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
uriember has commented on (5) products
Black Maybe Liminal Tales
by
Attila Veres, Steve Rasnic Tem
uriember
, December 06, 2022
I loved this book! I'd read some of the author's work in Hungarian, but even though I'm reasonably fluent in Hungarian it wasn't comfortable or easy for me to read his work in the original, so I was very glad to see a translation come out. And these stories did not disappoint me! They are interesting and creepy and dark. If you like weird horror and you like short stories, you cannot go wrong with this collection. I'd say this is the best horror work I've read in 2022.
Was this comment helpful? |
Yes
|
No
report this comment
Craft in the Real World: Rethinking Fiction Writing and Workshopping
by
Matthew Salesses
uriember
, April 12, 2021
This feels like the right book on craft for our current moment. I think it had a lot to say about the craft of writing. A lot of the writing on craft is very important and really made me think. Reading many of these sections once is probably not enough. They're dense. Parts of the message can get a little repetitive (yes, I got the fact that culture and every part of craft are deeply connected the first three times it came up), but the author's messages are ones that a lot of writers (and even readers, honestly) need to hear. Also, even though the author claims to start the book that he's going to talk mainly from the point of view of literary fiction because that's what he knows, I think a lot of the messages in here apply to science-fiction and fantasy writers (and, frankly, fandom), as well. I think the SFF community is going through a lot of issues right now that are connected to a lot of the points in here. For example, I think a lot of the toxic criticism of Star Wars can be understood as fans objections to changes in the implied reader and implied author. I'm ordering this right now from Powell's even though I already checked it out of the library and read it. It's not the sort of book that you read once, cover to cover, and then don't go back to. I read bits and pieces, jumped around (haven't even tried most of the exercises at the end yet), but will definitely come back to this one again and again - hence, I'm ordering my own copy.
Was this comment helpful? |
Yes
|
No
(1 of 1 readers found this comment helpful)
report this comment
Amatka
by
Karin Tidbeck
uriember
, December 31, 2017
Amatka is one of those books that is beyond classification. I think it is best shelved in the sort-of-sub-category of "Weird Fiction." It starts from a very simple premise - the main character, Vanja, is travelling to the town called Amatka as part of her job at a cosmetics collective to find out what kind of hygiene and beauty products are wanted in Amatka. Over the first few pages, you start to realize that the world the main character inhabits seems like our world on the surface, but beneath the surface is very very different. For one, many things need to be constantly named out loud to retain their shape and function. If they aren't, they melt into a formless paste that everyone seems terrified of. For another, geography seems strange. The space between towns (called "colonies") is strange. Vanja just wants to do her job well at the start of the novel, but she is gradually pulled into connections with people and events in Amatka and we slowly realize just how bizarre the world she lives in is. Absolutely quotidian objects take on intense significance. You will never look at paper or a spoon or a pencil the same after reading this novel, but it is really about the ways in which language enables oppression or creates freedom and about personal choice vs societal good, and maybe about accepting new ideas. I think this was my favorite book I read this year and maybe my favorite I've read over the last few years. It is truly remarkable in a way this review only partly describes, no matter how hard I try.
Was this comment helpful? |
Yes
|
No
(1 of 1 readers found this comment helpful)
report this comment
The Weird
by
Jeff VanderMeer
uriember
, January 01, 2013
This book have everything. If you like odd, offbeat fiction with a strong dollop of the supernatural, you will not find a better book. Ever. Really - this is probably my favorite anthology of all time. It covers the whole 20th C with stories of staggering quality from a very diverse collection of writers, many of whose work has not been known or is only slightly known in English, from Indian to Japanese to German voices, as well as many more. It also has pieces from the writers you'd expect and probably know if you're thinking about buying this book (like Lovecraft and Gaiman). All in all, it is an amazing piece of work.
Was this comment helpful? |
Yes
|
No
(1 of 1 readers found this comment helpful)
report this comment
The Weird
by
Jeff VanderMeer
uriember
, August 31, 2012
This monstrosity will satisfy your craving for Weird ficton for a good long time - it's enormous. One of the absolute best anthologies of this or any other decade. Seriously. The depth of short fiction covered in this anthology is amazing, and a significant amount is not originally in English and so has almost certainly not been seen by an English-speaking audience. For every amazing story that you might already know (or author you already know you love), there are 10 awaiting you who you've probably never heard of, but will find absolutely stunning. Not to mention overlooked gems from the past in English. And this after I'm only halfway through the book. My favorite book I've bought in at least the last ten years.
Was this comment helpful? |
Yes
|
No
(1 of 1 readers found this comment helpful)
report this comment