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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
Ambrosia4All has commented on (17) products
Hunger Games 01
by
Suzanne Collins
Ambrosia4All
, July 30, 2010
This is one young adult novel that didn't tend towards the notion that everything is romance and roses. To say I was continually blown away would be an understatement. After hearing such amazing things about it, I felt they could not possibly be all true, but - to my utmost surprise - they were. The story is riveting from the start: capturing your attention, astonishing you, creating a world real enough to reach out and touch, and causing some deep emotions. I kept trying to guess what was coming next, then just gave up as I realized I was wrong as often as I was right. Katniss' emotions and motivations are realistic and were easy for me to identify with. I will definitely be picking up the sequel as soon as possible!
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Thirteenth Tale
by
Diane Setterfield
Ambrosia4All
, March 11, 2010
While reading "The Thirteenth Tale" I couldn't wait to turn the page and find out what happened next. This tale of twins, a ghost, a rundown estate, a garden, and a mysterious writer was exactly what I was looking for. The tale centers on Margaret, a young bookshop clerk and amateur biographer, and Vida Winter, a prolific and popular, yet reclusive writer. Ms. Winter invites Margaret to hear her life story so that it will live on. The fascinating life story holds all the clues that are essential to figuring out the mystery, but it still surprised me in the end. I was so immersed in the story, that I hardly cared, I just wanted it to keep going. Highly recommended!
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Cryptonomicon
by
Neal Stephenson
Ambrosia4All
, February 21, 2010
Delightfully complex, full of quirky characters, and Stephenson's trademark wit is packed in this novel of World War II, high-tech finance, and treasure hunting. It seems so long when you start, but it moves so fast that before you know it you're at the end and can't believe it's over. Stephenson's thoughts on the human psyche, technology, religion, government and more are interwoven with two timelines - one in modern(ish) times and the other during WWII. Long passages of cryptology and mathematics are well-explained, so this book should be accessible to the ignorant reader as well as the math whizzes. So delightful to read, I've already recommended it to everyone I know!
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The Swarm
by
Frank Schatzing
Ambrosia4All
, June 17, 2009
This could be read as a response to the environmental crises the world has thrown itself into, but I don't think that was really the point. After great thought I believe the author just has seen too many movies, especially of the disaster genre. That should not be taken as a reason not to read it however, because this book had one major thing that I love to see in books: a multitude of well-researched and explained scientific factoids that are actually pertinent to the plot. This was chock full of them and while most were about biology (not my favorite), they were still fascinating. If you don't give a hoot about science, this is probably not going to be your favorite... The back of this book calls it a successful amalgamation of The Day After Tomorrow and The Abyss, which I found to be a surprisingly accurate description. The action, while it took a bit to get started, was well described and enthralling and there's enough time between bouts to catch your breath and get a sense of what's going on. It's appalling how real it seems and how easy he makes it sound to end the world. While I think that the characterizations could have used some work and the whole "disaster concept" is a bit trite (although the actual reason behind it seemed new to me), all in all, it was good enough to support the real baby behind this book: the plot.
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Late Lamented Molly Marx
by
Sally Koslow
Ambrosia4All
, June 17, 2009
An interesting take on life-after-death, Molly looks in on the people she loved from the Duration. Unlike most chick lit, I think this really had something to say other than "let's all dress up and fret about boys". I respect that, because while those books can be fun, there is way more to life than that, no? Having two simultaneous story lines naturally revolving around her time of death, Molly reflects on whether she made the right choices involving her heart. This isn't simply "does he like? what if he doesn't?", this is more about how the choices we make reflect the people we are. And Molly was indecisive, but she was trying to be a better, more resolute person, up to the end. The ending is both a clear cut resolution and an inconclusive realist's fantasy. You know from the beginning what's going to happen in the end, but the journey to get there was worth it. A quick, sweet read, although I disagree with others characterizing this as a mystery, I would even quibble over chick lit. While it is women's literature, romance is the centerpiece. While there are mysteries, this is not the compelling plot point. Recommended for those looking for something to read about real love and the hardships thereof, not that movie romance stuff.
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Proof A Play
by
David Auburn
Ambrosia4All
, June 17, 2009
This has been one of my all-time favorite plays for a very long time. It may be because of the subject matter: mathematics and psychology. This is the story of a 25-year-old woman who is the daughter of a famous mathematician who went insane. She grapples with the question of her own sanity, her future, a new man in her life, and her prudent sister after her father's death. It brings up so many questions I've had for myself that it has always been easy for me to identify with it. I saw this play produced very well and the movie, starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Anthony Hopkins, and Jake Gyllenhaal, is also done particularly well (with a script written by the play's author and following the play closely with some very interesting changes due to the added flexibility of a film rather than a play). Auburn's poetic writing from the point-of-view of an insane genius is moving and magnificent. Catherine's character is wholly developed and realistic, being someone I could see being friends with. If there is a production of this in your area, I encourage you to go! As a fine substitute, rent the movie. And above all, read Auburn's beautiful play!
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The Bell Jar
by
Sylvia Plath
Ambrosia4All
, June 17, 2009
I can absolutely say, this was my favorite book so far this year. I can't definitively say it was the best, but I loved it. This is in large part because of how well I connected to the material and Plath's beautiful, overwhelming descriptions of each event. Plath has been one of my favorite poets for a long time - since I wrote a long report about her in the 7th grade. Her poetry moves me and makes me wish I could write some of my own that didn't sound ridiculous. In the book, "the bell jar" refers to the feeling of suffocation that depression causes. This is one of the best descriptions I've ever heard, being the most accurate, in my experience. Yet I feel as if writing this must have been slightly cathartic for her. When I think how she went on to kill herself the month this was first published, it makes a strange sense to me. On a purely literary level, Plath's writing moves me, as her poems have in the past. She has a dry sense of humor and ironic voice that, if misread, would probably sound strange, but read correctly amuses and entertains. Esther's reminisces on her time in New York are realistic and aptly prosaic. Overall, I loved it and recommend it as a way to understand depression. Sometimes depression doesn't necessarily have an definitive basis, nor an easy fix like so many would like us to think.
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Doomsday Book
by
Connie Willis
Ambrosia4All
, June 17, 2009
Again I must say, this was one of the best books I've read this year. It was entertaining and enlightening and all those other things that make novels particularly impressive. It didn't mess with history for the sake of the narrative and it didn't try to create romance in a situation where romance would be seriously out of place. Other than that it's hard to really describe this one. As I was reading other more negative reviews, I could see where most of their writers were coming from. If you are looking for a particularly fast paced novel, this probably isn't the book to pick up. It steadily works it's way towards the conclusion without cutting corners or forgetting to detail the mediaeval world that makes this book so engrossing. The modern storyline could become tedious, but I found the way Willis tied the two together engaging. Without Dunworthy's story, I'm afraid the message of historical repetition would have been lost on me. The future also let in the comic relief that was necessary to cut the high drama of the mediaeval sections for me. I can see why this was given so many awards, it was well researched and put together and allowed me to recall the power of storytelling (something I believe every good novel should do). This is highly recommended to those who like science fiction, historical fiction, or stories of good and evil.
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Lace Reader
by
Brunonia Barry
Ambrosia4All
, January 24, 2009
All I can say is wow. This book tells the story of Towner Whitney of recent-past Salem, Massachusetts. A modern day witch-hunt against a woman with a dark secret and mental illness that makes it hard to discern fact from fiction are the draw here. The self-declared unreliable narrator lives up to that title, making the entire book all that more interesting to ponder over in the end. The hardest parts of this book were: the beginning, which was difficult to understand because you don't get what's going on at first, and everything in Part 2 and on, which is when I was so hooked I couldn't put it down. When you get to the end, you take a deep breath look around and try to put everything you just read together. While at times the novel does get ambiguous, I rather liked this technique because it brings to mind the hazy memories a mental illness can create. In other words, it makes sense in the context of the book, however, it's not for all readers and you should pick this book up warned in advance. I tend to like books where you have to work at the end to figure out what's happened. If you don't, you probably want to stay away from this (although, in all honesty, I thought the ending was rather straightforward and explained what had happened quite clearly...). All together a fabulous story which is hard to define (mystery/suspense and drama with a dash of understated romance and great characters is my best guess). Highly recommended to anyone with a penchant for mystery novels or a flair for the dramatic.
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Franny & Zooey
by
J D Salinger
Ambrosia4All
, January 04, 2009
I loved this book and the idea it encompassed: that the world is not as amazing as some people would love us to believe. This whole book seems to take place in the course of about four scenes with only four characters, but it is so beautiful and true. Franny is a young college girl who's realized that the world is not an amazing place and is trying her hardest to get back to the state of mind of a child where nothing is wrong. She is calling upon God and her dead older brother and everything she can think of, but she sits on the family couch weeping her life away. Her slightly older brother Zooey is just as disenchanted with the world, but has come to a stalemate with it: not living through his life as a weeping mess, but not living to the fullest either. Both learn something about their enlightened state of mind when Zooey tries to help Franny out of her funk and come to realize they'll need to find a way to survive without losing this enlightenment or being a slave to it. I personally connected with this book due to it's message as I have become more and more disillusioned by the falsities in the modern world. Franny and Zooey show that this is not necessarily a negative outlook, but that it must be made to be less traumatizing and debilitating. A wonderful thinking book for our times.
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American Gods
by
Neil Gaiman
Ambrosia4All
, January 04, 2009
A beautiful mythology of a man without a future. Twists and turns bring on a heady sense of deja vu and the otherworldly eeriness of some scenes makes this a truly spectacular read. Gaiman is one of my favorite authors and he does not disappoint in this book that highlights gods of all religions and answers some pressing questions: what happens when people forget their gods? who are the american gods? who is really pulling the strings? It is fun to read this book and try to figure out all the religious references - try and figure out who the forgotten god is, there are many many theories out there. This is a book you won't put down and forget anytime soon...it'll stay in your head for a long time, irking you.
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Everything Is Illuminated
by
Jonathan Safran Foer
Ambrosia4All
, January 04, 2009
On the surface "Everything Is Illuminated" is a simple story of a Jewish American, named for the author, who travels to the Ukraine in order to research his family's history. In fact, the book tells two intersecting stories: one of Foer's ancestors and one of his current travels with his travel guides, Alex, his grandfather, and their ridiculous dog. While the story begins as humorous, it quickly gets to the root of the issues and a mix begins to occur between the ridiculous and the moving. I saw this as a clever parallel on life itself: we hide emotions behind humor, but eventually everyone must confront themselves in order to move forward. The story of this unlikely group's journey begins to become not just Jonathan's story, but Alex and his grandfather's as well. While Foer searches for his family and the mysterious Augustine, Alex unexpectedly confronts his own family history and his grandfather faces his past. It becomes a story of two families that parallel each other in strange and surprising ways. On the reader's tour of the Ukraine, Foer takes the time to treat us to humorous interludes from the road, as well as fleshing out the quirky history of the hero's family. His creative use of language amazed, as well as drew me further into the story and connected me to his character's emotions. This novel is highly recommended, but a warning to readers looking for a funny book about a road trip: look elsewhere.
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I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings
by
Maya Angelou
Ambrosia4All
, January 04, 2009
This book was so touching, but I could not describe quite why. It was beautiful, but again it's hard to give a specific reason. It puts in our faces the lives of those around is, it's so real. While some novels and memoirs have believable characters, Maya Angelou's description of her childhood is so sensory driven and lyrical, that it's hard to imagine it NOT existing. She's such a rare woman, a rare human being, that her words leap off the page and straight into your brain. This book must be read to truly understand her struggles and triumphs, her life and her decisions. While many parts are difficult to read in this 21st century atmosphere, it's important to remember things like she describes happened and still happen everywhere, in every country, in every town. This is the type of book you can't forget after you read it.
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Wide Sargasso Sea
by
Jean Rhys
Ambrosia4All
, January 04, 2009
Overall this was a very interesting idea for a novel: take one of the most mysterious characters from classical literature and expand upon her backstory. And Rhys does not disappoint, she brings such a rich and detailed viewpoint of Antoinette (later dubbed "Bertha", as she is called in Jane Eyre) that one cannot help but sympathize with the girl who becomes the crazy woman in Thornfield Hall's attic room. In particular, her identity crisis due to racial ambiguity spoke to me as a biracial woman. Using this as the basis of her illness at a time when race was deemed vitally important to a person's standing was a great take off point for her insanity. While racial differences have become more accepted, the relatively subtle (compared to more obvious displays in other novels) superiority complex of full-blooded whites to coloured and black people in this novel is still very much present in today's culture, despite the obliviousness of many. Antoinette's insanity is very understandable as well. She is literally pushed to the brink and finally cannot bring herself back. No one offers her help and instead of being an evil woman who broke up Jane and Mr. Rochester, tried to kill her husband, and set his house ablaze, she becomes a sad woman who just needed a hug and some therapy. She was just genuinely a product of the times and her environment. Rhys draws this portrait of a woman harmed by society and her surroundings well and develops the Caribbean influences (drawn from her own background) pitch perfect. This was not an easy read with a shifting point-of-view that is often hard to get used to or even identify. As Antoinette slips further into insanity her perspective in particular becomes unstable and difficult to comprehend. There are many motifs and some symbolism that is not obvious, but needs to be understood to get the full impact of Rhys' story. In conclusion though, I definitely recommend it. It's a short book that on the surface can be easily comprehended.
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Capt Hook The Adventures of a Notorious Youth
by
James V Hart
Ambrosia4All
, January 04, 2009
An intelligent book about a young Captain Hook that details all the important aspects of his youth from why he is the way he is to how he got his name. Young King Jas. enters Eton wearily and finds almost immediately the enemies (named Darling of course, like the children in the original book), friends (Jolly Roger of course!) and love that his life has been missing. His adventures continue to entertain fluidly transforming from one to another. J.V.Hart really found the comfortable medium where the reader roots for James while still seeing the evil that you will someday come to expect from Capt. Hook. Everything is here: dastardly deeds, poisonous pet spiders, duals to the death, fires, escapes, mutinies! The whole book reads well and comes highly recommended for a bit of light reading.
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Never Let Me Go
by
Kazuo Ishiguro
Ambrosia4All
, January 04, 2009
This book is most interesting if you don't spoil it for yourself before reading it because it has an impact that I believe is necessary for the author's purpose. The reader finds out "the secret" of Hailsham along with the main characters of the book, causing the final unveiling to be dramatic and devastating for both groups. Ishiguro makes interesting speculations on possible futures and the idea of humanizing dehumanizing procedures. However, his ideas on romantic love and ethical boundaries are what caused me to think the most. His almost deromanticizing of romantic love is a very interesting play on the traditional love story. Mainly, this book is an good story of a girl coming of age and finding out about herself and her world. While this may not be the same as our own, the parallels that can easily be drawn are startling. Overall, a beautifully written piece of dramatic British literature, sure to captivate readers who are adverse to suspending reality too much (i.e. hard sci-fi), but still enjoy speculative fiction.
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Jenna Starborn
by
Sharon Shinn
Ambrosia4All
, January 04, 2009
It definitely lived up to the expectations of upbeat and romantic. As a quick summary, Jenna Starborn is Jane Eyre...IN SPACE. Yes, it's a scifi retelling of that most classic of the 19th century romantic novels. The interchanged details are magnificent: born of a gen tank rather than as an unwanted orphan, becomes a nuclear technician rather than a governess, with Jenna as a half-citizen rather than merely a penniless orphan. I particularly liked how Shinn focused on the caste system of this future world and basically magnified the social system of the 19th century into a more legal status difference that actually ended up being more stratifying than Jane Eyre's precarious situation in her novel. This system allowed Shinn to explore some philosophical points on social stature that were present, although not focused on, in Brontë's novel. The worth of a person becomes a poignant point in this novel, although sadly, Shinn only briefly touches on it before moving onto the meat of the story. My only major discontent with this book was that it followed the story of Jane Eyre TOO closely. I knew what would come next and how it would end, and besides the changes in terminology, it was not a very unique story. I like my retellings to be richly detailed and to just use the bare bones outline of the original to tell a new story with a new point. Mercedes Lackey does this admirably with her Elemental Masters novels.
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