Powell's Staff Picks

Pure Colour is a galaxy of an audiobook: explosive, celestially bright, huge, and streaked with beauty. It is a contemporary bible, an atlas of feeling, and an absurdly funny guide to the great (and terrible) things about being alive. Sheila Heti is a philosopher of modern experience, and she has reimagined what a book can hold.

Here we are, just...

“Georgia Pritchett is a singularly hilarious person. Her book is a delightful and perfect reflection of her. Its tenderness sneaks up on you and really packs a punch. What a magnificent read!”—Julia Louis Dreyfus

Jenny Lawson meets Nora Ephron in this joyful memoir-in-vignettes on living—and thriving—with anxiety from a multiple Emmy...

In this stunning and timely novel, Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award–winning author Louise Erdrich creates a wickedly funny ghost story, a tale of passion, of a complex marriage, and of a woman's relentless errors.

Louise Erdrich's latest novel, The Sentence, asks what we owe to the living, the dead, to the reader and to the book. A small...

Taste

“As a lover of food, I snacked my way through Taste: My Life Through Food, chuckled at Stanley Tucci's puns, and found myself adding his movies to my queue for a repeat screening. His ability to describe food, history, and food on sets was thorough, entertaining, and just plain fun. His passion for good food, family time, and forming lifetime friendships is inspirational. I have Julie and Julia playing now, and I'm adding ingredients to my grocery list to make Spaghetti Zucchine alla Nerano with zucchini from my garden. Oh yes!”

Sara, Roundabout Books

Wandering in Strange Lands

“Wandering in Strange Lands is an evocative, sensitive piece. Throughout the book, Morgan Jerkins retraces her family's lineage, the history of the lands from which they came, and despite working with gaps in generational memory, is able to make inspiring and meaningful connections. Listening to this audiobook on the way to Charleston, SC was timely—I had never known the rich history of the Carolinas despite living only a few hours away in north Florida. Jerkins' story has inspired me to do research on my own family, and take a trip out to where they first arrived in the United States. For all those inquisitive minds who wonder about their family's journey, this is it.”

Heather, Third House Books

A Swim in a Pond in the Rain

“In this literal master class on literature and writing, Saunders earnestly yet playfully dissects 19th-century Russian short stories to discover how they exude life to this very day, while highlighting methods any aspiring writer can employ. The huge bonus: reading the wondrous stories themselves, and experiencing Tolstoy’s authority, Chekhov’s humanity, and the joy and glory of Gogol.”

Mike Hare, Northshire Bookstore

If you enjoyed An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed, then you’ll love Fight Night.

“Narrated by nine-year-old Swiv, this darkly humorous novel highlights the delightful relationship between Swiv, her fighter of a mum, and her fiery Grandma. I laughed out loud throughout the entire audiobook, and Toews' fresh and unique writing really endeared me to the characters.”

Olivia, Author's Note

Iron Widow

“Bloodthirsty and tender, full of power, powerlessness, and determination, I could hear Wu Zetian roaring her vengeance call long after I finished this thrilling sci-fi masterpiece.”

Miriasha, Phoenix Books

Furious Hours

“In Cold Blood and To Kill a Mockingbird kept me up reading all night as a teen, and I can now add Furious Hours to the list of couldn’t-put-it-down tomes. I was enthralled, educated, and awestruck by Casey Cep’s well-researched and masterfully written true-crime account of a rural minister, his lawyer, and his killer. Thankfully, Cep discovered and brought to light what surely could have been Harper Lee’s second bestseller. Now…off to get a good night’s rest!”

Beth Stroh, Viewpoint Books

Long Bright River

“At the heart of this sleek police noir is a family decayed and ravaged by drug addiction. And make no mistake, LONG BRIGHT RIVER does have a heart. Although it is full of twists and turns and has a who-done-it element that will blow your mind at every second, it is also an examination of family, motherhood, and inherited trauma that is both bone- chillingly accurate and almost heartwarming in its cautious optimism. We follow a police officer in Philadelphia named Mickey who is desperate to find her drug addicted sister, Kacey, after she disappears off the streets and a string of addicted women turn up murdered. Will Mickey get to her sister before it's too late? It's clear Moore had her finger to the pulse of this country at the time of writing it; it's eerie to see the foreshadows to today that crept their way into the narrative that I'd wager are both conscious and subconscious on Moore's part. This book begins as you'd expect but concludes in ways impossible to see coming. Perfect for cold, rainy nights and red wine, LONG BRIGHT RIVER is a listen I guarantee will stay with you days if not weeks after you finish.”

Conner, BookBar

Mobituaries

“As entertaining and informative as his podcast. Mo examines people who didn't get their due. Each "mobituary" showcases the highlights, contributions and influences of known and unknown individuals. His trademark humor is throughout. Enjoyable little snippets. Great audio too.”

Karin, Bookworm of Edwards

How to Hide an Empire

“Daniel Immerwahr dives into a more thorough history of the United States -- filling those holes glossed over by history books. Extending beyond the Mainland or "50 States" map, he brings many lost or shadowed histories into the light. Very good listen!”

Emma, Content

Presenting an original audiobook performance of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play, starring the cast of the National Theatre's 2018 Broadway revival.

In this production, adapted especially for the listening experience, Andrew Garfield, Nathan Lane, and the entire cast recreate their acclaimed performances from the 2018 Tony Award-winning National... Read more »

An international bestseller!

From the New York Times bestselling author of Sorcery of Thorns and An Enchantment of Ravens comes a thrilling, “dark coming-of-age adventure” (Culturess) about a teen girl with mythic abilities who must defend her world against restless spirits of the dead.

The spirits of the dead do not rest.

Artemisia is training... Read more »

A New York Times Critics’ Best Nonfiction Book of 2021
Canadian Jewish Literary Award for Biography

From a gifted young writer, the story of his quest to reclaim his family’s apartment building in Poland—and of the astonishing entanglement with Nazi treasure hunters that follows 

Menachem Kaiser’s brilliantly told story, woven from improbable... Read more »

If you enjoyed A Children's Bible, then you’ll love Leave the World Behind.

“Riveting! I hurried through this apocalyptic novel about two families thrown together during an earth shattering event. Alam builds tension even during a relaxing family day at the beach and expertly paces the reader through idle, dreamy stages and amps up the speed during stressful times. A thought-provoking study of humanity.”

Melanie, The Well-Read Moose

This audiobook is read by the author.

Dan Saladino's Eating to Extinction is the prominent broadcaster’s pathbreaking tour of the world’s vanishing foods and his argument for why they matter now more than ever

Over the past several decades, globalization has homogenized what we eat, and done so ruthlessly. The numbers are stark: Of the roughly six...

A Thousand Ships

“If you ever found yourself wondering 'where are the women?' in the mythos and antiquity you've been presented, A Thousand Ships is for you. In fact, it's undeniably important for ALL who study Greek history and myth from the single lens we're often given. Impeccably researched, Haynes gives the women of the Trojan War back their agency and their voices in a series of interconnected stories that are near impossible to put down. Calliope's interludes are especially perfect, each of her chapters a necessary perspective that lends more to the original than one might ever imagine.”

Britt, Second Star to the Right

Brown Girls

“Told in the collective voice of the women of color of Queens, Brown Girls reads like poetry, with each chapter packing a powerful punch as we drop in on scenes in the girls' lives as they grow up, move away, and return to their home borough. This is one of those perfect books that goes down equally well as a one-sitting read or one that's doled out a chapter at a time. I've never read anything like this utterly compelling debut novel (and I've never been to Queens, let alone any other borough in New York), but reading this book still felt like coming home. ”

Kate, Bookmarks

An urgent manifesto and a dramatic memoir of awakening, this is the story of revolutionary love.

Finalist for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize • “In a world stricken with fear and turmoil, Valarie Kaur shows us how to summon our deepest wisdom.”—Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat Pray Love
 
How do we love in a time of rage? How do we fix a broken... Read more »