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Original Essays | June 27, 2009
By Fran Cannon Slayton
"Unfortunately, I've been to my fair share of wakes."
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We're in love. There, we said, and it feels so good. Trouble is, we can't decide which part of our newsletter we love the most! There's the interview with Lydia Millet, of course — and who can forget those luscious signed limited editions of How the Dead Dream to kick off our new Indiespensible subscription club? But we can't pretend we didn't also fall for the Romantic original essay by Eli Gottlieb ( Now You See Him). Nor can we erase those meaningful glances we exchanged with INK Q&As from Charles Baxter ( The Soul Thief), Peter Carey ( His Illegal Self), Samantha Hunt ( The Invention of Everything Else), and Jennifer Finney Boylan ( I'm Looking Through You). And what about guest bloggers Samara O'Shea and Trevor Paglen — are we just supposed to pretend they didn't happen? It's all so confusing — if only we'd brought enough candy to share with everyone! 
Powell's new subscription club delivers the best new books, with special attention to independent publishers. Signed first editions, custom printings, creative sets — every six weeks another at your door.
Plus, each package is stocked with surprises to please: an advance copy we've been passing around the office, or a sampler or bonus DVD or book art. Maybe handmade chocolate, just because...
VOLUME 1
How the Dead Dream
by Lydia Millet
(Counterpoint Press)
Hardcover first editions, signed and numbered by the author. Packaged in a custom, full-cloth slipcase and available only to Indiespensable subscribers.
Only the first 200 subscribers will be assured an Indiespensable edition of How the Dead Dream.
 NEW ARRIVALS
HARDCOVER
 Gang Leader for a Day: A Rogue Sociologist Takes to the Streets by Sudhir Venkatesh
In Hollywood-speak, Gang Leader for a Day is The Wire meets Harvard University. The story of the young sociologist who studied a Chicago crack-dealing gang from the inside captured the world's attention when it was first described in Freakonomics, and Gang Leader for a Day is the fascinating full story of how Sudhir Venkatesh managed to gain entry into the gang, what he learned, and how his method revolutionized the academic establishment.
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Sale $18.16 | Hardcover
List Price: $25.95 (You Save: $7.79) |
 Sharp Teeth by Toby Barlow
Capturing the pace and feel of a graphic novel, the "gut-wrenching, sexy debut" (Publishers Weekly) Sharp Teeth blends dark humor and epic themes with card-playing dogs, crystal meth labs, surfing, and carne asada tacos. "A refreshing leap across genres," cheers Kirkus Reviews.
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Sale $16.06 | Hardcover
List Price: $22.95 (You Save: $6.89) |
 Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Nominated for two Academy Awards (including Best Actress, Cate Blanchett), Elizabeth: The Golden Age tells the thrilling tale of one woman's crusade to control her love, destroy her enemies, and secure her position as a beloved icon of the Western world. Reprising the role that put her on the map, Blanchett is joined by Academy Award winner Geoffrey Rush and Academy Award nominee Clive Owen in a gripping historical thriller full of suspense, intrigue, and adventure.
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Sale $26.28 | DVD
List Price: $29.98 (You Save: $3.70) |
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PAPERBACK
 Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire: The Methods and Madness inside Room 56 by Rafe Esquith
From the man whom the New York Times calls "a genius and a saint" comes Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire, a revelatory program for educating today's youth. A brilliant and inspiring road map for anyone who cares about the future success of children, Rafe Esquith's "passionate and inspiring" new book "offers valuable insights to parents and teachers alike" (Booklist).
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Sale $9.80 | Trade Paper
List Price: $14.00 (You Save: $4.20) |
 The Faithful Spy by Alex Berenson
Based upon former New York Times reporter Alex Berenson's experience in Iraq, The Faithful Spy is a gripping thriller about the only CIA agent to ever penetrate al-Qaeda. Now in paperback, The Faithful Spy was hailed by critics as "first-rate" (Washington Post), "skillful, timely, and well-rounded" (Booklist, starred review), and "[a] thriller worthy of le Carré" (Kirkus Reviews).
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Sale $6.99 | Mass Market
List Price: $9.99 (You Save: $3.00) |
Let the Harlequin Love-O-Meter guide you to your ideal match — in romance! From sweet to sexy, sultry to blazing, Harlequin has put together a knock-out selection of eBook titles to perfectly suit your style. While you're there, sign up for our upcoming Romance newsletter and be entered for a chance to win $100 in books!
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In Old Friend from Far Away, her first book to focus solely on writing since her classic work Writing Down the Bones, Natalie Goldberg reaffirms her status as one of the foremost teachers by redefining the practice of writing memoir. In anticipation of her February 15 reading at our flagship Burnside store, we're pleased to offer this blog post from Ms. Goldberg.
February 11, 2008:
I know I am going to die someday and I was afraid I wouldn't be allowed to because of all the students who want to study writing with me. I imagined myself as one hundred, long after my colleagues and friends passed on, standing in front of a class saying, "Okay, get out your fast writing pens and notebooks. Give me the last time you had watermelon. Go. Ten minutes." So I wrote this book Old Friend from Far Away: The Practice of Writing Memoir and my challenge was to capture in the book the way I teach a class. And I think I did it. I'm excited to find out what people think.
Also my last book was a memoir, The Great Failure, about the two most important men in my life: my father and the Japanese Zen Master I studied with for 12 years. I lost a lot of Zen friends when they read the book and it surprised me — and hurt. But I also became free after the book was published. I wanted to see if my next book which is Old Friend could not mention Zen but embody it and give the reader a deep flavor of it and also be a book that wasn't about me and also was as bossy as I can be and also funny.
I loved writing this book. People ask how long did it take. I say, seven months — and 30 years of practice.
Click here to read the rest of Goldberg's post, and preorder your signed edition of Old Friend from Far Away while supplies last!
| From the Authors |
SAVE 30% |
ELI GOTTLIEB: ORIGINAL ESSAY
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"He stayed on as long as he could in Rome," writes Eli Gottlieb. "When he did leave, he was terribly sorry to go, and he's never stopped thinking about it since." In this original essay for Powells.com, the author of Now You See Him shares the fondness for Rome that helped inspire his latest novel. In its starred review Publishers Weekly praised: "With his pitch-perfect dialogue and flawed yet empathetic characters, Gottlieb's sophomore effort should win him widespread recognition." Read the entire essay and save 30% when you order Now You See Him from Powells.com. |
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Now You See Him
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Sale $16.06 |
Hardcover
List Price: $22.95
You Save: $6.89
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CHARLES BAXTER: INK Q&A
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In his extraordinary new novel, The Soul Thief, National Book Award finalist Charles Baxter delivers one of his most beautifully wrought and unexpected works of fiction: at once lyrical and eerie, acutely observant in its sensual and emotional detail and audaciously metaphysical in its underpinnings. In this INK Q&A, Baxter shares his favorite one-word indulgence, describes an interesting experience with a reader, and more. Read the Q&A and save 30% off the cover price of The Soul Thief. |
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The Soul Thief
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Sale $14.00 |
Hardcover
List Price: $20.00
You Save: $6.00
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PETER CAREY: INK Q&A
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The latest novel from the two-time Booker Prize-winning author of Theft: A Love Story, His Illegal Self is an achingly beautiful story of the love between a young woman and a little boy. In this INK Q&A, Peter Carey discusses his literary pilgrimage to Faulkner's home, why he writes, and more. Read the Q&A and save 30% on His Illegal Self. |
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His Illegal Self
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Sale $17.46 |
Trade Paper
List Price: $24.95
You Save: $7.49
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SAMANTHA HUNT: INK Q&A
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From the author of the acclaimed debut novel The Seas, The Invention of Everything Else luminously resurrects one of the greatest scientists of all time, Nikola Tesla, while magically transporting us — a la Steven Millhauser and Michael Chabon — to an early 20th-century New York City thrumming with energy, wonder, and possibility. In this INK Q&A, Hunt discusses her fascination with Tesla, why cheating at Monopoly as a young girl helped prepare her to become a writer, and more. Read the Q&A and save 30% off the cover price of The Invention of Everything Else. |
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The Invention of Everything Else
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Sale $16.80 |
Hardcover
List Price: $24.00
You Save: $7.20
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SAMARA O'SHEA: GUEST BLOGGER
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In our first-ever return engagement, we're pleased to welcome Samara O'Shea back as our guest blogger — just in time for Valentine's Day! For the Love of Letters is a much-needed contemporary guide to letter-writing, with tips on how to write all different types of notes: love letters, thank-yous, apologies, sympathy letters, goodbyes, cover letters, break-up letters... even erotic letters! Check out Samara's valentines each day on our blog — then sharpen your nibs and save 30% when you buy For the Love of Letters from Powells.com! |
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For the Love of Letters: A 21st-Century Guide to the Art of Letter Writing
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Sale $13.96 |
Hardcover
List Price: $19.95
You Save: $5.99
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in our stores
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With his bestselling spiritual guide The Power of Now, Eckhart Tolle inspired millions of readers to discover the freedom and joy of a life lived in the now. In A New Earth, Tolle expands on these powerful ideas to show how transcending our ego-based state of consciousness is not only essential to personal happiness, but also the key to ending conflict and suffering throughout the world. (read more) |
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FEBRUARY 15: Live Wire!
 Live Wire! is a radio variety show recorded in front of a live audience at the Aladdin Theater and broadcast on Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB). Kicking off its '08 season, the February 15 show features special guests China Forbes, lead singer of the internationally acclaimed band Pink Martini; Daniel H. Wilson, author of How to Build a Robot Army; film composer Harry Rabinowitz (Cold Mountain, The English Patient); music from alt-country band The Everybodyfields; Mortified, a comic excavation of adolescent artifacts (journals, letters, poems, lyrics, home movies, stories, and more) as shared by their original authors before total strangers; plus original sketch comedy from Faces for Radio Theater, music from Ralph Huntley and the Mutton Chops, host Courtenay Hameister, and, as always, a few surprises! |
FEBRUARY 22: Vikram Chandra
 An epic of exceptional richness and power, Sacred Games draws the reader deep into the life of the compelling Sikh detective Sartaj Singh — and into the criminal underworld of Ganesh Gaitonde, the most wanted gangster in India. "A splendidly big, finely made book destined to dazzle a big audience," cheers Booklist (starred review). |
 view all events
preorder signed editions by authors coming to Powell's
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IN OUR NEXT EDITION:
Was the scene as strange for anyone to witness as it must have been for Bandit's family? Their 100-pound wolf-shepherd mix, in the clearing beyond the back deck, cuddling — literally, spooning — with a cat. And while other cats were around! Fup had arrived at their house in the woods that very day; she hadn't yet set foot indoors.
They had their own cats. Great cats! This behavior was unprecedented. Would Bandit ever, in a million years, cuddle with Wiggums? They couldn't imagine. And he didn't even like to be in the same room as Kit.
Hearing this now, Oreo asks, "Can you imagine if someone actually named you Kit Cat? I guarantee they let the kids choose the name."
Fup stood up, putting some space between herself and Bandit. She walked a few confident circles on the gravel. Wiggums and Kit observed without comment.
In the kitchen, not twenty feet away, the startled couple and their children had risen from the table and crowded in front of the sliding glass door. No one opened it, not wanting to interrupt.
Fup balanced on two legs and started patting Bandit's snout. Later, Wiggums would swear he heard the dog moan.
Send questions, comments, suggestions, and valentines to
newsletter@powells.com.
PowellsBooks.news
by Bolton and Dave
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What do you need to know about Lydia Millet? She has never cuddled with a bear in the wild. She once brought three nuclear physicists back from the dead. On one page she leads you to the brink of despair. On the next she'll tickle the funny bone in your brain. And her dialogue kills. Read the interview here.
