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Powell's Staff:
Five Book Friday: In Memoriam
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Every year, the booksellers at Powell’s submit their Top Fives: their five favorite books that were released in 2023. It’s a list that, when put together, shows just how varied and interesting the book tastes of Powell’s booksellers are. I highly recommend digging into the recommendations — we would never lead you astray — but today...
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Brontez Purnell:
Powell’s Q&A: Brontez Purnell, author of ‘Ten Bridges I’ve Burnt’
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Rachael P.:
Starter Pack: Where to Begin with Ursula K. Le Guin
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Customer Comments
Marjorie Madonne has commented on (11) products
Hild
by
Griffith, Nicola
Marjorie Madonne
, May 05, 2014
Nicola Griffith has written a gorgeous book about a girl in Anglo-Saxon times in England. Hild is clever, and she's the niece of a king -- but she's a GIRL, in an era that values women mainly as bearers of children, and, in the case of girls of royal blood, as "peace weavers," who can be traded off in marriage to cement political alliances. Hild does not particularly aspire to either career path. However, she has an out -- her mother had a dream when she was pregnant that she was bearing a child of great promise, who would be "the light of the world." Everybody assumes this child will be a boy. When Hild is born, the common reaction is, But how can a girl be "the light of the world"? Hild's clever mother, Beguswirth, fosters the belief that Hild carries some sort of magic -- she can read minds, predict the future. Beguswirth trains her in the arts of observation and analysis, of which Beguswirth herself is no mean pracitioner. Hild's Uncle Edwin, the king of Northumbria, who's busy trying to make himself "overking" of the island, takes her on as his "seer" when she's still a child. Hild grows up as a remarkable young girl in a land that mixes civilization and barbarity. Many things are changing -- the new Christian religion is penetrating England, displacing the old gods. Hild herself becomes a Christian. But there is no sign yet of the future Saint Hilda. Hild has mystical leanings, but none that are specific to Christianity; she is baptized, along with most of the Northumbrian court, as yet another one of Edwin's political ploys, The book ends with the promise of a sequel, which I'm looking forward to.
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Miss Garnets Angel
by
Salley Vickers
Marjorie Madonne
, February 04, 2014
I read "Miss Garnett's Angel" a few years ago and I loved it. It's a wonderful book for anybody who loves reading about Venice, as well as a fascinating story in its own right.
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Path to Power The Years of Lyndon Johnson Vol 01
by
Robert A Caro
Marjorie Madonne
, January 05, 2013
Caro is amazing -- the very best of historical research, and as fascinating to read as any novel. The early passages (he picks up the story at the point of JFK's assassination) are particularly striking. Not just a portrait pf LBJ but of an entire era.
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Heartstone
by
C. J. Sansom
Marjorie Madonne
, March 03, 2012
This is the most recent in C.J. Sansom's Matthew Shardlake mystery series, set during the reign of Henry VIII. It maintains the high standards Sansom has set in his previous Shardlake books, starting with Dissolution. In this one Shardlake is asked by Henry's new queen, Catherine Parr (whom he met in the last book, Revelation) to assist an old servant of hers, Bess Calfhill, whose son has committed suicide under mysterious circumstances. Shardlake sets out for the southeast of England to pursue his investigations just as Henry is plunging the country into war with France. The country is alert for a possible French invasion, and the English ships are gathering in Portsmouth. Sansom does a wonderful job of making history come alive in the context of a gripping story about characters you can really care about. His vivid description of thre famous sinking of Henry's great ship, the Mary Rose, in Portsmouth Harbor, is a highlight of this book.
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Agent Zigzag A True Story of Nazi Espionage Love & Betrayal
by
Ben Macintyre
Marjorie Madonne
, October 01, 2010
I just got through reading "Agent Zigzag." Wow! What an amazing story. One of the great spy stories of all time. If it were a novel, you'd say it was too implausible. But it's not -- it's true.
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The Water-Babies: A Fairy Tale for a Land-Baby
by
Kingsley, Charles
Marjorie Madonne
, September 21, 2010
I read "Water Babies" as a child and adored the book. The review definitely makes me want to revisit it.
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City of Shadows
by
Ariana Franklin
Marjorie Madonne
, May 17, 2009
Ariana Franklin is known primarily for series of historical mysteries set in medieval England. "City of Shadows", however, is a novel of suspense set in 1920s-1930s Berlin. The novel is centered around the story of a real life historical character, Anna Anderson, who turned up in a German mental asylum in the 1920s claiming to be the Grand Duchess Anastasia of Russia, a survivor of the massacre of the Imperial family at Ekaterinberg. Ms Franklin is very good at evoking the louche and threatening atmosphere of Berlin in this period -- the dire poverty and chaos of the 1920s followed by the rise of Naziism. The characters (among them a fake Russian nobleman; a Russian Jewish refugee who has survived her own share of horror; a German cop who views the looming menace of Naziism with distaste and fear) are interesting and the plotting is ingenious.
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Dispossessed
by
Ursula K Le Guin
Marjorie Madonne
, May 19, 2008
I've always loved Le Guin. The Dispossessed is a true classic of the genre -- beautifully written and very moving. I recently reread it after many years, along with The Left Hand of Darkness, another Le Guin classic. Both are as good as ever, not dated at all.
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Christine Falls
by
Benjamin Black
Marjorie Madonne
, April 08, 2008
I've always admired John Banville & was pleased to discover he has a mystery series under the name Benjamin Black. He's a remarkable writer and Christine Falls is a remarkable book. Great noir atmosphere (it's mostly set in one of my favorite cities, Dublin) and vivid characters. I'm looking forward to the next one in the series.
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Murder In The Rue De Paradis An Aimee
by
Cara Black
Marjorie Madonne
, April 08, 2008
I've enjoyed Cara Black's Aimée Leduc series for several years and I'm currently reading Murder in the Rue de Paradis. Good Paris atmosphere, interesting characters. I do wish the publisher would get the French accents right, though. The accent aigu (´) is not the only accent that exists in French. In this edition, all the words that should have the accent grave (`) are printed with an accent aigu. For instance: Giséle, when it should be Gisèle. It is irritating.
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Blue Angel
by
Francine Prose
Marjorie Madonne
, January 06, 2008
I loved this book. So funny but ultimately sad. I loved the open-ended conclusion. Prose is a wonderful writer.
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(4 of 7 readers found this comment helpful)
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