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Powell's Q&A, Q&A | June 29, 2009

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"I fell in love with Crosby, Stills, and Nash's song 'Southern Cross' when I was fifteen. By the time I got to college, 'I'm going to sail around the world someday' was sort of my pickup line." Continue »
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It's been a strange Halloween at our warehouse in Northwest Portland. With our back doors flung open to buy used books — now every day of the week from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. — we're getting a lot of visitors in some strange costumes, and we can't tell if they want candy or books. (We've split the difference and given them some of our favorite books on candy.) Meanwhile, we've been dressing as our favorite authors in honor of this jam-packed edition of our newsletter! Bolton came as Tom Perrotta, the Abstinence Teacher author whose interview you'll find below. Dave and Darin were embarrassed to learn they'd both dressed as Richard Russo, while Nathan actually came as a signed first edition of the Pulitzer Prize-winning author's latest novel, Bridge of Sighs. Other costumes included Ann Patchett (Run), Frances Moore Lappé (Getting a Grip), Dean Cycon (Javatrekker), and Rudolph Delson (Maynard and Jennica). C. J. got to dress as a vampire in honor of guest blogger Ben Templesmith's 30 Days of Night, while Kenneth C. Davis (Don't Know Much about Anything) was represented by the giant question mark Jill wore on her head. We aren't sure who Fup was supposed to be — she just lay around in her usual fur coat and watched the rest of us with obvious bemusement.
signed editions
The Bridge of Sighs, Signed 1st EditionSix years after his bestselling, Pulitzer Prize-winning Empire Falls, Richard Russo returns with a novel that expands his widely heralded achievement. Bridge of Sighs courses with small-town rhythms and the claims of family, yet it is brilliantly enlarged by an expatriate whose motivations and experiences prove every bit as mesmerizing as they resonate through these richly different lives. "[An] astounding achievement," raves the Boston Globe. "From its lovely beginning to its exquisite, perfect end, Russo has written a masterpiece." Order your signed first editions now!
add to cart Bridge of Sighs Signed New $26.95 | Hardcover

more signed editions

FEATURED INTERVIEW

Tom PerrottaAlthough it was his fifth book (and fourth novel), 2004's Little Children finally put Tom Perrotta on the map for many critics and readers — and the screenplay adaptation he co-wrote earned him an Oscar nomination. With his terrific new novel, The Abstinence Teacher, Perrotta proves his long-awaited success was no fluke. The story of a beleaguered sex-ed instructor who comes into conflict with her daughter's soccer coach, an evangelical Christian who ignites a powder keg with a public prayer, The Abstinence Teacher is a searingly assured, absorbing novel that manages to be both thrilling and hilarious as it plunges fearlessly into the culture war being waged across our nation. In this Powells.com interview, Perrotta discusses how he researched both sides of the religious divide, why presidential elections have inspired so much of his work, and how writing is like football.

more author interviews

Buy 2 Get 1 Free   30% off Potter Craft
Buy two books and get the third free.
  Save 30% on books on knitting, sewing, and more.
NEW ARRIVALS
HARDCOVER
The Terror DreamThe Terror Dream: Fear and Fantasy in Post-9/11 America by Susan Faludi

From the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and bestselling author of Backlash and Stiffed comes The Terror Dream, an unflinching dissection of the mind of America after 9/11. Faludi's new work shows what that horrific day revealed about us — and offers the opportunity to look at ourselves anew, in a book that Publishers Weekly calls "brilliant, unsentimental, often darkly humorous." Save 30% on The Terror Dream from Powells.com.

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World without EndWorld without End by Ken Follett

In 1989, Follett astonished the literary world with The Pillars of the Earth, a sweeping epic novel set in 12th-century England that centered on the building of a cathedral and the hundreds of lives it affected. Three years in the writing, and nearly eighteen years since its predecessor, World without End picks up two centuries later, breathing new life into the epic historical novel. "[A]mazingly well-researched, intricately plotted, richly detailed," praises Booklist.

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DVD
28 Weeks Later 28 Weeks Later

Arriving on DVD just in time for Halloween, 28 Weeks Later, the terrifying sequel to the hit 28 Days Later takes place in a ravaged London where the military has regained control over the infected zombies. Or has it? Starring Robert Carlisle (Trainspotting), 28 Weeks Later is "a rare example of a horror sequel that is every bit as scary — sometimes even more so — than its predecessor" (IGN.com). Save 30% when you buy 28 Weeks Later from Powells.com — and as always, shipping on all DVDs is free!

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PAPERBACK
The Ghost Map The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic — and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World by Steven Johnson

Now in paperback, national bestseller The Ghost Map is a thrilling historical account of the worst cholera outbreak in Victorian London — and a brilliant exploration of how Dr. John Snow's solution revolutionized the way we think about disease, cities, science, and the modern world. "By turns a medical thriller, detective story and paean to city life, Johnson's account of the outbreak and its modern implications is a true page-turner," praises the Washington Post. Save 30% when you order The Ghost Map from Powells.com!

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The Thirteenth Tale The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

In the rousingly good ghost story The Thirteenth Tale (last year's surprise bestseller, now in paperback), Diane Setterfield rejuvenates the genre with a closely plotted, clever foray into a world of secrets, confused identities, lies, and half-truths. "A wholly original work told in the vein of all the best gothic classics," praises Booklist. "Lovers of books about book lovers will be enthralled." Summon your copy of The Thirteenth Tale at 30% off the publisher's price.

add to cart The Thirteenth Tale Sale $10.50 | Trade Paper
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Eclipse Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer

Amidst our bounty of October Harlequin bundles, Stephenie Meyer's Eclipse is the perfect eBook for Halloween! The author of the New York Times bestsellers Twilight and New Moon delivers the much-anticipated third novel in her engrossing young adult series. As Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge, Bella Swan once again finds herself surrounded by danger. Download all the thrills in eBook format!

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List Price: $12.99 (You Save: $1.95)

Intermission.

Every day in our blog, the correspondent mysteriously known only as "Brockman" writes the illuminating Book News posts, revealing the sexiest, most scandalous and titillating, or downright strange goings-on in the book industry. Last week, however, Powell's itself made the news with the release of Stephen Colbert's new book, I Am America (and So Can You!).

I Am America (and So Can You!) October 10, 2007:
Well, folks, the big news — if you haven't already seen it on CNN or the front page of the New York Times today — is that Powell's Stephen Colbert release party was featured on last night's Colbert Report!

If you missed it, click here to watch the video.

We'd like to apologize to Mr. Colbert for ripping him off. We at Powell's cannot condone the senseless act of discounting books and wish him to know that he will receive his hard-earned eight dollars shortly in the mail.

HOWEVER! I cannot abide his relentless slurs against not only Powell's, but the entire city of Portland.

"Hippie stronghold"?

"Portland is communist"?

These charges would be libelous except he spoke them aloud, which makes them slander!...

Click here to read Brockman's challenge to Stephen Colbert.

From the Authors: SAVE 30%
RICHARD RUSSO: ORIGINAL ESSAY
Richard Russo It took Richard Russo six years to follow his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Empire Falls with his latest, Bridge of Sighs. In this exclusive essay for Powells.com, Russo answers the oft-asked question "What took you so long?" with a redefinition of a writer's "laziness." Read Russo's essay and save 30% off the cover price of Bridge of Sighs — or pick up a signed first edition while they last.
Bridge of Sighs
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ANN PATCHETT: ORIGINAL ESSAY
Ann Patchett "When writing a novel, choosing the setting is every bit as important as choosing the characters," writes Ann Patchett in this original essay for Powells.com. The bestselling author of Bel Canto returns with Run — a novel about secrets, duty, responsibility, and the lengths we will go to protect our children — which Booklist calls "luminous." Read Patchett's essay and grab your copy of Run for 30% off.
Run
Run Sale $18.16 | Hardcover
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FRANCES MOORE LAPPÉ: ORIGINAL ESSAY
Frances Moore Lappe Frances Moore Lappé's Getting a Grip is a little book with a big message, one that distills her world-spanning experience and wisdom in a conversational yet hard-hitting style. "Here I am, 36 years and sixteen books from Diet for a Small Planet," the author writes, "yet the 'ah-ha' moment that triggered that little volume still reverberates in my life: We humans are actively creating the scarcity we claim to fear!" Read the rest of Lappé's original essay for Powells.com and get a grip on her new book for 30% less than the cover price.
Getting a Grip: Clarity, Creativity, and Courage in a World Gone Mad
Getting a Grip Sale $10.46 | Trade Paper
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DEAN CYCON: ORIGINAL ESSAY
Dean Cycon As the founder of Dean's Beans Organic Coffee and author of Javatrekker: Dispatches from the World of Fair Trade Coffee, Dean Cycon knows coffee. In this revealing book, Cycon explores the untold origins of coffee through his travels to ten different producing countries. "In the hyper-caffeinated world of coffee marketing, it is very difficult to tell the truth from a load of beans," Cycon writes in this eye-opening essay for Powells.com. Read Cycon's essay on why fair trade matters and save 30% when you scoop up Javatrekker ("a great book for anyone who wants to know what is really going on in their morning cup," hails Nobel Peace Laureate Rigoberta Menchú).
Javatrekker: Dispatches from the World of Fair Trade Coffee
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RUDOLPH DELSON: ORIGINAL ESSAY
Rudolph Delson "[B]oldly inventive" (Library Journal), Rudolph Delson's debut novel Maynard and Jennica is an uproarious and deeply moving tour-de-force that is both a portrait of our times and a wildly original New York love story. In this original essay for Powells.com, Delson reflects on his first visit to Powell's Books, as well as his search for an "intellectually respectable theory of misanthropy." Read the essay and save 30% on Maynard and Jennica.
Maynard and Jennica
Maynard and Jennica Sale $16.80 | Hardcover
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BEN TEMPLESMITH: GUEST BLOGGER
Ben Templesmith Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith's acclaimed graphic novel 30 Days of Night, the story of an isolated Alaskan town plunged into darkness for one month each year and of the bloodthirsty gang of vampires that invades it, is now a feature film from producer Sam Raimi (The Grudge). This week we're thrilled (and a little terrified) to have artist Ben Templesmith as our guest blogger! Check out his blog posts and save 30% all week on 30 Days of Night.
30 Days of Night
30 Days of Night Sale $12.59 | Trade Paper
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Win an iPhone!   Review-a-Day: Times Literary Supplement
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  Powells.com welcomes the Times Literary Supplement.
in our stores
1. Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld (Child Care and Parenting)
Deceptively Delicious It has become common knowledge that childhood obesity rates are increasing every year. But the rates continue to rise. And between busy work schedules and the inconvenient truth that kids simply refuse to eat vegetables and other healthy foods, how can average parents ensure their kids are getting the proper nutrition and avoiding bad eating habits? (read more)
2. The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing (Literature)
3. I Am America (and So Can You!) by Stephen Colbert (Humor)
4. The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan (Sociology)
5. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (Biography)
6. The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein (Politics)
7. Under My Skin by Doris Lessing (Biography)
8. The End of America by Naomi Wolf (Politics)
9. New Pathways for Sock Knitters by Cat Bordhi and Michael Hopkins (Crafts)
10. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling (Children's)
In case you haven't noticed, we sell used books, in addition to new. That's kind of our thing. And that means we need to buy used books, hopefully from you! Come to our Northwest Portland warehouse at 2720 NW 29th Avenue any day of the week from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and turn those old books gathering dust on your shelves into cold, hard cash — or store credit.
OCTOBER 17: Alan Cheuse
The FiresIn The Fires, NPR's All Things Considered book commentator Alan Cheuse offers two finely honed novellas linked so skillfully that they achieve the intensity of a single novel in which two questing souls travel very different landscapes on their ways toward new understandings of love and loss. Publishers Weekly cheers, "Cheuse approaches his subjects from interesting angles, making these novellas of grief strangely compelling."

OCTOBER 23: A. J. Jacobs
Living BiblicallyA. J. Jacobs, author of The Know-It-All, follows up his New York Times-bestselling account of reading the entire Encyclopedia Britannica with another improbable adventure: a year spent living, as literally as possible, by the rules of the Bible. The Year of Living Biblically is a "hilarious, quixotic, thought-provoking memoir" (Publishers Weekly, starred review).

view all events
preorder signed editions by authors coming to Powell's

IN OUR NEXT EDITION:
An interview with Oliver Sacks (Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain)
An original essay from Molly Gloss (The Hearts of Horses)
An INK Q&A from Michael Chabon (Gentlemen of the Road)
Fup.  Store Cat.

"You're a good wrestler," Fup assures Bagheera, needlessly. "Probably even better than Oreo."

Oreo jabs a paw at Chester's chin. Catching the dog off balance, he rushes Chester's legs — crash! — and hurries to a safe position as Chester topples to the mat.

"He's a showman," Bagheera clarifies, "not a wrestler." It would sound like sour grapes if it weren't so obviously true.

Ah, but in showmanship Oreo has met his match. Licking his paw, feigning nonchalance, he gives Chester too much time to recover. Suddenly the dog has taken control, racing tight circles around him, around and around and around, so that Oreo can't escape.

Chester abruptly stops, stares down the cat, and reverses direction. In three strides he's back to full speed. The crowd goes wild.

Best fundraiser the animal shelter has staged in years.

Send questions, comments, suggestions, and JPEGs of you in your Halloween costume to newsletter@powells.com.

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