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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
Emily M has commented on (10) products
In the Vanishers' Palace
by
Aliette de Bodard
Emily M
, August 15, 2021
A beauty and the beast tale featuring a shape-shifting female dragon, who wants misfit scholar Yen to tutor her unruly children. I like Vu Cong way more than most "beasts", and the story also has themes of dealing with post-colonial mess...but the colonists in this alternate Vietnam aren't who you might expect. Full review: https://ajungleoftales.blogspot.com/2021/08/first-impressions-review-in-vanishers.html
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The Only Good Indians
by
Stephen Graham Jones
Emily M
, August 15, 2021
This book is simultaneously scary, gruesome, and darkly funny. I was startled to find myself rooting for both the monster and her victims. If you are looking for something different from gothic or Lovecraftian supernatural thrillers, give this one a look. Full review: https://ajungleoftales.blogspot.com/2021/07/the-only-good-indians-by-stephen-graham.html
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(1 of 1 readers found this comment helpful)
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The Overstory
by
Richard Powers
Emily M
, August 15, 2021
This book has a really interesting structure, initially feeling more like a collection of short stories more than a novel. The trees are really the starring characters for me. The human characters are messy, mostly interesting people, and you definitely feel for them. But a few things bugged me. The writing of the female characters is a little off. Events related to the movement to save the redwoods were sometimes WAY overdramatized, but also the conservation wins are obscured. I kind of wish it had stuck closer to the true history. For full review:https://ajungleoftales.blogspot.com/2020/12/first-impressions-review-overstory-by.html
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Conjure Women
by
Afia Atakora
Emily M
, June 18, 2021
This book unfolds almost like a mystery as we move backwards and forwards between "freedom time", "slavery time", and "war time". Rue is a really complex and compelling protagonist. The lush descriptions and story momentum would lend themselves really well to a film adaptation, in my opinion. Full review here:https://ajungleoftales.blogspot.com/2021/04/it-oughta-be-movie-conjure-women-by.html
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The Seed Keeper
by
Diane Wilson
Emily M
, June 18, 2021
This novel moves backwards and forwards in time to weave a story of several generations of Indian women striving to maintain their culture, identity, and relationship with the land, in part through the passing down of seeds. Highly recommended if you like learning about periods of history you may not have been taught about in school, or if you are interested in gardening or ethnobotany. Full review here: https://ajungleoftales.blogspot.com/2021/06/first-impressions-review-seed-keepers.html
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Southern Book Clubs Guide to Slaying Vampires
by
Grady Hendrix
Emily M
, June 18, 2021
A unique take on the vampire novel that is well worth a read - especially if you want a gorier story where the vampire is definitely the villain. It also leans into the darker aspects of its time and place, with the vampire exploiting things like racism and sexism for his own advantage. The suspense might have been a bit better if "vampire" wasn't in the title and we got to figure it out along with the characters, but that's a minor quibble. Full review here: https://ajungleoftales.blogspot.com/2020/10/first-impressions-review-southern-book.html
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Annihilation (Southern Reach Trilogy #1)
by
Jeff Vandermeer
Emily M
, June 18, 2021
I really enjoyed this book. It is basically a Lovecraft story minus the racism plus a POV character whose reaction to the weirdness is not "this is so horrifying my brain is melting!" but "this looks dangerous but fascinating". The movie with Natalie Portman captures the vibe of the book but the plot is quite different, and I much prefer the book ending. The other books in the trilogy are maybe 4-stars for me but quite good as well, and they fill in details the first narrator (who has rather poor social skills) neglected to mention. Full review of series here: https://ajungleoftales.blogspot.com/2020/08/re-read-review-southern-reach-trilogy.html
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Borne
by
Jeff VanderMeer
Emily M
, April 03, 2021
This is a very different story from 'The Southern Reach Trilogy', but I loved it possibly even more. The relationship between Rachel and her Lovecraftian "child" Borne is weird and heart-warming. The had a much happier ending than I was expecting, but that was OK because A) the story is more like a myth than something that adheres to hard science fiction logic, B) the ending fits well with the themes relating to the importance of connection and solidarity and the way that the big players in society can grind everyone else down, and C) I'm kind of tired of grim-dark stories anyway!
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Gingerbread
by
Helen Oyeyemi
Emily M
, April 03, 2021
If you enjoy a fairy-tale-like story with a touch of magical realism/surrealism, subversion of tired romance tropes (eg. the love triangle featuring the bad boy and the good boy), and worlds in which the POC and/or LGBT+ characters don't find either of those things to be their primary obstacles in life, you will probably like this book. There is some interesting commentary on class and economics early in the book which kind of falls apart later...but since this isn't the sort of story where "fix capitalism" could have been the solution, I was still happy for the characters getting personal happy endings.
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The Pull of the Stars
by
Emma Donoghue
Emily M
, April 03, 2021
This book is terrific. I bought it as a Christmas present for my epidemiologist mother, cracked it open, and tore through it in 2 days! The struggle these women go through to keep their patients alive is as tense as any action story. Also, was not expecting bittersweet lesbian romance but was absolutely here for it! One of the main characters is based on a real woman - a fascinating and inspiring historical figure who got a much happier ending than any of the fictional characters.
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