Lists
by Powell's Staff, June 21, 2019 9:58 AM
Let's face it: The world is in a weird place right now. This country is in a weird place right now. And the book industry is pretty much always in a weird place. With so much weirdness to contend with, thank goodness there are books — books that explain politics and relationships (or let us escape them entirely), books that explore art and science, books that dive into our history and others that imagine our future. The following are the best of the books we’ve read since January 1, 2019: We hope you read them too, and that they help to replace a little bit of that weird with a great deal more wonder.
Lanny
by Max Porter
The stage is set: Author Max Porter is the Pied Piper, and you are being called. Lanny will play your heart like a flute, luring you into its song of childhood landscapes, extending nature forward into its wild, animated state. And when the tune is complete, it will have fulfilled all its promises of consequence and heartbreak, in an astounding encore of reverie.
– Aubrey W.
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Lists
by Powell's Staff, April 26, 2019 9:08 AM
Tomorrow, Saturday, April 27, is Independent Bookstore Day, a one-day national party celebrating indie bookstores as part of the beating heart of their communities. Whether hosting author talks and story hours, providing restaurant recommendations to tourists or research help to students, or fiercely defending authors’ and customers’ first amendment rights, indies are so much more than places to buy novels and cute socks. Across the country, independent bookstores are among the increasingly rare public spaces where people can safely gather to share ideas, learn something new, and take a moment’s respite from a hectic, often digitized world.
Those of us who work in independent bookstores take pride in what we do. We’re here because we’re book nerds; nothing makes us happier than reading, talking about reading, anticipating our next read, and helping...
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Lists
by Powell's Staff, March 15, 2019 9:24 AM
We asked... and we answered. Powell’s booksellers share the writers, characters, and books that most inspire us.
÷ ÷ ÷
What female author has had the biggest impact on your life?
Jane Austen: her dry and sly gentle sense of irony is such a constant joy. No one can emulate her. – Sheila N.
I read Virginia Woolf for the first time with a shock of recognition. YES! Here was life — the small beauties and horrors and sense of connection in the world I had felt but never articulated, put into words cut and polished and shining. The feeling of being seen was formative. – Patrick D....
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Lists
by Powell's Staff, December 28, 2018 11:22 AM
I plan to read everything published by Arsenal Pulp Press this year. Memoir, novels, poetry, cookbooks — this progressive Canadian press has a bit of everything and always impresses and inspires. A must for fans of queer lit and intersectionality! — Robin A.
This coming year I'm determined to rekindle my passion for children's picture books in the hopes that it pushes me to finally finish my own. The imagery and lessons found within these books have stuck with me through the years, both inspiring me as an artist and reminding me at all times to be the best version of myself I can possibly be. What a dream it would be to return that favor to the little humans of our future...
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Lists
by Powell's Staff, December 7, 2018 9:38 AM
Without further ado, our favorite fiction from 2018.
The Pisces
by Melissa Broder
Sometimes I read a book that wrings me out so thoroughly I barely know who I am anymore. It's disturbing and disorienting, and although I'm glad it doesn't happen often, it is one of my very favorite things about reading. I had no idea that The Pisces was going to be one of those books. I was expecting a fluffy summer beach read about a hot merdude, and instead I got this book which absolutely destroyed me. I can't stop thinking about The Pisces; I already want to read it again...
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Lists
by Powell's Staff, December 6, 2018 9:30 AM
Questions of reality, gender, race, love, crime, and, yes, psychedelics captivated our attention this year. Here are some of our favorite nonfiction books from 2018.
And Now We Have Everything
by Meaghan O'Connell
And Now We Have Everything is the most honest book about becoming a mom I've read. I don't have kids and don't know that I ever will, but I have a lot of anxieties about parenting and childrearing and Meaghan's writing aligns with them perfectly. This book is really funny in a kick-you-in-the-stomach kind of way, and I found myself laughing and sobbing a lot while reading it. As a childless bookseller, I wholeheartedly believe everyone — mothers in any sense of the term and others — would benefit from reading this book...
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Lists
by Powell's Staff, December 5, 2018 9:32 AM
For so many reasons, 2018 had us running to the sci-fi and fantasy sections of our stores (or perversely seeking horror). From hog-riding orcs to bloodthirsty pretty girls, here are our 2018 obsessions.
My Sister, the Serial Killer
by Oyinkan Braithwaite
Korede is her sister's keeper. Managing beautiful, impulsive Ayoola would try anyone's patience, but recently she's started ending her relationships in a more permanent manner — and it's up to dutiful Korede to dispose of the bodies. Is there any emotion as subtly suggestive of violence as jealousy? It's a closely held hatred turned inward and its sufferers burn and seethe with it. Korede certainly does...
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Lists
by Powell's Staff, December 5, 2018 8:14 AM
It’s one of our favorite times of the year! When we get to shout about some of our very favorite kids’ books of the past 12 months. It was super hard to narrow it down, but here are some of our most beloved titles.
FOR YOUNGER KIDS:
Adrian Simcox Does NOT Have a Horse
by Marcy Campbell and Corinna Luyken
Chloe struggles to understand her classmate, Adrian Simcox — he's relentless, messy, and lies. In Adrian Simcox Does NOT Have a Horse, Marcy Campbell eloquently introduces complex themes of class and poverty to children in a tangible way. What Chloe learns is that there is real beauty in Adrian's imagination...
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Lists
by Powell's Staff, November 30, 2018 9:54 AM
When it comes to recommending books as gifts, we like to know as much as possible about the gift recipient. Are they really into sci-fi, or maybe political podcasts? Is their Spotify account all musicals all the time, or do they eschew music for quiet walks in the woods or settling down with an engrossing novel? The perfect gift book isn't the award-winning critic's darling (unless, of course, it is) — it's the one that matches your loved one's silliness, seriousness, humor, and wit; the most perfect of gift books says, I know you. I know who you are, and what you love, and of the millions of books in the world, I have found the one written just for you...
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Lists
by Powell's Staff, September 11, 2018 9:05 AM
We asked our staff to share their favorite books of 2018 so far, and mermen, refugees, Circe, the Donner Party, and a trippy film festival in Havana are just a handful of the fascinating subjects that poured in. It’s clear that the best new releases of 2018 have been eclectic, bold, and imaginative, with a sharp eye on social realities and a desire to expose the humor, beauty, and possibility that underlie our lives. We’re thrilled to share our top picks here.
There There
by Tommy Orange
I’ve spent much of my adult life searching for a Native voice that echoes my own experience as an urban Indian...
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