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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
Wendy C Feltham has commented on (16) products
El Tiempo Entre Costuras The Time in Between Spanish Edition
by
Maria Duenas
Wendy C Feltham
, December 01, 2012
I really enjoyed this historical fiction, set mostly in Madrid and the Spanish Protectorate of Morocco during and after the Spanish Civil War. It's a story of espionage and power, along with friendship, personal growth, and couture design. Having known little of Morocco in those years, that setting was fascinating, and the transformation of Madrid during and after the war were brilliant. I loved the characters and all the roles they played, and only after finishing the novel did I realize many were real people. The perspective of fashion design, textiles, and sewing made this novel rather unique and fun. Since I read it on my Nook, I didn't get to see the end papers and photographs dividing each section until afterwards, and they added a feel for the era that I would have missed if I hadn't later been able to pick up a real book. I read this book in the original Spanish, and was so impressed with the use of language by María Dueñas.
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The Time in Between
by
María Dueñas
Wendy C Feltham
, December 01, 2012
I really enjoyed this historical fiction, set mostly in Madrid and the Spanish Protectorate of Morocco during and after the Spanish Civil War. It's a story of espionage and power, along with friendship, personal growth, and couture design. Having known little of Morocco in those years, that setting was fascinating, and the transformation of Madrid during and after the war were brilliant. I loved the characters and all the roles they played, and only after finishing the novel did I realize many were real people. The perspective of fashion design, textiles, and sewing made this novel rather unique and fun. Since I read it on my Nook, I didn't get to see the end papers and photographs dividing each section until afterwards, and they added a feel for the era that I would have missed if I hadn't later been able to pick up a real book.
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Broken Harbor
by
Tana French
Wendy C Feltham
, October 26, 2012
A gripping, creepy, well-written psychological detective novel set outside Dublin in a planned community after the crash. Tana French is one of my favorite authors, although I generally do not enjoy crime thrillers, as they make me too nervous! Having read all of her four books, I wouldn't call this one of my favorites, but still, I couldn't put it down. I love how she includes details about her characters, their family relationships, the power of their early friendships, their clothing, their dreams. The twists of the plot, the interpretation of modern Dublin, and the bizarre moments in this book are brilliant.
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The Song of Achilles
by
Madeline Miller
Wendy C Feltham
, September 02, 2012
Having never read the Iliad, this story of Achilles and the Trojan War were new to me. Madeline Miller plots her tale around the life of Patroclus, Achilles's companion and lover, from their youth to their deaths at Troy. I especially loved their time apprenticing under the wise centaur Chiron up in the mountains, caves, and creeks away from palaces and war. The author has studied and taught Latin and Ancient Greek, and directs Shakespeare's plays, and her love for language along with her intimate knowledge of Greek history with details about nature, food, clothing, and beliefs make this a joy to read. This wonderful book won advance praise from Donna Tartt, Ann Patchett, Emma Donoghue, and others, and then the Orange Prize, so it has received well-deserved appreciation.
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Mink River
by
Brian Doyle
Wendy C Feltham
, August 19, 2012
A Seattle friend who grew up in Oregon told me I'd love all the nature, especially birds, in this novel set on the Oregon coast. For the first few pages, I was confused by characters with two names as well as the plot, wishing for a chart of characters and maybe even a synopsis. Then I became immersed in the world of Neawanaka, loving (and worried by) the colorful characters. I appreciated the magical realism along with bits of Irish and Native American wisdom and Brian Doyle's clever language and storytelling. My friend was right, I did love the author's awareness and interpretation of nature, especially Moses the magical crow. I endorse the blurb by The Oregonian, "The greatest gift of Mink River is that it provides every reason in the world to see your own village, neighborhood and life in a deeper, more nuanced and connected way." It was hard for me to finish this novel and know I wouldn't find out the next chapters in the growth and changes in the people of Neawanaka. And yet it has already influenced me to look at my little town in the Pacific Northwest with new eyes.
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Hand Me Down World
by
Lloyd Jones
Wendy C Feltham
, July 10, 2012
Lloyd Jones is one of the most brilliant living writers with the ability to craft a story that wrenches your heart. This is the third book of his I've read, and each one has captivated and impressed me. He had a fellowship to live and write in Berlin, where he produced this novel, so much of it is set there. The cast of characters and narrators is fascinating, especially the protagonist Ines, an African hotel worker who travels under extraordinary circumstances all the way to Berlin to find her stolen baby, and then settles into a life there. I think if Lloyd Jones weren't from the small country of New Zealand, he would be better known internationally as a creative and talented contemporary author.
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Snow Child
by
Eowyn Ivey
Wendy C Feltham
, June 28, 2012
I loved fairy tales as a child. The Snow Child is a really special book, like a fairy tale for adults. Reading this book, I became immersed in the snowy world of homesteading in Alaska in the 1920s, savoring the details about nature, the trees, snow, light, and forest animals. Eowyn Ivey clearly loves the Alaskan wilderness and is gifted in her ability to describe its beauty. I loved getting to know all of the characters in this book, and wished it didn't have to come to an end.
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Olympic National Park A Natural History Revised Edition
by
Tim Mcnulty
Wendy C Feltham
, June 18, 2012
Tim McNulty is an extraordinary author, as he is a poet wise and creative with language, a naturalist observant about tiny details, and a person who can explain the big picture in geologic history. This is a superb guide to a beautiful corner of our country, a unique place biologically and in terms of magnificent beauty. I highly recommend it to anyone planning to visit the Olympic National Park.
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Everlasting Meal Cooking with Economy & Grace
by
Tamar Adler, Alice Waters
Wendy C Feltham
, June 13, 2012
I adored reading Tamar Adler's philosophy of food and have already incorporated some of her suggestions into my life. This book is beautifully written and inspiring. I loved her voice and subtle humor which are like listening to a very well-educated and articulate close friend. She confesses she loves food and words. I enjoyed the titles and quotes she gave each chapter, her stories about food, and the occasional recipes. Rarely does a recipe make me want to gather the ingredients and cook it right now, yet that is how I often felt reading this book. She is an intuitive cook who approaches the kitchen with systems in mind, a creative cook who uses every scrap of her vegetables and other ingredients, and a humble cook who suggests how to fix problems that may arise. I wish I had read this book when I was just learning how to cook... but it was only written recently.
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Marine Life of the Pacific Northwest A Photographic Encyclopedia of Invertebrates Seaweeds & Selected Fishes
by
Andy Lamb
Wendy C Feltham
, May 09, 2012
This is an extraordinary resource for anyone living in the Pacific Northwest. Whenever I walk on the beach here on the Pacific Northwest coast, especially at low tide, I find and photograph all sorts of amazing critters and unusual seaweeds. When I get home, I find that this is the best and most up-to-date resource to try to identify the unusual flora and fauna. The color-coded quick reference guide at the front of the book makes it easy to find the right page. With over 1,700 photos and a straightforward and helpful tone to the text, I repeatedly found myself grateful to the Vancouver-based author and photographer who produced this outstanding book.
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The Highest Tide
by
Jim Lynch
Wendy C Feltham
, April 09, 2012
I loved this book, the story of Miles O'Malley, a gifted 13-year-old boy in Olympia, Washington who really notices everything around him as he explores the bay at low tide. Miles is a speed reader who has devoured many books about sea life, and he especially loves to quote the wisdom of Rachel Carson. It is the summer he is growing up, and his discoveries of unexpected sea creatures along with his interactions with his parents and other unusual characters propel the plot forward. Since I spend a couple of hours every day walking along the beaches of the Olympic Peninsula, and plan my day around low tide, I identified completely with Miles's obsession. I loved finding out more about barnacles, jellyfish, squid, and other wonders of the Puget Sound.
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The Kitchen House
by
Kathleen Grissom
Wendy C Feltham
, April 02, 2012
The Kitchen House tells the story of Lavinia, a little orphaned Irish girl who becomes an indentured servant on a plantation in the late 1700s, the slaves who raise her and become her family, and the plantation owners. Lavinia's life changes when she grows up. The author explains in her postscript that she spent a lot of time in museums and researching old documents in order to create this piece of historical fiction. She first told the story just through Lavinia's voice, and later added alternating chapters by Belle, the slave in the plantation's kitchen house who is closest to Lavinia. I liked their contrasting perspectives and the depth of their relationship. Although I have read many books about the days of slavery, this story brings out even more shocking and horrible details, and since the characters are well developed, their anguish and the limitations of their lives seem very real. I really cared about many of the characters, and some of the complex relationships among the different characters were new to me. I was fascinated and horrified by the bizarre methods used by doctors to treat patients with illnesses, both physical and mental. Yet overall, I felt that the plot was too predictable and the "grand finale" too orchestrated.
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The Orphan Masters Son
by
Adam Johnson
Wendy C Feltham
, March 27, 2012
This is a fascinating novel set in North Korea, written by a professor of creative writing at Stanford who has traveled to North Korea. I was mesmerized by the characters and plot, and intrigued by Adam Johnson's choice of structure, which seemed to reflect the lack of clarity and information experienced by the North Koreans. Even before opening the book, the blurbs on the back cover by two of my favorite writers, Abraham Verghese and David Mitchell, and a rave review by Michiko Kakutani in The New York Times made me think I would like this book. I think Adam Johnson is brilliant, and look forward to reading more of his books.
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Ready for Dessert My Best Recipes
by
David Lebovitz
Wendy C Feltham
, March 19, 2012
I first learned about David Lebovitz because my 20-year-old son was reading his blog. I love the blog, too, since he writes about his life in Paris, and he has a great sense of humor. Next I tried some recipes from the blog to great success, especially his Date Bars, which are perfect to take along on bike rides and also to send to my son at college as a care package.Then I found Ready for Dessert, and I love it! The photos are gorgeous, the text is just the right length and filled with stories about each recipe, and they all sound so delicious, it's hard to pick which recipe to try. The brownies and cherry cobbler (I used blackberries I picked last summer, and can't wait to try it during cherry season) are fabulous recipes. I am a huge fan of David Lebovitz!
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Museum of Innocence
by
Orhan Pamuk
Wendy C Feltham
, March 12, 2012
Three years after winning the Nobel Prize for Literature, Orhan Pamuk published The Museum of Innocence, a long novel ostensibly about a love affair between wealthy Kemal and his distant relative, shopgirl Füsun, in the 70s in Istanbul, and also about obsession. It's just as much a novel about social differences and conflict, and the changes in Turkey over the past few decades. Orhan Pamuk seems to love and defend his hometown of Istanbul, while examining it closely with a critical eye. Although the characters claim to be apolitical and not religious, the frequent accounts of political events and religious influences are fascinating, and an important part of the story. It took me a long time to finish this book. First, I started listening to it as a recorded book, and that helped me pronounce the characters' names properly. Then I had to leave it for a month while on vacation, and I returned to read it as a regular book. The first part of the book seemed slow to me, as I kept wanting to strangle the characters for the mistakes they kept making with their lives. (I felt the same way when I read Snow, another novel by Orhan Pamuk.) The speed picked up for me as the plot developed, and by the end of the book, I couldn't put it down. By the end, I was entranced by Orhan Pamuk's structure of the novel, as it is a story within a story. The interesting details in The Museum of Innocence about food, everyday objects, and street life would make it a perfect book to read while exploring Istanbul's neighborhoods and culture.
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National Geographic Traveler Vietnam 2nd Edition
by
James Sullivan
Wendy C Feltham
, February 06, 2012
This is truly an outstanding guidebook! It is so much better written than most, and very well researched. James Sullivan is a keen observer and excellent student of Vietnam today. I really appreciated the history section, as well as the short boxes about interesting aspects of Vietnamese culture. I look forward to reading James Sullivan's book, Over the Moat, about his courtship with his Vietnamese wife. How often do you look for a book written by a guidebook author? I've never done that before!
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