 Don't Miss
More at Powell's
Original Essays | February 8, 2012
By Kent Hartman
Perhaps you are aware of the fact that there is an oddly popular trivia game floating around that a group of clever (and likely bored) college...
Continue »
-
 |
Powells.com
»
Locations
»
![]()
-
 Loading...
-
,
(map/directions)
United States of America
Work 503 228 4651
,
Phone
Hours
Here are just some of the books we're talking about at Powell's.
-
The Principles of Knitting
When it went out of print in the mid-1990s, The Principles of Knitting became one of the most sought-after books on the subject. Those who had a copy guarded it jealously, while those unwilling/unable to part with several hundred dollars for a used knitting book were forced to cobble together various instruction manuals and pick each others' brains in the hopes of amassing the wealth of knitting know-how contained in Hiatt's book. If you've been pining after the copy on your friend's shelf or in your local bookstore, your days of waiting are over. The Principles of Knitting is back in print, in a completely revised and updated edition, with 100 additional pages and more than 900 illustrations... all for less than 50 bucks! Whether you're new to knitting and looking for the most comprehensive introduction on the market, or a veteran knitter looking to round out your knitting library, this is the book for you.
Recommended by Tove February 16, 2012
product
The Principles of Knitting by June Hemmons Hiatt
-
In the Dark
Although he was prolific and could write a mean horror novel, Richard Laymon was most popular outside of the United States. He could grab you by the end of the first page and take you on one wild ride 'til the end of the book. In the Dark is a great example of his twisted sense of fun and games. Anyone who appreciates an early 80s slasher film will enjoy Laymon. Other top notch novels by this lowbrow cult favorite are: The Cellar, Night in The Lonesome October, and Midnight's Lair.
Recommended by Nate Ashley February 16, 2012
product
In the Dark by Richard Laymon
-
Room
Emma Donoghue mines current headlines for her harrowing account of a young women held captive in a room for years. Forced to bear a child by her captor, "Ma" becomes increasingly desperate to escape her one-room hell. On the other hand, Jack, her 5-year-old son, loves "Room" — it is his entire world. Narrated by Jack, this terrifying story is so worth the angst you will experience reading it. Heartbreaking, hopeful, gripping, and flat-out fantastic, Room will stay with you long after you put it down.
Recommended by Dianah February 16, 2012
product
by
-
Konfidenz
It is dumbfounding that Ariel Dorfman is not more widely read, as his writing is so remarkably trenchant and unafraid. The exiled Chilean novelist, short story writer, playwright, poet, and essayist has been teaching at Duke University since 1985. His works are direct, compelling, and often characterized by a looming intensity or immediacy. Dorfman is a relentless critic of imperialism, tyranny, and oppression, framing much of his art in the context of human rights.
Private life is an illusion in our world, Barbara. When you can torture one person, private life ends for everybody else.
Konfidenz is a novel written almost entirely in dialogue, an effect employed to lend the story a chilling effect. Set in Paris sometime in very late 1939 or early 1940, just before the Nazis invaded France, the story confronts notions of identity and loyalty. Much of Konfidenz is marked by uncertainty, for both reader and characters alike, a quality that colors the whole work with an ever-increasing urgency. As powerful a tale as this novel is, it perhaps would have an even greater impact were it adapted for the stage, especially given its abundance of dialogue. While not Dorfman's strongest work, Konfidenz still resounds with arresting significance.
Recommended by Jeremy February 16, 2012
product
Konfidenz by Ariel Dorfman
-
The Dylan Dog Case Files
Dylan Dog does a great job of rolling up elements of the macabre, humor, and romantacism into one classic Italian comic book rich with cinematic undertones. Dylan himself is based on Rupert Everett, while his comedic sidekick is a Groucho Marx impersonator. Once I picked this up I was hooked. Unfortunately, only seven stories have been translated into English while there are over 200 issues in Italian.
Recommended by Nate Ashley February 16, 2012
product
The Dylan Dog Case Files by Tiziano Sclavi
-
Tiny Homes: Simple Shelter
The house I grew up in (with my sister, my two parents, a constant but ever-changing assortment of critters, and all the associated clutter one might expect) was 800 sq. ft. In a word: tiny.
But the homes in Lloyd Kahn's Tiny Homes: Simple Shelter give my childhood home a run for its money. Tiny Homes showcases a fantastic assortment of structures under 500 sq. ft. What these buildings lack in square footage, they deliver in character, affordability, energy efficiency, and, in some cases, portability! From prefab tiny homes to tree houses, boathouses, hobbit homes, houses on wheels, and, my personal favorite, the pumphouse-turned-chicken-coop-turned-stationary-yacht, this book is a treasure trove of micro-inspiration, and a testament to the benefits of scaling down.
Recommended by Tove February 16, 2012
product
Tiny Homes: Simple Shelter: Scaling Back in the 21st Century by Lloyd Kahn
-
The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane
Connie moves into her grandmother's house to ready it for sale. She stumbles upon an ancient key with a tiny piece of paper rolled up inside that which reads: "Deliverance Dane." The search for the meaning of this phrase leads Connie to witches, hangings, a bit of romance, a little supernatural phenomenon, and an elusive spell book. Katherine Howe is an art historian and her own ancestors include Elizabeth Howe and Elizabeth Proctor, both of whom were tried in the Salem witch trials. Howe uses her own family stories here in this suspenseful read.
Recommended by Dianah February 16, 2012
product
The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe
-
Tyrant Memory
Tyrant Memory, Castellanos Moya's fourth (and longest) work to be translated into English, takes place in the tumultuous spring of 1944, during which metaphysically-inclined Salvadoran president Maximiliano Hernández Martinez ("The Warlock") survives a coup but is ultimately deposed following the student-led Strike of Fallen Arms. The story, while based on historical events, is a fictionalized one. The tale concerns the Aragon family, and the tribulations they are forced to endure as a result of political repression in a time of great change and uncertainty.
The narrative shifts between the diary entries of Haydée (wife of Pericles, a journalist and former presidential secretary now held as a political prisoner, and mother to Clemen, a dissident and newly-minted enemy of the state) and the third-person account of Clemen's sometimes comical attempts at evasion and escape. These alternating sequences lend Tyrant Memory a startling quality, as the diarist's worrisome writings complement the humorous antics of the fleeing Clemente well. Although Castellanos Moya had not yet been born at the time of Hernández Martinez's reign, the story (originally published in Spanish in 2008) presumably was a very personal one to have written.
Tyrant Memory is a fantastic novel, though it seems to lack much of the gravitas that made both Senselessness and The She-Devil in the Mirror so sensational. The political novel is common to Latin American literature (whether as subject or setting), and Castellanos Moya's effort will surely rank amongst the finer of them. It does not, however, muster the same emotional power and haunting intensity often found in the writings of, say, Mario Benedetti or Ariel Dorfman. Nonetheless, Tyrant Memory is an excellent work of fiction, one that hopefully precedes the translation of many more of his works into english (especially his collections of short stories!).
Recommended by Jeremy February 16, 2012
product
by
-
The Blind Contessa's New Machine
Carey Wallace has written a beautiful little novella based on the invention of the first typewriter. Who knew it was for a blind woman? In 1808, Pellegrino Turri invented his "writing machine" to help the blind communicate. The Blind Contessa's New Machine uses this invention, and its subsequent gift to the Contessa, as a basis for the spark that starts a passionate love affair. Both the inventor and the Contessa are married to others, so there is no easy road to their happiness. What is, perhaps, even more interesting than the love affair is the dream-like quality of this story. As the Contessa gradually loses her sight, she becomes more attached to her dreams, in which she can still see. She is even able to influence her dreams to the point where she can fly. There is a blurring of the line between dream and reality throughout, which gives this books an illusory, unearthly, and fantastical quality.
Recommended by Dianah February 9, 2012
product
The Blind Contessa's New Machine by Carey Wallace
-
The Seamstress and the Wind
Though most of César Aira's books tend to be slim affairs, they make up with inventiveness for whatever they may lack in length. The prolific Argentine novelist's works are wildly imaginative, and the depth of his creativity seems matched by the ease with which he is able to blend, cross, and move within different genres. The Seamstress and the Wind is the sixth of Aira's books (of more than 80) to be translated into English.
The Seamstress and the Wind combines a number of elements that, at first glance, might appear to make for a jumbled, undisciplined, and haphazard work. The brilliance of Aira's writing, however, is that he, like a literary alchemist, transmutes disparate components into something fantastical and rewarding. Mixing the mundane with the phantasmagorical, Aira's novels are richly engaging, for one is never sure upon which point the story is about to veer into the realm of the wholly unforeseen. The word predictable is one that ought never be employed to describe any aspect of Aira's fiction. The magnificent range in his work is no mere clever device, but instead reflects an unfettered imagination that allows for a story to freely evolve. The effect is disarming and seems refreshingly natural (perhaps in contrast to the abundance of forced narratives that abound elsewhere in contemporary literature). Contributing to the overall affluence of his writing are his reliably intriguing characters, seemingly average yet possessed by a charming singularity. The Seamstress and the Wind features characters the likes of which will not soon be forgotten (nor their entrances into the story).
César Aira is remarkably gifted, and his ability to seamlessly infuse his work with humor, fantasy, poignant observation, unrestrained style, and invigorating prose is truly amazing. Although each one of his books is entirely unlike its predecessor, they all seem to complement one another in a way that reinforces the prowess of his creativity. The more Aira that I read, the more easily I am convinced that he is one of the most talented, original, and important writers at work today. Though few of his books are even as long as 150 pages, they leave the reader bewitched long after the story has concluded.
Recommended by Jeremy February 9, 2012
product
The Seamstress and the Wind the Seamstress and the Wind by Cesar Aira
-
The Art of Fielding
If it weren't for the Morning News Tournament of Books, I would never have read The Art of Fielding. Baseball? No, thanks. But have no fear — it's not really a book about baseball. Henry Skrimshander is a shortstop prodigy who lives and breathes baseball. Luckily, he is talented enough to catch the eye of Mike Schwartz, the de facto student coach of all things sports at Westish College in Wisconsin. Henry can't believe his luck as he is suddenly accepted into college, playing shortstop for a real team, and about to match the all-time professional record for error-free games. But, things never work out this well, do they? What follows is an anxious and uneasy coming-of-age story, which rings absolutely true and comes complete with a shattering identity crisis. Chad Harbach manages to convey the degrading, confusing, and humiliating realities of this period of life, all the while his characters are insinuating themselves thoroughly into your heart. Woven throughout is one of the most truly radiant, yet at the same time, deeply distressing, love stories I've ever come across. Thank you, Tournament of Books, for forcing me to read this!
Recommended by Dianah February 7, 2012
product
The Art of Fielding: A Novel by Chad Harbach
-
Olive Kitteridge
Set on the coast of Maine, this fantastic Pulitzer Prize winner (2009) is a terrific character study. Olive is an irascible, crabby old lady who is difficult to like. Yet, as her life, marriage, and story play out, her character changes in ways that are wholly believable. This novel runs the gamut of human emotion and delicately exposes the secret inner workings of the human condition. Beautifully written, Olive Kitteridge is a book I didn't much expect to like — but how wrong I was.
Recommended by Dianah February 7, 2012
product
Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
|
