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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
Kayla Perry has commented on (16) products
Bad Feminist
by
Roxane Gay
Kayla Perry
, November 08, 2014
There are many things I like about this book so it's hard to pin down what exactly makes it great. I love Gay's assertion that's it better to "be a bad feminist than be no feminist at all" and how critically she examines the intersectionality of race, class, and gender. With shrewd observation and nods to pop culture, Gay manages to make her book a fast, engaging read and challenge us to question all our preconceived notions of how our culture deals with POC in the media and life in general. Would highly recommend to anyone!
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Last Night in Montreal
by
Emily St John Mandel
Kayla Perry
, October 15, 2014
Mandel has such a gift with a moving turn of phrase that is evident throughout her entire body of work. Though I enjoyed Station Eleven more, this book was still beautifully written and shows an uncanny examination of the human heart and mind. Such gorgeous prose it's kind of ridiculous.
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Questions About Angels
by
Billy Collins
Kayla Perry
, March 20, 2014
Billy Collins is such an accessible poet there is no reason anyone shouldn't be reading him. This collection illustrates that more than anything; every word was as carefully chosen as the disciples of Christ.
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Mother Daughter Me a Memoir
by
Katie Hafner
Kayla Perry
, March 09, 2014
This book documents the feeling of wanting to love and be loved by a difficult parent so well that it made me emotional (and I'm not one for overt displays of emotion). The writing is fluid and engaging; her story is stirring and painful. I would heartily recommend this to any person who has ever wanted to reconcile with an estranged parent.
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One More Thing Stories & Other Stories
by
B J Novak
Kayla Perry
, February 21, 2014
I guess knowing B.J. was a writer on The Office should have already tipped me off to him being a funny guy, but this book of short stories cemented it for me. All the stories were entertaining and quite a number of them were pretty damn funny. I actually got to see him read in my hometown's bookstore (Powell's) and his delivery of the stories was excellent and actually made me want to check out the audio book (something I usually don't do). Favorites include: "The Rematch", "Constructive Criticism", "If You Love Something", "The Market was Down", "Kindness Among Cakes", "Regret is Just Perfectionism Plus Time", and "J.C. Audetat, Translator of Don Quixote".
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Tampa
by
Alissa Nutting
Kayla Perry
, July 20, 2013
I liked this book precisely because I hated it so much. The main character is a dreadful, vile human being with no compunction about manipulating people to her own selfish ends. At the end of the book I loathed her entirely; getting the opportunity to love hating a character is always satisfying.
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(1 of 1 readers found this comment helpful)
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Torch
by
Strayed, Cheryl
Kayla Perry
, June 18, 2013
I love Cheryl Strayed's writing style. Even though there's only a couple central events it never feels like the novel meanders about with nothing to say; every word has a purpose. The language is poetic, the reactions are authentic. This is one of the best novels about grief I have read, hands down.
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Borrower
by
Rebecca Makkai
Kayla Perry
, March 21, 2013
I love the feeling when you get to the end of a book and you just feel this glowing satisfaction. Maybe there were a few stumbles along the way, plot points that could have been cleaned up and addressed, an ending that came together a little too cleanly, but I don't care, I liked it. I liked it because it perfectly encapsulates the feeling of reading to escape and the fictions we tell ourselves so we can go through the business of living our lives. The surreal feeling of unreality throughout, the running away to nowhere, the realization we can only ever save ourselves...these are the things this book captures, immortalized in print for just a fleeting moment, a soul mate waiting to be discovered on a dorm room floor.
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Wild
by
Cheryl Strayed
Kayla Perry
, January 01, 2013
Reading this was almost like therapy, it had its ups and downs, some really high notes and some really dark places. I really relate to Strayed's emotional turmoil and she writes in such a way that I felt like I was an unseen observer, bobbing along on her trek down the PCT even though it was years ago. It really affected me in the best way possible in a time when I needed an imperfect hero to show me the way I'd lost, and I really cannot be grateful enough. I actually live in Beaverton (right outside of Portland) and even worked at the bookstore she cites within its pages towards the very end, so I'm regretful that I didn't get a chance to see her in person to tell her how much I appreciated this book. There were actually times I stopped and held it to my chest, imagining for just the tiniest moment what it felt like to be sitting alone in the wilderness with nothing but a book and my memories as the smallest link to the outside world. I remember one time in particular after reading the Winston Churchill quote "Never, never, never give up" that I sat there and just absorbed the entire message of the book, the whole long, beautiful, complicated story that one human life can be. That she was brave enough to share it in all its messy, meaningful glory was a real gift and is one that I will hold in my heart along with the other good books that have impacted me profoundly. Thank you Cheryl.
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Age of Miracles
by
Karen Thompson Walker
Kayla Perry
, August 13, 2012
What this book is: A story of the end of the world from the viewpoint of an eleven year-old girl who falls in love with a boy. The Age of Miracles is a sweet, tender, painful look at how some things, like love and loneliness, stay the same even while the world is ending, or maybe, in spite of it.
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Tolstoy & the Purple Chair My Year of Magical Reading
by
Nina Sankovitch
Kayla Perry
, August 04, 2012
I enjoyed every word of this fantastic book and I highly recommend it to anyone, particularly those who love to read. Nina is a gifted writer and the way she deftly interweaves books with her personal history is a pleasure to watch; it's a beautiful tribute to life, family, and most of all, Anne-Marie. Upon reaching the end I now have many other books to read and deep admiration both for her accomplishment (A book a day for a year!) and her as a person. From one reader to another, I thank you.
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Disturbing the Peace
by
Richard Yates
Kayla Perry
, November 08, 2011
Yates is a favorite of mine, he has such an incredible way with words, each sentence is the deliberate brushstroke of a painter. I enjoyed Disturbing the Peace for treading on literary ground I don't see a lot of, namely its dealing with mental health and its sometimes sad, inelegant conclusion.
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Tunneling to the Center of the Earth Stories
by
Kevin Wilson
Kayla Perry
, October 28, 2011
I loved this book. I really like the offbeat style of Kevin Wilson's writing; with his unique voice every story seems like something new and unexplored. I eagerly await the day that he puts out another volume of short stories. In particular I enjoyed "Mortal Kombat", "A Guide to Dead Sisters", and "Grand Stand-In". Could not recommend this book more highly.
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Grief Observed
by
C S Lewis
Kayla Perry
, September 19, 2011
I always intended to read this book after my first experience of the death of a loved one, but it has been six years since then that I finally sat down and read it. First off, I'm agnostic, so I expected a bit of disconnect with some of his points. But on an emotional, visceral level, I understood. Lines that especially got to me were ones in the first chapter of the book, where he was more in the thick of his grief as opposed to approaching it from a philosophical standpoint. Either way, I found it cathartic to read after all these years. It's hard to find something as intangible and yet so heavy as grief that is explained at all, let alone compellingly. The first chapter left me quite sad; the rest was interesting and probably requires a second reading at least. In general, I found it at times heart-wrenching, at others merely politely thought-provoking, but in any case I found it meaningful. For such a slim volume, it's a very multi-layered read.
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Emotional Bullshit: The Hidden Plague That Is Threatening to Destroy Your Relationships-And How to S Top It
by
Carl Alasko
Kayla Perry
, September 08, 2011
I picked up this book expecting less than what I took away from it, namely a constructive resolution model that is actually workable. One thing I loved about this book was how Alasko didn't pull any punches, he was clear and concise about what emotional bs is and isn't, and why it's so damaging. Because it's a psychology-based self-help book it's inevitable that Alasko reiterates his points but once you internalize those it's easier to see how much truth is in his simple tenets. I think most anyone could benefit from having a little less emotional bs in their lives and this book is great at identifying what to watch out for.
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Inside Scientology the Story of Americas Most Secretive Religion
by
Janet Reitman
Kayla Perry
, September 02, 2011
Inside Scientology is an eye-opening, comprehensive read, detailing from LRH's childhood into the current days of the church, and I found it as compelling a read as any fast-paced suspense novel. Reitman sheds light on a religion that is secretive by nature, providing insight with former church members testimonials, exhaustive personal research on church documentation, and with its current members. Regardless of your feelings on the controversial religion, you can't do much better than Reitman's detailed account, eye-opening and engaging long after the last page is turned.
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