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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
Reading.BetweentheWines has commented on (16) products
Black Buck
by
Mateo Askaripour
Reading.BetweentheWines
, March 16, 2021
Black Buck takes a little getting used to... it starts off reading like a business how-to book, but just go with it because what it actually is is funny, sarcastic, fast paced and most importantly an insightful, satirical look at race in the corporate world, specifically the high stakes startup world. 🎧 Audiobook is the way to go here - the narration by Zeno Robinson was captivating and energetic, and he walked the line of the sardonic but important tone of the book perfectly
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Wild Game My Mother Her Lover & Me
by
Adrienne Brodeur
Reading.BetweentheWines
, November 09, 2019
If you are a looking for nonfiction that reads like fiction, look no further! As a fair weather nonfiction reader myself (although I’ve definitely upped my game lately) I’m always looking for pace and intrigue with my nonfiction and Wild Game is just that. This memoir has family drama in spades, but consider this a trigger warning if infidelity bothers you. This was one of the rare memoirs I could read about a privileged white family that didn’t make me cringe. And bonus: foodies will LOVE the descriptions of certain dishes and meals in Wild Game. Also, I can’t say for sure but I found out the audiobook is narrated by Julie Whelan, my very favorite narrator so I have to imagine that is amazing as well!
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The Other Woman
by
Sandie Jones
Reading.BetweentheWines
, August 18, 2018
This book was not what I expected - the title conjures up assumptions of catty girl fights and scorned lovers, or sad stories of unexpected infidelity, but that’s not what this book is. I won’t say too much, because I don’t want to spoil anything, but I will say I think it’s worth a read. I found Emily, our protagonist and narrator, to be extremely frustrating in her decisions and while I appreciated the single point of view which seems to be the minority these days, I also found myself wanting to find out it things looked the same from the outside looking in! Overall, it kept me reading and guessing and pleasantly surprised me, so I’d recommend picking it up! Also, I got to preview this audiobook and loved the narration! The narrator has an accent, sounds similar to Kate Winslet which rounded Emily out for me a bit.
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Dinner List
by
Rebecca Serle
Reading.BetweentheWines
, August 06, 2018
I picked this one up knowing little more than the premise of the book, hoping for a nice little change of pace and a quick jaunt over in to some whimsical magical realism for a minute but WOW was I surprised to find myself so effected by this story! The book is told in two parts, flashing between scenes from this unusual dinner party that seems to unfold in real time and back through time as the story of a romance unfolds, told in what seems to be somewhat of a highlights reel, almost 500 Days Of Summer style (man, now I wanna drop everything and watch that movie!) It took me only one day to read this book and as soon as I put this book down I had to go find my husband and ask for a big hug, it was just THAT emotional. Highly recommended for those who can suspend reality for a moment and love a good love story.
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All We Ever Wanted
by
Emily Giffin
Reading.BetweentheWines
, July 02, 2018
I’ll be honest, I was putting off reading this book for a bit. Emily Griffin was an author I used to read back when reading had become a chore (cough, college...) and I would escape for some mindless entertainment. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not downplaying this in any way, I’m saying Emily Griffin was a go-to in that department, I just wasn’t quite in that mood for my next read... I’m not too big to admit when I’m wrong, and I was wrong about this book: it was not just fluff. Following Nina primarily, the wife of Nashivillr elite and millionaire Kirk Browning and mother of Finch who just posted a picture of a prep school scholarship recipient passed out a a party with a racist caption. Now, Finch’s college future is in question and she’s realizing she isn’t quite sure what kind of young man she’s even raising at this point or why she’s even clinging to this life that may be easy, but no longer seems to be worth it. All We Ever Wanted was a painfully realistic look at parenting in a modern day, social media frenzied, everyday life and an authentic peek in to whether money can truly be the answer to all of our “problems”. I say read this is you are an Emily Griffin fan, and read this is you aren’t, but you want a quick, modern, relevant story about life as a parent during this time of social media and internet “anonymity”. This is Emily Griffin at her best, trust me.
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Dead Girls: Essays on Surviving an American Obsession
by
Alice Bolin
Reading.BetweentheWines
, June 28, 2018
I picked up this book as a True Crime newbie, a recent Twin Peaks dan and a #murderino and I decided to take my time with this one. This is a nonfiction essay collection, all written by the same author. It is not a page turning fiction-like true crime novel, but rather a set of essays all written on different ideas and ways to examine and question our society’s obsession with Dead Girl stories. At least that’s how it’s been presented, but it’s a little bit more... I loved a line the author threw in at the beginning, I think it’s a great description of the book: “I have tried to make something about women from stories that were always about men.” Bolin sheds light on many parts of our society and why women’s stories are framed the way that they are. However, while some of these essays (so far) really hit the mark for me and made me want to dig in whole heartedly, some are reading more like memoirs with stories and references I’m just not resonating with. While this isn’t a feel good, amusing read, I think it is an important one and Bolin expertly makes the taboo subject of women’s stories andthe spotlight, which is so utterly important. This timely, relevant book made me feel like I was back in college, taking the best women’s studies class that never existed, and I’m not complaining! Don’t read this one for entertainment value, or under the impression that it will solely surround stories about fictional Dead Girls, but I think you should probably still read it.
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Providence A Novel
by
Caroline Kepnes
Reading.BetweentheWines
, June 26, 2018
I really loved this book! I’ve seen a few reviews of this one already warning fans of Kepnes’ You and Hidden Bodies that this book is very different and readers should consider themselves warned. But I think that some of the things I loved about Providence are things it has in common with You. Providence made me feel deeply about all of its dynamic, complex characters (likeability be damned!) and I think Kepnes’ ability to make me care about monsters among men, You’s Joe and Providence’s Jon, is something that deserves mention. While their stories definitely don’t parallel, the fact that Kepnes can keep me reading while primarily spending time “in the head” of some seriously dark characters and loving every minute of it really says something. This book opens with a Mary Shelly, Frankenstein quote and I really think it properly set the tone of the book so I’ll share it with you: “It is true, we shall be monsters, cut off from all the world; but on that account we shall be more attached to one another.” This book is not a thriller, it is part coming of age story, part love story, part mystery and part paranormal monster story: exploring young love, aging love, heartbreak, passion, longing, and human nature and its most basic and its most complex. Jon and Chloe are such readable, realistic children – and I say this as someone who doesn’t love books told from children’s point of view – and they quickly morph in to complicated young adults that perfectly narrate the confusing world they’ve come to know and their pain as they try to make sense of it all. All the while, the narration of detective “Eggs” and his dogged pursuit of a killer and his own, grim home life is the perfect offset and story line to dilute such an intense read. Also, H.P. Lovecraft fans rejoice! There are so many Lovecraft references in here, some I probably didn’t even catch on to; the title itself and large parts of the story revolve around these references. But don’t worry, I say this as a person who has heard OF Lovecraft, but never read any Lovecraft, and I still managed to follow along and felt entirely involved in the story. I still don’t know that I entirely understand or agree with the ending, but to sum up: Haunting, captivating, imaginative and genre bending, Providence roped me in and stole me away for a weekend. I won’t soon forget any of these characters, but Jon distinctly has a special place in my heart. If you enter in to this one with an open mind and without expectations for a thriller or murder mystery, per se, I think you might enjoy this one and much as I did! I can’t wait to see what Caroline Kepnes does next.
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How to Walk Away
by
Katherine Center
Reading.BetweentheWines
, June 09, 2018
I picked up this book on a whim and opened it up just to "see" what it was all about... 2 chapters in and I was HOOKED! Seriously, immediately after starting this book I threw a dare out challenging anyone to read the first 2 chapters and not keep going. I had very little expectations going in to this one, I don't even know if I had read the full synopsis, so I'm not really sure what I thought I was getting in to but I can say that this one far exceeded my expectations. What an uplifting, refreshing read! Enjoyable, heartfelt and addicting I found this one perfectly unputdownable. Margaret Jacobsen is on the cusp of her real life, the grownup life she's spent her whole childhood (and beyond!) playing by all the rules - good grades, obedient, she is friends with her parents, she's the good sister, she snagged the boy next door with the bright future... She's headed out for a date with that boyfriend to celebrate landing the job of her dreams and she should be on top ofthe world, but that world quickly gets flipped upside down. Now she is the survivor of a horrific accident and up against the biggest challenge of her life. Will she ever walk again? Will her flawless boyfriend, Chip, stand by her through all of this? Does she even want him to? Will she ever find her way back to be the young woman she was before? The one she worked so desperately to become? How? I found Margaret to be relatable and understandably edgy and pessimistic. Katherine Center perfectly captured what it might be like to have it all one second, only to lose it all the next. Full of self-depricating comedy and family drama with romance and a dash of inspiration, How to Walk Away picked me up and carried me away and I very much enjoyed every minute of it! While I found the ending to be a little too buttoned up for my taste, and the characters' circumstances a little too "privileged" to be completely realistic, overall the story was charming and satisfying and oh so addictive. I'd recommend that almost anyone pick this one up this summer, but be careful to do so only when you have a day to lose yourself in this story - consider yourself warned!
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The Woman in the Window
by
A J Finn
Reading.BetweentheWines
, June 07, 2018
Just when you thought you were SO OVER murder mysteries narrated by a questionable, traumatized, impaired and only somewhat likeable female… along comes The Woman in the Window! First of all, I can’t believe this is a debut novel; addicting, sharp and oh so shocking, its clear to see why this was hailed as the years first big thriller earlier in 2018 and an amazing blockbuster of a debut. I definitely fell right in to this book and couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. I found it to be gripping, dark, full of twists and turns – some I saw coming, and some I did not – and enough wine to make me wonder if I was silently going crazy or if I had somehow absorbed the wine through the pages and was actually drunk myself. While I definitely had to see this one through I did get a little dizzy from all of the plot twists that felt like they started to become the sole point of the book and then the ending went on a little too long for my taste. If you think you can deal with the mother of all unreliable narrators and enough twists to make you queasy then I’d recommend picking this one up.
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Whiskey and Ribbons
by
Leesa Cross-Smith
Reading.BetweentheWines
, June 01, 2018
I really LOVED this book. I waited a couple weeks to write a review of this one because I don't really think I can do justice to this one, but I'll give it a go... Whiskey & Ribbons follows Evi, a recently widowed ex-ballet dancer and new mother, still grieving the loss of her husband Eamon, a police officer who was killed in the line of duty. This book basically just takes place over one snowy weekend, but Cross-Smith's storytelling through 3 narrators - Evi, Eamon and Eamon's adopted brother Dalton - and a lot of memories gives you all the context you need. This is basically the story of the age old love triangle, the issue being that one part of that triangle is the seemingly perfect and unfortunately deceased Eamon. While the plot doesn't sound entirely original or groundbreaking, somehow through Cross-Smith's lyrical prose the raw emotion of this story shines through and you can't help but jump all in. My heart ached in all the right ways while reading this book; I wanted nothing more than to just join Evi and Dalton in their grief and consume this book over a snowy weekend, glass of whiskey in hand. Sometimes you have just to sit and enjoy the vast range of emotions that exist to get from point A to point B and that's what this book made me remember. Heartbreaking yet hopeful, and such an easy read - Whiskey & Ribbons was a pure joy to inhale and has made me a true Leesa Cross-Smith believer forevermore. I'd recommend this book to anyone who can appreciate a good cry, a good glass of whiskey (or wine!) or a good book that can make your heart break and leap in joy in the same hour... or all of the above.
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Perfect Mother
by
Aimee Molloy
Reading.BetweentheWines
, May 28, 2018
Winnie, Francie, Colette and Nell are new mothers who were grouped together solely based on the fact that their due dates for their first children were all in the month of May. They’ve gotten to know each, surface level at least, since their babies were born, but on a hot July day they decide they are in dire need of a Mom’s Night Out - what could go wrong? They quickly find out when their night ends with a missing child and a lot of unanswered questions. If you are looking for a fast paced roller coaster ride of a thriller this summer then this might be the book for you! Surrounding the mystery of missing baby Midas, Aimee Malloy manages to also perfectly weave in an exploration on what it is like to be a new mother as well. I definitely got Girl On The Train vibes from this one; if you aren’t a fan of unreliable narrators then The Perfect Mother isn’t for you, but luckily I’m a fan and this one had me guessing right to the end!
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My Ex Life
by
Stephen Mccauley
Reading.BetweentheWines
, May 08, 2018
David Hedges and Julie Fiske live on opposite ends of the country and have very little in common any more, but they've both come to a cross roads in their lives and by some twist of fate they may just need to confront their past to help them survive their present. David lost his trophy boyfriend and quite possibly one of San Francisco's most reasonably priced rentals all at the hands of his ex and his frenemy; all he wants is to get out of town and clear his head for a bit. Julie Fiske is in the middle of a divorce and is on the brink of losing her beloved historic (albeit decrepit) house-turned-airbnb and custody of her teenaged daughter Mandy. And to top it off she keeps backsliding in her effort to give up "the pot" once and for all! The twist? David is Julie's ex-husband... the remnant of another era. When Mandy senses that a blast from the past may be just what her mother needs she secretly invites David to come stay at their makeshift B n' B he takes her up on her offer and we get to come along for the ride. Will they be able to be what each other needs now when they couldn't be back then? Do we reach a point in our lives when it is too late to truly start over? This was my first Stephen McCauley novel but I think I'm now a fan for life! To me, the plot played second fiddle to the effortless way to McCauley's characters came alive: funny, flawed, sarcastic and unpredictable in all the right ways - Julie, David and Mandy were characters I could really root for. Was the story (mostly the ending) 100% realistic? No. Do I care? No. My Ex-Life read like that quirky upbeat indie comedy that you can't help but love and I, for one, enjoyed this breath of fresh air and book that didn't take itself too seriously. I've seen this book as perfect for fans of Tom Perotta, Maria Semple and Cynthia D'Aprix and I must say, I agree. I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a palate cleanser between anything too serious or too dark and/or anyone who loves people watching :)
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I Have Lost My Way
by
Gayle Forman
Reading.BetweentheWines
, April 15, 2018
Warm, heartfelt and inspiring: this was the perfect quick, uplifting book for me after a few fairly heavy reads this month. What a beautiful story about how great of an impact one human can have on another and how truly the human spirit craves understanding and interaction with others. Half current story of one day and one chance encounter in New York City and half flashbacks in to the past of our 3 characters, I Have Lost My Way explores different kinds of loss and the effect loss can have on person. I found myself racing through this story, thoroughly enthralled by each individual story and rooting for the group as a whole. I’d recommend this to anyone looking for an easy, meaningful book to pick up.
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Auntie Poldi & the Sicilian Lions
by
Mario Giordano, John Brownjohn
Reading.BetweentheWines
, February 11, 2018
Aunt Poldi is a firecracker! Old, but not too old, witty, sharp, spicy, sensual, vivacious - she is everything I hope to be when I retire. This book reads as part Tall Tale, part whodunnit. We experience the story through Aunt Poldi's nephew's narration, as he recalls the story being told to him by Aunt Poldi herself. The storytelling aspect of the narration really lent itself well to the bigness of Aunt Poldi's character and is one thing I appreciated about the book. While I truly enjoyed living in Aunt Poldi's world for a while the actual mystery plot of this book fell flat and I found I really didn't care how the story turned out. I'd still love to visit Aunt Poldi again some time, preferrably while on vacation with a drink in hand
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Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk
by
Kathleen Rooney
Reading.BetweentheWines
, January 02, 2018
Lilian Boxfish was the perfect NYE companion for me this year. While this book truly felt like a stroll more than a walk, Lilian is a character I won’t soon forget and plan to channel within myself from time to time. This book is reflective in all the right ways for the new year and a great taste of a city we will never quite be able to go visit as it doesn’t really exist any longer. This book was like a nice cup of coffee with a friend: not particularly exciting or life changing, but necessary and refreshing nonetheless.
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Lie to Me
by
J. T. Ellison
Reading.BetweentheWines
, November 16, 2017
A thrill ride from page 1. I was hooked and finished this book in one weekend. It is definitely a guilty pleasure psychological thriller written along the same vein of Gone Girl, but its pace allows it to stand on its own.
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