PowellsBooks.Blog
Authors, readers, critics, media − and booksellers.

At Powell's, our book buyers select all the new books in our vast inventory. If we need a book recommendation, we turn to our team of resident experts. Need a gift idea for a fan of vampire novels? Looking for a guide that will best demonstrate how to knit argyle socks? Need a book for a vegetarian who loves Radiohead and Flight of the Conchords? Email your question to [email protected]. We'll be posting personalized recommendations regularly.

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Q: I've always been a fan of YA fantasy and continue to enjoy the genre, but now I'm aiming to find adult fantasy book series. I still want all the dragons, werewolves, vampires, witches, etc., but more adult. Right now I'm specifically looking for any book series with dragons that's aimed at adults, something along the lines of Game of Thrones or Daniel Arenson's dragons of Requiem.

I do have a few preferences for my dragons. 1) I prefer when they're the good guys. 2) I prefer sentient dragons. Not dragons that are more bestial and mindless, but instead dragons that have personalities of their own. Thanks! – Alexis

A: You like dragons? Sentient dragons with personalities of their own? Well then, do we have a series for you! Naomi Novik's Temeraire series takes place during the Napoleonic wars, but in a world where dragons are as integral to the battles as the navy or ground troops.

If for some reason great historical battles with dragons sound a little dry, never fear! As the series progresses, Temeraire's main characters — a former Navy captain and his newly hatched dragon friend — travel the world, learning about dragon culture and advocating social justice for the dragon population. –

At Powell's, our book buyers select all the new books in our vast inventory. If we need a book recommendation, we turn to our team of resident experts. Need a gift idea for a fan of vampire novels? Looking for a guide that will best demonstrate how to knit argyle socks? Need a book for a vegetarian who loves Radiohead and Flight of the Conchords? Email your question to [email protected]. We'll be posting personalized recommendations regularly.

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Q: As you can imagine, I've been flying through books this summer while trying to avoid the heat wave. I've been really digging anything semi-post-apocalyptic. I'm more than halfway through Megan Abbott's The Fever and loving it. I've also recently read The Girl with All the Gifts and loved that one as well. Know of any more recent books that fit this genre? – Kelle

A: The Well by Catherine Chanter, which came out in May, is well-written and post-apocalyptic. It includes a creepy/intriguing religious cult plus a rather heartbreaking mystery. It's worth checking out! – Jill

Paolo Bacigalupi's The Water Knife is a near-future look at what happens when the Southwest runs out of water. Bacigalupi is definitely worth checking out; his books are carefully plotted, well-written, and absorbing, and they contain just the right amount of biting social commentary. Stay cool and keep reading! – Mary Jo

Etiquette for an Apocalypse (published a few years ago) is not only post-apocalyptic but also set in Portland. It's as fun as the apocalypse gets! –

At Powell's, our book buyers select all the new books in our vast inventory. If we need a book recommendation, we turn to our team of resident experts. Need a gift idea for a fan of vampire novels? Looking for a guide that will best demonstrate how to knit argyle socks? Need a book for a vegetarian who loves Radiohead and Flight of the Conchords? Email your question to [email protected]. We'll be posting personalized recommendations regularly.

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Q: I finished school two years ago (with a degree in literature) and was suffering from the worst reading burnout I've ever had in my life. I simply forgot how to read for entertainment. I recently broke up with Netflix and feel that I'm ready to jump back in to reading for me again. I think a good place to start would be light and fun, maybe with a dark twist or something that will get my heart racing. Please help! –Jamie

A: Miranda July is known for exposing the most awkward, neurotic parts of our humanity with mirth and tenderness, and her stories often illustrate these themes by way of bizarre premises or characters — though usually both. If this sounds like something that could be up your alley, go buy The First Bad Man, her debut novel; it came out at the beginning of the year. Entertaining doesn't even begin to describe it, and it's the perfect sort of book to draw you back inside the world of books. If it hits the spot for you, Matthew Quick's Love May Fail is a great follow-up. He also wrote The Silver Linings Playbook. –Aubrey

I'm just crazy about The Intern's Handbook. It came out last year and is dark, darkly funny, and a blazing-fast read. He has a follow-up to it, Hostile Takeover, which goes on sale July 14 and is every bit as good as Intern's Handbook.

At Powell's, our book buyers select all the new books in our vast inventory. If we need a book recommendation, we turn to our team of resident experts. Need a gift idea for a fan of vampire novels? Looking for a guide that will best demonstrate how to knit argyle socks? Need a book for a vegetarian who loves Radiohead and Flight of the Conchords? Email your question to [email protected]. We'll be posting personalized recommendations regularly.

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Q: Can you recommend a good book for a toddler learning about toilet training? – Sylvia

A: Try Leslie Patricelli's Potty for something humorous or Karen Katz's A Potty for Me!: A Lift-the-Flap Instruction Manual for something a little more traditional. If you are looking for a gender-specific book, I recommend Joanna Cole's My Big Boy Potty or My Big Girl Potty.
– Jen

At Powell's, our book buyers select all the new books in our vast inventory. If we need a book recommendation, we turn to our team of resident experts. Need a gift idea for a fan of vampire novels? Looking for a guide that will best demonstrate how to knit argyle socks? Need a book for a vegetarian who loves Radiohead and Flight of the Conchords? Email your question to [email protected]. We'll be posting personalized recommendations regularly.

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Q: I'm staying in Germany and looking for some fairly lighthearted books with a strong sense of place set in Europe. I read a mystery years ago set in Prague that was playful and not highly charged (no gore), but the clues were throughout the city and some referred to its history as well. I really enjoyed visiting there after reading the book. Does your team have any suggestions for a similar read? –Sandra

A: A few of my favorite lighthearted novels set in Europe are Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian (a hunt for Dracula across modern Europe), Carlos Ruiz Zafón's The Shadow of the Wind (a book-centric mystery set in post-war Barcelona), and Dan Simmons's Drood (in which he imagines the rivalry between 19th century authors Wilkie Collins and Charles Dickens, with some truly creepy descriptions of Victorian London). And while Philip Kerr's Berlin mysteries aren't exactly lighthearted, they're an amazing introduction to the seedier sides of the city, pre- and post-WWII. Try Berlin Noir. –Rhianna

Q: In a few months, I'll be headed to Europe for a Rhine river cruise with a few days spent in Amsterdam. I'm looking for suggestions of historical fiction to read that are set in the Netherlands (besides Girl with a Pearl Earring). Also, any nonfiction books that aren't just Fodor's Guides would be wonderful. –Tiffany

A: I recommend bringing a copy of Jessie Burton's novel The Miniaturist with you. Set in 17th-century Amsterdam, The Miniaturist is the story of 18-year-old Nella, a country girl who marries into a wealthy merchant family only to discover dark mysteries afoot. The novel is full of fascinating historical details and descriptions of the city, and Burton has a gift for intrigue.

Another wonderful Amsterdam book is Russell Shorto's narrative history of the city, Amsterdam: A History of the World's Most Liberal City. Shorto's style is highly entertaining and he covers the city from its origins to the present day, which is a boon for modern travelers. –

At Powell's, our book buyers select all the new books in our vast inventory. If we need a book recommendation, we turn to our team of resident experts. Need a gift idea for a fan of vampire novels? Looking for a guide that will best demonstrate how to knit argyle socks? Need a book for a vegetarian who loves Radiohead and Flight of the Conchords? Email your question to [email protected]. We'll be posting personalized recommendations regularly.

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Q: I'm traveling to Dublin and Barcelona this summer and would love some recommendations for books that take place in these locations. I'm open to different genres but something funny would be good. –Megan

A: Dublin settings? Anything by Roddy Doyle, but the funnier ones would by Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha, The Snapper, and The Commitments. They are gritty but very funny. Tana French writes excellent mysteries, all set in Dublin featuring different members of the Dublin Murder Squad. They are excellent and very evocative of the city and the social system there. In the Woods is the first in the series and a good place to start, but they all also function as stand-alones. –Kathi

You absolutely must get The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón. It's a literary mystery that takes place in Barcelona from the 1920s to the 1950s, and it's one of the most beautifully written things I've ever read. Read it before your trip and you won't be able to wait to get to Barcelona. –Tom

Q: I am looking for a book that takes place on the U.S. home front during World War II. Growing up, I loved reading the "Molly" American Girl books. Is there anything with a similar setting for adults? –Molly

A: John Dunning usually writes about mysteries in the world of used books, but he wrote a good book called Two O'Clock, Eastern Wartime about a small wartime radio station that is part mystery, part love story. The setting is a small East Coast radio station, and the book is wonderfully detailed about life in that place and time.

There is also a title out in paperback now called The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II. It's nonfiction but a fascinating look at war work on the home front. –Kathi

Q: I am a high school English teacher, and I recently learned that I will be teaching a course on literature of the sea next year. Would you happen to have any suggestions (ideally texts around 200-300 pages)? –Marco

A: What an awesome class! Depending on how classic or challenging you'd like your selections to be, there are some marvelous maritime novels out there. The first that comes to mind is Herman Melville's novella Benito Cereno, about a slave rebellion on the open seas. This was one of Melville's bestsellers, and it's a wonderful introduction to an American master and a nuanced exploration of the evils of slavery.

Another great novel — more recent — is Life of Pi by Yann Martel. Pi is a teenage boy cast adrift with a tiger after a terrible shipwreck kills his family. Life of Pi is an exciting survival tale but also very dreamy, forcing the reader to decide how trustworthy Pi is as a narrator. This has long been a Powell's staff favorite.

If your students are up for a challenge, Brian Doyle's new novel, The Plover, is a hilarious tale of a crotchety sea captain hoping for a solitary adventure but who instead finds himself sailing with a boatload of strange companions (not all human). Doyle's prose is modernist and dazzling: he plays with sentence structure, goes on tangents, and casually incorporates magic into the narrative. It's a very rich novel for teaching, but its difficulty is on par with To the Lighthouse (though, honestly, the subject matter and characters are much more entertaining).

At Powell's, our book buyers select all the new books in our vast inventory. If we need a book recommendation, we turn to our team of resident experts. Need a gift idea for a fan of vampire novels? Looking for a guide that will best demonstrate how to knit argyle socks? Need a book for a vegetarian who loves Radiohead and Flight of the Conchords? Email your question to [email protected]. We'll be posting personalized recommendations regularly.

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Q: I'm trying to buy a book for a male friend of mine for our high school graduation. He loves science, and he plans on majoring in engineering in the fall. He also loves history, but my fear with purchasing him a history book is that he may have already read it. He's a big fan of NPR, and I know I want to get him a nonfiction book. Any recommendations? –Rachel

A: A great gift for those interested in engineering: 101 Things I Learned in Engineering School by John Kuprenas. This illustrated book gives readers the basic principles of engineering and insight into how the engineering thought process works. Also, due in paperback this month: Brilliant Blunders: From Darwin to Einstein: Colossal Mistakes by Great Scientists That Changed Our Understanding of Life and the Universe by Mario Livio. It's the perfect combination of science and history! –Corie

You should also check out The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements. It's more about chemistry than engineering, but it's a wonderful, approachable book that any science fan will enjoy. –Tom

Q: While both highly educated, due to their conservative leanings, my parents read almost exclusively young adult fiction. While there is nothing wrong with this, when it comes to birthdays, Christmases, and Mother's/Father's Day, I try to gift them literary fiction I think they might enjoy that would perhaps expand their horizons a little. However, they are very picky with what they will read (I learned the hard way after I loaned my copies of the Thursday Next series to my mother and ironically enough got them back bowdlerized with whiteout tape). My most recent gifts were Every Man Dies Alone and Gilead, both of which went over very well, but I am low on ideas for what to gift next. Do you have any suggestions for well-written, literary fiction on the lighter side of things? –Remy

A: Try Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout or The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer. Both are well written, and heartwarming without being insipid. Your parents might also enjoy books by Jodi Picoult, who's really the modern master of popular, moral drama — for example, My Sister's Keeper, about a young girl raised to provide bone marrow for her leukemia-stricken elder sister. –Rhianna

Q: I just went to Lizzie, the new Lizzie Borden rock opera playing at Portland Center Stage. I wasn't very familiar with her story, but now I am very interested in learning more. I would like a book about Lizzie. Are there any historical fiction novels out there about her life, her lover (the girl next door), and the murder? –Liz

A: Cherie Priest has a new series coming out called The Borden Dispatches, which you should definitely check out. The first book, Maplecroft, is available for preorder and will be in stores on September 2.

It can be difficult to find copies of the most prized Lizzie Borden research books (by Edward Radin and David Kent, respectively), but enthusiasts seem to like Frank Spiering's Lizzie. –

At Powell's, our book buyers select all the new books in our vast inventory. If we need a book recommendation, we turn to our team of resident experts. Need a gift idea for a fan of vampire novels? Looking for a guide that will best demonstrate how to knit argyle socks? Need a book for a vegetarian who loves Radiohead and Flight of the Conchords? Email your question to [email protected]. We'll be posting personalized recommendations regularly.

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Q: I flew through Codex Alera and loved it. I got hooked on The Iron Druid Chronicles but am waiting for the next book. I stumbled upon and devoured Blades of the Old Empire (again, waiting on the next book). I am on the waiting list at the library for The Name of the Wind but am getting antsy for a good read. Can you suggest a series that isn't in fashion — an oldie but goodie, perhaps?

–Jeremy B.

Q: I just finished hate-reading the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and I need that bad taste out of my mouth. I wouldn't mind starting a new series, but I'm at a loss here. I want to read something epic. I've not read much fantasy, but I do kinda like it. So... what do you think? (And don't say A Song of Ice and Fire because I've already started in on those.)

–Megan

A: In this case, the answer to everything is not 42. It is Robin Hobb. Start with Assassin's Apprentice, the first book of the Farseer trilogy, and settle in for an epic reading adventure. After Farseer, the Liveship Traders trilogy is next, followed by the Tawny Man trilogy. George R. R. Martin is a fan of these books, and you'll soon see why. Assassin's Apprentice introduces Fitz, bastard son of a prince, gifted in many ways, but not especially lucky. This is some of the best fantasy writing out there, and I think it will knock your socks off.

For something equally wonderful but completely different, try Barry Hughart's Bridge of Birds. Set in an ancient China that never was, you won't soon forget the adventures of Master Li and Number Ten Ox. Hughart manages to be funny and touching, and he tells a rollicking tale chock-full of Chinese mythology and culture.

–Mary Jo

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Q: I recently finished Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson and am looking for a similar read. I love everything David Sedaris has written, but I have read it all. I thought Tina Fey's Bossypants would do the trick but was not impressed. Any recommendations on where I should head next?

–Josh

A: Give Caitlin Moran's How to Be a Woman a try. I'd also recommend Jonathan Ames's nonfiction collections, like What's Not to Love? and My Less Than Secret Life. A more obscure book in the funny memoir field is Oedipus Wrecked by Kevin Keck, which would make many readers gasp and blush.

–Kevin

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Q: My daughter loves Fannie Flagg books and has read all of them, including The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion. She loves books that are funny and light. What recommendations for authors do you have for her?

–Anne

A: Adriana Trigiani has a number of lighthearted and funny novels. She's done both series and stand-alone books. Her first novel and the first of a series is Big Stone Gap.

Another author to consider is Alexander McCall Smith. He's best known for his series The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, which is also the title of the first book in that series. He also has a series, 44 Scotland Street, in which he portrays daily life in an Edinburgh neighborhood in his native Scotland. Try Bertie Plays the Blues.

–Tom

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Q: Greetings! I'm an English teacher and we need new books for our juniors and seniors. We're looking for either fiction or literary nonfiction titles on themes of the American Dream, success, choices, overcoming hardships, poverty, relationships, family, and discovering what life has to offer. Added bonuses: world literature, books about other cultures, books not on SparkNotes. Any suggestions would be great!

–Elizabeth

A: There are so many great novels on those themes! Here are a few of my favorites.

A Yellow Raft in Blue Water by Michael Dorris: This family saga follows three generations of Native American women in the Pacific Northwest. Each woman — Rayona (age 15), her troubled mother Christine, and Ida (Christine's taciturn grandmother) — takes a turn as narrator. The result is a realistic and beautifully rendered exploration of reservation life, minority status, the isolation and fears of adolescence, and the (often trying) centrality of family in forming one's identity. I read this wonderful book at 15 and it blew me away. It is, however, on SparkNotes.

At Powell's, our book buyers select all the new books in our vast inventory. If we need a book recommendation, we turn to our team of resident experts. Need a gift idea for a fan of vampire novels? Looking for a guide that will best demonstrate how to knit argyle socks? Need a book for a vegetarian who loves Radiohead and Flight of the Conchords? Email your question to [email protected]. We'll be posting personalized recommendations regularly.

Q: I've devoured every volume of A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin. Now what? –Brie

A: In case you've somehow managed to miss George R. R. Martin's Tales of Dunk and Egg (The Hedge Knight, The Sworn Sword, The Mystery Knight), these delightful novellas are set in Westeros 90 years before the time of Song of Ice and Fire. Three are available right now; more are promised. The first two are also available as graphic novels. Dunk is Ser Duncan, legendary member of the Kingsguard, and Egg is Aegon V Targaryen, who later becomes king.

If you haven't read the Gentleman Bastard series by Scott Lynch, you are in for a bawdy adventure full of wit, swordplay, and some of the finest dialogue ever written. There are three books in the series — The Lies of Locke Lamora, Red Seas under Red Skies, and The Republic of Thieves — and more to come. Lynch continues to hone his considerable skill. Locke is a thief and a con artist whose wits may be sharper than his sword.

Unfamiliar with the Kingkiller Chronicles (The Name of the Wind, The Wise Man's Fear)? Sprint to your nearest bookstore and start reading them immediately. Patrick Rothfuss spins a story full of humor, pathos, and characters you won't soon forget.

Robin Hobb's Farseer, Liveship Traders, and Tawny Man series (nine books total), set roughly in the same world, are magnificent and heartbreaking. The Farseer series is a good place to begin with the tale of Fitz, the bastard son of a prince who is trained as an assassin. Hobb creates wonderfully rich characters and makes them suffer in numerous ways.

If you like your fantasy novels dark and gritty, fast-paced, and full of irony, you will happily feast on Joe Abercrombie's First Law trilogy (The Blade Itself, Before They Are Hanged, and Last Argument of Kings), along with Best Served Cold, The Heroes, and Red Country (all set in that world). The author's experience as a film editor serves him well here; he really understands how to tell a compelling story. –Mary

At Powell's, our book buyers select all the new books in our vast inventory. If we need a book recommendation, we turn to our team of resident experts. Need a gift idea for a fan of vampire novels? Looking for a guide that will best demonstrate how to knit argyle socks? Need a book for a vegetarian who loves Radiohead and Flight of the Conchords? Email your question to [email protected]. We'll be posting personalized recommendations regularly.

Q: It has been pointed out that most of my favorite authors are male: Haruki Murakami, David Mitchell, Michael Chabon, Neal Stephenson, maybe Neil Gaiman, too. I think my favorite book from last year's reading was Hakawati by Rabih Alameddine, but I can't yet say he's a favorite author, as I haven't read any other books by him. Can you recommend any female authors who might appeal to a reader with my tastes? –Eve

A: For a blend of surrealism, philosophy, pop culture, and mystery reminiscent of Murakami and Mitchell, and the kind of quirky but endearing protagonist you'll find in Chabon's work, try British novelist Scarlett Thomas. Two of her most popular books are The End of Mr. Y and Our Tragic Universe. –Rhianna

Check out Karen Russell's books. Her newest is Vampires in the Lemon Grove. Kelly Link's Magic for Beginners is also strange and wonderful. Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale is a classic. –Kevin

Q: I am looking for books that my boyfriend and I can read together. We'd like to start our own book club and need a few titles to get started. We like graphic novels and literary fiction. He really enjoys nonfiction books about social and media commentary. I enjoy memoirs and books that make me search deep within my soul (like Tiny Beautiful Things). What I'd like is a good variation of books that we can have deep, meaningful conversations over, books that will help us explore our relationship, life, and friendship. –Neri

A: Try Truth and Beauty, the moving book about Ann Patchett's friendship with the late Lucy Grealy. Nicole Georges's graphic novel Calling Dr. Laura is great and funny and moving as well. The Complete Essex County by Jeff Lemire is sad but beautiful. –Kevin

Q: I love to have a book that ties into my travels — whether it's a travel memoir, fiction set in the same country, or a good history of the area. In a couple months I'll be traveling in Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey. Any good recommendations? –Kate

A: There are perhaps no finer Turkish writers currently at work than Nobel Prize–winner Orhan Pamuk. The Istanbul-born author composes both fiction and nonfiction. Some of his more popular novels include Snow, My Name Is Red, and The New Life. Two of his most well-regarded nonfiction works are Istanbul: Memories and the City and Other Colors: Essays and a Story. Have a great trip!