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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
Bethany Dotson has commented on (20) products
TransAtlantic
by
Colum McCann
Bethany Dotson
, March 19, 2013
I received an ARC for this at request because I absolutely loved the last Colum McCann I read, which was Let the Great World Spin. There's no doubt about it, this guy knows how to write. Transatlantic is composed of individual sections that are linked by the women in them--sometimes the women are the major characters, sometimes the minor characters. They travel back and forth across the Atlantic to/from North America & Ireland. Every chapter is set in a different time & place from the early 1800′s to the 1970′s ( 1845-46, Ireland; 1919, Newfoundland), and each is written from a different viewpoint. Only two chapters are NOT written from the viewpoint of a woman, which is an interesting choice on McCann’s part, seeing as in Let the Great World Spin I think there was only one section from a woman’s viewpoint�"correct me if I’m wrong. The majority of the time it sounded authentic�"only once or twice did I stop and think wait, what gender of person is supposed to be narrating this? Because this sounds like a man. It took me about halfway through the book to see the connecting female line, which could just mean that I'm slow. I was pretty frustrated for the first half as to WHAT the heck was going on…because seriously, the first cross-Atlantic flight & Frederick Douglass do not really go together. & then when I figured out the women thing (b/c they are both VERY minor participants in the first couple sections) I was like….ohhhhhh. The only beef that I had with this book is that McCann has one sentence structure and he sticks with it. Through the whole book. I wanted to scream. Bloody murder. And throw the book. Possibly across the room. After 50 pages. You get the idea. To be honest, it's not so jarring for most of the book, but there are several sections where it's just unbearable. Other than that, McCann's writing is lyrical, evocative, all those good things. Anyway, four stars out of five for some beautiful writing, clever plotting�"but really obnoxious sentence structure. If you’re going for a we’re-all-connected novel, I think I prefer The Illusion of Separateness (by Simon Van Booy), which (although the title could be improved upon) did it better, in my opinion.
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Frances & Bernard
by
Carlene Bauer
Bethany Dotson
, February 27, 2013
This is the sort of book that should be read on a quiet evening with classical music--Bach, Schumann--playing in the background. Piano music. It's an epistolary novel, written mainly in letters between Frances and Bernard, the two title characters, through a period of years, as their relationship develops and changes. The best sort of books--my favorite sort--are those that, when you have finished, you put down quietly and sit and stare off into space. The best sort make you want to imitate the writing style and capture a little of the beauty in your own speech. The prose is perfect; for a debut novel, it was stunning. Definitely an author to watch, and anyone that loves literary fiction or literature needs to pick this up!
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Team of Rivals The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
by
Doris Kearns Goodwin
Bethany Dotson
, January 02, 2013
I read 132 books this year, in 2012, and this was by far my favorite in all categories. Doris Kearns Goodwin makes Lincoln come alive in such a real, human way--you see him with all his flaws and faults, all his brilliance and triumph. Her emphasis in this tome (this is one long book) is on his rivals for the 1860 Republican nomination (Seward, Stanton, and Chase) and how he incorporated them into his cabinet to unite his party. Although Goodwin does go into his personal, economic, religious life, the emphasis is on his political savvy and genius in one of the most difficult times in American history. Five stars. Breathtaking. It's like she was there!
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Garden of Evening Mists
by
Tan Twan Eng
Bethany Dotson
, December 14, 2012
I made it a goal this year to read all of the Man Booker 2012 finalists; I only got through a couple, but that's another story. This one was my favorite (other than Bring Up the Bodies, which won). If you're a fan of rip-rolling plot & action, it may not be for you, but it is beautiful, evocative--everything the reviews say that it is. Garden of Evening Mists follows (Teoh) Yun Ling, a survivor of a concentration/prison camp in Malaysia in WWII. It's told in two different times--the "present," when Yun Ling is old and retiring, and the past, as she writes her memories down of when she first came to Yugiri, the Japanese garden, and met Aritomo, the Japanese gardener. It's a beautiful, thoughtful book about the horrors of war, guilt, and regret, and the capacity of nature & the human spirit to heal.
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Birds of America
by
Lorrie Moore
Bethany Dotson
, December 04, 2012
One of the best collections of short stories that I've read in a very, very long time. Moore neatly, perfectly, succinctly packages life into small incidents and moments, conveying a sense of disillusionment, abandonment, and isolation that surrounds all her characters. I found myself wondering if Moore hadn't lived some of these moments, because it seems fantastic to me that she would know so intimately, be able to convey so perfectly, the pain of a baby with cancer, the ex-pat. Strangely, I found myself reading Ethan Frome and other Stories by Edith Wharton, and being stunned by the similarity in themes and everyday tragedy. My favorite quote from the book sums this up better than I can myself, speaking of how life sometimes pushes the bounds of believable fiction: “But this is the kind of thing that fiction is: it's the unlivable life, the strange room tacked onto the house, the extra moon that is circling the earth unbeknownst to science.”
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Telegraph Avenue
by
Michael Chabon
Bethany Dotson
, November 30, 2012
I loved Kavalier and Clay. I loved the Yiddish Policemen's Union. Every reviewer I read about Telegraph Avenue raved (with minor reservations) about the book. I was ready to love every minute of Telegraph Avenue. I barely finished it. Sure, Chabon is an amazing writer--his turn of phrase is fantastic, and the images he comes up with? Genius. Nobody but Chabon could write "Singletary arched an eyebrow then, after taking a look around the room, smiled a dubious but encouraging smile, the way you might smile at someone about to depress the ignition button on a homemade jetpack" or "On the spectrum of secret lairs, it fell somewhere between mad genius bent on world domination and the disco-loving scion of a minor emirate." But at some point, I got tired of Chabon's self-indulgence in running off-topic every other paragraph to delight in his own turn of phrase. I think it was somewhere around the middle, 12-page chapter written in one huge long sentence from a bird's point of view. Or maybe it was the part that was written from Obama's point of view. Very subtle. If you like jazz, Quentin Tarantino, and/or Nor Cal, this is probably for you. I myself was skimming by the end.
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Daughter of Smoke & Bone
by
Taylor, Laini
Bethany Dotson
, November 27, 2012
As a guilty pleasure, escapist read, I LOVED Daughter of Smoke & Bone. In terms of teen fantasy trilogies, I can't believe that Laini Taylor hasn't gotten more attention that she has so far. Beautifully written, and the plot, which was unbelievably creative with twists both predictable & not, has me thinking about the story & dying to get my hands on the sequel more than a week later. Five stars; fantastic read, highly recommended. Obviously targeted at young adult readers, I would say this is also appropriate for anyone that likes some light-hearted fantasy. Reminded me in many ways of Philip Pullman's Golden Compass trilogy.
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Arguably: Essays
by
Hitchens, Christopher
Bethany Dotson
, November 27, 2012
I found myself having to alternate between this and Judge Judy just to restore my faith in my own legitimacy as a human being--after all, I cannot quote Orwell off the top of my head, nor say something like "In case you've all forgotten, this is how [insert some "famous" essay here] starts:". Hitchens is obviously impressed with his own intelligence, and nobody's opinions, if they disagree with his own, have any merit--yet despite these annoyances, this collection of essays is undeniably informative & interesting. Make sure you have a smartphone or laptop handy to look up all the references that he's going to throw at you, but also be prepared to reexamine your own assumptions about literature, famous figures, and historical events. The organization of this collection is superb, and probably the best value collections I've purchased in a long time. Hitchens' writing is unmatched (which, of course, he knows), and although I'd never want to have dinner with the man, he's obviously brilliant. Five stars for writing, content, style, and everything else. The only demerit point I would give is for smugness.
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Pathfinder 02 Ruins
by
Orson Scott Card
Bethany Dotson
, November 13, 2012
If you go on Amazon and Goodreads and look at the reviews for this book, they inevitably mention their disappointment; Orson Scott Card writes FANTASTIC first novels (Ender's Game, Pathfinder), and then--the argument goes--lets the reader down with the second installment, which "sucks." I beg to differ. Sure, Card does write fantastic first novels--but this particular second novel isn't a flop. It may not be a gamechanger the way, say, Ender's Game was and is, but it's a good, well-written story in its own right. The characters are well-fleshed out, the world is well-built, and Card has absolutely thought through his dialogue--some of the conversations are so convoluted regarding time-travel that I honestly gave up after a while and skimmed, but I have no doubt that he maintained the logic he started with. Best of all, Card always seems to take your assumptions and turn them four different ways until you have NO idea what to assume anymore, or who to believe; and that's the point. I give this four stars rather than five because to me, the ending was a total letdown. I felt cheated, like Card was like "whoops, made the page count, time to end this baby and start the next volume!" And unlike the first volume, this one didn't have been searching online to preorder the sequel. Four stars for another very likely hit from Orson Scott Card; one star off because the ending felt like Card took a shortcut & cheated.
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Curse Of Chalion Chalion 01
by
Lois M Bujold
Bethany Dotson
, November 12, 2012
It has been a long time since I've read a fantasy book this good; I can't believe it took me so long to find you! There's not much that ISN'T fantastic in this book. The characters are wonderful, real, vulnerable--the plot had me up late to get to the end--the world-building is flawless. It reminded me, in many ways, of Sherwood Smith's "Crown Duel," along with the other comparisons already made here (Robin Hobb, Patrick Rothfuss, in some ways, Scott Lynch, Guy Gavriel Kay, and especially Tad Williams). I put this book down after turning the last page, thought about it for a minute, and then went and ordered the second and third books in the trilogy. If you're considering purchasing this one, consider no more--just hit that Buy button!
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Why I Wake Early New Poems
by
Mary Oliver
Bethany Dotson
, November 07, 2012
Mary Oliver is probably one of the most famous contemporary American poets; deservedly so, I would argue. In this volume--best read outside, preferably at dawn or in the sunshine somewhere--she writes beautiful, deceptively simple poems with fantastic images of the simple things in life. I found some of the poems, however, overly banal--I get it, you like birds--but others had complexity of the sort that makes you sit back and think for awhile about the few words you just read. Take this excerpt from "Where Does the Dance Begin, Where Does It End?": "When the Sufi poet whirled, was he looking outward, to the mountains so solidly there in a white-capped ring, or was he looking to the center of everything: the seed, the egg, the idea that was also there, beautiful as a thumb curved and touching the finger, tenderly, little love-ring, as he whirled, oh jug of breath, in the garden of dust?" Four stars for beautiful imagery in the best style of Whitman & Emerson (including, of course, the inevitable mention of ants)--minus one star because it felt like something, some depth of thought, was missing. I do prefer some of her other collections to this one.
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Familiar
by
J Robert Lennon
Bethany Dotson
, November 06, 2012
This was my first ever Indiespensible shipment, and I didn't enjoy the book as much as I thought I would--although it was certainly thought-provoking. Familiar starts out with a woman driving home--when suddenly she's in an alternative reality where her dead son had not died, and she turned out to be a much more horrible parent than she thought she had been. Familiar goes into the nature of reality, I suppose--how we view things versus how things really are, and the delusions that we create for ourselves. Three stars for making me think; something about it, though, didn't seem quite finished/polished.
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English Patient
by
Michael Ondaatje, Pico Iyer
Bethany Dotson
, November 02, 2012
I have so much love for this book. The writing is just gorgeous--lyrical and evocative. From the book: “She entered the story knowing she would emerge from it feeling she had been immersed in the lives of others, in plots that stretched back twenty years, her body full of sentences and moments, as if awaking from sleep with a heaviness caused by unremembered dreams.” I rest my case.
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Unbroken A World War II Story of Survival Resilience & Redemption
by
Laura Hillenbrand
Bethany Dotson
, October 31, 2012
This book was very well written; it just wasn't what I expected. On one hand, the characters were life-like and captivating; on the other hand, I was hit again, and again, and again with the horrible reality of life in POW camp. I couldn't look away, but I felt like I was going to be sick at the same time--which, I suppose, was the point. Four stars for being captivating and covering one of those you - need - to - know - this - happened things; minus one star for being hit - you - over - your - head depressing.
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How Music Works
by
David Byrne
Bethany Dotson
, October 30, 2012
Disclaimer: I am a classically trained musician that likes country music, acoustic, jazz, and pop. I was born in the late '80s and only have a vague idea of who the Talking Heads were/are; in fact, I didn't know by looking at the name "David Byrne" that the author was a famous experimental musician. On one hand, I am completely not the intended audience for this book. I have exactly zero familiarity with the Talking Heads, I'm not into the kind of music that he performs, and I don't really like the recording industry culture or have any interest in it. That being said, David Byrne has an undeniably unique voice. He tells the story of the growth of technology in the music industry and how it has affected his music personally in a captivating, intimate way that shows you (or tells you, however honest it may be) that Bryne really knows firsthand what he's talking about. He talks about Madonna ("Madge") as if she's a close friend (for all I know, she is), and refers to how different famous artists have their contracts negotiated. He discusses the industry from an insider's perspective; in my mind, the title should have been "How the Music Industry Works," rather than simply music. But it's an interesting story, an interesting industry, and I have to say that I had several "Oh, so that's why that's the way it is" moments throughout. He's got a great voice--more chatting with his reader than writing authoritatively--and speaks with authority on the changes in the industry, musical experimentation, and life as a big star. What this is not? A book on how music --music itself-- works, either physically or emotionally on its audience.
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Bring Up the Bodies
by
Hilary Mantel
Bethany Dotson
, October 26, 2012
Obviously, the biggest news recently is Hilary Mantel's SECOND Man Booker--and yet, I think if this book had been stand alone (as the previous commenter mentioned that it could have been), it still would've merited the prize. I never thought that the story of Thomas Cromwell & Anne Boleyn could ever interest me again (thank you, Philippa Gregory)--but Hilary Mantel brings Thomas Cromwell to life in a completely new way, and makes it feel like a completely new story. I loved it. I even accidentally marked it non-fiction on my bookshelf; it reads like history (in the best way possible), but has the drama of the best production. The characters are believable, alive, dramatic, and spectacular. The most amazing part? Somehow, Mantel writes so that I can actually keep the characters in each "team" straight--possibly the biggest coup of them all.
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Possession
by
A S Byatt
Bethany Dotson
, October 22, 2012
From what I can tell from the reviews on Goodreads, you either hate this book, or you love it. I loved it. Possession is the story of two modern-day academic researchers (literary critics & postgrads/professors) and the parallel (somewhat) story of two Victorian-age poets and writers, modelled, apparently, after Christina Rosetti and perhaps Robert Browning. I'll be the first to say that I was not a fan of Byatt's The Children's Book, but her writing and storytelling in Possession is absolutely first rate. It's a love story to Victorian literature and culture; an ode to academia (with its quirks & downsides, admittedly) and the love of learning and pursuit of knowledge. The poetry that Byatt writes as her characters and the way that she creates distinct voices for many different people and personalities is a testament to her skill. Five stars.
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Doctor Zhivago
by
Boris Pasternak, Richard Pevear, Larissa Volokhonsky
Bethany Dotson
, October 22, 2012
I know, I know--it's sacrilege to rate one of the masterpieces of Russian literature as anything less than a 5. And don't get me wrong--I'm a huge fan of Pevear & Volokhonsky's translations. I absolutely loved their Anna Karenina and the Brothers Dostoevsky. I just couldn't get into Doctor Zhivago. I found the characters boring, the plot confusing and disjointed, and if I had to read one more multi-page description of how beautiful the Russian landscape is, I was going to toss the book out the window. That being said, the nontraditional way this book is written is one of the things that people love about it. There is a lot of philosophy contained in Zhivago's musings, and Lara is, of course, one of the tragic heroines of the ages. It just wasn't my thing.
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Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman
by
Massie, Robert K.
Bethany Dotson
, October 22, 2012
I turned the last page, put the book down, and wondered how I'd gone my whole life without knowing the story of this incredibly woman. Massie brings Catherine to life as a woman even more than a political figure; her hope for bringing republicanism into Russia, her disillusionment, her romances, her relationships. I felt, by the end, as if I really knew Catherine. The last hundred pages or so dragged a bit for me, but overall, 5 stars for a fantastic topic and a fantastic story. I mean, it's not every woman that can, despite being in the public eye basically ever day, hide an entire pregnancy and successful delivery of a child.
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Cleopatra A Life
by
Stacy Schiff
Bethany Dotson
, October 21, 2012
One of my favorite biographies of all time; Schiff deconstructs the common image of Cleopatra--the man-killing, exotic Egyptian woman--and reminds us of the times that she lived, the struggled she faced, and likely the woman behind the myth(as stereotypical as that is) that really existed. Five stars bringing someone so fantastic, resourceful, and brilliant to life, imaginary warts and all.
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