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
Spring Sale
Big Mood Sale
Teen Dream 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
Sara Backer has commented on (3) products
The Glimpses of the Moon
by
Edith Wharton
Sara Backer
, September 03, 2011
I have long been a fan of Edith Wharton for her rich characterization and exacting detail, but somehow missed this book until now. Why, in a grim recession, would anyone want to read about the worries of fin-de-siecle American aristocracy who fret about their infidelities played out like hopscotch in assorted chalets in Europe and worry that their chinchilla coats will be outed as last year's designs? Because Wharton so thoroughly understands human nature that we relate to the marginal positions of Susan and Nick, who appreciate the beauty and intellectual enrichment wealth provides, yet who--without fortunes of their own--are obliged to be perfect house guests to get a taste of the freedom to pursue their cultural interests. Being perfect guests, however, requires moral comprises that take a toll on both Susie and Nick and threaten to destroy their marriage and more. The novel opens with an amusing premise: can a young couple achieve a year of the good life together by getting married and living off their wealthy friends' wedding presents? It evolves into a much deeper exploration of the role of money and love in our lives. In a way, The Glimpses of the Moon is an alternate version of Wharton's acclaimed House of Mirth.
Was this comment helpful? |
Yes
|
No
report this comment
Franchise Affair
by
Josephine Tey
Sara Backer
, July 15, 2010
I'm pleased to see Tey's mysteries were reissued without the lurid covers and dramatic blurbs with which they were originally (unfairly) packaged. Her attention to characterization and detail create a mesh of characters you don't forget after you close the book. The Franchise Affair focuses on the question of whom you believe when proof is scanty and it's one person's word against another's. Perhaps I'm biased because I share her underlying argument of whatever she writes: that people preferred to be charmed by evil doers than to think things through, and that it is wrong to reach conclusions based purely on feeling. If you want intelligent and realistic characters, sane thinking, and not a shred of sappiness, you must read Josephine Tey.
Was this comment helpful? |
Yes
|
No
report this comment
Burn & Learn: Memoirs of the Cenozoic Era
by
Eric Paul Shaffer
Sara Backer
, February 13, 2010
Burn & Learn is--I promise--unlike any book you've read before. Calling itself a "biomorphic bookmovie" and "unabridged encyclopedia of the Century of Technological Disaster", it's a self-conscious but never pompous, irreverent yet profound, 415 pages of observations, fables, lists, koans, flash fiction, prose poetry, ads, and more. Shaffer challenges not only your expectations of what a book is, but the very way you read. The chapters are short and addictive, related by recurring themes and unfettered by chronology. Check out some of the chapter titles: "The Most Sarcastic Woman in the World", "Serendipity, Synchronicity, Stupidity, Simplicity", "Yorick's Vanilla Grin", "My Uncle Killed John Wayne First" and "Anonymous Beer". As you browse and read the chapters in whatever order you want, finding out what's on the 20th Century Missing List and how to celebrate International Time Travel Day with Reckless and his pals, you'll find yourself having more fun than you thought a book could provide.
Was this comment helpful? |
Yes
|
No
report this comment