|
Staff Picks
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Handheld Pies: Dozens of Pint-Size Sweets and Savories by Sarah Billingsley Staff Pick Part cookbook, part culinary road trip, part mouthwatering, flaky-crusted, fresh-from-the-oven feast for the eyes, Handheld Pies combines recipes for scrumptious handheld treats with profiles of some of the best small-pie makers in the United States, including Portland's own fried-pie purveyor Whiffies (p. 34). First-time pie makers will appreciate the introductory chapter devoted to equipment, ingredients, and techniques, as well as Billingsley's clear, step-by-step instructions. Seasoned pros looking to expand their repertoire are sure to find something they haven't tried, like Orange Marmalade-Mascarpone Pop Tarts (p. 37) or Vanilla Malt Jar Pie (p. 86). This book makes me want to embark on a tiny Recommended by Tove, Powells.com List Price $19.95 Your price: $13.95 Used - Hardcover 
add to wish list |
|
The Rabbits' Wedding by Garth Williams Staff Pick Eeee! This book will fill you with an endless supply of the warm fuzzies. And, who knew, but when the title was first published in 1958 it was banned! Adorable bunnies equals controversy? Unfortunately, yes. It was banned because it supposedly encouraged interracial marriage. Sigh. Luckily times have changed (sort of), and The Rabbits' Wedding is back in print! Recommended by Morgan R., Powells.com List Price $17.99 Your price: $12.95 Used - Hardcover
add to wish list |
|
How I Became a Nun by Cesar Aira Staff Pick One of the more striking characteristics of César Aira's fiction is how much fun it seems he must be having while writing his stories. Not limited by the constraints of genre, Aira's novellas often move effortlessly between them, without ever an inkling of it seeming forced or contrived. Despite their relative brevity, Aira's works (though I am unable as yet to determine just how) have an enduring effect far greater than books I thought I enjoyed more than his. This lasting mark may well be testament to Aira's unrestrained storytelling style, as well as his allegiance to originality. How I Became a Nun is the tale of an aberrant, somewhat precocious six-year-old boy named César Aira (who refers to himself as a girl). After a tainted ice cream cone leads to illness and hospitalization, young César's reality begins to blend with fantasy. As compulsion and curiosity take over, César must learn to navigate the hardships of both the first grade and the world around him (her). Aira's works are neither linear narratives nor surreal simply for the sake of it. He, instead, crafts works of great imagination that seem to have been written, above all, for the love of a good story itself. The variety and creativity of his short works is simply bewildering. As his dozens of books slowly make their way into translation, I imagine the immense talent of this prodigious Argentinean will become more widely recognized. |
|
The Family Dinner: Great Ways to Connect with Your Kids, One Meal at a Time by Laurie David Staff Pick This book is both inspiring and empowering. There are great ideas for making family meals a reality in your home. Menus, recipes, conversation starters, and much more. Besides the how-to aspect, there are stories about family meals past and present from actual people with real, active, and diverse families. This book is for any one who would like help re-connecting with their loved ones. Recommended by Kathy H, Powells.com Your price: $29.99 New - Hardcover
add to wish list |
|
Zazen by Vanessa Veselka Staff Pick There were several books I liked this year that I expected to like (such as Murakami's 1Q84), but this book came out of nowhere and absolutely floored me. Zazen is a brutally honest story about the heartbreak that follows the failure of idealism. However, don't be put off by that description, as there is an astringent wit at play here and gallows humor on nearly every page, making Zazen the perfect manifesto for these Occupy (insert location) times. Recommended by Gerry, Powells.com List Price $15.95 Your price: $11.17 Sale - Trade Paper
add to wish list |
|
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline Staff Pick Set in the year 2044, Ready Player One tells the story of a Steve Jobs-like character, his death, and the game that's played in a virtual world he created. The winner gains control of his company, and players range from big corporations with money, loner kids, and teams from across the world. It's a fun book filled with characters you love to cheer for and lots of '80s trivia. Recommended by Amy W., Powells.com Your price: $11.99 Google eBooks - Electronic
add to wish list |
|
Shadowcry (Secrets of Wintercraft #1) by Jenna Burtenshaw Staff Pick One of the last books I read in 2011 turned out to be my favorite! Shadowcry is the first volume in the Wintercraft series by British author Jenna Burtenshaw. In this dystopian world, a town's people live with the constant threat of war. When war does come, young Kate Winter gets pulled into the fray, only to learn that she is one of those known as the "skilled," all of whom possess the power of life over death. I was so taken with this story I had to order a second copy from the U.K. since it had yet to be released in the U.S.! Recommended by Stesha, Powells.com List Price $16.99 Your price: $11.89 Sale - Hardcover
add to wish list |
|
Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick Staff Pick Wonderstruck is a treasure of a book. A master artist and storyteller, Selznick beautifully weaves together the lives of Ben and Rose. Set 50 years apart, their stories, one told in pictures and one in words, each take them on journeys that lead to the Natural History Museum in New York. It is an emotionally moving story that was a joy to read. Recommended by Jen M., Powells.com List Price $29.99 Your price: $20.99 Sale - Hardcover
add to wish list |
|
Junkyard Dogs (Walt Longmire Mysteries) by Craig Johnson Staff Pick Gripping, gritty, and hilarious, Junkyard Dogs is the sixth in the Walt Longmire series, but you can dive in and thoroughly enjoy it without reading the previous books. Though once you've read one Craig Johnson novel, you'll feel the need to read all of them. A fellow Johnson addict pointed out that his writing is similar in flavor to Richard Russo's, another master of character. I have to agree that if Walt Longmire ever met Hank Devereaux from Russo's Straight Man, they'd probably be the best of friends. Recommended by Robin, Powells.com List Price $14.00 Your price: $7.98 Sale - Trade Paper
add to wish list |
|
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline Staff Pick I had a hard time choosing a number one pick for my Top 5s of 2011, but this book won out because it was fun and nostalgic and possibly the most joyfully entertaining book I read all year. A quest story set mostly in a virtual world, it's a geeky celebration of all things '80s — a decade when video arcades and John Hughes movies reigned supreme. Is it the best book I read? Probably not. Is it the book that made me happiest while I was reading it and that I most want to force on friends and strangers alike? Absolutely. Recommended by Billie Bloebaum, Powells.com Your price: $11.99 Google eBooks - Electronic
add to wish list |
|
Rebel Youth by Karlheinz Weinberger Staff Pick This is a book of photos from the 1950s and '60s of Swiss juvenile delinquents sporting their interpretation of American culture. The large, handmade belt buckles featuring Elvis and Brando, the chain and rope-stitched fly denim jeans, fur vests, and DIY jewelry all transcend fashion and expose a style that's still being ripped-off today. Proof that fashion is for people with no style of their own who appropriate it from the so-called lower class. Criminal. Recommended by Dennis, Powells.com List Price $45.00 Your price: $31.50 Sale - Hardcover
add to wish list |
|
Gallop!: A Scanimation Picture Book by Rufus Butler Seder Staff Pick A book that will charm and amuse any little one on your list. The horse really gallops; the chimp really swings from a tree — all through the magic of "scanimation."... (read more) List Price $12.95 Your price: $3.50 Sale - Hardcover
add to wish list |
|
Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann Staff Pick McCann chooses to describe one day in the life of New York City, the day in 1974 that the aerialist walked between the not-quite-finished Twin Towers. The chasm between rich and poor, the joy of connection, and the inevitability of our mortality are told... (read more) List Price $15.00 Your price: $7.50 Used - Trade Paper
add to wish list |
|
Divorcer by Gary Lutz Staff Pick A breathtaking suite of sentence-driven stories that are as refreshingly funny as they are emotionally eviscerating. Linked by themes of broken relationships and mistrustful lovers, Lutz's newest stories are full of descriptions and observations so bitter and dark that they're hilariously charred. Recommended by Kevin Sampsell, Powells.com List Price $13.00 Your price: $9.10 Sale - Trade Paper
add to wish list |
|
The Pale King by David Foster Wallace Staff Pick If I told you this book consists of 500+ pages detailing the inner workings of the massive bureaucracy that is the Internal Revenue Service as well as the interior lives of the people who work there, you'd probably tell me it sounds like a great way to cure insomnia. But Wallace successfully invests his characters and their surroundings with an almost mystical air, suggesting that what lies on the other side of utter dullness is brilliant transcendence — a point that is driven home when you reach the end of the book and realize you don't want to stop reading. Recommended by Nathan W., Powells.com Your price: $14.99 Google eBooks - Electronic
add to wish list |
|
The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt Staff Pick This entertaining and heartbreaking story is told by a fabulous narrator, Eli Sisters. Eli and his brother Charlie are hired killers in late 19th-century Oregon and California, and this is the tale of their final job. Recommended by Doug C., Powells.com Available February 2012 Your price: $14.99 New - Trade Paper 
add to wish list |
BestsellersWednesday,February 8, 2012 |
|
|
Don't Miss
