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
15% off new books on Powells.com!*
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
ikram has commented on (15) products
The Shelter Cycle
by
Peter Rock
ikram
, April 16, 2013
Peter Rock has written a great literary novel which sucks you in the same way a great pop thriller would. Rock’s prose is totally compelling and the plot is just mysterious enough you will want to read it in just a sitting or two in order to find how it all comes together. One thing I really took away from the book was how Rock used the, quite frankly, absurd teachings of the Church Universal as a background for the characters’ without making them seem crazy. It goes to show how people we would deem in society as “smart” or “normal” can be susceptible to any bizarre persuasion in the proper context. A very good book.
Was this comment helpful? |
Yes
|
No
(3 of 4 readers found this comment helpful)
report this comment
Mary Coin
by
Marisa Silver
ikram
, April 16, 2013
This is an excellent book, one of the best three or four novels I'll read this year. Marisa Silver has crafted a first rate story out of what I would have thought was a slim and rather daft idea, basing a novel on an iconic Depression-era photograph. But ideas come from who-knows-where, and as long as there is passion and talent behind them, a lot can achieved. That's what happens with Mary Coin. Mary Coin covers eighty years of life in Oklahoma and California. It is at its heart a very American book although its style and subject matter remind me a lot of Thomas Hardy's descriptions of people managing their hard lives in British rural landscapes. Mary Coin is a dark story painted with a fine brush. If you enjoy precision in writing and craft in story telling, I'd highly recommend this novel.
Was this comment helpful? |
Yes
|
No
(4 of 6 readers found this comment helpful)
report this comment
Stud Book
by
Monica Drake
ikram
, April 16, 2013
A GREAT book. Made me laugh out loud and consider the reasons why people choose to have children. And just how crazy you have to be in order to make and want a baby. Examines the bonds that build a family whether the family is genetic or built from a caring band of friends. Life, death (and the great beyond), injury and perseverance are all wrapped into one book. My comment makes it sound serious. It's damn damn funny.
Was this comment helpful? |
Yes
|
No
(13 of 17 readers found this comment helpful)
report this comment
Burgess Boys
by
Elizabeth Strout
ikram
, April 16, 2013
Strout writes such wonderful women characters. Both Olive and Susan are solid women. They are so aware of themselves and know they walk to a different drummer. They don't know how to make the leap to the mainstream. There are so many women who just go through their days, stoic and steadfast who ask for so little. They just want a little understanding. Jim's wife, Helen, is an interesting woman too. I was prepared to dislike her little WASP personage but she had such depth to her that you can't help but liking her. Her struggle with an empty nest was surprising and so real that it changed my opinion of her. These are all women you may not want to have a cup of tea with but your appreciate them. Strout paints them with such nuances that they come alive. Susan's refusal to turn up the heat in her house really sums her character up. This is a lovely novel handled by a deft hand. It handles so many issues without any preaching. By the end of the book you really know and appreciate this family and their struggles. This is really a must read and I am recommending this to my book club. Be careful, it could break your heart.
Was this comment helpful? |
Yes
|
No
(1 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)
report this comment
Shades of Milk & Honey Glamourist History Book 1
by
Mary Robinette Kowal
ikram
, April 16, 2013
This is an interesting book. It's well-written and well-plotted and the ending may surprise you. I was expecting parts of it (like the romantic pairings - it is, after all, a period romance at its roots) but not how it all played it out at the climax. It was nice to be surprised. I also love the magic system that the author has invented here. It's subtle, as it has to be to keep history on track, but she's definitely planting the seeds for interesting uses of glamour in future books.
Was this comment helpful? |
Yes
|
No
(2 of 3 readers found this comment helpful)
report this comment
Fracture
by
Megan Miranda
ikram
, April 07, 2013
There is so many aspects of this story that I just adored, even though some of them weren’t the happiest of times but I just loved the world that the author created. The idea of someone coming back to life and then having the ability to feel other people dying but not only that, also creating someone else with the same ability was just brilliant. It was kind of like Good vs. Evil; Delaney being good and Troy being bad. You can’t have one without the other, like yin and yang and I adored the combination of it in this story. Overall, Fracture was a fantastic read. Megan Miranda did an awesome job and I can’t wait to see what comes next from her. I’d highly recommend this to any reader but especially to people that weren’t fans of If I Stay, like me because it may just surprise them.
Was this comment helpful? |
Yes
|
No
report this comment
Woke Up Lonely A Novel
by
Fiona Maazel
ikram
, April 07, 2013
An extremely rich book. The story is far-fetched -- est-like cult; secret Sin City beneath Cincinnati; undercover operatives from the West going deep into North Korea --- but despite the narrative extremes, the well-drawn characters and even more deeply felt situations and relationships keep us pinned to the ground, as we wish, perhaps more than some of the characters, that these people find what they are looking for.
Was this comment helpful? |
Yes
|
No
(6 of 12 readers found this comment helpful)
report this comment
Life After Life
by
Kate Atkinson
ikram
, April 07, 2013
There is whimsy and humor laced throughout this novel and it makes for a beautiful contrast to the more serious components of tragedy and war. Life is a farce after all; if you can't find the humor in it you've been doing it wrong or have missed the point entirely. Atkinson has not missed the point. As readers, we are in capable hands. She has one helluva story to tell you, and trust me, you don't want to miss it.
Was this comment helpful? |
Yes
|
No
(5 of 5 readers found this comment helpful)
report this comment
Accursed
by
Joyce Carol Oates
ikram
, April 07, 2013
I finished The Accursed feeling as ill as some of the characters, as insane as others, and as despairing. There are villains, there are heroes, there is evil and God, but who is who and which is which had confounded me for almost 700 pages. The world we "see" is not the world that is. As one of Oates' titles exhorts us, "You Must Remember This."
Was this comment helpful? |
Yes
|
No
(1 of 3 readers found this comment helpful)
report this comment
Shantaram
by
Gregory David Roberts
ikram
, April 07, 2013
This is possibly the best book I've ever read. It was given to me by a friend of mine who loved it, and said that before she read it she had no desire to go to India, but after having read it she couldn't wait to go. This book is over 900 pages, so I found it a little challenging to start b/c I didn't want to carry it around with me to read on the bus (too bulky) and I was so tired each night that I couldn't read more than a page or two. But I finally got a chance to read a small chunk of it in one sitting and that was it for me. I loved it and couldn't put it down. The story itself is phenomenal, and I have been giving this book to everyone I know. Read it. It's amazing and it will be one of the best books you've ever read.
Was this comment helpful? |
Yes
|
No
(1 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)
report this comment
Dreams & Shadows
by
C Robert Cargill
ikram
, March 25, 2013
An amazing novel steeped in the darkness and the grotesque. I was surprised to find myself submerged in a world of bloodthirsty fairies and creatures of myth, written with such vividness I couldn't help but feel as though the author had seen these manipulative creatures with his own two eyes. Full of suspense and thrills, the story itself deals with the consequences of childhood and of meddling with forces unknown. I adored the rawness of it and the witty, matter of fact dialogue that passed between the plethora of creatures and characters revealed to the reader. I was particularly fond of a scene set upon a roof between Colby and an angel, gradually getting more drunk whilst watching The Hunt storm the town's streets. The characters are fabulous and all of the loose threads at the start of the novel are pulled together by the time we reach its dramatic, blood splattered conclusion. I can't help but think fans of Neil Gaiman would fall head over heels for this urban fantasy. An explosive, lingering debut.
Was this comment helpful? |
Yes
|
No
(1 of 1 readers found this comment helpful)
report this comment
Ghana Must Go
by
Taiye Selasi
ikram
, March 25, 2013
This is beautiful. That's the only way I can describe this début novel. Following the members of the broken Sai family as they come to terms with the death of their father and ex husband. Each member of the family has been broken, damaged by the circumstances that have beset them and the fractures have spread throughout their lives. It is only as they come together for the funeral that they can start to confront and heal the wounds that have plagued them. The writing is lyrical and evenly paced, with some beautiful imagery of Ghana and Nigeria. Multiple POV allows us to gain a full understanding of the emotions of each family member in turn as we progress through the story. A really lovely addition to the Waterstones' eleven this year.
Was this comment helpful? |
Yes
|
No
report this comment
Dark Companion
by
Marta Acosta
ikram
, March 25, 2013
Dark companion was a great read. I have to say, I love the presentation. The way each chapter starts with a quote (a.k.a. food for thought). The story starts on an intriguing note and the writing just pulls you in page by page. The plot is well paced and the characters are wonderful! I'd definitely recommend this to readers looking for a well written, gothic novel. It's an imaginative story with a charm all it's own and intriguing characters.
Was this comment helpful? |
Yes
|
No
report this comment
Red Velvet Cupcake Murder
by
Joanne Fluke
ikram
, March 25, 2013
Joanne Fluke takes her readers on a whirlwind of mystery solving in her latest Hannah Swenson Mystery, RED VELVET CUPCAKE MURDER. This time around, bakery shop owner/amateur sleuth Hannah solves not just one, but two murder mysteries that have turned the small town of Lake Eden upside down. Fast-paced and lively, this charming story has the intrigue of mystery and the deliciousness of out-of-this-world recipes that fans so look forward to each time.
Was this comment helpful? |
Yes
|
No
report this comment
Its My Ovaries Stupid Revised Edition
by
Elizabeth Lee Vliet
ikram
, March 25, 2013
This book is a great resource from a totally-non-quack-y dr. learn all about how your hormones affect all your other body systems (cardiovascular, respiratory, cognitive, etc etc). if you have any health (physical or mental) issues that follow your cycle, you need to read this book! if you have any health issues at all, you need to read this book and see how your hormones might be interacting with these issues. i know way more now about endocrinology.
Was this comment helpful? |
Yes
|
No
report this comment