PowellsBooks.Blog
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I’m haunted by a handful of writers all long dead. They set the standard; naturally I fail. Anything I read of theirs promptly enters my bloodstream, whereupon mysterious internal fomentation proceeds. Y/N is simply the latest extrusion, a concerted one, of that fomentation. In other words, nothing in particular inspired my novel, because everything important has...

Sure, women’s rights have come a long way over the last century, but for every step forward, it feels like we take a few back, and when that feeling is so consistent, so insidious? Man, it makes me want to support women’s wrongs.

On this list, you’ll find books about women’s rights — Gloria Steinem, Barbara Ehrenreich, Mary Beard, all writing about the historical challenges women have faced and the hard work it’s taken to push forward, toward equality and justice. These books are equal parts informative and infuriating, and pair perfectly with the books on this list about women’s wrongs...

One of my favorite parts of working at a bookstore is connecting customers to books they may not find otherwise. Autism and neurodiverse research and literature has come a long way in recent years, and I'm so happy to be able to make these connections. These 5 picks are some of my favorites to recommend due to the intersections they represent and familiarity they can provide...

The cookbook section has to be one of the best sections in any bookstore: full-to-brimming with the promise of delicious meals, exciting new recipes to add to the forever rotation, and tips to make even the most daunting dish more doable. To whet your appetite, some of the booksellers at Powell’s on Hawthorne put some of their favorite cookbooks to the test. They made pies and dough, cupcakes and miso cod, cake and soup. Check out their creations, and their recommendations, below...

Calling all education enthusiasts, sapiophiles, and inquiring minds! Before you are a succinct selection of some of the sweetest fruits on the tree of knowledge. (PSA: there will be no Beowulf, state capitals, or theorems included on this list; if you are thirsting for that information, these books will not quench you)...

In her new book, Saving Time, Jenny Odell questions the origins and consequences of nearly every aspect of our various timekeeping systems and the ways we use them to dehumanize ourselves and each other.

The year is 2023 and still, women find their rights under attack and their voices silenced. We wanted to celebrate Women’s History Month by pulling together this list of recent releases that shine a light on the rich complexity of women’s stories, and inspire us to continue the fight for equality and representation. On this list, you'll find congresswomen and witches, clown adversaries and feminist philosophers, as well as deep looks at misogyny, capitalism, colonialism, racism, violence against women, activism...

Nestled in the third floor Pearl Room of the flagship Powell's in downtown Portland you'll find the Rare Book Room, or the "RBR" as it is colloquially known.

One thousand square feet of retail space is dedicated to our most beautiful — and expensive — books. This is the home of our oldest book, the works of Decimus Magnus Ausonius, printed in 1494. The room also houses our second most expensive book, the 2 volume "Journals of Lewis & Clark," printed in 1814 and priced at $25,000.00...

Prose Before Bros is a book club and community made for women of color in Portland, Oregon. Founded in 2018, the club is currently more than 600 members strong. Encouraged by this success, a small group organized The Freadom Festival, a festival dedicated to the idea that reading should be inclusive and accessible. As they explained on their website: “Just like PBB, we wanted to create a space where POC can exist without explanation, and so, The Freadom Festival was born...