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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
kitten60 has commented on (36) products
Good People
by
Hannah Kent
kitten60
, January 06, 2018
Great historic fiction taking place in early 19th century Ireland when religious and cultural changes are taking place. The change from superstition to Catholic religion creates a thrilling but challenging life story for 2 women attempting to use the services of an elderly healer to save a child from traumatic psychological injuries that cause inability to walk or speak. The plot is rich and vibrant in its account of the Old Celtic ways that are evolving in Ireland.
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The Lady from Zagreb
by
Philip Kerr
kitten60
, November 05, 2017
BERNIE GUNTHER is a very interesting character but the Philip Kerr writing is demonstrated at it's best here with a relatively real view of Hitler's tentacles from Germany through the Balkans then to Switzerland. The page-turner lends a reality to the World War that many only perceive from our own country's involvement. As bloody as the battle of the bulge was, the Bulkans were immersed in something I can only liken to Nanking. I am truly hoping that the terror of Hitler will pass from the memories of those who lived it, but hope the world will never forget the pain of war so as to stop it.
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Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right
by
Jane Mayer
kitten60
, November 01, 2017
Epic novel about the sinister growth of power and prestige today's era of billionaire political robber barons. Koch brothers and their ilk are revealed as their "influence" carries our nation into a grid of power owners. The super rich in this great country have been building into a political force that has been hidden until now. This book clearly delineates the monumental force which the super rich have been building a frightening base of influence in our system of Democracy. If the country belongs to the people, we need to be aware that we are losing Democracy to the super rich. As this book describes so forcefully, this history of power grabbing has begun under our very noses for years. America, please get informed. read this and learn. We need our votes to count but we need this kind of book to be informed about our votes before we vote in more men like Trump who are surrounded by dishonest Mannaforts of the world
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Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End
by
Atul Gawande
kitten60
, June 22, 2017
this is a very thought provoking and insightful read. Anyone over age 55 who might be inclined to consider the joy and complexity their next 20 or more years, should read this book. The author's perspective as a medical doctor who has thought deeply about the challenges, opportunities and experiences of aging, has informed this book with experience and understanding. I found myself reading a few pages then putting the book down in order to reflect upon the impact of the seriousness of this subject matter upon my own life. I felt that I had a guide with which to review my life at 72 and beyond. This book is a marvelous opening into self-evaluation of medical issues affecting the last 20 or 30 years of life.
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Great Deliverance
by
Elizabeth George
kitten60
, June 05, 2017
Excellent! Thomas Lynley displays an inordinate amount of patience, depth of character and feeling for people who are suffering. In this novel, Lynley is "paired" with an irascible Havers for the first time. Sergeant Havers fully intends to perform "up to snuff" in THIS investigation as it is her last chance to show she has the temperament to be a detective. She has previously infuriated several well meaning superintendents and been placed on traffic duty until this case of possible patricide is assigned to Lynley. At first Lynley tolerates the fact that a highly unlikeable Havers is chosen to be his sergeant. However later Lynley studies Havers' character and practically analyzes her. In time he succumbs to the Havers humanity and her life story. Even o, Havers cannot help herself. She becomes shrill and completely "out of order". She is aware of this and resolutely faces the "sacking" she so deserves. So here we are. I will not go further on this story line but this book carries several subplots along with a beheading. Very clever writing from Elizabeth George makes this book a home run.
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Banquet of Consequences
by
Elizabeth George
kitten60
, June 04, 2017
Absolutely best British detective story I have read in years. This novel is a complex murder mystery full of compelling suspects, a devious plot and unique relationships between Scotland Yard's detectives and their superior officers. One of the most dysfunctional British families is " up to it's neck" in motives for murder. The leading suspect is a perfect example of what the DSM 4 would categorize as having a "borderline personality disorder". The author brilliantly defines the traits of this personality disorder in the book then proceeds to create Caroline who appears to have every annoying trait. Nonetheless the banquet continues around Caroline and the reader is treated to a murder mystery that is fun to "sort out"!
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The Girl on the Train
by
Paula Hawkins
kitten60
, March 19, 2017
I felt both sorry and disgusted by Rachel's alcoholism, furtiveness and imaginary world. But then she is on her daily train to a non job when she witnesses an event that draws you in. The wonderful Rachel whose secrets come out like a boom. Then the reality of her ex husband's new marriage is more than could be guessed at. Naturally Rachel has come upon a dangerous twist that draws the reader in even so.
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Looking for Alaska
by
John Green
kitten60
, March 01, 2014
this is every bit an adult novel also...as the female character, Alaska is a genius with a manic streak. She be-devils the school she attends and has multiple young men willing ti do what not for her..only she is a daring, wild joyous friend that I would have want to know..back in the day. This is searingly thrilling and sad...most of all..real..beautifully written with characters you get to know through their weaknesses and strengths.
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Silent Wife
by
A S A Harrison
kitten60
, March 01, 2014
I am so happy that I bought this book... a cleverly insecure woman finds herself in an impossible situation brought on by her lack of attention to financial details...like getting married to the creep who has all the money. This once "pleasing" female gets herself together at the great surprise of everyone and...well actually..it would cruel to go further now...
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It's Fine by Me
by
Per Petterson
kitten60
, February 10, 2014
From such a great write comes a trivial book that might be used to teach 2nd grade English..with too many sentences like " I get out of bed and go down to the kitchen. ..."I fill the kettle and out it on and stand waiting" "The water is boiling. I take a handfull if coffee from the brown tin and drop it in, waiting for it to sink, cut 2 slices of bread and see the clock above the stove" If you think these sentences are rare, I will tell you to open the book at any random page and you will find more trivial, mundane chatter that should never have accumulated to make a book. By the way, IT is not fine by me.
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Cuckoos Calling Large Print
by
Robert Galbraith
kitten60
, December 03, 2013
Maybe it starts a little slow but this detective story builds momentum. The characters are just that. The murder is devious and the plot twisted. all in all a good read. No wonder Harry Potter author is so successful. The author's first "known" murder mystery rivals Paretsky/Milhone
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Human Behavior Theory and Social Work Practice
by
Roberta Greene
kitten60
, September 25, 2013
although I give books away all the time...this book is such a well written understandable informative collection of human behavior theories that I refer to it after 20 years of first having it assigned in my MSW program. looking for a usable summary of Freud, Erikson, Piaget, Rogers, social learning theory, group dynamics? yes you will find cognitive theory all around but here the usability of the information is the best I have found
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If the Dead Rise Not
by
Philip Kerr
kitten60
, September 25, 2013
Berlin 1934 Gunther, now a bored hotel detective finds murder and intrigue when he supposed to be keeping thugs and murderers out of the exclusive hotel... of course he steps his foot in it once again to his everlasting dismay ...so naturally he goes straight to a bar. Actually there is an effective atmosphere of Nazi flags and the madness of Hitler all around...maybe a hotel lobby should be a safe place..but the EXCELSIOR is the Gestapo's favorite watering hole..and Bernie is never discreet...riding on the edge in a dangerous time...saved mostly by his brilliant detective abilities, occasional friends...
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Paris Wife
by
Paula McLain, Paula McClain
kitten60
, May 24, 2012
Unhesitating recommendation for this bit of Hemmingway history. In Paris Hemmingway starts his career of writing and is lovingly supported by his dear wife Hadley. His writing is critiqued by f Scott Fitzgerald and other famous writers in the cafes of France. Hemmingway himself struggles. He questions himself. He and his wife are financially burdened. Hadley is a fully written description of Hemmingway's real first wife..she is incredible...it appears that she ends up being the love of Hemmingway's life...for all his dalliances...he never forgets the Hadley whose beauty and strength of character he will later miss.
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Executioners Daughter
by
Laura E. Williams
kitten60
, May 24, 2012
not a bad bit of writing...the executioner is truly a fully written character (even if he is scary) . He teams up with a "sort of" doctor to discover what is happening to the town's orphans...plus why was the hospital burned to the ground. Underneath the mystery is a bit of witch hunting and some unscrupulous "VIPs'. Apparently anything goes if the town's problems are solved...the executioner has other ideas...he is the one whose values and courage turn things around....I love a book that has believable villains with plausible motives and few scruples.
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Lehrter Station
by
David Downing
kitten60
, May 24, 2012
I love David Downing's other books..but here he is summarizing us to death..meeting old friends (reviewing his history with EACH one) and failing to go forward with the novel. Yes it is readable but ...gads...leave out the extraneous details. I will still read Downing's books..hoping he has not written himself out of gas.
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Another Time Another Life
by
Leif G W Persson
kitten60
, May 24, 2012
Good grief this is a terribly written "novel" that reads like Dick and Jane...talk about cashing in on the Swedish author invasion...the book is full of pronouns that should be nouns...in other words the author does not introduce his characters! The reader is left with he she etc and wondering who she is. The story is flat..disinteresting and boorish. I believe this autor either cannot write a cohesive story or this is a total gag on us!
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Keeper of Lost Causes
by
Jussi Adler Olsen
kitten60
, May 24, 2012
Morck is not well liked by his fellow detectives..in fact he can be quite verbally brutal..so they've exiled him to the basement to work on unsolved cases. The move turns out to be more than pleasant when Morck discovers a case that intrigues him (and is the centerpiece of this great mystery). Morck is not so sure of the new assistant ...assigned to "help him" but this assistant appears to be incredibly brilliant at detective work..so the two go a hunting a killer. The past riles up some privleged people..so the 2 detectives go about their work unscrupulusly..very creative bits of breaking and entering lead to a very big surprise. As an aside, Morck is occassionally called upstairs to voice his opinion of other more current cases. He does so with brilliance...which irks his colleagues. All in all this is a book well worth reading.
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Man from Beijing
by
Henning Mankell, Laurie Thompson
kitten60
, June 08, 2011
Although I will seriously miss Kurt Wallender, Birgitta gets it right with her persistence, willingness to dredge up the past and go the distance...plus who wouldn't like a mystery that starts off in Hesjovallen and becomes a trek to beijing..by an author who knows what he is doing..and makes me love him every book.
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Dark Debts
by
Karen Hall
kitten60
, June 08, 2011
not bad for a book that goes from present to past a little to frequently. The main characters remind me of the people I love in TV shows like "Justified" but are deeper and more contrary. Although Cam jumped off a building, those who knew him were seriously strong personalities that don't bend with the wind. His past family life is a montage of criminal behavior, anti-social brothers and anxiety ridden losers. All in all.. a great show of writing.
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Terror of Living
by
Urban Waite
kitten60
, June 08, 2011
the terror of Living is one of the best books I have read in my 66 years. I put my first edition on my SAVE bookshelf. Although hyperbole is often part of book reviews, I believe that this writer will become famous. His originality, gorgeous writing and feeling for suspense have me enthralled.
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Waiting for Godot
by
Samuel Beckett
kitten60
, September 09, 2010
Reading "Waiting for Godot" is a process of self-examination. Two men linger on stage while waiting (possibly for God). They intrigue, captivate and enjoin their audience with their quest, their petty quarrels, their hopes and most of all...their seeking for meaning in life. I found myself halted by the nearness...ever so enticing...of their goal..and hung on hoping and also "Waiting for Godot".
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Looking for Alaska
by
John Green
kitten60
, September 09, 2010
Looking for Alaska was in the children's section....but it is so much about a rich creative spirit of a young girl possessed with ability to make you love her and want to see her emerge as a shining star that continues to enrich the lives of all around her. I an 65 but enjoyed the festive, awkward, charismatic appeal of the characters who are not snyde, self-absorbed or disagreeable as the main characters in Salinger's only real book "Catcher in the Rye". To want to get even the most infinitesimal joys out of life, Alaska enjoined with others in the kind of risk taking that ends in sheer glee.
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A Reliable Wife
by
Robert Goolrick
kitten60
, September 09, 2010
I love a strong woman intent on thriving in the impossibly patriarchal society of the time. She lures men in, captivates, creates a stir and never lets us down. Although she enters the book as a snake in the grass, she does become a most remarkably RELIABLE WIFE.
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Steampunk Style Jewelry
by
Jean Campbell
kitten60
, September 09, 2010
Sorry to say but this book is disappointing for those of us without drills, hammers, solder irons....I actually considered that I would need a whole workshop- including electric saws. Sorry but I bought this book (very sincerely hoping for neat creative ideas) but I left it upstairs where all my bad bad books hide out.
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Rough Cider
by
Peter Lovesey
kitten60
, September 09, 2010
A young American woman comes to Bath England determined to discover the details of her father's hanging for murder when he was a G.I. she entreats, threatens, bribes and pushes a local professor who (at age 9) had given the damning testimony that led to her father's execution. This reluctant professor finally gives in to her enormous tenacity. What follows is a parade of lies, half-truths and murder...all designed to evade this woman's discovering what she insists on knowing. Somehow the woman becomes a symbol of American's bull dog ferocity when challenged. It's an amazing book that lingers long after finishing the last gasp.
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The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
by
Junot Diaz
kitten60
, January 02, 2009
parts are good many parts dreary repetitive about a fat guy noone is interested in..plus this book is not a novel ..it is short boring stories great title spell losing
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Last Of Her Kind
by
Sigrid Nunez
kitten60
, October 28, 2007
Unbelievably great novel Ann is so well drawn that there is some of all of us in her-stubborness pride;caring;love;fanaticism and acceptance.
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The Book Thief
by
Markus Zusak
kitten60
, June 28, 2007
Fancifully narrated by death, this is a poignant story of an eleven year old's life in Nazi Germany during the war. The book thief is a lovable, brave and undaunted young girl who makes friends of everyone...even death. The realism of Jewish eradication, Nazi crimes and allied bombing surrounds the sweet story of a good German family trying to hide a Jew in their basement and believing in good when it seems impossible.
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Bloomsday Dead
by
Adrian Mckinty
kitten60
, June 03, 2007
Best book I've read this year...with a smart, guileful, deadly Michael Forsythe back in Belfast...where many want him dead... he has come to help the wife of the man he killed. You wouldn't want to be tangling with Michael...he is full of surprises and seems to lack unnecessary fear. Great 3rd novel in the series od Dead books. wish there were more
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Cold Havana Ground
by
Arnaldo Correa
kitten60
, March 04, 2007
This mystery has someting for everyone...criminal characters hiding out, fear of the Santera and a fascinating look at criminal doings in Cuba. Not a history book, but very revealing tidbits about the mysterious parts of Cuba that we may never know otherwise. Plus some good love interests and a great "retired" cop
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Hunt Club
by
John Lescroart
kitten60
, January 15, 2007
Just when you think you're out, they pull you back in again. Any mystery reader might get caught by surprise (and forgive themselves) for not catching on to the true killer(s) in this thriller by Lescroart. The private investigator gets roped into solving a murder that noone thinks he will solve because of the many undercurrents and counter-activities, but also because the P.I. is a small time surveillance hack. Somehow (in spite of misdirection) the self employed P.I stops being deterred. The ending is a gem and the book kept my unflagging interest.
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Beautiful Lies
by
Lisa Unger
kitten60
, January 15, 2007
Ridley Jones reminds me of Sara Paretsky's heroine. Ridley is young, brash and full of energy and cyniscism. She takes risks that make the reader say "no no!" but she doesn't always get off easily from her dangerous lifestyle. In fact she get lambasted. But Ridley is charming and the reader hopes she will be more careful. But as any successful "detective" will tell you, it's the periolous moves that scare the mice out of hiding.
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About Alice
by
Calvin Trillin
kitten60
, January 15, 2007
Alice and Calvin must have had one of those tender,endearing and enduring marriages.Wherein Calvin is a man of dry wit and humor, his dear wife, Alice was his rock. She truly fulfilled him. About Alice is about a joyful marriage that the reader gets to share for awhile and enjoy. Traveling with Alice and Calvin is an irresitible journey of true love and real people.
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Hollywood Station
by
Joseph Wambaugh
kitten60
, December 23, 2006
Incredibly, Wambaugh has managed to absolutely intrigue mystery lovers with his bold jewelry store heist followed by a scheme to steal from a teller machine and finally the big cover-ups that lead to murder. For comic relief there are a pair of crystal meth addicts who cling to each other in their desperate moneymaking schemes that barely keep them in drugs. All this and a great overall view of the post-Rodney King LAPD. Brilliantly, the LAPD of this era is shown in all its personal victories and tragedies. The cops are very hamstrung by an 8 year verdict of being watched by the IAD...Intenal Affairs Division with a major grudge. Great reading...I now have to go back and read everything by Wambaugh so I can keep up the fun
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The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America
by
Erik Larson
kitten60
, December 23, 2006
This is one of the very best books I have ever read. It combines very historical information regarding the gigantic task of the architects of the Chicago's world fair with an ongoing criminal investigation of a mass murderer who gets away with years of killing -nearly in plain sight- multiple victims. His own cavernous killing house is also constructed almost unnoticed due to the distractions caused by the planning of the world's fair. Finally at the denoument, the reader gets to experierence the wonders and architectural triumphs of this great fair in Chicago but also the deconstruction of the serial killer.
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