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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
pickfordm has commented on (5) products
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
by
Rebecca Skloot
pickfordm
, August 06, 2014
Except when I read for research purposes, I generally settle down with a book of fiction. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, though nonfiction, captured my interest because of the rave reviews and fascinating press it generated, and I quickly picked up a copy of the hardcover edition when the book came out last year. I found that it lived up to all the hype. It's an intelligent, interesting book which reads as fluidly as good fiction, vividly fleshes out real life characters with poignance and compassion, and also provides a clear-eyed description of the socio-economic inequities that plague our system. As for the science, I'm sure most of it is way (way!) over my head. However, unlike some academics, whose writing is indecipherable to all but their fellow experts, Skloot writes clearly and effectively about the importance of Ms. Lacks' immortal cells. Even though we may not "get" all the science, we understand the gist of what the author tells us, and certainly grasp its importance. She also seamlessly weaves into her book the history of medical research, and of issues like informed consent. I also admire the way that Skloot puts herself, and her journey, into the narrative. Her relationship with Henrietta's troubled but gentle-spirited daughter was, for me, one of the most moving parts of the narrative. At the end of the book, you find that Skloot has established a scholarship fund for Henrietta Lacks' grandchildren, who remain impoverished despite the billions of dollars that have been made from their grandmother's cells. I definitely intend to visit the website and make a contribution, and I'm sure many other readers will do the same after reading this book.
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Outside the Bones
by
Lyn Di Iorio
pickfordm
, August 06, 2014
Lyn Di Iorio's "Outside the Bones" is an intelligent read, fast-paced and packed with adventure. The narrator, Fina, is a bruja, a self described "spirit worker," who after the breakup of her marriage begins to take her gifts more seriously. When she casts a few spells in an attempt to win the heart of Chico,the sexy trumpet player who lives in her apartment building, and to get rid of her competition, she becomes enmeshed in an intricate web of intrigue and murder. As Fina gets to the core of the mystery, she also learns the secrets of her own long-buried past. Di Iorio also provides vivid descriptions of the rituals of Palo, an Afro-Caribbean religio-magical tradition, as Fina learns to cast spells and fly with the nfuiris, or spirits, which fill her world. Altogether, this is an accessible and entertaining novel, and an impressive literary debut.
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Fire Watcher
by
Vivian Demuth
pickfordm
, April 20, 2014
I should mention that Vivian Demuth is a friend of mine. Even if we weren't friends, though, I'd savor this book. She is a wonderful and humane writer. A lover of nature, she often draws her inspiration from her experiences as a park ranger in Canada. Her descriptions of the land, the wildlife, and her adventures during the summers she's worked there, are vivid and full of warmth. In her poems, she breathes life into her environment, to the animals and plants, anthropomorphizes them without depleting them of their unique essence. Another thing I love about Vivian's poems is that they are accessible. I mean this as a compliment, for she manages to do so without sacrificing the quality or intellect or knowledge of poetics. I felt very comfortable living in the worlds she's created here.
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The Uninnocent: Stories
by
Morrow, Bradford
pickfordm
, December 24, 2013
"The Uninnocent," a wonderful book of short fiction from Bradford Morrow, manages to be at once luminous and dark. Each story takes a brave look at the underside of characters who often narrate their own tales. I agree with the reviewers on this page who read these stories slowly. Because of the macabre, noir nature of the material, its narrative richness, its descriptive powers, and the multitude of surprise endings, these are stories to be savored rather than hurried through in one or two sittings. Also, as Morrow subtly foreshadows many of the twists and turns early on, a rereading yields its own rewards, perhaps revealing clues missed the first time around. It's hard to single out the best pieces in such a uniformly fine collection, but my current favorites are "Gardener of Heart" and "The Enigma of Grover's Mill." In the first, the funeral of a beloved twin sister brings an archaeologist back to the home town he long ago abandoned. Though their paths forked outwardly, he learns, their deep love for one another inexorably binds them. "The Enigma of Grover's Mill" contains a lot of death, an alien invasion, radio hoaxes and (maybe) murder. Simultaneously, it's a coming-of-age tale filled with nostalgia, mourning, the wonders of adolescence and love. Also powerful is "The Hoarder," a creepy story which reminded me of John Fowles' masterfully chilling novel "The Collector." In "Ellie's Idea" a woman decides to wipe her moral slate clean, purifying herself and hopefully winning back her husband, by apologizing to everyone for every bad act she believes she's committed. This one snuck up on and eventually enfolded me; the character for whom I felt empathy at the outset became the one from whose clutches I eventually wanted to escape. "Lush" intertwines romantic love and alcohol addiction so seductively it made me feel the narrator's addiction. Indeed, for the duration of the story I almost shared it. All this gets to the heart of what I loved about "The Uninnocent." At a reading I attended, a fan asked Morrow how he managed to create an entire world in the space of a short story. After some thought, he ascribed it to the specificity of detail, which certainly fleshes out his works and gives them resonance. In addition, the specificity, the psychological depth, and the humanness of even the most monstrous of the characters pulled me into the stories and kept me there.
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Diviners Tale
by
Bradford Morrow
pickfordm
, January 19, 2012
I'm a huge fan of Bradford Morrow's and I've been waiting for this book, The Diviners Tale, for a long time. Not only is it worth the wait, it's one of the best contemporary novels I've read in years. When the novel opens the narrator, Cassandra Brooks, describes her first "forevision," a premonition of her brother's death. It got me hooked right away and set up story lines which enrich the book throughout: Cassandra's strong yet complicated relationships with her family; the unique gifts that make her feel like an outsider; and the burdens that accompany her talent for divination (she foresees her brother's death but can't stop him from dying). Cassandra struggles to live a quiet life, raising twin sons as a single parent and forging bonds with her challenging mother and her ailing father, teaching, and "divining" -- a talent tied to her premonitory powers. Cassandra quickly became a character I adore, someone whose insecurities I can relate to as easily as I can to the capaciousness of her heart. While divining (for water, a fascinating process Morrow describes so well) Cassandra sees a horrifying sight, a dead girl hanging from a tree in the woods. However, when she summons the police the girl has vanished without a trace. Did she imagine the whole thing? Was it the sign of a murder to come, or the residue of one that already happened? When a missing girl who resembles the dead girl (and reminds Cassandra of herself) is found, Cassandra is pulled even further into this frightening web. The tension builds slowly but masterfully; there are moments near the end that left me reading doubly fast because I couldn't bear to wait to find out what happened. The whodunit is the least interesting aspect of The Diviner's Tale, and the easiest to figure out. That didn't bother me; there were enough twists and turns to keep me guessing. Besides, I was most interested in Cassandra's journey, the path by which she learned to accept her warts, powers of divination, and all, and finally to embrace her valiant life. Also, while I might have appreciated some insight into the motivations of the villain, Morrow's interest in fleshing out the good guys rather than the bad ones is a refreshing change. Usually, the villains are more interesting than the heroes! Here, the flawed but admirable individuals - and they are many - are the people you wind up wanting to know.
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