Notes from The Oregonian/OregonLive’s books desk.
Physics for everyone: The new book “Storm in a Teacup: The Physics of Everyday Life (W.W. Norton & Co., 288 pages, $26.95) explores what could be called the physics of the mundane – the explosions that produce popcorn, the swirl inside a cup of coffee, why we battle to extract ketchup from its bottle. Author Helen Czerski’s prose is invitingly conversational: “Next time you drop an ice cube into a drink, watch it melt and imagine tiny atomic vibrations sharing out energy, as heat flows from the water into the ice cube. Even though you can’t see the atoms themselves, you can see the consequences of what they’re up to all around you.” Czerski, who is a physicist at University College London and a columnist for BBC Focus magazine, will discuss her book as part of the “Science on Tap” lecture series at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 7, at the Clinton Street Theater, 2522 S.E. Clinton St. Tickets are $8-$10; 503-258-7652.
An Armenian memoir: When California writer Dawn Anahid MacKeen retraced her Armenian grandfather’s flight from genocide across Turkey and Syria, she found the family of the Arab sheikh who saved her grandfather’s life. “I was able to thank this clan for the sheikh’s act of kindness, which has allowed four generations of my family to exist,” she said by email. “I think this story of this Muslim Arab sheikh saving my Christian Armenian grandfather’s life is extremely important during these times of religious enmity in the Middle East, especially as the Islamic State commits new genocidal crimes in the exact same area.” MacKeen will present the paperback edition of her book “The Hundred-Year Walk: An Armenian Odyssey,” one of Multnomah County Library’s Best Books of 2016, at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9, at Powell’s City of Books, 1005 W. Burnside St.
Paul Auster: Much-acclaimed author Paul Auster, who just turned 70, has published his first novel in seven years, “4 3 2 1” (Henry Holt & Company, 880 pages, $32.50). The novel traces the arc of a Baby Boomer’s life along four potential tracks. Auster will appear at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10, at Powell’s City of Books, 1005 W. Burnside St.
For the kids: Green Bean Books hosts several notable guests this month. First up is the beloved Kevin Henkes, a three-time Caldecott Medal winner for his picture books; he’ll appear at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 8, at the Hollywood Library, 4040 N.E. Tillamook St. Next, Caldecott Medal-winning illustrator Erin Stead and her husband and fellow illustrator, Philip Stead, appear at 11 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 12, at Green Bean Books, 1600 N.E. Alberta St., to promote her latest book, “Tony” (Roaring Brook Press, 32 pages, $14.99), for which she illustrated a story by the late poet Ed Galing about a boy and a horse. Children’s author Kelly DiPucchio and illustrator Christian Robinson appear Feb. 16 to promote their new book, “Antoinette” (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 40 pages, $17.99), about a poodle wondering why she doesn’t have a special talent like her brothers do.
Meet Penny, by Kevin Henkes
Just in time for Valentine’s: Canadian philosopher Carrie Jenkins tackles the eternal question “What is love?” in her book of the same title, “What Love Is: And What It Could Be” (Basic Books, 224 pages, $26.99). The Los Angeles Review of Books called it “an exceptionally clear and easily readable account of the current research into romantic love and ideas for how we might think differently about it.” Jenkins, by the way, does think differently about it: She divides her time between her and her husband’s house and her boyfriend’s apartment. She’ll appear at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 13, at Powell’s City of Books, 1005 W. Burnside St.
William Clark’s son: The son of the explorer William Clark (he of Lewis and Clark fame) and a Nez Perce woman is the central figure in the new novel “The Coming” (Bloomsbury Publishing, 528 pages, $32), by David E. Osborne. Through the eyes of Clark’s son, Daytime Smoke, Osborne traces the history of Nez Perce-white relations from the Corps of Discovery to the discovery of gold on Nez Perce land. Kirkus Reviews called the novel “an epic story sure to be a hit with readers interested in the American western expansion.” Osborne will read from his book at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 16, at Powell’s City of Books, 1005 W. Burnside St.
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