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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
Lory Hess has commented on (4) products
Shadows on the Rock
by
Willa Cather
Lory Hess
, January 04, 2015
In Shadows on the Rock, Willa Cather departed from the prairie narratives for which she is most well known to write a historical novel about late seventeenth century Quebec. It received little acclaim upon publication, and is still often overlooked today. Certainly, you can't go into Shadows on the Rock expecting anything in the way of an exciting plot. The novel generally follows the course of a year in the city, starting from the significant time in late autumn when the last ships leave for France and the colonists are left on their own for the winter. It meanders from one character and incident to another, in a series of vignettes which all together build a rich portrait of a place and time. But if you undertake this journey, you'll be rewarded by passage after passage of beautiful language that lifts the novel into the realm of poetry. Cather is absolutely in control of her material here, creating a integrated if impressionistic work of art in which no word is wasted or out of place.
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I Saw Three Ships
by
Elizabeth Goudge
Lory Hess
, December 14, 2014
Just in time for Christmas, the wonderful folks at David R. Godine, Publisher have reprinted their edition of Elizabeth Goudge's story I Saw Three Ships. In this brief tale set in the West Country of England a couple of centuries ago, we are introduced to the irrepressible orphan Polly, who knows she has heard angels climb the stairs on Christmas Eve; her very proper maiden aunts, Dorcas and Constantia, who yet harbor secret dreams and longings; and three wise men of a rather unexpected sort. How they all come together is Christmas magic of the very best kind. As fans of Elizabeth Goudge may expect, there is a marvelously evoked historical setting, with a lovably mischievous child character, adults of varying degrees of eccentricity, and a contented cat. There is charm and mystery and humor, and a hint of something beyond the everyday world. At appropriate moments, the old English carol named in the title enlivens the text with its jaunty tune -- a different one than most Americans may be familiar with, so it's good that words and music are included at the end. The numerous pen-and-ink drawings by Margot Tomes capture the early-nineteenth-century atmosphere perfectly, and Godine's usual fine production values enhance the book's appeal even further. A small paperback (about 5 by 7 inches large and 60 pages long), with a heavy, durable matte cover and French flaps, it would slip nicely into a large stocking. If you're looking for a gift for an older child -- or adult! -- who enjoys historical fiction by the likes of Joan Aiken or Leon Garfield, this would be a fine choice.
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Home Maker
by
Dorothy Canfield Fisher
Lory Hess
, December 05, 2014
A recently reissued novel by a once-popular author who is now mostly forgotten (except for her classic children's book, Understood Betsy) tackled some very timely subjects -- the imprisoning effect of gender-based roles, the right of both women and men to choose work that suits their abilities, and the question of what children really need and deserve from their caregivers -- at a time when these ideas were not very widely considered. Though we may think we have gotten past some of the difficulties encountered by its characters, their dilemma still speaks to us today, and reminds us what a long way we really have to go. This lovely edition from Persephone Books is a pleasure to hold and to read. (Note that the author is Dorothy Canfield Fisher; Elaine Showalter wrote the introduction.)
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In the Kingdom of Ice The Grand & Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette
by
Hampton Sides
Lory Hess
, December 01, 2014
When I brought this book home and found 500 pages of densely-packed text, I was a bit daunted. But once I began reading, the pages flew by. The story was so compelling, and the writing so vivid, that I felt like I was there alongside the crew of the Jeannette as they battled incredible odds to try to win their way back to civilization following the collapse of their ill-starred polar expedition. I was full of admiration for the brave, determined captain George De Long, who vowed "no man shall be left alone" through their terrible ordeal. Many of his comrades also showed amazing endurance and selflessness, while a few displayed a more unsavory side of humanity as they slid toward madness, melancholia, or just plain irritating everyone to death. The land-bound characters were equally memorable, including the eccentric newspaper magnate who funded the voyage; De Long's long-suffering wife, whose heartbreakingly poignant letters to her missing husband punctuate the text; and the brilliant but unbalanced armchair geographer whose misguided notions set the whole tragedy in motion. The enormous amount of research that must have gone into this book is gracefully and even elegantly transformed into a seamless narrative. Quotations from journals and letters are integrated into the text, contributing to the "you are there" quality. The Arctic landscape comes to life in all its grandeur and horror, as the men move through its terrain and encounter its wildlife and people. There is much information to be gleaned, about post-Civil War American society and the scientific culture of the time in general as well as about polar exploration in particular, yet the reader never feels overwhelmed by scholarship or barraged by facts. In short, In the Kingdom of Ice is a splendidly thrilling, moving, and thought-provoking journey of adventure, both outer and inner. I'm so glad to have discovered it.
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