Powell Books

Bintell Powell's Betrayed brings the reader into the world of Mark Christian, a first generation Jamaican, whose main mission in life seems to be "gettin' paid." A tumultuous childhood, riddled with violence and childhood ridicule of his dark skin, drives him to achieve a social and monetary status in life that will have others envy him. This drive to so called success leads to a troubled young adulthood along the way.

Mark is on a quest to launch a website for the very wealthy consumer. If this website is a success, he will become a millionaire and will be able to leave his unfulfilling position as a sales executive from his everyday corporate "nine to five." His journey getting this lucrative venture underway almost drives him to the point of insanity. He has to deal with racial prejudice on his job, his insatiable appetite for sex from beautiful women that he thinks ordinarily would not give him the time of day and his family issues. He literally pays a high price from these hunger pains as he is spending money like he is already a millionaire. This drive to success brings out his dark side and he is unable on most days to see whether he is coming or going. He fears that he will go crazy like his uncles before him as he starts to feel like he can trust no one around him. Not his family, not his co-workers, not the many females he sleeps with and not even some of his closest friends from high school. Will his distrust of them all lead to failure of him being able to launch his website? Or will it leave him to learn to have faith in himself and to not look at his cultural Jamaican upbringing as a hindrance or as a mark as to who he can become? Will all this craziness cause him to lose the one person in his life that has not betrayed him?

I found this book to be a very good read. It has a few points where I would like to see this "realization" tied into the story a bit more. One thing that intrigued me about this book was the naming of the main character, Mark Christian. You see this strong character who is "marked" but is trying to attain a certain "highness/status" in life. Along this path he feels "marked" and yet has gentle qualities--one that is seeking to "redeem" himself in his own right. One that seeks to show himself worthy.

I give this one two thumbs up. The voice of Mark Christian rings loud and clear to the reader, bringing them into his existence as he feels it--definitely a page-turner!

Reviewed by Coulee Eidos
APOOO BookClub

I'm into the home stretch of Powell's Top 100 Modern novel series (in a sense, like Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings," this series by Powell is a meta-novel; unlike Tolkien, however, Powell was the one to split his sections into separate books), and it is gaining momentum, mainly because of the inertia gained from having placed this much of a time investment into the series. The title of this novel has to be my favorite, and the anecdote within the book from which it comes is quite amusing--a character receives the nickname books for his statement, upon entering the library of a home in which he is about to commit an adulterous act with the wife of a prominent book person that "books do furnish a room." This kind of droll, understated, and somewhat dark humor is indicative of Powell's series.

This picks up in the aftermath of World War II, as Jenkins and his friends attempt to return to life as civilians. Jenkins becomes the book review editor for a magazine that was endowed by his brother-in-law, Erry, and is also supported by Widmerpool, newly elected MP. Jenkins is fascinated with the novelist X. Trappable, a strange free spirit of words who is constantly in debt and quite deft with "the touch" (i.e., borrowing from friends and acquaintances), yet who can follow up a touch with the offer of buying a beer for the person from whom he just borrowed a quid. Trapnel finds himself entranced by Pamela Widmerpool, but, as readers of the previous book should know, this is doomed to be disadvantageous to everyone involved by Pamela herself.

The description of how a small literary magazine was run in the post-war era is quite interesting, and unfortunately put in the background as Powell features the actions of the characters. Jenkins sees the magazine as a job, and his interest, as always, is in the gossip that can be provided by the changing of partners in this complex dance of life. Maybe I'm just a wallflower, who finds more beauty in the decorations than in just who is dancing with who on the floor. However, midnight is drawing near on the dance, and most couples are, as Molly Ivins would say, "dancing with the one what brung ya." It will be amusing to see if there are any coaches turning into pumpkins in the last two books.

The first book in the final volume of Powell's monumental series (Book 1 of Winter). The characters that remain are almost like worn clothes, comfortable but showing some holes from the wear and tear at this point.

Jenkins is reaching beyond middle age (for the WW II ere middle age, anyway) in this first installment of the final chapter. Pamela and Widmerpool continue to be mainstays, in intrigue successful and failing. It returns to form in that little of Jenkins' direct personal life is gone into, again concentrating on the circles he runs into. The birth of another child is mentioned in passing, while the affairs of a seldom mentinoed cousin would garner pages and pages of description. I feel Isobel, his wife, remains lesser known than any of the other female characters.

Still, as much due to the previous books as any specific incidents within it, this volume seems to read faster.

Excellant resource for the B Catholic Lectionary Cycle. A great tool for faith sharing.

There is a touch of the melodramatic to Powell's first important work and least well-received, a novel set in turn-of-the-century rural Ohio - but the darkness is sparked with Powell's unmistakeable genius. True, some passages are florid and the prose rather purple, but there is absolutely no other way to tell so perfectly a tale of deception, betrayal, and fates shortcircuited and lives barely endured. The Truelove family is almost gothic in Powell's portrayal, what with their supressed desires and outward conformity to time and place, and inward turmoils worthy of any grand opera. Powell's strength lies in her many detailed characterizations, the main ones of which are an elderly woman at the end of her days, a middle aged housewife suffering with a secret threatening to destroy her, Vera, a precocious young girl with a wisdom beyond her years, Sophie, the young bride of the title who battles her loves for two men, and Anna, Sophie's antithesis, who upheaves the well-guarded secrets that eventually destroy the family. The twists and turns of the plot kept me reading late into the night, and Powell's descriptions of time and place are provocative and weave a lasting spell. This book would be a tremendous introduction to Powell's ouvre, and is likely the truest to life of her many works, written, as it was, while the married Powell was involved with playwright John Howard Lawson.

"The Bud Powell Collection" has 9 very accurate transcriptions of classic Bud Powell recordings. I also purchased 9 more in the companion volume "Bud Powell Classics" and would love to find more. I may never have the technique to play most of these, especially not at the noted tempo, but enjoy reading along while I play the original recordings.

I'm glad that each book includes at least one transcription of a later (post-1953) recording when Bud's playing slowed down and became darker: "Danceland", "Tune for Duke", and the amazing reharmonization of Monk's "Ruby My Dear". I can now play these almost as written. I wish the publisher had combined both volumes into one and could convince Gene Rizzo, the transcriber, to transcribe a few more romps (like "Just One of Those Things" and "Buster Rides Again") or tackle some more late-period Powell and my two favorite Bud Powell compositions: "Time Waits" and "I'll Keep Loving You".

Because I'm a huge fan of Spike, I knew that I had to find a copy of this rare graphic. I'm very glad that I did. It contains 3 reprinted stories, and 1 original story.

ALL'S FAIR- takes place during the World's Fair of 1933. The story follows Spike and Dru as they maim. Slash, and slay their way through the glitter and lights of the Fair. They also encounter hideous demons from another dimension and highly skilled assassins out for blood.

THE QUEEN OF HEARTS- As the pair travel to Sunnydale to be near the Hellmouth, the star-crossed lovers stop in St. Louis to do a bit of gambling and cause major mayhem on a riverboat casino. But, their blissful vacation is cut short by river demons.

PAINT THE TOWN RED- this story takes place shortly after Spike and Dru leave Sunnydale at the end of Buffy's second season. Dru's renewed love for Angel drives a wedge between the lovers. The end result is both of them trying to hurt the other as much as possible- which is a whole lot! With James Marsters helping with the writing, and Ryan Sook's artwork, this is by far the best story of all four.

WHO MADE WHO- tells the tale of Spike and Dru's final break up in Brazil. This is an epilog to Buffy's season three episode " Lover's Walk".

The only downside to this graphic is the artwork. Highly stylized, it's a deterant to fans who like Spike for his rugged good looks.

Still, if you like Buffy, Dru, or Spike and can find a copy of this graphic, than by all means buy it!

My daughter loved this book so much we had to collect the entire set. They're cute little books, the first ones where she started "reading" the pages with me. My only complaint is that they're definitely baby board books, but aren't as sturdy as most. The pages get bent up easily, because of the fabric insert.

The second novel in the 12-part Dance to the Music of Time series. I enjoyed this one a little more than the first volume. I believe this due to the first volume's need to introduce and elaborate on the four main characters. Nicholas Jenkins, our narrator, who I complained about being almost invisible in the first book, starts taking on shape here, dissembling on love and ambition. Stringham and Templar are still here, and by the end of the book, both married, but the real main character here is Widmerpool, the young man with the least social status, but with the most ambition of the four.

The first book was about the four in grade school to university; this one is about their initial entry into society, including romance and marriage. It is within the context of his feelings for the opposite sex that we finally start to understand Jenkins, but even he is overshadowed here by the fumblings and failings of Widmerpool, who first pines for the heart of Barbara, then falls in with a "bad" girl.

I'm still unsure whether Powell is a writer for me. Although I do enjoy mysteries and puzzles and admire books that are clever, I still like to get a feeling that I have solved the mystery by the end of the book. I believe that a character here gets an abortion, but as it is never spelled out (Jenkins is too much a gentlemen to actually put it into raw language), I wonder if I am reading between the lines correctly.

After the first book, I was not sure that I would continue the series, but since I have the first three in an omnibus volume, I decided to continue on. If the following books make the same jump in readability and interest as between the first two, the twelfth book will likely be my all-time-favorite novel.

Having mastered Bugs of Northern California, the perfect local book for beginners, I was ready to move on, and this book is the perfect next step--limited to California, but still very complete. There is one set of color plates, so those expecting color photos for every bug will be disappointed. However, what I love are the descriptions--they are well written and very informative. Even limited to California, there are more flies than I will ever be able to identify, yet the descriptions of their differences are still fascinating.