en Copyright 2008, Powells.com Thu, 15 May 2008 01:00:21 PST Thu, 15 May 2008 01:00:21 PST webmaster@powells.com http://powells.com/favicon.png Powells.com, yo! The first woman to co-anchor a network news program. Arguably the most influential interviewer of the 20th century. An American icon. Barbara Walters addresses it all in her incredible new memoir, but in fact it's her family story — the human story, pocked with inevitable failures and regrets — that forms the backbone of Audition. In conversation with Powell's, Walters talked about Baba Wawa, the art of not interrupting, life choices as evidenced by two Hepburns, W's muddy barn, NBC in the 1800s, and a remarkable life, both on- and off-camera.]]> Wed, 7 May 2008 10:06:00 PST In 2000, Jhumpa Lahiri's debut short story collection, Interpreter of Maladies, won the Pulitzer Prize. A few years later, her first novel, The Namesake, became a bestseller and the basis for a major motion picture. Lahiri's third book, Unaccustomed Earth, more than lives up to her previous work: this deeply moving, gorgeously written collection of stories is Lahiri's strongest fiction yet. The Boston Globe raves, "[E]ight beautifully crafted stories that reaffirm [Lahiri's] status as one of this country's most accomplished and graceful young writers." In this interview, Lahiri discusses her new collection of stories, the ways in which her writing has changed, and her literary mentors. ]]> Wed, 23 Apr 2008 15:00:08 PST Willy Vlautin likes racetracks, motels, and diners. He's had a song written about him by stealth performer Herman Jolly, "Woodshack Willy," in which he's referred to as "the countriest western singer I ever saw." Northline, his second novel, comes with a soundtrack Vlautin recorded with his Richmond Fontaine bandmate Paul Brainard; it was published this winter in the UK to rave reviews. We're thrilled to be able to share this conversation between Kate Bernheimer, author of The Complete Tales of Merry Gold, and Willy Vlautin in which they talk about horses, music, and hard work. ]]> Tue, 8 Apr 2008 17:11:57 PST The Washington Post claims, "Picoult has become a master — almost a clairvoyant — at targeting hot issues and writing highly readable page-turners about them...It is impossible not to be held spellbound by the way she forces us to think, hard, about right and wrong." In her new novel, "Change of Heart," Picoult tackles thorny issues surrounding religion and capital punishment with grace and aplomb, creating a fast-paced but thoughtful exploration of free will and redemption. In this interview, Picoult spoke about the Gnostic gospels, visiting death row, and moving interactions with her readers.]]> Tue, 25 Mar 2008 15:15:21 PST You might think it would be hard for a writer to top an achievement like the novel Clockers — but then, you wouldn't be thinking about Richard Price. With his latest novel, Lush Life, Price tears the shiny veneer off the "new" New York to show us the hidden cracks, the underground networks of control and violence beneath the glamour. It's a powerful, riveting book that is as much character study as crime story, with dialogue so rich you can't help speaking it out loud. When Kirkus raves, "There oughta be a law requiring Richard Price to publish more frequently. Because nobody does it better," we're inclined to agree. In this Powells.com interview, we spoke with Price about the real-life inspirations for his novel, writing for the HBO series The Wire, and more!]]> Tue, 11 Mar 2008 11:28:43 PST Lauren Groff needed four drafts and several years to discover her novel's ultimate voice and structure — a pastiche of letters and diaries, traditional first-person narrative, dramatic monologue, genealogical charts, old photographs and newspapers, even a Greek chorus. The Monsters of Templeton contains multitudes: literary mystery, academic comedy, ghost story, romance... Which only makes it more impressive how seamlessly the pieces fit together, and what a pleasure the novel is to read. Groff spoke about growing up in Cooperstown and reinventing the town in her marvelous, bestselling debut.]]> Wed, 27 Feb 2008 13:07:27 PST Lydia Millet once brought three nuclear physicists back from the dead. "It's hard," Toronto's Globe and Mail admits, "to convey how invigorating Millet's fiction is." On one page she leads you to the brink of despair, and on the next she'll tickle the funny bone in your brain. She is tender and deep; and she writes assholes with flair. Also, her dialogue simply kills. We spoke about longing, Japanese cities, bears in the woods, connective tissue, and her new novel, How the Dead Dream. ]]> Tue, 12 Feb 2008 13:20:47 PST In The Thing about Life Is that One Day You'll Be Dead, David Shields takes readers from womb to casket, addictively blending family narrative, biological science, and wisdom from the likes of Schopenhauer and Ice-T. It all adds up to an audacious and, yes, lively collage that immediately won over several Powell's staff members. Now, days before The Thing about Life arrives in bookstores, Shields reflects on giggling girls, Bill Murray, and the force that through the green fuse drives the flower — in other words, what it means to be alive.]]> Tue, 29 Jan 2008 13:31:36 PST With starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Kirkus, Sue Grafton's 20th mystery featuring Kinsey Millhone is poised to do the near-impossible: It will bring even more readers to Grafton's bestselling books. USA Today calls T Is for Trespass "the best and strongest book in the series." Trespass is "vintage Grafton," Library Journal agrees, "scarily current, carefully plotted, and fast paced." Prior to a signing at Powell's in December, Grafton dished on Kinsey, impossible tasks, identity theft, collaborative writing, kick-ass Mickey Spillane novels, and more.]]> Thu, 27 Dec 2007 12:09:47 PST Deborah Madison has been called the Julia Child of vegetarian cooking (Lynne Rosetto Kasper), a "wizard with fresh produce" (New York Times), and "one of very few people responsible for reinventing and furthering the cause of American home cooking" (Mark Bittman, author of How to Cook Everything). What's her secret? Details that have now become standards of gourmet cooking: a focus on seasonal, fresh ingredients grown as locally as possible; a focus on classical simplicity; and, perhaps most importantly, a willingness to take vegetables on their own terms. Consequently, Madison's recipes have garnered devoted fans among herbivores and omnivores alike. Molly Katzen describes Madison as "an intuitive, intelligent, and passionate cook who presents her broad knowledge in a lovely, lyrical writing style," and Alice Waters praises her "refined taste and style and consistently critical and good palate." This fall, the tenth anniversary edition of the bestselling Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone has just been released, along with the paperback edition of Vegetarian Suppers from Deborah Madison's Kitchen; if you haven't yet had the pleasure of trying Madison's cuisine, these are both excellent ways to begin. ]]> Tue, 11 Dec 2007 12:43:12 PST If Judith Jones accomplished nothing more than ushering into print the revolutionary debut of a young chef named Julia Child, her story would be worthy of attention. In fact, Jones had already brought to America an overlooked French title called Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl. She would subsequently introduce readers to Madhur Jaffrey, Marion Cunningham, Lidia Bastianich, and many, many others. (She has edited John Updike for forty years.) In The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food, Jones renders a truly remarkable life with modesty and grace. "By the time you get to the 60 or so recipes Jones includes at the end," reflected the New York Times Book Review, "they seem like familiar characters we've met in the well-told tales that precede them."]]> Tue, 27 Nov 2007 13:57:20 PST An evolutionary psychologist with a focus on language, Steven Pinker is the author of several bestselling books, including The Language Instinct, How the Mind Works, Words and Rules, and The Blank Slate. No stranger to controversy, in The Blank Slate Pinker challenged the view that all people are born equal, instead arguing that genetics shapes much of personality and predisposes people towards processing information certain ways. He teaches at Harvard and is an active researcher as well as a popular public lecturer. Pinker's latest book is The Stuff of Thought: Language As a Window into Human Nature, which Wired calls "a fascinating look at how language provides a window into the deepest functioning of the human brain." On a rainy day in September 2007, Dr. Pinker discussed causality, the concept of concepts, how to swear in several languages, and how irregular verbs can lead to romance.]]> Wed, 14 Nov 2007 11:21:38 PST A man struck by lightning develops a sudden obsession for piano music. A woman suffers seizures upon hearing Neapolitan songs (and only Neapolitan songs). Clive Wearing is amnesic; he entirely forgets experiences mere seconds after they occur — and yet he remains a brilliant singer and conductor. In Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain, Oliver Sacks explores the mysterious relationships between sound and movement; music and medical treatment; and memory and imagination. Sacks took time out from his book tour for a conversation about tandem bicycles, auditory cheesecake, soggy manuscripts, lost specimens, and more.]]> Tue, 30 Oct 2007 12:10:02 PST Although 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 searingly hilarious new novel, The Abstinence Teacher, Perrotta proves his long-awaited success was no fluke. In a starred review, Kirkus calls it "shrewd yet compassionate....Ruefully humorous and tenderly understanding of human folly: the most mature, accomplished work yet from this deservedly bestselling author." 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.]]> Mon, 15 Oct 2007 16:33:46 PST For over 40 years, Jonathan Kozol has written about the dramatic inequalities in America's public schools. His first nonfiction book, Death at an Early Age, described his year teaching in the Boston Public School system and won the National Book Award. Letters to a Young Teacher, Kozol's latest book, may be his most hopeful; written as a series of letters to "Francesca," a young, idealistic, and irreverent teacher, Kozol's advice and deeply felt admiration for teachers who are making a huge difference in the lives of their students is uplifting. The Christian Science Monitor says, simply, "[I]t is a privilege to glimpse the joy and struggles within [Francesca's] classroom." It was our privilege to speak with Jonathan Kozol; in this Powells.com interview, he discusses his partial fast, No Child Left Behind, the joys of teaching, and the state of education today.]]> Tue, 2 Oct 2007 14:02:25 PST