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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
amabre has commented on (25) products
Imagine Life With A Well Behaved Dog
by
Julie A Bjelland
amabre
, May 28, 2011
BUY THIS BOOK. I've looked at several books on dog training and this one worked best for me. It is comprehensive, addressing pretty much every issue you may encounter with your dog. Ultimately, if Julie's training techniques are put into practice, this book will strengthen the relationship between you and your dog by teaching you everything you need to know to be a master trainer-as a pet photographer called me when she witnessed my foster pup's obedience training in action. We also practice training at the park and have received numerous compliments. Imagine Life With a Well-Behaved Dog definitely helped us with potty training issues, as well as Greta's mouthing, jumping, and leash behavior. There are things we're still working on, and we practice training daily, but she's turning into quite the well-behaved puppy and I have Julie Bjelland to thank for that. I LOVE that the conclusion of this book is called "Let's Save Dogs' Lives Together." It calls attention to the fact that "half the dogs in shelters are destroyed simply because there is no one to adopt them." She also says that "Ninety-six percent of surrendered dogs have had no training." Of course, trained dogs are more adoptable and less likely to end up in shelters in the first place. I plan to use what I learned from this book to train all of my future fosters and I plan to give a copy of this book to all adopters so they will have the tools they need to continue training and to address unwanted behaviors.
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Shadows On The Hudson
by
Isaac Bashev Singer
amabre
, February 15, 2010
I will treasure this book forever and ever. The beginning of the novel focuses on a love story between two married people. They are passionate and willing to risk it all to be together. And they do. The whole of this novel weaves together the lives of these and other New Yorkers (like a Jewish Magnolia!) Post World War Two, the characters recount the holocaust and its effect. They question (or denounce) God. Some remain devout. Some hold seances. Some lose themselves is romance, business, or politics. Shadows on the Hudson is deeply philosophical and just plain lovely. I spent many late nights absorbed in it and I will probably read it again. I zealously recommend it.
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In The Forest
by
Edna OBrien
amabre
, October 14, 2009
A chilling story of a boy turned bad. His name is O'Kane and he lives in the forest and his entire Irish county is afraid of him. The description of the landscape is lush. The book is very plot driven but also very character driven and the forest is as much a character as the people who fear it. Chapters are short and told in the voices/perspectives of various people. This style develops the story and makes the novel multi dimensional and freaky because some townspeople know more than others. The chapters told in O'Kane's point of view are especially disturbing...in a good way. This novel is captivating and crazy and wonderful.
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The House
by
J. Patrick Lewis
amabre
, September 22, 2009
This book is completely enthralling. Not only will children love it, but adults will really be able to appreciate the house's history. Not to mention the beautiful poetry and illustrations (background! middle ground! foreground! So much to look at!) The story is told in the first person of the house. The house was contructed of stones in the plague year of 1656. The reader can imagine the changes it saw in the passing centuries although at some point it was abandoned. In the year 1900, children re-discover the house- "No longer shut away, a doomed outcast: the children have discovered me at last." During the 20th century, the house hosts a wedding in 1915, a funeral in 1967. It bears witness to the devastation of 2 wars. It shelters refugees. It celebrates victory. The house endures until 1973, when it is again abandoned-"Wild creatures and the elements intrude." This "house of twenty thousand tales" begins to crumble, but the ending is NOT a sad one! This book is sprawling, exciting, gorgeous. Maybe the best children's book I've seen all year...
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God Says No
by
James Hannaham
amabre
, September 16, 2009
The protagonist is Gary Gray, a God fearing, food loving black man struggling with his sexuality. Early on in the novel, you discover Gary's feelings for his college roommate cause him to impregnate his girlfriend. He leaves school and gets a job, gets promoted, and gets a cozy apartment for his new family. He wants desperately to be a "family man" and he really does try but he's having trouble in the bedroom which puts pressure on his new marriage. Work is sending him on more and more business trips. Gary needs some man action. And he gets some. In public parks and public restrooms, all the while concerned that God is watching him. Gary takes on a few different identities, trying to avoid or indulge his sexuality. There are lots surprises along the way...The ending is not too happy, not too sad but redemptive and believable. During most of the novel I pitied Gary...but his story was engaging!
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Life Among The Savages
by
Shirley Jackson
amabre
, August 26, 2009
I don't have children but that didn't keep me from fully appreciating this story about Jackson raising three children in the 50s. I love the way she endears her family to the reader without being sentimental. Actually, she's writes almost objectively about them. These are really quirky stories told along a timeline... Fantastic things that can only happen in real life; this is really funny at times and completely relatable although it was written over half a century ago.
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Portable Dorothy Parker
by
Dorothy Parker
amabre
, August 16, 2009
Transport yourself to the breezy apartments of the boozy, man crazy, young women who populate New York City during the 1920's and 30s. You will have fun with them. Good stories, silly (but interesting) poetry. Oh and there are some awesome book reviews in here too. You don't have to be familiar with the book in order to enjoy Dorothy Parker's biting criticism.
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Beneath The Roses
by
Gregory Crewdson
amabre
, August 10, 2009
Gregory Crewdson's photographs are intricately mapped out and with the help of interior designers, costume people, lighting technicians, and models, he was able to create these elaborate works of art that resemble cinematography more than traditional photography. Every image here tells a story. His subjects are illuminated in such a way that they seem to glow. Almost makes me want to get up really early and experience the foggy stillness right before sunrise.
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The Great Gatsby
by
F Scott Fitzgerald
amabre
, August 09, 2009
Had no idea what to expect-I knew it would be good but no one ever talks about what the book is about. Even the back cover was evasive, letting you think it's a love story (well it is...sort of). I won't give it away but I must say that it is beautiful, vivid, unlike anything I've read before!
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Lottery & Other Stories
by
Shirley Jackson
amabre
, August 01, 2009
This was a joy to read. It was these, Shirley Jackson's wonderful stories, that got me hooked on her writing. I love Shirley Jackson's description of superficial details and the way she makes such small pieces of the setting really matter. I love her characters and all of their fears and awkwardness and obsessions (the recurring James Harris always adds a more unsettling vibe). I love the doom and the Hitchcock-like pictures these stories paint in your mind. I love the surprises and the charm and the way that when you read this you don't want to stop.
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Vegan Scoop 150 Recipes for Dairy Free Ice Cream That Tastes Better Than the Real Thing
by
Wheeler Del Torro
amabre
, July 24, 2009
So far I've made the coffee ice cream, the vanilla, chocolate, peanut butter, and butter pecan. They've all been rich and decadent. Just last summer I was making ice cream from cow's milk (so much has changed!) and let me tell ya-this tastes better, is better for you, and actually stiffens in the ice cream maker faster. My omnivore family has tried it and they love it too. This book includes recipes for different toppings (caramel! hot fudge!) and sweets to pair your ice cream with (biscotti! brownies!) I look forward to the other recipes: New York Irish Cream! Pistachio! Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl! Almond Cookie!
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Petropolis
by
Anya Ulinich
amabre
, July 18, 2009
The more I read, the more I felt I had to read. This is good stuff. Funny, honest, heartbreaking, beautiful. Its a coming of age story about a biracial jewish(ish) girl who emmigrates to America as a mail order bride. You can't help but fall in love with Sasha and root for her to pull through all of her troublesome (yet fascinating!) experiences.
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End of the Alphabet
by
C S Richardson
amabre
, July 12, 2009
It is a very small book-but its themes are big. Ambrose is going to die and his wife is tormented by the thought. They embrace their remaining time together by traveling from Amsterdam and on, around the world, according to the letters of the alphabet. This book is emotionally complex without being sentimental. Its a story that tells about love without ever being cliche.
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Thats Why We Dont Eat Animals A Book about Vegans Vegetarians & All Living Things
by
Ruby Roth
amabre
, July 01, 2009
This book is wonderful. I love the artwork of the animals and how Ruby Roth was able to illustrate such an array of emotion in their faces. The words are powerful, reasonable, and truthful without being scary. The book is separated into sections such as pets, pigs, cows, chickens, turkeys, quail, fish, rainforest, and endangered species. The author thoroughly explains the attributes that make each species unique. These animals deserve their lives and they deserve our protection. That's the message we get. At the end there are great suggestions for ways we can help animals (besides not eating them).
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Our Story Begins New & Selected Stories
by
Tobias Wolff
amabre
, June 27, 2009
Tobias Wolff is so real and so honest; he doesn't exploit his characters and he doesn't idealize them either. They're just as flawed as the rest of us which makes them very easy to relate to. They're ordinary people who stumble upon circumstances that fill them with regret, nostalgia, wonder, and grief. A myriad of absorbing faces, personalites, conflicts. The only way you can distinguish that these stories are all created by the same author is through the clarity of the storytelling. Everyone should read this.
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How the Soldier Repairs the Gramophone
by
Sasa Stanisic
amabre
, June 22, 2009
I picked up this novel after attempting (and then giving up on) a couple of others that I felt I was wasting my time on. I wanted to read a truly valuable book...and then I found this one. This starts out happy. And then it gets a little bleak. And then it comes together in a manic fit of emotion. This is Aleksandar's documented memory and it provides so much insight to his shattered world. At times, we are as disillusioned as he is-but then he enlightens us with his deft storytelling... His sporadic thoughts... "If I were a magician who could make things possible, I'd have lemonade always tasting as it did on the evening Francesco explained how right it was for the Italian moon to be a feminine moon. If I were a magician who could make things possible, we'd be able to understand all languages every evening between eight and nine. If I were a magician who could make things possible, all dams would keep their promises. If I were a magician who could make things possible, we'd be really brave." There were parts of the book that were hard to get through-war is very devastating topic but Sasa Stanisic is a truly innovative author. This was spectacular.
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Face On Your Plate The Truth About Food
by
Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson
amabre
, June 20, 2009
When I first picked up this book I thought I already knew everything there was to know on the issue. I was wrong. Especially on the fish chapter of the book. I'm not really into fish. They're so strange, so different, but I respect them and I learned a lot about them. For instance, We share 85% of our DNA with fish (98% we share with primates). Crazy, right? I also believed the myth that fish have a teensy memory span. Not true. Fish have a memory span of at least 3 months and probably much longer (it hasn't been tested further than three months). Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson quotes Culum Brown, (U of Edinburgh biologist) "Fish are more intelligent than they appear. In many areas, such as memory, their cognitive powers match or exceed those of 'higher' vertebrates, including non-human primates." Fish are freaky, they made no sounds but their sporadic out-of-water wriggling and flopping seem unnatural and clearly anguish-driven. The author says, "It is a bit puzzling why we feel that something not like us deserves less respect. That it's death is less troubling." Here, here. "Vegetarians" who eat fish are not vegetarians. Fish are not vegetables. This book explores the lives of all the animals we eat. Pigs, cows, chickens. Certain chapters had me gasping with surprise which I really didn't expect. I wish it could be required reading for everyone. Unfortunately, I'm afraid that the only people that will pick it up will be vegans, vegetarians, or people already interested in vegetarianism. That's a shame because this is really good stuff.
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Thanks & Have Fun Running the Country Kids Letters to President Obama
by
John, Jory
amabre
, June 18, 2009
Children's letters to President Obama! They are really sweet, some of them are heartbreaking. It amazes me how much kids know about politics these days. When I was 10 I knew nothing. A lot of the letters address homelessness and advise Obama to help the poor. Some letters scold him for smoking. Some talk about all the fun they would have if they lived in the white house. One kid wants to fill some of the rooms with mashed potatoes and have a pizza carpet and a chocolate pudding couch. This one might be my favorite: Dear President Obama, My name is Kevin. I have one brother and one sister and their names are Anthony and Dayanara. My favorite food is soup and my favorite breakfast is cereal. My favorite fruit is a pear and my favorite thing at the store is hot Cheetos. Sincerely, Kevin Romero, age 7 This sounds like kid stuff but some of the letters are surprising. They touch on the economy, on green alternatives to gasoline, on health insurance, on animal welfare, on immigration, on race. Here's a bit of one letter that I thought was interesting: "My dream is to become a veterinarian or a zoologist because I love animals and I think I will get more connected to our planet. I have dreams that I want to achieve that are why my parents, my brother and I immigrated to the United States. My neighbor thinks that I'm just another Latino that is going to ruin her life. But they are so wrong. I want to go to great high schools. I want to graduate from college and show my mom that I worked my butt off." -Yoselin Teresa Martinez Xonthe, age 13
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Invisible Sign of My Own
by
Bender, Aimee
amabre
, June 18, 2009
This is about a young woman (she's between 18 and 20, I think) who stumbles upon a teaching job. She's eccentric, almost OCD, but in a whimsical and charming way that allows her to form interesting relationships with her second grade students...Not to mention the science teacher; whom she has mixed feelings about. He's cute and fun and she wants him but she's afraid she'll lose him or hurt him or kill him so when she's lusty she eats soap to supress her desire. Weird, I know, but within Aimee Benders lovely storytelling, it all makes sense.
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Chicago Diner Cookbook
by
Jo A Kaucher
amabre
, June 16, 2009
I made the cocoa cake for a friend's birthday. I'm not a big fan of chocolate cake in general but it was very good and very moist. Mmm...I want some right now. I've also got to give it up for the shepard's pie. Incredible. The one I made turned out better than what i was served at the Diner (in my humble opinion). Full of flavor. Make it to impress your friends and family. Also, the diner hash is pretty. It tastes good too.
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Childrens Hospital
by
Chris Adrian
amabre
, June 13, 2009
This book took a long time for me to read (its over 600 pages) but Chris Adrians words are beautiful and it was nice to savor them. The first half of the book is smooth and quick reading. Not because its better than the second half-just because the author is very good at introducing his characters and forming relationships and surprising us. He never abandons these attributes. The story just gets more complex. I felt a connection with Jemma that I have never felt with any other character. I could really relate to her and the fact that her character was concieved by a man still leaves me perplexed. I really enjoyed the chapters that take us back to Jemmas childhood. I felt nostolgic for her. At some point we are taken to her 4th birthday and Jemma's mother is constantly tossing her from activity to activity so she misses out on her own birthday cake. She is sent to bed after the whole thing has been eaten up by her guests...without saying too much...the end of this chapter made me cry. This is the only book that has ever made me cry. The premise is quite abstract-but its carried by intimate language that makes you feel truly vicarious.
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Ms Hempel Chronicles
by
Sarah Shun Li Bynum
amabre
, June 09, 2009
These are stories taken from Ms. Hempel's (fictional) life as a child, a cool 7th grade English teacher, a friend and a fiance. Sarah Shun-Lien Bynum's writing is beautiful and had me recalling several instances from my youth. She was so spot on with details. Such specific experiences and emotions that I was surprised to find other people have experienced (and I thought I was the only one...) I also enjoyed Ms. Hempel's passion for literature. I love that she had her class read This Boy's Life by Tobias Wolff. I loved Ms. Hempel.I wish I could have had her as a teacher. *If you like this I would suggest An Invisible Sign of My Own by Aimee Bender
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Willful Creatures
by
Aimee Bender
amabre
, June 04, 2009
This is a tremendous book. I liked The Girl in the Flammable Skirt very much but this book...it hits a little harder. All of these stories are fantastic. The one about the pumpkin head couple that have a son with an Iron head is amazing. Its so unreal yet the emotion it evokes is an intense combination of every real feeling the reader has ever felt. Its about being an outcast. Its about being loved anyway-or rather, because of our eccentricities. And she writes with such lyrical subtlety...the words read smoothly and quick but looking back (i read this about a year ago) i can recall so much detail and feeling. These stories are more tangible than you will realize. Read it.
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For the Love of Animals
by
Shevelow Kathryn
amabre
, June 03, 2009
Very interesting. This book taught me: What bullbaiting is. That Descartes thought that animals were organic machines or "automata." One of his followers noted that when you strike a key on an organ, it makes a sound but it doesn't feel anything-comparable to when you beat a dog, it may cry, but it doesn't feel anything. The author points out the Cartesian observation that "If beasts could actually feel, then no god who is truly good would permit us to be cruel to them. In order to believe in God's goodness, we must believe that animals are machines." That Alexander Pope was an animal lover who wrote affectionately about his pets. That the artist William Hogarth played a big part in the early animal protection movement. His series of engravings, The Four Stages of Cruelty, depict different stages in his fictional character Tom Nero's life. He is shown torturing a dog in the street among many other cruel acts made by lower class boys. As he gets older, his cruelty extends to humanity and he is inevitably executed. The artist intended to evoke pity for animals and is quoted explaining that he created this series of engravings "in hopes of preventing in some degree that cruel treatment of poor animals which makes the streets of London more disagreeable to the human mind than anything what ever. The very describing of which gives pain." I was not very familiar with William Hogarth's art before reading this book, now I am excited about viewing more. I learned about Humanity Dick, or "Hair-Trigger Dick" the flamboyant Irish Duelist who once dueled to avenge the murder of a dog. Through parliament, Humanity Dick paved the way for laws against animal cruelty. He was a lovely man. This book exposes the filth of London through the 19th century. The horrific abuse that was day to day. It was devastating to read some of these things, but insightful. Necessary reading for anyone interesting in the well being of animals-it makes you feel optimistic about change for their well being. The early activists did a lot at a time when animal welfare was an extremely radical (or non-existent) idea. You would think we'd have come further by now, there's still so much cruelty but now the public is not involved. In the 18th century, poet John Oswald said "we are able to feed on animals without remorse because the dying struggles of the butchered creature are secluded from our sight, because his cries pierce not our ear, because his agonizing shrieks sing not into our soul. were we forced, with our own hands, to assasinate the animals whom we devour, who is there among us that would not throw down, with detestation, the knife?"
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So Big
by
Edna Ferber
amabre
, June 02, 2009
In the three years I've worked in a bookstore, I've had ZERO customers ask for books by Edna Ferber. Dude. That is going to change. I am going to start by recommending it to everyone I know (mother-in-law is reading it next, then Andrew) and then I am going to recommend it to customers. It's about Selina DeJong, a gambler's daughter-turned schoolteacher in a Dutch village just outside of Chicago. It is definetely interesting to think that there was so much farmland in Selina's day, where now it's all steel and traffic. Selina is an intriguing character, she's smart, young (well...the novel spand a few decades), idealistic and determined. She falls in love and becomes someone she never thought she'd be. She has a son who she works very, VERY hard for. Their lives happen and I couldn't pull myself away. A page turner indeed, this book wasn't thought to be very literary when it was published in 1924 (although it won the Pulitzer Prize)but the language is rich and the story is wholly interesting. Now I want to see the movie-any one of the three that were adapted from this lovely novel. Do read it.
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