A few months back, one of our customers sent us a special request for a list of 10 books we

felt everyone absolutely must read in his or her lifetime. The question intrigued us and we
immediately launched into a heated debate. Should the Bible be on the list? No text has
influenced Western culture more, but might it be equally important to read the Koran or the
Torah for a more enlightened worldview? Shakespeare seemed like a given, but how to
choose between Hamlet and The Sonnets, between A Midsummer Night's Dream and
King Lear? And what of lesser-known works — things like The Rings of Saturn or Bluets
or No-No Boy or The Book of Disquiet? How could we whittle down our list to just 10
books?

As it turns out, we couldn't. We posed the question to our fellow book-savvy colleagues and,
after receiving some 1,400 nominations(!) and putting it to a vote, we ultimately settled on 25
titles. Instead of worrying so much about what had to be included, we opted to present a
collection of books that has the ability to change the way you think and feel and reflects our
diverse interests here at Powell's. We hope you enjoy our suggestions.

2666
by Roberto Bolaño

Completed in 2003 shortly before his death, 2666 is not

only Roberto Bolaño's masterpiece but also one of the
finest and most important novels of the 21st century. It's an
entire world unto itself, one — not unlike our own — filled
with horror, neglect, depravity, brilliance, and beauty. Epic
in scope and epitomizing the "total novel," 2666 fuses
many different genres and styles to create a singular and
 unforgettable work of contemporary fiction. While Bolaño's
swan song marked the pinnacle of a sadly truncated
literary career, his immense talent, creativity, and vision
endure. – Jeremy G.

buy now

All About Love

by bell hooks

We're taught to think of love as something that happens to

us. It's a magical but altogether passive experience. In her
deeply personal and emphatic All About Love, renowned
social activist and feminist bell hooks asserts that, in fact,
love is a choice we must all make and it's not nearly as
abstract or elusive as many of us have come to believe.
The book not only explores the role of love in our lives and
the ways our culture has distorted its meaning, but guides
us — with clear definitions and examples — toward a
better understanding of how to cultivate it. If you've ever
wondered why some relationships stand the test of time
buy now while others crumble, you should read this book. – Renee
P.

Desert Solitaire
by Edward Abbey
 No author encapsulated and celebrated the American
Southwest more engagingly than iconoclast and raconteur
Edward Abbey. Desert Solitaire: A Season in the
Wilderness — now nearly a half-century old — is a classic
of environmental writing. In this autobiographical work,
Abbey chronicles his time as a park ranger and reflects on
landscape, culture, politics, tourism, environmental
disregard, and degradation — doing so with a unique blend
of ornery charm and breathtaking description. Though set
in his beloved Southwest, Desert Solitaire beautifully and
brashly captures the essence of the American outdoors,
replete with disdain for those who'd seek to spoil its natural
wonder. – Jeremy G.

buy now

Disgrace
by J. M. Coetzee

One afternoon while talking with a friend about books, I

wondered how to best describe my experience of reading
Disgrace, and this is what I came up with: it's like a finely
crafted, very sharp knife resting gently against your skin.
The uneasiness and suspense are there from the
beginning, made all the more powerful by Coetzee's control
and use of spare language, and you never really take a
deep breath until it's all over. Set in modern South Africa,
the book explores what it's like to personally confront deep
prejudices. Prejudices of gender, sexuality, class, and race.
Far from being a politically correct diatribe, this novel is
buy now about how we cope, how we survive as humans, and it
forces the reader to reflect upon what seems at first a very
twisted reality. For each of the characters in this
astonishing novel, redemption is attained through what
becomes the very reshaping of their souls. – Rebecca