Gerry
"In looking back on the books of 2003, Set This House
in Order stands head and shoulders above every other novel
I read. Matt Ruff, in this audaciously concocted story, imbibes
his characters with a high degree of dignity and his readers
with a high degree of respect. I'm anxiously waiting to see
what he comes up with next." Gerry, Powells.com
(read
more)
Michal
"Beautifully told, and entirely inspiring, Mountains
Beyond Mountains is an exceptional look at the heroic life
of Dr. Paul Farmer. Providing health care for hundreds of thousands
in a remote, impoverished region of Haiti, Farmer's incomparable
dedication brings change not only to the lives he touches directly,
but to the efficacy of health care around the globe. Tracy Kidder
compellingly proves that one person can make a difference, in
this case in Herculean ways. Why read about a pioneering doctor
out to change the world? It will change your outlook on humanity
and move you to evaluate your place within it." Michal,
Powells.com (read
more)
Beth
"I was mesmerized by this book. It was a deliciously creepy
read, made more creepy for being true. Several times in the
course of reading it, I had to keep reminding myself that the
events really happened." Beth, Powells.com (read
more)
Joe
"A motley collection of fiction, nonfiction and humor from
famous and not-so-famous authors. What's so cool about this
collection is the diversity of publications from which the pieces
were selected: establishment (Time, Esquire, The
New Yorker); established (McSweeney's, Tin House,
Zoetrope); and you-just-wait (Pindeldyboz, Little
Engines, Shout). Forward by Dave Eggers and intro
by Zadie Smith." Joe, Powells.com (read
more)
Robin
"Robert Sabuda's most recent popup book is as spectacular
as his last one (The
Wonderful Wizard of Oz: A Commemorative Pop-Up) — a
feat I didn't think possible. His three-dimensional version
of Alice is so magical that it induces a sense of wonder that's
rarely experienced outside of childhood, when everything is
fresh and new. What a treasure! I await new Sabuda creations
with the anticipation normally reserved for Philip Pullman or
Lemony Snicket creations." Robin, Powells.com (read
more)
Kathi
"Boyd
has created, using fictional diary entries, a magnificent portrait
of a man whose life touches on many of the high and low points
of 20th-century history. Real historical figures are deftly
woven into a narrative so real it's hard to believe that the
diarist, Logan Montstuart, isn't the writer. As you follow along
on his life journey, the humor, folly, adventure and pathos
will make you sad when this 'life' must come to an end."
Kathi, Powells.com (read
more)
Mike
H.
"A graphic novel that is a novel. Brave and heartfelt,
well-written, beautifully drawn. If this one doesn't win an
Eisner Award, there's no justice." Mike H., Powells.com
(read
more)
Jill
"J. M. Coetzee combines translucent, gorgeous prose with
some of the bleakest — and most necessary — content
being written today. Elizabeth Costello is one of the
many pinnacles of an illustrious career; like his other works,
it provokes complex questions without providing easy answers.
A ruthless and thorough examination of morality, writing, and
the role of each in the other, Elizabeth Costello raises
the bar for novels to come." Jill, Powells.com (read
more)
Georgie
"Last year's reading included many books by authors that
were remarkable in terms of craft and technique (Peter Carey),
originality and heart (Mark Haddon and Matt Ruff) or sparkling
intellect (Clive James). However, William Boyd's Any Human
Heart had all of the above qualities and more. Though the
format is unassuming, the beguiling and witty voice of narrator
Logan Mountstuart creates a tender, rich, and compelling portrait
of a fascinating life lived fully." Georgie, Powells.com
(read
more)
Dave
"It's not just the hook, though the hook is peculiar and
oddly affecting. 'When I was writing,'the author allows, 'I
really thought to myself, Who on Earth is going to want to read
about a fifteen-year-old kid with a disability living in Swindon
with his father? And I thought, I better make the plot good.'
The hook — the plot — is significantly better than
good, but it's the irresistible voice of Mark Haddon's fifteen-year-old
narrator that elevates this literary debut to fantastic heights."
Dave, Powells.com (read
more)
|
|
|
|
Mike
P.
"One of this country's finest journalistic rabble-rousers
has a new volume of oral history, around the theme of activism.
A typical Chicago-centric cross-section is represented: secular
and religious, young and old, spanning the ideological spectrum.
It makes for particularly relevant reading given ongoing workers'
struggles in this day and age." Mike P., Powells.com
(read
more)
Mary Jo
"The genre of doom-laden futuristic fiction has its share of classics —
such as H.G. Wells's The Time Machine, Aldous Huxley's Brave New World,
and George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four — and these works are now
joined by Margaret Atwood's splendid novel." Richard A. Posner, The New
Republic (read
more)
Megan
"Under the Banner of Heaven is not a typical Krakauer book that takes
you on an adventure into the wilderness. Instead, it delves
into a world that is misunderstood by most of America, the world
of Mormonism and Fundamental Mormonism.
Krakauer's journey into Mormon Fundamentalism could be about
any Fundamentalist belief, religious or non-religious, and focuses
on how these beliefs are formed and how they affect a whole
society. Faith and belief are core human characteristics that
many people may take for granted, but Krakauer analyses the
multifaceted aspects of these human traits." Megan,
Powells.com (read
more)
Adrienne
"The Seduction of Silence is a work of persuasive
imagination...scope, power and narrative charm...ample and fascinating."
Thomas Keneally, author of Schindler's List (read
more)
John
B.
| #1 |
 |
Diary
by
Chuck Palahniuk |
"A page-turner that reads like a good mystery, Diary
is a study in art, history, community, family and the betrayal
of all of the above as seen through the eyes of Portland's own
Chuck Palahniuk. Also, check out his book about Portland, Fugitives
and Refugees, A Walk in Portland, Oregon, which is a fascinating
history of Portland posing as an alternative sightseeing guide."
John B., Powells.com (read
more)
Carla
"This first novel is dynamite; it makes a great read for
the young adult in you. This is a classic 'sword and sorcery
novel' with a boy, a dragon, and a sword. Paolini's book is
a little reminiscent of other books you may have read, but his
own voice comes through. And I believe his voice will only get
clearer as the trilogy progresses." Carla, Powells.com
(read
more)
Amy
| #1 |
|
Bent
Ply
by Dung Ngo and Eric Pfeiffer |
"If the thought of bent plywood furniture reminds you of
what it is like to be in love, you may very well fall for Ngo's
and Pfieffer's Bent Ply. Split into two sections, the
first a history (starting in Egypt, working its way up to Eames),
the second, an annotated journal of how-to (from forest to showroom)
are bound by an actual plywood cover. A very lovely book."
Amy, Powells.com (read
more)
Ann
"[A] story wrought with sensuous detail....This diminutive
volume holds a spare 133 pages and measures a mere four-and-a-half
by seven inches. But, what it lacks in size it makes up for
in elegant, beautifully descriptive prose." Ann, Powells.com
(read
more)
Farley
"[T]he real pleasures of this novel have less to do with
Carey's playful excesses of plot than they do with the impish
intelligence that shines forth from his language. To be sure,
My Life as a Fake explores serious issues: the strange
relationship between creator and creation, the thin line between
love and hate, the corrosive effects of greed, etc. But what
will remain in the memories of readers is the simple pleasure
of Carey's wonderful sentences." Farley, Powells.com
(read
more)
|
