Heathman Hotel Bookshelf

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao is a coming of age tale, about a young, nerdy, overweight Dominican-American named Oscar and his plight to conquer a family curse and find love. We are thrilled to have his signed book in our library collection and when asked what he thought of the Heathman Hotel Library, Junot Diaz (who the New Yorker lists as one of the top 20 writers of the 21st century) replied, "The Heathman Library is one of the most unique autonomous libraries that I have heard about". (read more)

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is a fabulously delightful tale. Junior, the main character, is an aspiring cartoonist. Born on a reservation in Spokane Washington he is faced with many challenges, from ill health to being bullied by most everyone around. Through shear determination he manages to overcome these challenges with wit and humor.

The Heathman Hotel is honored to have had Mr. Alexie stay with us and this book is a great addition to our collection. (read more)

Divisadero takes us from the city of San Francisco to the raucous backrooms of Nevada's casinos and eventually to the landscape of south-central France. It is here, outside a small rural village, that Anna becomes immersed in the life and the world of a writer from an earlier time — Lucien Segura. His compelling story, which has its beginnings at the turn of the century, circles around "the raw truth" of Anna's own life, the one she's left behind but can never truly leave. And as the narrative moves back and forth in time and place, we discover each of the characters managing to find some foothold in a present rough hewn from the past. (read more)

When Frank returns to America in 1953, he works on the docks, always resisting what everyone tells him, that men and women who have dreamed and toiled for years to get to America should "stick to their own kind" once they arrive. Somehow, Frank knows that he should be getting an education, and though he left school at fourteen, he talks his way into New York University. There, he falls in love with the quintessential Yankee, long-legged and blonde, and tries to live his dream. But it is not until he starts to teach — and to write — that Frank finds his place in the world. The same vulnerable but invincible spirit that captured the hearts of readers in Angela's Ashes comes of age. (read more)

Nando Parrado was unconscious for three days before he woke to discover that the plane carrying his rugby team, as well as their family members and supporters, to an exhibition game in Chile had crashed somewhere deep in the Andes. He soon learned that many were dead or dying — among them his own mother and sister. Those who remained were stranded on a lifeless glacier at nearly 12,000 feet above sea level, with no supplies and no means of summoning help. They struggled to endure freezing temperatures, deadly avalanches, and then the devastating news that the search for them had been called off.

Thirty years after the disaster, Nando tells his story with remarkable candor and depth of feeling. Miracle in the Andes — a first-person account of the crash and its aftermath — is more than a riveting tale of true-life adventure: it is a revealing look at life at the edge of death and a meditation on the limitless redemptive power of love. (read more)

Musicophilia is a beautifully composed book filled with compassionate tales about people facing neurological challenges and how the power of music inspires them in different ways. We are delighted that Oliver Sacks has made The Heathman Hotel his home away from home while he is in Portland and his book Musicophilia is fabulous addition to our collection. (read more)

This inventive book follows the history of the toothpick from ancient Rome to present time; it celebrates this simple tool in an interesting and quirky way. The Heathman Hotel is proud to have his signed book in our library collection; and in his inscription he writes "To the Heathman, It's good to be back in one of your fine rooms and enjoying your excellent food. And thanks to your Kimberly Ogden for her thoughtfulness and for taking care of authors' books. Best regards, Henry Petroski 31 October 2007". (read more)

Other Colors is a brilliant and moving collection of work the gives the reader insight into the mind of a writer. We are greatly honored to have his book Other Colors in The Heathman Hotel library collection. (read more)

It's been fourteen years since Thursday pegged out at the 1988 SuperHoop, and Friday is now a difficult sixteen year old. However, Thursday's got bigger problems. Sherlock Holmes is killed at the Rheinback Falls and his series is stopped in its tracks. And before this can be corrected, Miss Marple dies suddenly in a car accident, bringing her series to a close as well. When Thursday receives a death threat clearly intended for her written self, she realizes what's going on — there is a serial killer on the loose in the Bookworld. And that's not all — the Goliath Corporation is trying to deregulate book travel. Naturally, Thursday must travel to the outer limits of acceptable narrative possibilities to triumph against increasing odds. (read more)