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Don't Miss Third Book's a Charm! Get Your 3rd Book Free Gift Ideas for Grads Introducing Indiespensable #34 10% Back on eGift Cards Powell's Meridian App for iPhone and Android More at Powell's PowellsBooks.Blog Interviews \| Q&As \| Essays Guests \| May 2, 2012 Chichiguas 0 comments By Julia Alvarez I wouldn't have met Piti if it hadn't been for a chichigua. To translate chichigua as a kite does not do justice to these beautiful creations of... Continue » $16.07 Sale Hardcover add to wish list A Wedding in Haiti Julia AlvarezJulia Alvarez 9781616201302	Powells.com » Locations » Powell's City of Books Powell's City of Books Loading... Powell's City of Books 1005 W Burnside Portland, OR 97209 (map/directions) Phone 503-228-4651 Hours Daily: 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m. Book buying hours: Daily: 9:00 a.m. - 8:30 p.m. Rare Book Room: Saturday - Sunday: 11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. Bldg. 2 hours: Daily: 9:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. The Espresso Book Machine® has arrived! Visit the Purple Room in the City of Books to publish your own book or print hard-to-find titles, all in the time it takes to make a cup of coffee. Learn more. ÷÷÷ Get turn-by-turn directions to books — on your phone! Download the free Meridian app for iPhone and Android. Click here to learn more. Powell's City of Books is a book lover's paradise, the largest used and new bookstore in the world. Located in downtown Portland, Oregon, and occupying an entire city block, the City stocks more than a million new and used books. Nine color coded rooms house over 3,500 different sections, offering something for every interest, including an incredible selection of out-of-print and hard-to-find titles. Each month, the Basil Hallward Gallery (located upstairs in the Pearl Room) hosts a new art exhibit, as well as dozens of author events featuring acclaimed writers, artists, and thinkers such as Roddy Doyle, Joyce Carol Oates, Michael Chabon, Annie Leibovitz, and President Jimmy Carter. The City's Rare Book Room gathers autographed first editions and other collectible volumes for readers in search of a one-of-a-kind treasure. And the City's newest addition (October 2010) is Powell's Books Bldg. 2, a relocation of Powell's Technical Books, brings mathematics, sciences, computing, engineering, construction, and transportation sections closer to visitors at the flagship store. Bldg. 2 is located across the street from the City of Books on the corner of NW 10th and Couch. Every day at our buyers' counter in the Orange Room we purchase thousands of used books from the public. Powell's purchases special collections, libraries, and bookstore inventories as well. A few facts about the City of Books: • 68,000 square feet packed with books. • We buy 3,000 used books over the counter every day. • Approximately 3,000 people walk in and buy something every day. • Another 3,000 people just browse and drink coffee. • We stock 122 major subject areas and more than 3,500 subsections. • You'll find more than 1,000,000 volumes on our shelves. • Approximately 80,000 book lovers browse the City's shelves every day in Portland and via the Internet. So is our mother ship the world's largest bookstore? Heck, it may be bigger than your whole town. The Washington Post called Powell's "perhaps the best bookstore in the world." You can also browse our store map online in .PDF format. If you've already placed an order for a book via our website and would like to check on its status, please email the internet office at help@powells.com. More about Powell's City of Books: Store Map (PDF) \| Directions to Powell's City of Books \| World Cup Coffee & Tea at Powell's City of Books \| Tour Powell's City of Books \| The Rare Book Room Here are just some of the books we're talking about at Powell's. The Night Circus Touted as an adult's version of Harry Potter, The Night Circus actually lives up to its hype. It's the story of a couple of magicians, a circus, and a duel. And, of course, it's so much more. Morgenstern's creation is astounding and intricate, delicate and beautiful, frightening and overwhelming. Though torn between the contrary desires of racing through this perfectly paced tale or savoring every complex and unique sentence, I was hooked from the beginning. Not much of a fantasy fan? Me, neither. Read this book anyway. Recommended by Dianah May 14, 2012 product The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern The 50 Mile Bouquet Every February, supermarket floral departments overflow with a seemingly endless supply of nondescript red roses... but have you ever stopped to wonder where they all come from? Chances are, not from anywhere near where you live. Most "factory flowers," favored for their uniformity and durability, are grown overseas (often under lax environmental and labor laws) and treated with preservatives to survive the long journey to your neighborhood store. In The 50 Mile Bouquet, Debra Prinzing explores the growing "slow flower" movement, which promotes seasonal, local, and sustainably grown flowers as an alternative to the days-old (or weeks-old), stressed out, and toxic variety that dominate the market. Join Prinzing in her celebration of flowers as nature intended them to be: fresh, fragrant, and perfect in their imperfection. You'll never look at a cellophane-wrapped bouquet the same way again. Recommended by Tove May 14, 2012 product State of Wonder What if women could become pregnant into their 70s? What if a woman's fertility could be increased exponentially? What if the ever-encroaching biological clock disappeared? Ann Patchett takes us deep into the Amazon in search of answers to these questions in her latest novel. The amazingly long fertility window in the female members of the Lakashi Amazonian tribe is the subject of study for a group of doctors. When head researcher Dr. Swenson, after a decade of study, refuses to come home, share her work, or even report back to her bosses, Dr. Eckman, is sent in after her. When Dr. Eckman turns up dead, Dr. Singh is sent in to bring back his body, but also to shake loose Dr. Swenson's research results. What follows is a terrific story of survival, curiosity, culture shock and acclimation, as Dr. Singh makes her way through the jungle and finally tracks down Dr. Swenson. A story thread involving a deaf-mute child, who has somehow defected from a rival tribe, is sweet and eventually astonishing. Patchett has laser-like insight into her characters; they never feel anything less than real. With anacondas, a hailstorm of arrows, unsanitary surgery, big-business-pharmaceutical greed, ethnocentric interference, and a great story buoyed by wonderful characters, this is must read. Recommended by Dianah May 8, 2012 product State of Wonder (P.S.) by Ann Patchett Bin Laden's Bald Spot I'm not normally a fan of short-story collections — in fact, I hate them. They're too insignificant, too shallow, too constrained. Yet, it seems that anything Brian Doyle writes is instantly able to hook me. Here you have the quirkiest collection of characters ever cobbled together (Bin Laden's barber, anyone?). Doyle managed to circumvent my entrenched bias and made me a believer in the absolute perfection of a short story written well. If you haven't read him, do yourself a favor and pick up anything he's done; enjoy the meandering, quixotic, and singular musings of Portland's own Brian Doyle. Recommended by Dianah May 8, 2012 product Homesweet Homegrown Just as a small plot of land can yield a bountiful harvest, this unassuming little book packs quite a punch. Jasko's friendly, informative, and unfussy instructions cover all the basics of growing, preparing, and preserving your own food, while Biggs's charming line drawings challenge you not to crack a smile in the process. You don't need a green thumb or a culinary degree to enjoy farm-to-table goodness — this book should do the trick. Recommended by Tove May 8, 2012 product The Secret of Evil As the pool of Roberto Bolaño's as yet untranslated (or unpublished) work draws ever shallower, fans of the late Chilean novelist and poet are left hungering for whatever wayward morsels still remain. While those eager to devour something as bountiful as The Savage Detectives or 2666 are likely to be left unsated, Bolaño's residual writings nonetheless offer a complementary (if not integral) glimpse into his towering and singular body of work. So it is with The Secret of Evil, a collection of 19 mostly unfinished pieces found amongst the files on Bolaño's computer following his death in 2003. Ignacio Echevarría, Spanish critic and Bolaño's literary executor, penned a preliminary note to The Secret of Evil that outlines the provenance of the book's contents. Despite the undated nature of these orphaned pieces, it appears that Bolaño was working on them in the months preceding his death. Echevarría offers insight into the often problematic charge of determining which of Bolaño's stories or items had, in fact, already been completed: The inconclusive nature of Bolaño's novels and stories makes it difficult to decide which of the unpublished narrative texts should be regarded as finished and which are simply sketches. The task is further complicated by Bolaño's progressive radicalization of what I have called his poetics of inconclusiveness. And to make the distinction more difficult still, Bolaño rarely began to write a story without giving it a title and immediately establishing a definite tone and atmosphere; his writing, which is always captivating, virtually never stumbles or hesitates. Despite the arduousness of Echevarría's attempts to clarify a particular piece's state of completion, the writing in The Secret of Evil never reads as if it were hastily constructed, but rather, at times, simply unfinished. Some of the included stories may well have an ambiguous ending, while others leave off in a way that seemingly indicates that they were abandoned pending resumption at a later date. Of the 19 pieces that compose The Secret of Evil, three have appeared previously in English translation. "Vagaries on the Literature of Doom" (a speech about the state of post-Borgesian Argentine literature), "Sevilla Kills Me" (an unfinished, if somewhat similarly themed, address), and "Beach" (progenitor of the " Bolaño was once a heroin junkie" speculations since debunked by his wife, as well as by friend and fellow author Enrique Vila-Matas) were all published in Between Parentheses. As with much of Bolaño's writing, the line between fictional creation and autobiographical sketch blur easily, as is evident in "I Can't Read," a "story" about his son Lautaro's humorous antics during Bolaño's first return trip to his native Chile in nearly two and a half decades. "I Can't Read" demonstrates a lighter, more playful (and ever self-effacing) Bolaño, and is one of the book's stronger pieces, despite remaining, sadly, forever unfinished. Three of the stories in The Secret of Evil, "The Old Man of the Mountain," "Death of Ulises," and "The Days of Chaos," feature recurrent Bolaño character (and autobiographical alter ego) Arturo Belano, two of which portray him well beyond his heady, itinerant Savage Detectives years. Daniela de Montecristo (of Nazi Literature and 2666 fame) makes a brief appearance in her namesake story, "Daniela," wherein she recalls the loss of her virginity at age 13. "Scholars of Sodom" (in two versions) imagines V. S. Naipaul upon a visit to Buenos Aires. "Labyrinth" is vaguely evocative of the first part of 2666, "The Part about the Critics." "Muscles," Echevarría surmises, is "probably the beginning of an unfinished novel, perhaps an early version of Una Novelita Lumpen" (a 2002 novella yet to be rendered into English). The collection's title story is amongst the best (despite its brevity) of those selected for inclusion, and offers a seedy, nocturnal milieu that Bolaño was so adept at creating. The most surprising of the stories is "The Colonel's Son," a nightmarish tale wherein the narrator recounts a chilling zombie movie he viewed on television the night before. The Secret of Evil will appeal most greatly to those already won over by Bolaño's extraordinary body of work. Neophytes may well find this a difficult collection to make sense of, as the nature of the book lends itself to those long since familiar with the style and themes that characterize the Chilean's masterful fiction. This is most certainly not the place for a newcomer to start, but for the devotee, a subterranean expanse of narrative possibilities and literary what-ifs await. Recommended by Jeremy May 3, 2012 product The Secret of Evil by Roberto Bolano The Ranger I'm always thrilled when I find a writer that I've never read before, especially one that can keep me glued to the pages as adeptly as Ace Atkins does in The Ranger. With vividly drawn characters, a rich setting (the deep south of Mississippi hill country), and fast-paced action, The Ranger is what every thriller should be. The hero, Quinn, returns home after seven years as an Army Ranger to deal with the death of his uncle, the local sheriff. He discovers that his beloved uncle, who once saved Quinn's life, may not have been the hero he long admired. As Quinn wades through the detritus of his uncle's life, he finds himself drawn into a snake's nest of political corruption, meth dealers, and resentment, which he must unravel to find the truth. Recommended by Lynn May 3, 2012 product The Permaculture Book of Ferment and Human Nutrition During the many years it was out of print, The Permaculture Book of Ferment and Human Nutrition garnered something of a cult following, while high demand and limited availability drove its price into the hundreds. Thanks to the good folks at Tagari Publications, you can enjoy Mollison’s celebrated compendium of food preservation techniques (complete with clarified instructions, updated resources, and a snazzy new cover) without breaking the bank. From the familiar (Pickled Cucumbers, p. 83) to the not-so-familiar (Hundred-Year Eggs, p. 164), this book serves up a literal feast of proven techniques for not only extending the shelf life, but also enhancing the flavor and nutrition of everyday foods. Recommended by Tove May 3, 2012 product The Tiger's Wife Part mystery, part folktale, part dark fable, The Tiger's Wife is wholly original. Set in the Balkans, this atmospheric novel follows a young doctor who works in an orphanage and has just lost her grandfather. Trying to make sense of his death, Natalia begins to unravel the meaning behind twin folktales — The Deathless Man and The Tiger's Wife, both unbelievable yet seemingly true — that seem to be entwined with her grandfather's life and death. Told again and again to Natalia by her grandfather, these stories of his youth become her stories, as well; every opaque and muddy sentence becomes a link to her grandfather. Obreht is the youngest author named as one of the New Yorker's Best 20 Writers Under 40, as well as the National Book Foundation's Best 5 Under 35. At 25, her ability to write The Tiger's Wife is astonishing. A seasoned and mature writer would be hard pressed to match the scope and lyricism of Obreht's debut book. Moody, pensive, and shadowy, yet at the same time positively radiant, The Tiger's Wife should not be missed. Recommended by Dianah March 7, 2012 product The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht 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 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

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