Cart
|
|
my account
|
wish list
|
help
|
800-878-7323
Hello, |
Login
MENU
Browse
New Arrivals
Bestsellers
Featured Preorders
Award Winners
Audio Books
See All Subjects
Used
Staff Picks
Staff Picks
Picks of the Month
Bookseller Displays
50 Books for 50 Years
25 Best 21st Century Sci-Fi & Fantasy
25 PNW Books to Read Before You Die
25 Books From the 21st Century
25 Memoirs to Read Before You Die
25 Global Books to Read Before You Die
25 Women to Read Before You Die
25 Books to Read Before You Die
Gifts
Gift Cards & eGift Cards
Powell's Souvenirs
Journals and Notebooks
socks
Games
Sell Books
Blog
Events
Find A Store
Don't Miss
Big Mood Sale
Teen Dream Sale
Portland Like a Pro Sale
Powell's Author Events
Oregon Battle of the Books
Audio Books
Get the Powell's newsletter
Visit Our Stores
Powell's Staff:
Five Book Friday: In Memoriam
(0 comment)
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...
Read More
»
Brontez Purnell:
Powell’s Q&A: Brontez Purnell, author of ‘Ten Bridges I’ve Burnt’
(0 comment)
Rachael P.:
Starter Pack: Where to Begin with Ursula K. Le Guin
(0 comment)
{1}
##LOC[OK]##
{1}
##LOC[OK]##
##LOC[Cancel]##
{1}
##LOC[OK]##
##LOC[Cancel]##
Customer Comments
Heather G has commented on (13) products
1913 In Search of the World Before the Great War
by
Charles Emmerson
Heather G
, October 23, 2014
I love history books that weave together the multi-hued whirl of what is happening in the world on so many fronts at once: popular music, social change, scientific revolutions, cultural fads and more. This clever book does that, and in various locations around the world, from Washigton D.C. to St. Petersburg to Paris to Tokyo. It's focus is 1913, with the the world on a path of riches and growth, just before World War I changed everything. It's amazing to think of all that was happening right before the war started: Chanel opening her first boutique in Paris, Stravinsky's Rite of Spring debuting, Ford opening his factories in the U.S., and the looming overthrow of the Tsar in Russia. This is a great read, and is organized by different countries, so if, for example, you just want to read 30-40 pages on what was going on in Shanghai or Tokyo, you can do that too. Compelling and practical -- it gives the essential context to help understand one of the most significant times in the history of the world.
Was this comment helpful? |
Yes
|
No
report this comment
The Romanovs: The Final Chapter
by
Robert K. Massie
Heather G
, October 23, 2014
The essential story of the 300-year-old empire and ultimate downfall of the Russian Romanov dynasty is gripping, if not essential reading for anyone looking to understand some key elements of the 20th Century, from the rise of the Bolsheviks and Communism, to the start of World War I and everything that followed. But it's not your dry history tome. Massie is a Russia expert and a lively and insightful chronicler of those lives and times. The Romanov family and all their everyday joys and foibles come alive on the page, and you can really understand the man who was Tsar, just plain old Nicholas. A fascinating portrait of a man who seemed to mostly want only to plant a garden, sail, and enjoy life with his five children, but was thrust into a role he was ill-prepared for and totally unsuited for, with ultimately disastrous consequences.
Was this comment helpful? |
Yes
|
No
report this comment
Endurance Shackletons Incredible Voyage
by
Alfred Lansing
Heather G
, October 23, 2014
It's the most incredible adventure story ever told! The gripping tale of Sir Ernest Shackleton's "failed" attempt to reach the south pole 100 years ago, and how after shipwreck and all manner of adversity, he kept his stranded men alive for nearly two years on the ice, sailed the southern ocean in search of rescue in a laughably small skiff, hit Elephant Island spot on (with expert navigator Worsley), did a climbing traverse of the island in primitive -- by that point rotten -- gear, and rallied a crew to sail back for the rescue. Even if this is not normally your genre...even if you know nothing about polar exploration, or sailing, and have no idea what pemmican is....this is an unmissable story!
Was this comment helpful? |
Yes
|
No
report this comment
Enon
by
Paul Harding
Heather G
, August 06, 2014
Author Paul Harding won the Pulitzer Prize for his first novel "Tinkers," but you can pick up Enon without reading Tinkers first (I did). And wow! I was drawn in immediately by the prose, which was sensuous and beautifully descriptive, but then laugh-out-loud banal and stark, describing life's ridiculousness. The main character, Charlie, suffers the death of his young daughter, and then the departure of his wife. He's a loser and he knows it, descending into prescription drug abuse in incongruous small-town New England. This is an incredibly raw, but deeply insightful and humane look at how we make our way in this world.
Was this comment helpful? |
Yes
|
No
report this comment
Travels in Siberia
by
Ian Frazier
Heather G
, February 18, 2014
The 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia have opened the door of Russia for many people, illuminating just a slice of the vastness of Russia beyond Moscow and St. Petersburg. Fortunately, the masterful writer Ian Frazier takes us the other 4,000 miles throughout Siberia. Along the bumpy tracks and at the mosquito-laden camp sites and industrial cities, Frazier takes the reader on many wonderful digressions into Russian history and culture. The likes of Dostoevsky, Lenin and Stalin were all at one time exiles to Siberia. Rasputin and Nureyev were from here. The last Tsar was killed here. Despite Russia's often tragic history (Frazier is obsessed with finding old gulags), his writing firmly evokes what he calls "Russia-love." Affection for Russia shines through page after page. This is a great travelogue for devoted Russia-philes, but is also a great introduction for those just beginning to learn more about this vast and complex country.
Was this comment helpful? |
Yes
|
No
(1 of 1 readers found this comment helpful)
report this comment
Mountain My Time on Everest
by
Ed Viesturs, David Roberts
Heather G
, October 13, 2013
Ed Viesturs is the only American to summit all 14 of the world's 8,000-meter peaks, and one of few anywhere to do it without supplemental oxygen. He's penned prior climbing books, and this time, he gives us more mountain lore, this time focused on Mount Everest. This book completely drew me in, even though like many readers of this genre I had read some of the material previously, albeit by other authors. Viesturs reviews famous Everest stories such as George Mallory's ill-fated 1924 climb, the first summit in 1953 by Edmund Hillary, the 1996 disaster chronicled in "Into Thin Air," and of course, his own epic summits of Everest -- 7 in all. Surely active and armchair climbers alike will be thoroughly entertained by more of these stories about the world's highest peak.
Was this comment helpful? |
Yes
|
No
report this comment
The Art Forger
by
B. A. Shapiro
Heather G
, July 12, 2013
This book is part mystery, part history and has a plot that will draw you in. It centers around the 1990 heist from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, in which 13 works were stolen, including a Rembrandt, a Vermeer, and 3 Degas. The fictional story centers around a struggling artist who gets recruited to make a copy of one of the works. But in many twists and turns, it becomes unclear what is real, and what is fake. And that applies to both works of art and various characters in the story. Interesting food for thought quoted in this book: an estimated 40% of all art works for sale each year are forgeries. Wow! Is the art on the walls of museums priceless, just because it is "signed," even if it might be fake?!? Like good historical fiction, this book is an informative and dramatic look into another world -- the art world.
Was this comment helpful? |
Yes
|
No
(1 of 1 readers found this comment helpful)
report this comment
Monkey Mind a Memoir of Anxiety
by
Daniel Smith
Heather G
, July 12, 2013
They say that 3 in 10 Americans suffer from some form of anxiety disorder, but even if you aren't prone to full-blown panic attacks, as the author is, you will relate to his vivid, usually hilarious descriptions of angst. From mortifying early sexual experiences, to choking under pressure at work, the tales of woe in this funny memoir will certainly entertain. But the book is also pretty helpful at giving a humane perspective, and just may help you cut yourself some slack next time you are freaking out with worry!
Was this comment helpful? |
Yes
|
No
(1 of 1 readers found this comment helpful)
report this comment
Bring Up the Bodies
by
Hilary Mantel
Heather G
, January 06, 2013
Just when you thought there could not be anything left unsaid about Tudor England, Henry VIII and his six wives, along comes Hilary Mantel with an astute historical novel. The interesting twist is that the book's main protagonist is Sir Thomas Cromwell, who rose to be the Kings' top advisor, made a lot of political enemies....and then off with his head! Anne Boleyn, mother to Elizabeth and doomed second wife, also plays a major part in the novel. For those who may have tried Wolf Hall, the first book (this is the second) in what is said to be a series of three (the third forthcoming), Bring Up the Bodies is far more readable, engaging and dramatic.
Was this comment helpful? |
Yes
|
No
report this comment
Leftovers
by
Tom Perrotta
Heather G
, September 14, 2012
The Leftovers is an intricately woven story centered on one suburban American family finding the new normal in the odd calm of a minor post-apocalypse, in which randomly chosen residents have disappeared in a Rapture-like instant. Against the backdrop of the anxieties of becoming an adult and the banality of a stale marriage, the characters struggle to find new purpose and meaning. They wonder "Why me?" and "Why not me?" alike. And those left behind face thought-provoking choices on how to redefine what it means to be alive and have a purpose. Whether acting out sexually, joining a cult, or becoming a compulsive cyclist -- each of the characters finds a new identity. Perrotta is a master of revealing the deep meanings and highs and lows of everyday American experiences. If you liked the movies "Election" (for which he wrote the screenplay) and "Little Children" (based on the book of the same title) then check out The Leftovers!
Was this comment helpful? |
Yes
|
No
report this comment
The Master and Margarita
by
Mikhail Bulgakov
Heather G
, September 06, 2012
From the first page, this spooky, sexy story is by turns jaw-dropping and laugh-out-loud funny. Bulgakov paints a surreal tableau of 1930s Moscow, complete with a smart-alec talking cat, sidekick to the devil. For devotees of Russian history, there are plenty of allegorical barbs at the Communist party henchmen, aligned with a parallel story-within-a-story bit about Pontius Pilate and Jesus. (How they missed it and failed to censor the book is one of the great oversights of 20th Century literature). If you like metaphysical and surrealist authors like Haruki Murakami, you must try this book!
Was this comment helpful? |
Yes
|
No
(0 of 1 readers found this comment helpful)
report this comment
Super Sad True Love Story
by
Shteyngart, Gary
Heather G
, January 02, 2012
It's not often a book makes you sit back and marvel. Super Sad True Love Story is a complete original, and the most creative book I read in 2011. It effectively conjures a society saturated and dehumanized by technology, yet populated by sympathetic characters dealing with classic themes of purpose and failure, alienation and longing. I loved the new gadgets and new words that the author inserts into a familiar-but-different workaday New York of the near future. A hip and heartbreaking book -- qualities you wouldn't expect to find together, but it totally works!
Was this comment helpful? |
Yes
|
No
(1 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)
report this comment
Apollos Angels A History of Ballet
by
Jennifer Homans
Heather G
, September 01, 2011
This gorgeous book on the history of ballet was some ten years in the making. Homans traces ballet's origins in 16th century France and Italy to the ballet diaspora in Russia, The United Kingdom, Denmark, and the United States with incredible detail. Fascinating profiles of great dancers and choreographers, including Najinsky, Fonteyn and Balanchine, give the story of ballet greater context and emotional punch. Even dance fans who are not ballet die-hards will appreciate finding new insights into the role of dance's evolving place in culture and society at large, and for this reviewer, it sparked a renewed interest in the genre.
Was this comment helpful? |
Yes
|
No
(2 of 3 readers found this comment helpful)
report this comment