Some of the best crime writing these days seems to be coming from Scotland,
and Ian Rankin is the cream of the crop. A brilliant addition to the Inspector
Rebus series (as well as an ideal launching point for newcomers to Rankin), Fleshmarket
Alley is complex, humane, and utterly compelling. Recommended by Georgie, Powells.com
The Family Tree combines all that you could wish of a novel —
humor, pathos, sex, and tragedy. In a wry voice, reminiscent of Kate Atkinson's,
Cadwalladr unravels a complicated and unerringly compelling story of three generations
of women. Not to be confused with "chick-lit," The Family Tree is unique, quirky,
and deeply satisfying.
Recommended by Georgie, Powells.com
Ian McEwan's new novel is generous, contemplative, and
moving -- and in good company, joining classics like Mrs.
Dalloway and Ulysses that take place during
a single day. McEwan intricately weaves characters and
themes towards an eloquent and wrenching finale, and the
beauty of his prose propels the plot with poetic momentum. Saturday is
a gentle, brilliant, and inspiring work. Recommended by Jill, Powells.com
This beautiful collection of stories affirms that love, loss, and longing
are universal emotions. Lapcharoensap is a thoroughly talented newcomer, and
I was very moved by the voices of these Thai characters. Recommended by Danielle, Powell's Books in Beaverton
Don't read The James Deans for its plot — although it has
a good one — read it for Moe Prager. Prager's not your typical P.I. He's
a former beat cop who left the job after a freak carbon-paper accident ruined
his knee and is now co-owner of a pair of wine shops. There are a lot of people
writing well-plotted crime fiction out there, but there are few with Reed Farrel
Coleman's gift for character and dialogue.
Recommended by Billie, Powell's at Portland International
Airport
Accidental murder accomplices-cum-investigators, a group of Japanese women rise above their status as timid factory workers and abused spouses to take on a world of gang members, loan sharks, and sexual predators. After experiencing this dark, intense thriller from Kirino (one of Japan's most-prized crime writers), I can't wait for more of her books to be translated into English.
Recommended by Donna, Powell's Books on Hawthorne
Chainfire is the first book of the final trilogy in the Sword of
Truth series. Richard Rahl discovers that his wife, Kahlan, is missing; furthermore,
no one, not even his closest companions, have any memory of her existence.
As Richard begins to question his sanity, and the final battle with the Dream
Walker draws closer, the only disappointment is having to wait for the next
book in the series.
Recommended by C. S. Valaas, Powells.com
In this novel a boy is born with the physical features of a seventy-year-old man and is doomed to spend his life aging mentally while his body marches backwards and becomes younger and younger. The emotional honesty transcends the implausible plot line and creates a beautiful story about what it is to be human — an amazing, memorable read. Recommended by Danielle, Powell's in Beaverton
Powell's City of Books is an independent bookstore in Portland, Oregon, that fills a whole city block with more than a million new, used, and out of print books. Shop those shelves — plus literally millions more books, DVDs, and eBooks — here at Powells.com.
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