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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
Elliott has commented on (27) products
M Train
by
Patti Smith
Elliott
, October 06, 2015
I absolutely loved Just Kids and approached M Train with a bit of concern that Patti Smith would not be able to top herself. She didn't need to. M Train is not Just Kids, but it doesn't need to be. It is a unique portrait of Patti told in a more lyrical and almost photographic style (as if we were glimpsing slides of her memories). It is more journal than straight-forward narrative. We are shown images of her marriage to Fred "Sonic" Smith, her love of coffee, cafes, books (especially Bolano and Murakami), her travels (often connected to writers and artists she adores), and her beautiful black and photographs. For those who want a repeat of Just Kids, this is not it. For those who enjoy her prose and poetry that are filled with a "longing for the way things were," then I highly recommend this new work.
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The Book of Aron
by
Jim Shepard
Elliott
, May 29, 2015
This unflinching novel starts with the lines, "My mother and father named me Aron, but my father said they should have named me What Have You Done, and my uncle told everyone they should have called me What Were You Thinking." Aron is a young boy in occupied Poland and his story unfolds without sentimentality and with no easy answers. Jim Shepard has created a character who is unforgettable in what could be an easily predictable book. It can be heartbreaking, darkly funny, and has a voice that will long be remembered after one has finished this novel.
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Hold Still A Memoir with Photographs
by
Sally Mann
Elliott
, May 28, 2015
Like her photos, Sally Mann's writing is full of honest candor. She is insightful and intelligent. Her prose is engrossing and gives you real insight into an artist's process. Like her photographs, Mann deals with her art, her family, her life, and with death.
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The Buried Giant
by
Kazuo Ishiguro
Elliott
, March 04, 2015
While I have loved many of his previous works, I must admit that I felt some trepidation about this book when I found out the subject matter and that he'd written a fantasy novel. Though the subject matter of this book may seem like a departure for Ishiguro, many of the themes are familiar, especially in regards to memory and loss. As he writes, “Memories, even your most precious ones, fade surprisingly quickly. But I don’t go along with that. The memories I value most, I don’t ever see them fading.” One of the characters even questions if God has suffered memory loss. As I read this latest novel, I was relieved to see that he had transcended the genre. As with other Ishiguro works, this one is quiet and restrained as it deals with loss and sadness. If you loved Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go, then I highly recommend that you read this work as well.
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Honeydew Stories
by
Edith Pearlman
Elliott
, February 21, 2015
Once again, Pearlman shows her mastery over the short story. What amazes me about her glorious work is that so few readers know about her. I hope this book changes that. One cannot help but love the preciseness of her language, the complexity of her characters, and the surprising turns that can happen within these magnificent stories. Such richness can be found in her work that is so rare to uncover in literature now. Pearlman can deal deftly with solitude, disappointment, and, ultimately grace. If you have not read her before, please read her now. This book is an essential read for anyone who loves great writing.
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Station Eleven
by
Emily St John Mandel
Elliott
, December 30, 2014
My first reaction was, "Do we really need another dystopian, post-apocalyptic novel?" It's not my favorite subject and I tend to grow tired of the pitfalls that come with reading these types of work, but Emily St. John Mandel amazingly manages to overcome all my opposition and defy cliche through a riveting plot, strong characters, and beautiful prose. She deftly crafts a story that makes the reader wonder how all of this is going to be tied together and, in the end, amazes them with how she has done it so seamlessly.
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Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki & His Years of Pilgrimage
by
Haruki Murakami, Philip Gabriel
Elliott
, September 01, 2014
Murakami has a devotional fan base that eagerly awaits his newest novel each time one is published. After the bizarre bulk that was 1Q84, this slender novel is more controlled and no less creative than previous works. Once again, Murakami weaves a tale of past and present deftly telling the story of "colorless" Tsukuru who thinks himself unnecessary after his five friends suddenly and without explanation banish him from their tight group. As the years pass and the story unfolds, he will begin to see how truly integral he is to them. Like previous Murakami novels, this one does not answer all the questions and leaves many unanswered. This is more an interior journey than an external one. Like other protagonists from Haruki Murakami's fiction, Tsukuru wrestles with memory and reality, sometimes unsure of which is which.
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Thunderstruck & Other Stories
by
Elizabeth Mccracken
Elliott
, April 26, 2014
Elizabeth McCracken is one of our must underrated and talented writers. From her first collection of short stories and her two novels, as well as her memoir of loss, she has proven how strong and unique her voice is as a writer. This collection of short stories is no different. Each of the characters and each of the stories she has written are unforgettable from "Something Amazing" to the last one, "Thunderstruck," from which this collection takes its name. Even when writing about loss, McCracken does so in ways that are true, funny, and profound. McCracken's works are a true gift to any reader.
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The Ocean at the End of the Lane
by
Neil Gaiman
Elliott
, June 20, 2013
Once again, Gaiman delivers. A brilliantly and imaginatively rendered modern fairy tale that never fails to surprise and move the reader. In this slender novel, he plays with the uncertainties of memory, what's real and what's imagined. It is a tightly focused narrative that creates a whole new mythology that reads as if it has always existed. It is easily one of Neil Gaiman's best books.
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Vanishing Act
by
Mette Jakobsen
Elliott
, October 14, 2012
Mette Jakobsen's debut novel will captivate you. She has created a tale with a wonderful mix of magic and philosophy about a 12 year old girl Minou who lives on a very small island with her father, a descendant of Descartes. Minou's mother disappeared after putting on her best shoes, taking her umbrella, and walking out of their house. While her father and the Priest who lives on the island believe Minou's mother to be dead, Minou doesn't. When the body of a dead boy shows up onshore, the father is convinced it will help reveal the absolute truth to him. There are a lot of mysteries in this tale and they are written with charm, melancholy and fantasy. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a wonderful story that will be sure to enchant them.
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Soldier of the Great War
by
Mark Helprin
Elliott
, August 08, 2012
Mark Helprin has written an amazingly beautiful novel. His use of language is magnificent. Alessandro, the old man, weaves his tales of being a soldier in the First World War and, like the young man he's telling them to, I became caught up in the narratives of his life and kept reading out of wanting to know what would happen next because anything could happen. When he's done with his moving tale, I didn't want to leave the rich stories of this 800 page book. It was magnificent.
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Swamplandia
by
Karen Russell
Elliott
, January 01, 2012
Of all the books I read this year, Swamplandia was the one that stood out in my mind from all the others. Karen Russell's vivid writing and all of the details she used to create the world of this book, along with the character of the narrator, Ava Bigtree, are what made this my favorite read of 2011. Two of my favorite authors are Flannery O'Connor and Carson McCullers and I would add Russell to their company.
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Wise Children
by
Angela Carter
Elliott
, September 02, 2011
Angela Carter is a brilliant writer and this is one of my favorite books by her. Narrated by Dora Chance, this novel tells the story of she and twin her sister Nora. Dora tells their story on the eve of their seventy-fifth birthday. It follows them from their illegitimate births, to their time treading the boards as the Chance Sisters, to their brief stint in early Hollywood. Like Carter's other novels, this one is smartly written and is often hilarious. It also abounds with references to Shakespeare. An intelligent, witty, and delightful read.
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Idiot
by
Fyodor Dostoevsky, Richard Pevear, Larissa Volokhonsky
Elliott
, June 28, 2011
This is one of the most important novels and strongest influences in my reading life. Dostoevsky writes such amazing scenes in this book, like when Nastasya lights a fire to burn the bank notes in front of Ganya, or the end when Rogozhin and Prince Myshkin's knees are touching under the table (I won't explain the significance of this without spoiling the end). Prince Myshkin is one of the greatest literary characters. This novel is a must read.
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Watership Down
by
Richard Adams
Elliott
, February 01, 2011
This was one of those classic books that had somehow escaped me having read it in school but I kept seeing it pop up different places and decided to finally read it. And boy am I glad I did! This is an amazing story that Richard Adams made up for his daughters while on a road trip. How incredible is that? My dad certainly never did or maybe my sister and I would have enjoyed road trips more. I'm amazed at how intricate these stories within a story are, especially with all of its rich mythology for the rabbits.
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Flight
by
Sherman Alexie
Elliott
, January 24, 2011
Sherman Alexie has written a heartbreakingly beautiful book. He writes in a style that is plain and poetic at the same time. Like his other books, Alexie writes riffs off Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five but makes the story uniquely his own. With a first line that is funny and sad, as well as a recollection of the first line from Moby Dick, Sherman Alexie introduces us to the protagonist with: Call me Zits.From there he crafts a darkly observant story of a displaced outsider who finds himself careening through foster homes and time. At first the time travel element struck me as merely a literary conceit but by the end of the novel it became evident that Alexie used all of the different settings and people that Zits inhabits throughout American history, including Zits' own father who abandoned him, to reveal the undercurrent of sorrow and violence that comes with alienation.
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When You Reach Me
by
Rebecca Stead
Elliott
, January 18, 2010
One of my all time favorite books is Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time and now I've found another book that belongs on the shelf right next to it: When You Reach Me. Rebecca Stead weaves fantasy and science fiction into her story seamlessly without detracting from the realism. One of the best books of 2009.
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Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
by
Michael Chabon
Elliott
, January 06, 2010
Michael Chabon is a master of his craft and this novel shows his amazing talent. He interweaves the early days in the formation of comic books, Jewish mysticism, the Holocaust, and American culture in a novel of great humor and emotional depth. This book was my first introduction to Chabon's work and I have since gone and devoured more. Like the comic books he loves, Michael Chabon is able to entertain us and do so with a pure love of language and escapism.
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Manhood For Amateurs
by
Michael Chabon
Elliott
, November 04, 2009
A wonderful read that once again displays Chabon's marvelous writing talent. He skillfully balances the heartache and wonders of his own childhood to that of being a parent to children. Like his fiction, these essays relate the desire for connection in families, friends, and the outside world. Michael Chabon remains one of my favorite authors.
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The Housekeeper and The Professor
by
Yoko Ogawa
Elliott
, June 23, 2009
This is the book I had hoped The Elegance of the Hedgehog would be. Although this deals some with higher mathematics, a subject for which I'm not the least bit fond, I still loved the touching story of a housekeeper who befriends a professor of mathematics. The professor, who was in a serious car accident in 1975, has lost his memory after that year and can only retain things for 80 minutes. Each day the housekeeper must reintroduce herself. While this sounds gimmicky, Yoko Ogawa has written her touching novel in such a way that it never is. I also loved how she wove the equations of math into the equations of what it means to be family.
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(9 of 13 readers found this comment helpful)
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Wendy and Lucy (Widescreen)
by
Kelly Reichardt
Elliott
, June 17, 2009
Michelle Williams inhabits this character to such a degree that you want to know even more about her than the film portrays. She is very subtle in her acting and there is a quiet melancholy about her character that really moved me. In an age where films are all about how "big" they are in budgets and special effects, it is very refreshing to see a narrative that deals with real human drama.
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Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination
by
Elizabeth Mccracken
Elliott
, June 15, 2009
I was thrilled when I discovered that Elizabeth McCracken had a new book coming out since she is one of my favorite authors. Admittedly, when I discovered what the subject of the book was about losing a child I approached it with some trepidation. I shouldn't have. Not only is her writing superb, but she approaches the subject with great tenderness, humor, and moving memoir. By the time I had finished this book I was so glad that I did.
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Little Stranger
by
Sarah Waters
Elliott
, June 12, 2009
Sarah Waters delivers a thrilling and well-crafted story of how longing can manifest itself into other worldly phenomena. Set at the end of World War II, she deftly weaves a subtle Gothic tale about class anxities in a crumbling mansion called Hundreds Hall. The characters are haunted by postwar changes as well as ghosts. This is not a book for those wanting cheap gore but for those who want a taughtly written story that delivers chills intelligently. Henry James would be proud.
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The City and the City
by
China Mieville
Elliott
, June 04, 2009
I first started reading China Mieville with Perdido Street Station, which was so unlike other books I'd read. I instantly became addicted. His new book, The City and the City, is a fantastic police procedural parable. Being a huge fan of Eastern European literature, especially Bruno Schulz, I loved this book.
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The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson
by
Emily Dickinson
Elliott
, June 02, 2009
A poet whose work I read and reread time and time again and continue to find new depths to her brilliance. She made us see spiders, bees, and birds as we never had before. There has never been nor will there ever be a poet like her. One can read her poems and see how deeply personal they are and yet still come away feeling that the Belle of Amherst is as great a mystery as the God she writes of.
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Kafka On The Shore
by
Haruki Murakami and Philip Gabriel
Elliott
, May 28, 2009
Murakami's books are very addictive. He is a highly inventive writer who keeps the reader guessing about what is going to happen next. This book is magical, metaphysical, and very entertaining. Kafka on the Shore also has some of Murakami's most interesting characters: Saturo (who can speak to cats), Oshima (the transexual librarian), and the deeply dark and disturbing Johnnie Walker. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to discover the dream-like novels of Haruki Murakami.
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Birds of America
by
Lorrie Moore
Elliott
, May 26, 2009
This book has now joined the list of my favorite books. These stories show that Moore has not only a sense of humor but a real love of words. She can be insightful, heartbreaking, hilarious, and always uniquely original. Along with Alice Munro and Mavis Gallant, Lorrie Moore is one of the best modern short story writers.
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(10 of 18 readers found this comment helpful)
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