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Powell's Q&A, Q&A | June 24, 2009
By Colum McCann
"'Why do writers write? Because it isn't there.'"
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Since adults aren't allowed to go trick-or-treating, we've assembled a group to go book-or-treating instead. Some of us are dressing as mice in honor of Pulitzer Prize-winning artist Art Spiegelman's new book Breakdowns and Spiegelman's Powells.com interview. Aviad Kleinberg's original essay for Seven Deadly Sins gave seven of us a great costume idea, while the INK Q&As inspired C.J. to go as a roasted chicken (Simon Hopkinson, Second Helpings of Roast Chicken), Sheila as a lion (Gregory Maguire, A Lion among Men), and Megan as a well-groomed suitcase full of money (David Taylor, Success: Stories). Guest blogger David Francis ( Stray Dog Winter) got Lenore thinking in an espionage vein, while April's outfit — the Liberty Bell, crack and all — was clearly provoked by Naomi Wolf ( Give Me Liberty).
SIGNED EDITIONS
 "This reissue is revelatory," Kirkus Reviews raves. Indeed, the new edition of Breakdowns celebrates Spiegelman's startling depth and range, in both style and subject matter (from kids' collectibles to blue comics). Order yours before they disappear.
 At last, bestselling author Michael Connelly brings together his two most popular characters when Mickey Haller, hero of The Lincoln Lawyer, meets legendary LAPD Detective Harry Bosch. Library Journal calls The Brass Verdict "one of the best thrillers of the year," while Booklist praises it as "essential for fans; a great read for anybody." Get your signed first editions now!
 more signed editions |
FEATURED INTERVIEW
 Thirty years after its initial publication, the new edition of Art Spiegelman's Breakdowns is bookended by a brand-new, career-spanning, illustrated comic and a prose postscript supplemented by yet more classic drawings. Together, the three sections offer a grand, unifying vision of a master's career. In conversation, Spiegelman covered just as much ground, from the seminal early strips in Breakdowns to the creation of Raw magazine and Maus (winner of a Pulitzer Prize in 1992), even his much-loved commercial work. (Remember Wacky Packages?)
more author interviews |
NEW ARRIVALS
HARDCOVER
 To Siberia: A Novel by Per Petterson
From the bestselling author of Out Stealing Horses comes the story of a brother and sister who are forced ever more closely together after the suicide of their grandfather. Powells.com's own Tim raves, "Per Petterson's intense and beautiful vignettes make To Siberia a real pleasure. He challenges with simplicity; he captivates with detail."
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Sale $15.40 |
Hardcover
List Price: $22.00 (You Save: $6.60) |
 The Fire: A Novel by Katherine Neville
The quest for a mystical chess service that once belonged to Charlemagne continues in The Fire, Katherine Neville's long-anticipated sequel to The Eight. "[S]tellar," raves Publishers Weekly (starred review). "The story's relentless pace is matched by characters both sympathetic and real." (Don't miss Neville's reading at Powell's at Cedar Hills Crossing on Thursday, October 23.)
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Hardcover
List Price: $26.00 (You Save: $7.80) |
 Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay
When Harold and Kumar attempt to smuggle a bong onto a flight to Amsterdam, they are branded terrorists and forced to run from the law. With a little help from Neil Patrick Harris, this sequel to the cult hit is "giddy, freewheeling and sweet-natured" (Salon.com), and the New Yorker calls the titular heroes "Abbott and Costello with dirty mouths — indomitable, ungovernable, and possibly immortal." All DVDs ship free from Powells.com.
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Sale $25.92 |
DVD
List Price: $28.98 (You Save: $3.06) |
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PAPERBACK
 The Customer Is Always Wrong: The Retail Chronicles by Jeff Martin
Hails our very own Beth: "What a delightful collection of true-life tales! Jeff Martin has gathered together writers and humorists of all stripes to offer a gold mine of cringe-inducing stories about life in the retail world....From the absurd to the poignant, The Customer Is Always Wrong will show you retail from the inside."
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Trade Paper
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 The Uncommon Reader: A Novella by Alan Bennett
From one of England's most celebrated writers, the author of the award-winning play The History Boys, comes a funny and superbly observed novella about the Queen of England and the subversive power of reading. "The Uncommon Reader is a celebration of both reading and its counterpart, independent thinking," hails the Los Angeles Times.
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Trade Paper
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 Mercury's War by Lora Leigh
Mercury's War is the latest entry in Lora Leigh's series about genetically altered Breeds with feline DNA, and the humans who awaken their desire. When someone slips the Sanctuary's secure information to a pharmaceutical company, it's up to Ria Rodriguez to pose as a clerk and uncover the leak. Yet, she has no idea of the danger she's about to encounter — or the passion she's about to ignite in one of the greatest Breeds ever created!
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 Last week's guest blogger, Elaine Szewczyk, gave us something we hadn't seen before: a cut-out doll of a character from her debut novel I'm with Stupid! Get your scissors handy...
October 15, 2008:
Don't Get Dressed!
When Kas makes the spontaneous decision to sleep with park ranger William on the last night of her exciting South African vacation, she doesn't know everything about him. But she thinks she knows enough. William looks good in a uniform, for one. In fact, the uniform is all he wears. And he certainly looks good in his underwear (pictured here, don't blush).
So it comes as a shock when William shows up in NYC not wearing the charming uniform. It's been replaced by tracksuits and jogging costumes — turns out they are the only clothes William wears when he's off duty. When Kas sees him at the airport she nearly faints. As she later says: It's like a piñata exploded in my face....
Click here to see William's questionable clothes choices, and visit our blog for daily guest bloggers, Book News, Read It Before They Screen It, and more!
| From the Authors |
SAVE 30% |
AVIAD KLEINBERG: ORIGINAL ESSAY
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With intellectual insight and deadpan humor, Aviad Kleinberg deftly guides the reader through Jewish, Christian, and Greco-Roman thoughts on sin. A bestseller in Israel, Seven Deadly Sins takes a compassionate, original, and witty look at the stuff that makes us human. Read Kleinberg's original essay for Powells.com and save 30% on Seven Deadly Sins. |
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Seven Deadly Sins
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GREGORY MAGUIRE: INK Q&A
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The eagerly awaited third book in Gregory Maguire's beloved Wicked Years series has arrived! At once a portrait of a would-be survivor and a panoramic glimpse of a world gone shrill with war fever, A Lion among Men is written with the sympathy and power that have made his books contemporary classics. "An absolute must-read for fans of this ever-evolving dark fairy tale," cheers Booklist. Read our INK Q&A with Maguire and save 30% on A Lion among Men. |
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A Lion among Men: Volume Three of the Wicked Years
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DAVID TAYLOR: INK Q&A
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David Taylor's Success, the winner of the Washington Writers' Publishing House fiction prize, includes stories that probe the lives of people caught in an increasingly intertwined world, close to home and abroad. Exploring a human calculus of love, betrayal, and fantasy, this moving collection makes those dramas vivid. Read Taylor's INK Q&A and save 30% on Success. |
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Success: Stories
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DAVID FRANCIS: GUEST BLOGGER
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With Stray Dog Winter, David Francis enters Graham Greene territory, placing a naïve hero in the center of political intrigue and betrayal at the end of the Cold War. Atmospheric and suspenseful, this novel is pure Soviet noir, a remarkable tale that "ethereally transports readers to a preternatural time where nothing and no one are as they seem" (Booklist). This week we're pleased to welcome David Francis as our guest blogger! Check out his daily blog posts and save 30% on Stray Dog Winter. |
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Stray Dog Winter
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in our stores
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The acclaimed science writer Jennifer Ackerman lends her keen eye and lively voice to this marvelous exploration of the human body. Taking us through a typical day, from the arousal of the senses in the morning to the reverie of sleep and dreams, Ackerman reveals the human form as we've never seen it: busy, cunning, and miraculous....
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5. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer (Childen's)
6. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (Children's)
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OCTOBER 23: Madeleine Albright
 In Memo to the President Elect (Harperluxe), former Secretary of State Albright offers a persuasive, wide-ranging set of recommendations to the next president by drawing on her extensive experience as an adviser to two presidents and a key figure in four presidential transitions. This event is co-presented by the World Affairs Council of Oregon. Please note: This ticketed event takes place at the Bagdad Theater. |
OCTOBER 28: Mia Kirshner
 I Live Here is an intimate exploration of humanitarian crises in four corners of the world: Chechnya, Burma, Mexico, and Malawi. The L Word star Mia Kirshner guides us through a unique paper documentary brought vividly to life in collaboration with J. B. MacKinnon, Paul Shoebridge, and Michael Simons, with featured works by Joe Sacco, Ann-Marie MacDonald, and many others. "[V]isually stunning," raves Kirkus Reviews. (This event will feature Palestine artist and contributor Joe Sacco.) |
view all events
preorder signed editions by authors coming to Powell's |
IN OUR NEXT EDITION:
An interview with Chip Kidd and signed first editions of Bat-Manga! 
Of those in the room, only Zooey had known Fup near as well as Bear had.
In the quiet that follows Bear's story, Zooey recalls his first days in Portland, 10 years ago — can it be that long? An April morning when he met Fup, or maybe late March. Across the Park Blocks, he charged her. Practically galloped from Couch Street. Because that's what you did when you saw a cat, right? You charged.
But as he approached — closer, closer! (it's embarrassing all over again to remember) — at some point (too late) it became clear that Fup had no intention of fleeing. In fact she had no intention of dignifying his charge at all.
So Zooey tried to stop running.
And he did stop running, technically. But when his legs locked up and he tried to plant his paws, the wet lawn gave way and Zooey plowed face-first through a wide and muddy divot of his own making. Narrowly averting a tree, he tumbled onto the sidewalk. Fup hadn't budged. She did, however, ask if he was hurt.
"Let's go to the store," Zooey says now. And without hesitation, Fup's friends head outside.
Send questions, comments, suggestions, and any leftover candy from last year's trick-or-treating to newsletter@powells.com. We don't mind 'em stale and sweet.
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