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton

From one of the best-loved authors of all time comes an irresistible adventure of swashbuckling pirates in the New World, a classic story of treasure and betrayal.

The Caribbean, 1665, a remote colony of the English Crown, the island of Jamaica holds out against the vast supremacy of the Spanish empire. Port Royal, its capital, is a cutthroat town of taverns, grog shops, and bawdy houses.

In this steamy climate there's a living to be made, a living that can end swiftly by disease-or by dagger. For Captain Charles Hunter, gold in Spanish hands is gold for the taking, and the law of the land rests with those ruthless enough to make it.

Word in port is that the galleon El Trinidad, fresh from New Spain, is awaiting repairs in a nearby harbor. Heavily fortified, the impregnable harbor is guarded by the bloodthirsty Cazalla, a favorite commander of the Spanish king himself. With backing from a powerful ally, Hunter assembles a crew of ruffians to infiltrate the enemy outpost and commandeer El Trinidad, along with its fortune in Spanish gold. The raid is as perilous as the bloodiest tales of island legend, and Hunter will lose more than one man before he even sets foot on foreign shores, where dense jungle and the firepower of Spanish infantry stand between him and the treasure....

Pirate Latitudes is Michael Crichton at his best: a rollicking adventure tale pulsing with relentless action, crackling atmosphere, and heart-pounding suspense.

This book can be found on the bestsellers shelf in the MSU Bookstore.

Product of the Week!

The MSU Bookstore overs a wide array of Under Armour products that are sure to please! If you haven't experienced the superior fabric that is sure to keep you warm this winter or cool in the summer, put purchasing any Under Armour clothing at the top of your shopping list! All of the Under Armour apparel offered in the bookstore display Bobcat pride ranging from hoodies, shirts, and polos, to bags and caps. Stop by the bookstore for the widest selection or order from the selection online. These products make great birthday and Valentines gifts!

Under Armour at the Bookstore

Cats Beat the Griz Despite Fan Fiasco

MSU Conquers the Griz

Saturday night, the Montana State University Men's Basketball team faced off against the Griz.

The Bobcats maintained a consistent lead most of the game. During the final media time out, the Bobcat mascot Champ and the cheer squad sent hundreds of the tiny golden balls flying into the crowds. A member of the crowd threw one of the balls at Grizzly coach Wayne Tinkle which hit him in the back and another nearly grazed UM center Brian Qvale in the middle of a free throw attempt.

The second fan toss prompted MSU head coach Brad Huse to grab the public address microphone from its perch. "You're going to cost us a technical foul," Huse said, among other things, in a quick speech to the crowd of 6,427 - the largest Brick Breeden Fieldhouse has seen this season. The address was met with applause. But little did Huse know, his home fans had just cost him a technical foul, as the referees had already issued a warning after the original ball hit Coach Tinkle.

Qvale, who made the first free throw despite the distraction, made the second and Anthony Johnson hit the two technical foul shots which cut the Bobcat lead to 51-50 with 2 minutes, 33 seconds to play. Worthington Arena got a little quieter until Bobcat forward Branden Johnson drilled a deep 3-pointer with 1:59 to play, putting MSU back up four. "Getting the crowd back into it, it was a great feeling," said Johnson. That bucket and a layup from Navarre seconds later ended the game with a final score Montana St. 61, Montana 52.

After the game, Bobcat senior Branden Johnson commented that "the ball incident was crazy," and Coach Huse said his team was appreciative of the fans, saying "they helped us a heck of a lot more than they hurt us." However, those two novelty Bobcat basketballs will likely give Montana State's promotional department something to think about this week.

Montana State Bobcats - Bobcats Hold Off Grizzly Rally

Coach's Response to Technical Foul

Bozeman Chronicle's article

Chamberlin Rail Jam 2010

Buy tickets to the Rail Jam on March 5 & 6

The MSU Bookstore is selling Rail Jam 2010 tickets! Ticket price is $13. Gain access to every awesome event with these two day tickets! Buy early to take advantage of this special low price!

Snowsports, loud music, energy drinks, epic competition, and so much more! Rail Jam is not only a competition for snow athletes but also a music festival featuring Modifyde, Black Mask, GZA, Chicharones, Bassnectar, and 2009 Battle of the Bands winner Cure for the Common. Ski and Board Prelims start Friday the 5th followed by the finals on Saturday the 6th. This event is a the Gallatin County Fair Grounds and promises to be the biggest and best event yet!

Athlete sign-ups end February 12th! For more information and to purchase VIP tickets visit

http://www.therailjam.com/

Best Selling Nonfiction: The Case for God

The Case for God by Karen Armstrong

Moving from the Paleolithic age to the present, Karen Armstrong details the great lengths to which humankind has gone in order to experience a sacred reality that is called by many names, such as God, Brahman, Nirvana, Allah or Dao. Focusing especially on Christianity but including Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and Chinese spiritualities, Armstrong examines the diminished impulse toward religion in our own time, when a significant number of people either want nothing to do with God or question the efficacy of faith. Why has God become unbelievable? Why is it that atheists and theists alike now think and speak about God in a way that veers so profoundly from the thinking of our ancestors?

Answering these questions with the same depth of knowledge and profound insight that have marked all her acclaimed books, Armstrong makes clear how the changing face of the world has necessarily changed the importance of religion at both the societal and the individual level. And she makes a powerful, convincing argument for drawing on the insights of the past in order to build a faith that speaks to needs of our dangerously polarized age. yet she cautions us that religion was never supposed to provide answers that lie within the competence of human reason; that, she says, is the role of logos. The task of religion is " to help us live creatively, peacefully, and even joyously with realities for which there are no easy explanations." She emphasizes, too, that religion will not work automatically. It is, she says, a practical discipline: its insights are derived not for abstract speculation but from "dedicated intellectual endeavor" and a "compassionate lifestyle that enables us to break out of the prism of selfhood."

This bestseller can be purchased at the MSU Bookstore, located on the bestsellers self.

Best Selling Fiction: The Lovely Bones

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

" My name was Salmon, like the fish; first name, Susie. I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6, 1973."

So begins the story of Susie Salmon, who is adjusting to her new home in heaven, a place that is not at all what she expected, even as she is watching life on earth continue without her-her friends trading rumors about her disappearance, her killer trying to cover his tracks, her grief-stricken family unraveling.

Out of unspeakable tragedy and loss, The Lovely Bones succeeds, miraculously in Building a tale filled with hope, humor, suspense, even joy.

This national bestseller has been hailed as "A stunning achievement" according to The New Yorker and "A triumphant novel... It's a knockout" by Time Magazine. The novel is now a major motion picture directed by Academy Award winner Peter Jackson (director of The Lord of the Rings trilogy) staring Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, Susan Sarandon, and new comer Saoirse Ronan as Susie Salmon. The movie is now playing in theaters everywhere. This book is now available at the MSU Bookstore on the Bestsellers shelf.