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
Creatives on Creating Sale
Spotlight Sale
Picture Book 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
412Scott has commented on (18) products
The Miracle of Water
by
Masaru Emoto
412Scott
, July 11, 2015
This book will deeply challenge your rational thinking - could being positive, speaking positively to water, improve your own life, your own community, and eventually the world we share? Emoto uses research that certainly can be picked apart with some reflection, but by the end of his argument, I found myself unwilling to engage in critique. Why challenge, or even dismiss, such a simple, pure, and uplifting message - our world is filled with water, our bodies too; in essence, if you follow his suggestion that positive thoughts and words spoken to water creates a beauty and peace within molecules of water, you can create the type of beauty and peace that resonates within anyone when they look at beautiful art connected to nature. Emoto's writing style is simple and you can breeze through the book in one sitting if you choose. You might feel a bit new-age-y, too, but no doubt you'll have an interesting topic of conversation for just about any icebreaker after you've read this work.
Was this comment helpful? |
Yes
|
No
(1 of 1 readers found this comment helpful)
report this comment
Filter Bubble How the New Personalized Web Is Changing What We Read & How We Think
by
Eli Pariser
412Scott
, July 11, 2015
If you haven't read this book and you use the Internet, it should be the next book you read. Periser articulately provides a meaningful blend of behind-the-scenes anecdotes from what you know (Google) and what you probably don't know (Axciom) along with exactly the right questions Americans need to be asking about living in this decade. As we continue to endure inundations of rhetoric from political parties as election campaigns gain momentum, this book becomes essential for every person to remain informed in a new reality where information isn't as accessible as you might think. Read the book and you will infinitely know further what a Filter Bubble is and why it is so dangerous.
Was this comment helpful? |
Yes
|
No
report this comment
Egyptology
by
Candlewick Press, Emily Sands
412Scott
, January 13, 2015
This is one of those "kids" books that can grab and hold any readers' attention. A clever narrative mystery wraps around interactive components on all aspects of Egyptian culture. Each two page spread has just enough information, perfectly written and edited, to inform and inspire readers to learn more and consider how our world has changed. Truly a fun history book. Enjoy the "coffee stains".
Was this comment helpful? |
Yes
|
No
report this comment
Beatles at the BBC The Archives 1962 1970
by
Harper Design
412Scott
, January 13, 2015
Time to get lost again in the world of the Beatles. The catch that you will keep you reading is that the BBC is the central focus here, with the Beatles moving through the career phrases every fan knows so well by now. Even if you have read the Anthology multiple times, it is the somewhat mundane exchanges from these transcripts that now feel like unearthed treasures for any fan who wasn't alive for the interviews. Great birthday gift for a Beatles fan, devoted Anglophiles, or history buffs.
Was this comment helpful? |
Yes
|
No
report this comment
Horse & His Boy Full Color Collectors Edition
by
C S Lewis
412Scott
, January 13, 2015
This classic now reads with an extra sub-text about how our cultures interact and often clash in this 21st century world of global interaction. Of particular note is Chapter 8, In the House of Tisrac, as a commentary about authentic living through a faith compared to blindly spouting out platitudes and poetic phrases to justify greed and violence. If you read this as a child, and later had to read Huck Finn, you might find a parallel or two as well. Finally, it's still a gripping adventure novel to share with your kids, boys or girls, as a nightly read-aloud or a book to talk about around a meal or on a trip.
Was this comment helpful? |
Yes
|
No
report this comment
Letters From A Nut
by
Ted L Nancy
412Scott
, January 13, 2015
Now both a breezy, chuckle-inducing comedy book and a historical artifact of how we used to communicate, this is completely worth the 30 or 45 minutes you can will spend reading and finishing the entire book. Mr. Nancy (or Mr. Seinfeld?) writes letters containing absurd requests from a variety of companies, maintaining an eager, candid, and generally affable tone of humor throughout. The typeface itself has very amusing humor, too - better to see for yourself instead of reading my commentary about it. Real companies write back - half the thrill is seeing just how much they will acknowledge the stupidity of the requests, the other half seeing just how they actually put together the body copy of the letter. Very easy to read, re-read, and buy for friends who enjoy witty, unique humor. Start here, but if you are like me, you'll soon be getting the sequels as well.
Was this comment helpful? |
Yes
|
No
report this comment
Centaur
by
John Updike
412Scott
, January 27, 2014
Would this work today? An allegory about public high school teachers as Roman gods? The blunt, jarring sex scenes with a lecherous principal (Zimmerman/Zeus) forcefully groping high school girls? Updike's prose is deliberate, challenging, and often times bordering on morose. Makes sense, considering the mythological and tragic source material. But I simply couldn't shake how much our modern world had changed since this novel won acclaim in the 1960's. The setting so often seems very distant, even though Updike is aiming for realism at times. A worthwhile read for Updike fans, a curious exercise for writers, but not the best Updike choice for the novice or for most readers simply seeking a rewarding experience with a novel.
Was this comment helpful? |
Yes
|
No
report this comment
No No Boy
by
John Okada
412Scott
, January 27, 2014
At it's best, Okada provides a tragic, wandering tale of post World War II America where 2nd generation Japanese Americans were outsiders facing new integration challenges. The characters echo Lost Generation literature from Fitzgerald and Hemingway, but provide a very early glimpse into the Asian experience in America that moves this novel into unique standing. At times, the narration borders on Steinbeck-esque intrusion/political insight/commentary, and for modern readers the lack of symbolism or more artistic literary efforts might make this a 2 or 3 rating. But for anyone missing knowledge about internment camps, the plausible grind of the protagonist Ichiro stumbling through a newly unfamiliar Pacific Northwest is gripping.
Was this comment helpful? |
Yes
|
No
(1 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)
report this comment
Gesture Life
by
Chang Rae Lee
412Scott
, December 15, 2013
Without question, A Gesture Life contains an engrossing plot that unfurls the surprising and often bleak depths of the protagonist's earlier days. What is questionable, though, is how any author can write from Doc Hata's point of view and make the novel engaging from the start. It's a slow start as a reader, but worth plodding through what seems an old man's verbose reflections. Lee has crafted a novel truly guided through his protagonist's voice, a novel to grip and hold readers and writers alike. What seemed like too much in the earlier chapters becomes clearly necessary and meaningful once you finish the novel.
Was this comment helpful? |
Yes
|
No
report this comment
The Storytelling Animal
by
Jonathan Gottschall
412Scott
, September 21, 2013
A testimony to the power of storytelling beyond one particular genre, this book provides a fascinating guide through the immense shift readers are experiencing at the beginning of the 21st century. Gottschall's mix of anecdotes, research and Q-magazine style dry humor for the photo captions lend a welcome sense of humor into what easily could have become a meta-cognitive text with only a limited intellectual audience. I recommend this book to anyone interested in stories, regardless of how much they like to read them compared to watch them or see them live.
Was this comment helpful? |
Yes
|
No
(2 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)
report this comment
Real Frank Zappa Book
by
Frank Zappa, Peter Occhiogrosso
412Scott
, September 21, 2013
This book always provides a laugh for me no matter how many times I re-read it. Zappa's amazingly candid anecdotes about playing and performing in the late 60's and early 70's are hilarious, though sometimes extremely vulgar, and yet still also poignant. Even more so, it's the sharp, at times even condescending view he shares about how rock music is so theatrical and vacant that makes this book so appealing. Add in his personal political battles with government-enforced censorship as well as the passages with his philosophical musings about computerized music and you end up with a book that could only have been made by Frank Zappa and likely can not ever be duplicated by anyone after him. Sure, some of the tech references are massively outdated, and actually I'm not even much of a fan of his music, really. But the way he relates his thinking and sense of humor completely win me over in this book and the topper is the very silly use of bold and italic typeface throughout the book.
Was this comment helpful? |
Yes
|
No
(1 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)
report this comment
Souvenir Of Canada
by
Douglas Coupland
412Scott
, February 04, 2012
I bought this on my honeymoon in Victoria, B.C. at Munro's Book store on a chilly October evening in 2002 and, ever since, have felt very lucky the front cover and still-life's that I skimmed prompted me to buy it. Coupland's narrative point of view, structure and sense of humor have something that seems truly Canadian. As an American, each time I return to this book I feel like I comprehend the quiet but firm conflict a Canadian may have about the ever-evolving concept of national identity. But, as well, this is a very, very funny book with clever concepts and sharp writing.
Was this comment helpful? |
Yes
|
No
report this comment
Reservation Blues
by
Sherman Alexie
412Scott
, February 04, 2012
Next to works like Winter in the Blood or Ceremony, Alexie's scope keeps the same circular storytelling as most American Indian fiction but instead weaves a multitude of topics: blues music, the music industry, capitalism, Caucasian guilt, sexism, government and at least 10 other topics. This is both a feature and a fault of the novel. I do agree fully with the previous comment here about the shortcuts taken with the critique of Catholicism and the abuses so many have suffered at the hands of so many deeply flawed men that have fractured the public face and private trust of the Catholic Church. This novel could have kept both its social critiques, narrative overlaps, and welcome doses of humor and removed just a few loose motifs and themes. Instead, it stands certainly as an engaging 306 pages of American Indian fiction.
Was this comment helpful? |
Yes
|
No
report this comment
Bone
by
Fae Myenne Ng
412Scott
, February 04, 2012
The past few decades of English classes in American High Schools have canonized Amy Tan's Asian American fiction as the way for those outside that community to understand the disconnect between California and China for 1st and 2nd generation Chinese immigrants. Ng's novel is a fantastic alternate voice that needs to be read and discussed likewise. Leila and Mason's relationship in Bone has a mature composure, distance, and even a bit of grit and propels a book that peels away conflicts through a narrative that reads like a real life sorting-out process of a family's function and dysfunction. This is Chinese-American life, too, and I hope this voice finds its' way into classrooms to accompany Tan's deserving, but sometimes limiting view into late 20th century Asian American life.
Was this comment helpful? |
Yes
|
No
(1 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)
report this comment
Namesake
by
Jhumpa Lahiri
412Scott
, February 04, 2012
A brilliant piece of realistic fiction writing. What really kept me amazed was not just an engrossing and, at just the right times, surprising plot, but Lahiri's masterful characterization throughout this novel. Minor characters like the Montgomery family or the Gupta's carry signifigance in the Ganguli family's life like the numerous acquaintances and friends from different phases in our own real lives. Every human being in this story is human, with endearing and off-putting quirks, struggles, and choices. Not surprisingly considering one of the plot points, it has the scope of a Russian novel, but with the core of an American Immigrant story. Even better, I could connect to Gogol as a boy and man and Ashoke as a father, a truly amazing feat from Mrs. Lahiri to capture without ever living these perspectives herself. This was the type of book I willingly eschewed sleep for - it was a great experience.
Was this comment helpful? |
Yes
|
No
report this comment
The Lost Art of Walking: The History, Science, and Literature of Pedestrianism
by
Geoff Nicholson
412Scott
, August 04, 2011
I didn't realize how many fascinating people exist in the history of walking until I read this book. Nicholson's British sensibility and wit provide an excellent narrative guide as you learn about competitive pedestrians like the mid 19th century legend Captain Barclay or the speakers at a Psychogeography festival in Brooklyn. The vast subject matter, from music, movement and movies in one chapter to walking around Mecca in another, sometimes is too broad, but Nicholson's self-deprecating style and well as the very humorous frame for the book kept me laughing and guessing where he might meander to next. So, fittingly, if you can handle taking "the long way" through a topic you've doubtlessly mastered but not really thought about, you will truly enjoy this book.
Was this comment helpful? |
Yes
|
No
report this comment
Green Tea Living: A Japan-Inspired Guide to Eco-Friendly Habits, Health, and Happiness
by
Toshimi A. Kayaki
412Scott
, July 15, 2011
I found this book inspiring and uplifting and I haven't even tried one of Kayaki's research-supported green tea suggestions. Did you know you can drink your green tea and reuse the leaves to make your house clean, or your garden grow? If you didn't, like me, you'll be amazed at how many uses green tea leaves can have in your daily life. I read the entire guide in under an hour and I hope to revisit it often to live more simply and frugally. Whether you're a frequent reader of eco-conscious writing or a green living neophyte, I imagine everyone will enjoy reading this mix of traditional Japanese suggestions and Kayaki's cheery anecdotes.
Was this comment helpful? |
Yes
|
No
(1 of 1 readers found this comment helpful)
report this comment
Go Mutants
by
Larry Doyle
412Scott
, July 11, 2011
Larry Doyle might be the only author in the world who can write a parody of 1950's science fiction and teen rebellion movies at the same time. Amazingly, it's not just a clever concept with a couple of smarmy tricks in an otherwise bland book. The humor is varied and satisfying. Biologically specific musings on the protagonists awkwardly goopy adolescent changes? Simpsons' style pop culture allusions that span across three decades of history, music, and movies? Doyle fits it all in without bogging down an engrossing plot. I ended up rooting for J!m (that's right, J!m) and Marie to end up a couple by the end of the novel. If you take the time to check a dictionary for the scattered but challengingly specific vocabulary Doyle's narrator uses, it's even funnier and more dazzling due to the narrative structure. I read this over three nights, each evening forcing myself to put the book down. A truly funny book.
Was this comment helpful? |
Yes
|
No
report this comment