 Don't Miss
More at Powell's
Find Books
Read the City
Win Free Books!
PowellsBooks.news
Book News, Guests | December 14, 2009
By Amy Gray
Oh, hi. I'm Amy Gray. I like smoking, carbs, and words. I live in the (currently) sleek humidity of Melbourne, Australia. When not lying...
Continue »
-
 |
This edition of our newsletter is sponsored by the semicolon. It's not a period, so don't stop; but it's not a colon, so slow down. You'll find it on display in our interview with Jim Lynch, and throughout the signed first editions of Border Songs; scattered around our original essays by Warren Fahy ( Fragment), Emily St. John Mandel ( Last Night in Montreal), Katherine Howe ( The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane), Robert Wright ( The Evolution of God), and Peter Manseau ( Songs for the Butcher's Daughter); you might find a few in our Powell's Q&A with Marie Brenner ( Apples and Oranges); and I'll bet our guest bloggers, Kate Harding and Marianne Kirby and, next week, Richard Sandomir, might even throw a few around. Try the semicolon on your own; it's fun for the whole family!
|
SIGNED EDITIONS
 If Carl Hiaasen set one of his novels on a residential stretch of boundary line between British Columbia and Washington, or if Richard Russo's characters had relatives in the Pacific Northwest, the result might be something like Border Songs. Jim Lynch earned a legion of fans with his bestselling debut, The Highest Tide. Border Songs is the rare sophomore effort that lives up to — arguably even exceeds — its lofty expectations. Preorder signed first editions now.
 more signed editions
|
FEATURED INTERVIEW
 I'm setting-driven when it comes to writing fiction," says Jim Lynch. The Highest Tide came out of my fascination with the bays that I live on here in Washington." Regarding his much acclaimed follow-up, Border Songs, the prize-winning author explains, "I'd always been interested in the Canadian border. I knew where Border Songs was going to be set before I knew what it was going to be."
more author interviews |
HARDCOVER
 Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry Into the Value of Work by Matthew B. Crawford
"One of the most engaging, thought-provoking books I've read in a long time....Whether you work with a computer (that'd be me) or power tools, Shop Class as Soulcraft will get you asking important questions about what you put into your job and, maybe more importantly, what your job gives back." Recommended by Kyle, Powells.com
 |
Sale $18.16 | Hardcover
List Price: $25.95 (You Save: $7.79) |
 The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
"This beguiling debut from 70-year-old Alan Bradley has been worth the wait, an enchanting and masterfully told mystery that reveals itself at a perfect pace. Clever and delightfully devilish, Flavia de Luce is an intriguing young heroine that you'll be sad to part with." Recommended by Martha, Powells.com
|
Sale $16.10 | Hardcover
List Price: $23.00 (You Save: $6.90) |
 Wendy and Lucy
Based on a short story by Jon Raymond, Old Joy director Kelly Reichardt's Wendy and Lucy stars Michelle Williams as a young woman whose journey toward a fresh start takes a heartbreaking detour when her beloved dog, Lucy, goes missing and her car decides to conk out in Oregon. "Masterful low-budget drama," hails the Chicago Reader. Roger Ebert calls it "[a]nother illustration of how absorbing a film can be when the plot doesn't stand between us and a character." All DVDs and Blu-ray discs ship free from Powells.com.
|
Sale $25.20 | DVD
List Price: $29.99 (You Save: $4.79) |
|
PAPERBACK
 Dare to Repair, Replace and Renovate: Do-It-Herself Projects to Make Your Home More Comfortable, More Beautiful, and More Valuable! by Julie Sussman and Stephanie Glakas-Tenet
"This follow-up to Dare to Repair ups the ante. Instead of teaching you how to fix a leaky faucet, this book shows you how to rip it out and replace it. Empowering, practical, and timely — say goodbye to plumbers and contractors, and dive into the projects on your home improvement list." Recommended by Megan, Powells.com
|
Sale $11.89 | Trade Paper
List Price: $16.99 (You Save: $5.10) |
 The Likeness by Tana French
"The Likeness is another masterpiece of suspense by Tana French. Reminiscent of Donna Tartt's The Secret History, this psychological thriller is wonderfully written and impeccably paced — a perfect summer read." Recommended by Jill, Powells.com
|
Sale $10.50 | Trade Paper
List Price: $15.00 (You Save: $4.50) |
 The Confessions of a Duchess by Nicola Cornick
All's fair in love and matrimony in Nicola Cornick's wildly romantic new series that introduces the ladies of Fortune's Folly — spirited heiresses who are more than a match for society's most dashing rogues.
|
 Last week Gigi Little, one of 16 contributors to Portland Noir (edited by Kevin Sampsell), wrote on our blog about our fair city's dark past, her superstitions, and what her grandmother would think of her four-letter words.
June 8, 2009:
Shanghaied
I don't believe in much of anything. I'm a cynic when it comes to all things God, devil, psychic, or spaceman. Or the ghosts down inside Portland's Shanghai Tunnels.
"They say to this day her spirit can be heard crying through these deep, dark corridors."
I think what they're hearing is the drag club upstairs.
Still, I couldn't help thinking about the Shanghai Tunnels when I was working on my piece for Portland Noir and was exploring just how Portland, the city of roses and dogs and bicycles, could fit the category of noir. I mean, what could be better — secret tunnels underneath the streets, leading, through trap doors, up into the smoky, seedy bars of Victorian-era Old Town, where men who got too drunk were dragged down and put in chains and then shanghaied away in the night.
That's some colorful lore right there, and I do love me some lore....
Read the rest of Gigi's post (along with the other Portland Noir bloggers), and catch up on Book News, Review-a-Day, Read It Before They Screen It, and all of our regular features on the Powells.com blog!
| From the Authors |
SAVE 30% |
WARREN FAHY: ORIGINAL ESSAY
 |
In Fragment, Warren Fahy's powerhouse debut novel of suspense — as brilliantly imagined as Jurassic Park and The Ruins — scientists have made a startling discovery: a fragment of a lost continent, an island with an ecosystem unlike any they've seen before... an ecosystem that could topple ours like a house of cards. "Highly recommended for all popular collections — a perfect read for poolside this summer," raves Booklist. Read Fahy's original essay for Powells.com and save 30% on Fragment. |
|
Fragment
 |
Sale $17.50
Hardcover
List Price: $25.00
You Save: $7.50
|
|
EMILY ST. JOHN MANDEL: ORIGINAL ESSAY
 |
Lila Albert has been leaving people behind for her entire life. Then her latest lover follows her from New York to Montreal, determined to learn her secrets. Emily St. John Mandel's Last Night in Montreal is a story of love, amnesia, the depths and limits of family bonds, and the nature of obsession. "[T]he fast pacing and unusual characters make this a compelling first novel," hails Library Journal. Read Mandel's original essay for Powells.com and save 30% on Last Night in Montreal. |
|
Last Night in Montreal
 |
Sale $20.96
Hardcover
List Price: $29.95
You Save: $8.99
|
|
ROBERT WRIGHT: ORIGINAL ESSAY
 |
In a sweeping narrative that spans the Stone Age to the Information Age, Robert Wright's The Evolution of God overturns basic assumptions about Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. "[A] fascinating history of religion in all its forms....This intelligent, accessible, and thorough book gives us new insight into our spiritual evolution," proclaims Jill of Powells.com. Read Wright's original essay and save 30% on The Evolution of God. |
|
The Evolution of God
 |
Sale $18.19
Hardcover
List Price: $25.99
You Save: $7.80
|
|
RICHARD SANDOMIR: GUEST BLOGGER
 |
Coming next week... Edited by Mark Reiter and Richard Sandomir, and featuring contributions from experts on everything from breakfast cereal and movie gunfights to First Ladies and bald guys, The Final Four of Everything celebrates everything that's great, surprising, or silly in America, using the foolproof method of bracketology to determine what we love or hate — and why. Next week we're thrilled to have Richard Sandomir as our guest blogger. Check out his posts each day and save 30% on The Final Four of Everything. |
|
The Final Four of Everything
 |
Sale $13.96
Trade Paper
List Price: $19.95
You Save: $5.99
|
|
in our stores
1. Hooping by Christabel Zamor with Ariane Conrad (Sports and Fitness)
 |
Imagine an exercise that works every major and minor muscle group, burns 600 calories an hour, builds balance and flexibility, requires no investment beyond $25 to $35, and makes you feel exuberant, delightful, sassy, and sexy. And is so much more like play than work that you want to keep doing it... (read more) |
5. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer (Young Adult)
|
JUNE 18: G. Xavier Robillard
 In Captain Freedom, the titular superhero's 15 minutes of fame are up — but, with the guidance of his new life coach, maybe Freedom can stumble in a new direction. "[A] gleeful romp through American pop culture," raves Kirkus Reviews. Plus, check out G. Xavier Robillard's guest posts on the Powells.com blog. |
JUNE 24: Carlos Ruiz Zafón
 From Carlos Ruiz Zafón, the author of the international phenomenon The Shadow of the Wind, comes The Angel's Game, a new page-turner about the perilous nature of obsession, in literature and in love. Zafón will be interviewed onstage by the new executive director of Literary Arts, Andrew Proctor. |
view all events
preorder signed editions by authors coming to Powell's |
IN OUR NEXT EDITION:
Zooey happened to be standing at the door, gazing out through the glass. As usual, he was thinking about food — it was almost dinnertime when Oreo strode up the stairs from the sidewalk. Typical enough; Oreo gets dinner, too. Except that another cat trailed behind him, Zooey noticed. Not Bagheera or Bear. Who then?
Zooey had to look again. Still he didn't believe it. Oreo sidled up to the other cat. Zooey watched the other cat lick Oreo's forehead.
This other cat looked exactly like Fup.
Zooey barked. The cat that looked exactly like Fup turned her attention from Oreo and, through the window, met Zooey's eye. Shivers lit up Zooey's spine. He began barking in earnest.
The other cat turned to Oreo. That's when Zooey would swear he heard Oreo say, "He thinks you're someone else."
A half-hour later, at dinner, Oreo denied the whole thing. He never said it, he insisted (to Bear, Bagheera, and Chester), because there was no other cat.
Zooey absolutely howled. First time anyone could remember him leaving kibble in his bowl.
Send questions, comments, suggestions, and creative uses of the semicolon to newsletter@powells.com.
PowellsBooks.news
by Bolton and Dave
|
