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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
gnatinthehat has commented on (13) products
Kingdom of Back
by
Marie Lu
gnatinthehat
, October 29, 2020
While this isn't usually the genre of book I read from Marie Lu, it was enjoyable none the less. This book is a historical fiction book that follows the two Mozart siblings, Wolfgang and his older sister Nannerl. I liked how Nannerl just wanted to be great enough to be remembered, but her younger brother Wolfgang just seems to be naturally better than her, progressing and learning at a much faster pace and eventually outshone her. I also really liked the unique blend between historical fiction and bits of magic, it's not a common mix I read often, and Marie Lu wrote it wonderfully. This was a really quick read, and I also really like how we get to see Nannerl grow up. Our main character started as an eight-year-old and ended as a young girl, and I love the feeling of watching our characters grow. While no usually my first pick of genres, I really liked this book and I think you may too!
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Shadows
by
Alex North
gnatinthehat
, October 23, 2020
This psychological thriller follows a man named Paul Adams, who left his home town after he was linked to a murder done by a group of teenage boys. Now back to visit his dying mother, it seems like there is a copycat murderer on the loose. I really liked this book, but that being said, it took me a while to get into it. It felt like little bits of information were fed to us bit by bit which was good in the middle and end of the story and good for the overall story plot, but it made the story hard to start. Additionally, the flip flop between Paul's current self's point of you and his past self's point of view was a little confusing, but I really liked Detective Amanda Beck's point of view. There were a lot of very interesting details in this book that I don't commonly see, lucid dreaming being the main one. While I didn't like this book as much as The Whisper Man, it's still a good read!
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They Wish They Were Us
by
Jessica Goodman
gnatinthehat
, October 22, 2020
I absolutely loved this book. It's perfect for fans of Gossip Girl, or just mystery fans who like a high school setting. Jill Newman, the main character, is finally part of an exclusive group, but is nowhere near as excited as she should be, because during initiation three years ago, her best friend was killed and her boyfriend, Graham, confessed to doing it, serving his sentence in jail. Now, he claims he didn't kill her, and Jill doesn't know who to believe. Jill and her friends navigate the world of preppy high school while trying to solve the murder of her best friend. I really liked the focus on feminine friendship in this book, because that's not something commonly seen nowadays. This book is great at accurately conveying and portraying the thinking process of teenagers, with enough plot twists to keep it exciting, yet still fairly believable. I highly recommend this book!
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Now That I've Found You
by
Kristina Forest
gnatinthehat
, October 11, 2020
This book is one that I would definitely read. I like the internal monologue, as well as all the descriptions for the readers' benefit in the parenthesis. I also like how in the first chapter everything is going perfect for our main character, and how it ends with the news article. This book reads like the inner mind of a teenager, which means the author did a great job of capturing the right voice. I'm a huge fan of the cover, the drawing of the two main characters sitting on the subway with the city in the background is a great cover. This kind of simple but still semi-detailed is one of my favorite types of covers. However, I do think the blurb at the beginning could be a little different because based on the cover, I don't think I would buy this book. The content was great though!
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Princess Knight
by
GA Aiken
gnatinthehat
, October 11, 2020
This book hooks you in very quickly. While the cover is not extremely appealing, once you start reading you cannot put it down. I like the banter between Keeley and Gemma, it depicts sibling arguments well, which is unfortunately not often found. I also like the malicious compliance that Amichai shows and how much he and Keeley argue, it seems like the start of a good love-hate relationship. The title is not one of my favorites, however. The Princess Knight seems like the stereotypical "I'm not like other girls" type of book. You know, the type of book you just can't get through cause it seems like the whole point of it is to point out that girls can do everything boys can. The content of this book is nothing like that, but the title makes it seem that way.
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Skyhunter 01
by
Marie Lu
gnatinthehat
, October 11, 2020
As usual, Marie Lu writes another fanstastically written book. You already feel attached to Corian and his loss, even though he was just introduced in that very same chapter. Talin is automatically likable, and her grief and self-doubt shines through, which only makes her more real, in turn making her more likable. The concept of a striker and shield is also an interesting one and once again Marie Lu dreams up a world I have never seen anything like. I like the map provided in the beginning of the book, it helps me get a hold on the world-building, especially because it starts at the very beginning. The book cover is one that would make me want to check out the book, and the blurb just adds to this effect. An overall good read!
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Skyhunter 01
by
Marie Lu
gnatinthehat
, October 11, 2020
As usual, Marie Lu writes another fanstastically written book. You already feel attached to Corian and his loss, even though he was just introduced in that very same chapter. Talin is automatically likable, and her grief and self-doubt shines through, which only makes her more real, in turn making her more likable. The concept of a striker and shield is also an interesting one and once again Marie Lu dreams up a world I have never seen anything like. I like the map provided in the beginning of the book, it helps me get a hold on the world-building, especially because it starts at the very beginning. The book cover is one that would make me want to check out the book, and the blurb just adds to this effect. An overall good read!
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Watch Over Me
by
Nina Lacour
gnatinthehat
, October 11, 2020
This book hurts. It is written like it's meant to hurt. It digs into all of Mila's wounds and it feels like it's digging into your wounds. The first chapter is addictive. The way it ends, with the paragraph about how her and Nick could have had the conversation about what Mila had buried, and how the house was haunted and would bring up everything she tried to shut down, along with the final line of the chapter being "all I’m saying is it would have been easier had I known" makes you not want to put down the book, even after just the first chapter. The cover is also very well done, and the expression that's depicted on the model on the cover makes you know instantly that this book is not one filled with joy.
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The Companion
by
Katie Alender
gnatinthehat
, October 11, 2020
This book is creepy. It's not creepy like how a horror movie is creepy, it doesn't have jump scares, there is no gore, nothing like that. It's creepy because of how subtle all the horror aspects of this book are. It starts out slightly funny with the stupid last comments the main character's sibling made right before they died, and how all her clothes were donated because they just assumed she was going to die along with her family. The family that adopts her seems like they are just obnoxiously rich do gooders, but we quickly find out that this is not the case. The cover for this book is very well done. The silver spoon on the cover seems to be synonymous for wealth as usual, and the nails showing that not everything is as it seems.
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How It All Blew Up
by
Arvin Ahmadi
gnatinthehat
, October 11, 2020
I really enjoyed this book. This book covered what it was like to be gay in a religious, conservative family. Faced with the messiness of his life, he runs away to Rome, where he lives up his life and everything goes great, until US Customs comes knocking at his door. Arvin Ahmadi takes stereotypical tropes that can come off as repetitive and such and makes them feel unique. I loved the friends that Amir found in Italy, they were some of the most supportive characters I've seen in books, and they made me very happy. I also enjoyed the fact that Amir did not have a long term romantic interest in this book, and it was centered around himself and his family instead. As someone who was just coming out, it would not make sense that he would find a long term boyfriend so soon after that, especially not before figuring out himself first. I can't recommend this book enough!
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Patient
by
Jasper DeWitt
gnatinthehat
, October 11, 2020
This book has got to be one of the creepiest ones I have ever read. It is written in the form of online posts to a now no longer functioning psychiatric website/blog. The doctor writes about one of his uncurable patients, a forty year old who has been in the mental asylum since six years old. If you're looking for a supernatural yet horror filled story, this is definitely a book that should be on your to be read list. Jasper DeWitt's writing style is amazing, and it felt so real and scary that I actually had to stop reading for a couple days so I would not freak myself out even more than I already was. It is a short book, only about 200 pages, but that's only if you have the willpower for it (which I didn't). A good read!
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Judge's Girls
by
Sharina Harris
gnatinthehat
, October 11, 2020
This book about two girls and a woman who grieve the death of Judge Joseph Donaldson. It covers deep topics like racism, issues that arise in broken households, inequality, issues, struggles, and the oppression African Americans have faced, alcholism, and many others. Sometimes, when dealing with so many hard to talk about topics, the author may move too fast and it feels like the topics are just there to add to a list instead of to open conversations. That is not the case in this book. Sharina Harris moves through these hard to approach topics seamlessly, making it seem natural. The three main characters in this book, the judge's two daughters and his wife, take turns narrating this book, which shows us how three different people relate to the same event, and the differences in the ways they interact with the world. Overall, I recommend this book!
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Kingdom of Liars Legacy of the Mercenary King Book 1
by
Nick Martell
gnatinthehat
, October 03, 2020
This book was a whopper of a book size-wise, coming in at 608 pages. The plot was well done, with having action-packed scenes all the way through to the end. The biggest issue for me with this book was the fact that there was not a lot of world-building. Because high fantasy revolves around another world and its struggles, power dynamic, social issues, and political issues, the solid world-building is a must. In my opinion, this was the biggest downfall of this book. Without this strong aspect, the book felt underdeveloped and a lot of the situations the main character was stuck in just felt like there was an easier way out. On top of that, Michael was in no way a likable main character, he seemed self-absorbed. All in all a decent book, but not one of my favorites.
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