Portrait of a Bookseller
by Powell's Books, January 18, 2019 9:17 AM
How would you describe your job to someone you just met?
Imagine the best job in the world. Now imagine that I have it.
Last two books you loved:
Pnin by Vladimir Nabokov and We Are Never Meeting in Real Life by Samantha Irby are my most recent reads that I loved. You couldn’t find two more different writers who are both brilliantly hilarious in their own fashions.
Where are you originally from?
Los Angeles.
What is the best part of your job?
Five things: Our customers are superlative, my colleagues are continual sources of joy, and books, books, books.
Share your favorite customer quotes.
First: Yesterday, a woman pushed a stroller into the kids’ area and quietly announced to her son: “This, dear Wesley, is heaven… on earth...
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Interviews
by Jill Owens, January 17, 2019 9:38 AM
Tessa Hadley is a gorgeous writer whose books are a multilayered pleasure — her stories and novels are intelligent, insightful, and written in clear, beautiful prose, and her rich, realistic characters are unforgettable in their psychological depth. Her latest novel, Late in the Day, is the story of Christine and Alex and Lydia and Zachary, two couples who have been close friends for their entire adult lives. When Zachary dies suddenly, the trajectory of the others’ lives is irrevocably altered. In a starred review, Kirkus raves, "Riveting....A four-person character study — here as always, Hadley is a master of interpersonal dynamics — the novel captures the complexity of loss." And Publishers Weekly notes, "Perceptive, finely wrought....Hadley is a writer of the first order." We're excited to present Late in the Day as our pick for Indispensable Volume 78...
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Original Essays
by Kristen Roupenian, January 16, 2019 9:45 AM
Photo credit: Elisa Roupenian Toha
There was a point in my life, not very long ago, when the only kind of movies I wanted to watch were horror movies. The Purge, Paranormal Activity, Honeymoon, The Conjuring, Wolf Creek, It Follows. Slasher films and haunted house stories, feminist revisions of the genre and the bloodiest, most pointlessly misogynistic garbage. They say horror movies are good entry points for aspiring filmmakers, because horror fans are the sole subset of the movie-going audience who will show up at a theater to see every single movie in their chosen genre, regardless of the skill of the director, the size of the budget, the star power of the actors, or the quality of the reviews. For a time, I was one of those avidly consuming, nondiscriminating fans...
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Q&As
by Dani Shapiro, January 15, 2019 9:21 AM
Photo credit: Michael Maren
Describe your most recent book.
In the spring of 2016, I stumbled entirely by accident on a massive family secret. My father — whom I adored, and who died when I was young — hadn’t been my biological father. I made this discovery because I had my DNA tested through a commercial testing site. There was no reason for me to do this. I was certain of my family history. I was raised in an observant Jewish home, and both sets of my ancestors were from Eastern Europe. Except… that turned out not to be the case. The true story of my identity quickly became clear — shockingly so, after 54 years of it having been hidden from me. And that story involves the history of reproductive medicine, which is a fascinating and disturbing world, and ultimately, the search for my biological father, who had been a sperm donor...
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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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Portrait of a Bookseller
by Powell's Books, December 5, 2018 2:48 PM
How would you describe your job to someone you just met?
I’m a holiday mascot. Basically, I represent the Powell’s holiday spirit on various web graphics and posters. I also do birthday parties.
Last book you loved:
Fifty Shades of Grey. I have to admit I picked this up expecting a book on winter cloud formations on Karakoram, but the erotic frisson between Anastasia and Christian kept me warm through subzero nights!
Where are you originally from?
Nepal.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
Honestly, employment options are limited for yetis. What with needing to stay hidden and the widespread fear of our physical and psychic powers, it’s hard for yetis to venture off of the “leave footprints for hikers” career path...
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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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