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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
gatobut has commented on (5) products
The Second World War. Their Finest Hour
by
Sir Winston S. Churchill
gatobut
, September 26, 2011
This is the volume of the Second World War collection, in which Mr. Churchill really grabs the reader's attention. While the first volume had to present the background and all of the events leading up to WWII, this book focuses on the hard-pressed Brits and their resilience in the face of seeming victory for the enemy. The Prime Minister's sardonic comments are sprinkled throughout, so you can laugh even when you want to cry. He is blisteringly honest in his evaluation of the constant losing and how the British population is close to just giving up altogether. Then comes the Battle of Britain and the beginning of the turnaround against the Germans. He keeps the reader glued with the detail, so that you feel you were there when it happened. This is a big book, but once you get hooked, forget about putting it down. The human tragedy is mixed with human hope and that wonderful British upper-lip-ness. As London is being destroyed neighborhood by neighborhood by Hitler's flying bombs, a Home Guardsman is heard saying, "It's a grand life, if we don't weaken." Such fortitude, such a wonderful book.
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The Raccoon Next Door: Getting Along with Urban Wildlife
by
Gary Bogue
gatobut
, September 26, 2011
The title of this book may lead you to believe it's about the wily raccoon, but the author highlights urban wildlife in general, including ravens, gulls, raptors, coyotes, and even jeeper creeper insects. The illustrations are spot-on and the accompanying text is filled with very helpful knowledge and humorous comments ("It's a classic symptom of spring fever in raccoons when they don't cut in line"). As a lifetime city dweller suddenly living in a small but very urban town with curious wildlife, this book has been a huge help. One summer night, I heard a commotion beneath my window. I looked out and there were five squabbling, noisy raccoon kits. Their mother had left them there while she foraged, apparently convinced they were safe since I was there watching the Olympics on the telly. One of those kits still lives nearby, and he is devoted to my pond and swimming. Although I am pretty sure this was due to NBC's nonstop coverage of the swimming and diving events, Mr. Bogue's understanding of wildlife made me realize this wasn't unusual in the highly intelligent raccoon family. Lately, Aquaboy the Raccoon has been joined by skunks, opossums, and even little foxes. Instead of calling the pest company as most would, I just reach for this book and read about the proclivities of my wildlife companions and enjoy their banter and activity.
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The Riverman (Dodo Press)
by
Stewart Edward White
gatobut
, September 26, 2011
This is a turn-of-the century (as in 19th to 20th century) book that wound up in my collection, then sat and waited quietly for me to find it. It tells the story of the men who worked the logs on the rivers, back when that was the main way to get lumber from the forests to the cities. The author writes the story as fiction but there is so much detail and knowledge that you immediately buy in to the main characters. Plus, there is a twist. A simple twist, yet one I did not expect. That kept me going as I hungrily ate it all up. Now, I can hold dinner conversations about the logging industry back in the late 19th century. Sawmill, shawmill.
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Cary Grant: The Wizard of Beverly Grove
by
Bill Royce
gatobut
, September 04, 2011
When I was a teenager, I happened to be at Disneyland the day that Cary Grant gave his Christmas speech. We all stood stone still as he spoke. Although he wasn't of my generation, even as a self-involved teen, I knew a legend when I saw one. When he completed his speech, he made his way toward a secret exit that didn't seem to exist before. I ran like crazy to catch him, and just as he was about to walk through the secret door, I yelled, "You're Cary Grant." He stopped, turned to me, flashed a huge smile and said, "Yes, I am." I didn't know what to do, as asking for an autograph from a legend seemed, well, superfluous. I smiled back, he waved and disappeared. When I found this book, I didn't think much of what was to come. After all, there are probably more books written about Cary than any other movie star, including two this year (2011) alone. But this was a surprising read, one which did not want to leave my hands. The writer lets us in to the legend's private world and we get to know a complicated yet sweet man, who wanted to find happiness for himself and others. We learn about a movie star who terrified his passengers with his driving, yet had such a huge crush on Pam Grier that he would visit rundown Hollywood movie theatres to watch her latest releases. Here was the kind of man who after being accidentally pushed on to a topless Mary Tyler Moore sleeping on the beach, he quietly states, "I really love your work", then runs helter skelter down the beach while she's trying to thank him. Most celebrity biographies are boring and state the same stats and family knowledge over and over, but the secrets divulged here simply blew me away. This is one of those reads you find by accident and you smile because you know you have found a treasure.
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Gift Of Stones
by
Jim Crace
gatobut
, October 16, 2009
I picked this book to be a simple read on a flight and got hooked on the central character. The entire story takes place during the end of the Stone Age, yet everything seems plausible. A beautiful read.
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(3 of 3 readers found this comment helpful)
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