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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
FBB has commented on (27) products
Storied Life of A J Fikry
by
Gabrielle Zevin
FBB
, May 16, 2014
In so many ways this is a beautiful book! The characters, some of them odd/eccentric, are eventually lovable. I hated to return this book to its owner. Read this novel--- you won't be disappointed. And it will be a long time before you forget A. J. and the other characters.
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Orange Is the New Black
by
Piper Kerman
FBB
, February 17, 2014
AFter binge-watching the tv series of the same name, I read the memoir and found it to be much less dramatic and more real. In it Kerman comes to terms with her prison sentence, takes responsilbity for her crime, and admits to the class differences in the penal system. Even if you've watched the series and either like it or not, this book is a winner with lots of insight into prison life and into Kerman's character. A very good read!
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Vaclav & Lena
by
Haley Tanner
FBB
, January 08, 2012
While this is a book of some very harsh realities, it is also just beautiful. Sometimes, perhaps, a "Romeo & Juliet," other times the tale of immigrant children struggling with tragic pasts. You will never forget the main characters: both Vaclav and Lena will stay with you for a very long time. As they should.
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Vaclav & Lena
by
Haley Tanner
FBB
, August 19, 2011
Scott Simon (NPR, Weekend Edition) recommended this book a few weeks ago. Enough for me! When I finished reading this novel, I had to hug the book before returning it to my local library. "Vaclav & Lena" is a lovely, beautifully written book. Two Russian immigrant children (Vaclav and Lena) meet and are the best of friends as children, are separated for a number of years, and are re-united after that period of time. No, it's not completely a "happily-ever-after" ending but it is a hope-filled one. Tanner gives her characters just the right voices, and provides the reader with a beautiful read. You will NOT forget these characters after you read this book!
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Super Sad True Love Story
by
Shteyngart, Gary
FBB
, August 03, 2011
I just finished "Super Sad..." and while it is not the type of fiction I generally enjoy, the book really did keep me reading, on and off, realizing that I was in the "future" and then again, not too far into it. The protagonist is a somewhat sorry but likeable man, but the real "main character" is the world in which he lives, soon to be our world in so many ways. A cautionary tale? Perhaps. A good, satirical read? Yes.
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State of Wonder
by
Patchett, Ann
FBB
, June 28, 2011
I have enjoyed Patchett's previous work, but this novel is a departure and a good one. A page-turner, it takes us on a journey with Marina Singh from America to Brazil to the Amazon, all the while the reader wonders what will go wrong. And much does, but in the end Singh has learned about her own heart despite (perhaps because of?) her sojourn. Really, just about the best novel I have read in a long time. READ IT! You won't be disappointed.
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Just Like Someone Without Mental Illness Only More So
by
Mark Vonnegut
FBB
, April 30, 2011
Recently read Mark Vonnegut's memoir and highly recommend it to those interested in the waves of mental illness that come and go, apparently for no reason. Vonnegut does NOT blame his highly acclaimed & eccentric father or mother for his brushes with this crippling illness. Instead, he provides some very good life lessons to any reader. While the book is at times a bit difficult to follow (the narrator strays from a timeline often), it is most certainly worth the read.
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Madeline at the White House
by
John Bemelmans Marciano
FBB
, April 26, 2011
Both my daughter (now 35 years old) and I loved the "Madeline" series of books years ago when she was a little girl. Now, I've been buying them for my granddaughter who's taken great delight in them, including Marciano's "Madeline and the Cats of Rome." However, his most recent "Madeline at the White House" is a disappointment in a number of ways. First, the illustrations are brief: one does not get the architectural "tour" one gets in the other books. Nor does the story line keep a young (or older) reader on the sort of adventure we've come to expect of the irrepressable main character. The story is, therefore, flat compared to the other "Madeline" books. Both my graddaughter and I were disappointed in this particular book. Which is really a shame.
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A Lesson Before Dying
by
Ernest J. Gaines
FBB
, February 06, 2011
This is an easily readable book full of historical references and characters one never forgets. I taught this title to high school juniors, and although they were often "reluctant" readers, even they found themselves engrossed in the story of the protagonist and the bone-chilling events toward the end of his story. I am still haunted by many scenes so vividly rendered by Gaines.
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Kitchen Confidential Updated Edition Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly
by
Anthony Bourdain
FBB
, January 09, 2011
I am a recent "fan" of Bourdain's show, so I thought reading one of his early books would be a good idea. Oh, what a deliciously written book that will take you on a most interesting "tour"! The book is not "new," but it was to me and I bought a copy as a gift for a friend. GREAT reading, whether or not one is interested in food or cooking per se.
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Whistling In The Dark
by
Lesley Kagen
FBB
, September 15, 2010
This novel was such a wonderful surprise of a read; I'd been in my local library, and completely by chance saw the book on a "recently returned" rack. I picked it up, checked it out, and Oh my! I was truly taken with the protagonist, that young girl in Milwaukee with "too much imagination" along with her stories. The narration is spot on 1050s Milwaukee, and a delight.
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The Little Book
by
Selden Edwards
FBB
, July 22, 2010
As a reader who is generally disinterested in "time travel," I found this particular book fascinating in many ways. First, the protagonist's younger life & education are familiar and felt somehow welcoming to me. Second, I was challenged to recall my history courses~~the most recent being in the 1980s when I was in graduate school. Finally, Wheeler's story compelled me to keep reading. His grandmother's is equally as touching and compelling. I felt transported to Vienna with her. Overall, I was more than surprised by the enjoyment the book brought me. I highly recommend it, if for no other reason than it is a "good read."
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Truck A Love Story
by
Perry, Michael
FBB
, May 27, 2010
What a wonderful surprise! "Truck..." was a 'city read' here in my town, and I did not particpate; however, on a recent trip to the library, a number of copies of the book were being given to patrons for a meager donation. While I did not hold out much hope of actually loving the book, I picked one up and now wish I'd purchased copies for each of my friends. From Perry's description of renovating his beloved IH truck to his thoughts on family, gardening, small-town living and his own "shyness," I have been absolutely compelled to turn each page. Such a beautifully written memoir, "Truck..." is a treasure of a read. If you have not yet picked this book up, plese do so. You will not be disappointed. Trust me.
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Beautiful Boy A Fathers Journey Through His Sons Addiction
by
David Sheff
FBB
, April 02, 2010
While this book is not a "new" one, it is absolutely riveting. I feel like I am going through, with Sheff, the unrelenting, and often harrowing, emotional roller coaster of a parent's love for and vigilent worry about a child with addiction. He is right when he says we are always tethered to our children and our love for them, no matter how old or "grown-up" they are. I highly recommend this book to ANY parent whose child is addicted, either to drugs/alchohol, or to any other dangerous behavior, because you will find that you are not ALONE in this.
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Brother, I'm Dying
by
Edwidge Danticat
FBB
, January 14, 2010
The current disaster in Haiti reminds me of Danticat's "Brother, I'm Dying," a non-fiction memoir of sorts, wherein the author shares the beauty of her native Haiti, along with her memories of its people, her people, not once mukking in the "stereotypical," negative views we Americans [or at least, this one] may hold of that country. Instead Danticat's story is more about love: between a young girl & her country; a daughter with her extended family; and a brother [one still in Haiti, the other in the United States] with his brother. Although the the culmination of these brothers' relationship with one another is terribly sad, the work as a whole provides the reader with many images and memories of a beloved country: of an extended family and their love for one another, and a daughter's [Danticat] love for her uncle and father, and her people. Danticat provides us with an inside look at a UN intervention that treated her native Haiti so very badly, whether intended or not. I highly recommend this book; you will learn so much about Haiti that you may never have known, and you will grow to love Danticat and her family that that will stay with you. I promise.
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Lit A Memoir
by
Mary Karr
FBB
, January 13, 2010
I am almost finished with "Lit," and I know already that I will miss Ms. Karr's voice and the imagery she uses to tell her story of near-death experiencese to, what I assume will be, her final redemption. Even the poetic language does not intend to cover up our seeing the many damages done during Karr's drinking; nor does it keep the reader from having a good laugh every once in a while. This 'Texas girl' transported to Cambridge, tells her story with a gritty honesty, sometimes absolute beauty, and always honestly. If you know [or knew] an alcoholic, Karr will take you to them and their pain. And even if you have no experience with alcoholism, the book is compelling in a way that even you cannot imagine.
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East of Eden
by
John Steinbeck
FBB
, January 13, 2010
As I check in to see the books nominated for The Puddlys, I come across books I KNOW should be in the running. This is absolutely true of "East of Eden," a book I read a long time ago but that has stayed with me over all those years. Harrowing, the novel's struggle between the good and the evil, with all its Biblical allusions, is a must-read for any serious reader. While it is at times slow-going, overall "East of Eden" consistenly compels the reader to keep turning its pages.
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Thousand Splendid Suns
by
Khaled Hosseini
FBB
, January 08, 2010
Living with these characters, feeling their pain, courage, sorrow, and in many cases their complete lack of control over their circumstances is both harrowing and absolutely compelling. I could not put this book down, and I doubt that other readers will be able to either. And, of course, there is all that knowledge of a culture other than one's own that "A Thousand Splendid Suns" imparts, beautifully, grippingly, and honestly. Overall, this book is a must read for those looking for a page-turning read that will both awaken and inspire. Shocking, true, beautifully written.
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Maytrees
by
Annie Dillard
FBB
, January 08, 2010
The very best novel on long-term realtionships, in this case between a husband and wife, with all of the truth and consequences of love and friendship.
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Geek Love
by
Katherine Dunn
FBB
, January 08, 2010
Seeing this title as one of the possible "Puddlys" makes me remember how very strange, grotesque and gripping this book is. I read it many years ago, but shan't forget it. Ever!
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What You've Been Missing
by
Janet Desaulniers
FBB
, December 30, 2009
Ms. Desaulniers' prose is some of the finest I've read, and her voice brings us into the lives of her characters, people we might even know, and they come alive in this work. I very highly recommend this title to serious readers of short fiction; you cannot do much better than this. Trust me.
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The Things They Carried
by
Tim O'Brien
FBB
, December 07, 2009
I taught this book to college sophomores for a number of years, and I can say that "The Things They Carried" is the definitive and should be the "required reading" on ALL readers' lists. It is wrenching, profane, violent and true. O'Brien's vignettes provide the reader with snapshots of what happens when "you send boys to war." Brutal and compelling, and ever so worth the read.
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The Remains of the Day
by
Kazuo Ishiguro
FBB
, November 18, 2009
This book was, at first, in the stack of "should-reads" that I keep next to my bed to fend off periods of insomnia. But as I read on, and moved further and further into the proganist's life, I was carried along. the book is very well-written, an odyssey that ends in sadness, and provokes thought about one's own personal life-odyssey.
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Away
by
Amy Bloom
FBB
, October 06, 2009
I have not read a more compelling, mesmerizing and haunting book in a very long time. Just amazing!
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Olive Kitteridge
by
Elizabeth Strout
FBB
, October 06, 2009
I love this book, I think mostly b/c I am so like Olive---terribly flawed and loving --- totally a human protagonist. Also, Strout's style is mesmerizing.
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Home
by
Marilynne Robinson
FBB
, July 12, 2009
While the narrative drags slowly in some parts of the novel, the ending is so very much worth the wait. And it was in those last chapters that I became spellbound by it. I highly recommend it, especially to those who are willing to read less for plot than for grace and beauty.
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Andy Goldsworthy A Collaboration with Nature
by
Andy Goldsworthy
FBB
, April 07, 2009
For those unfamiliar with Goldsworthy's art [as was I when I purchased this book for a friend], the thrill and awe of his work with only nature to create art is not to be missed. An amazing and beautiful book. We should ALL see this work.
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