Members of the Portland Book Festival Advisory Council know good books when they see them. We’ve asked these avid readers to share their recommendations with us, and here is the first selection of books they have recently loved! We hope you will enjoy them, too.
The Female of the Species
by Mindy McGinnis
Recommended by:
Kisha Jarrett
Audience Development & Marketing Director at Artists Repertory Theatre
“I absolutely LOVED The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis. It should be taught in high school English classes. Well written, engaging, and gut wrenchingly good.”
Order your copy of The Female of the Species from an indie bookstore!
Powell’s Books | Broadway Books | Annie Bloom’s Books | Bookshop
The Testaments
by Margaret Atwood
Recommended by:
Brett German
SVP & Sr. Asset-Based Portfolio Specialist at Bank of America
“I just finished The Testaments by Margaret Atwood. I have been reading her since high school in British Columbia, and read The Handmaid’s Tale as an undergrad at University of Victoria. The Testaments was joyous in its sly humour and relentless readability – and it was harrowing in many ways while permitting hope around the edges. What a journey! Please note: When we saw her at The Keller Auditorium this past September, in conversation with Omar El Akkad (pictured above), there was a guest sitting in our section who was dressed in full Handmaid uniform. Such a night.”
Missed the event last September? Listen to the conversation between Margaret Atwood and Oregon Book Award-winning Omar El Akkad on this episode of Literary Arts’ The Archive Project: https://literary-arts.org/archive/margaret-atwood-3/
Order your copy of The Testaments from an indie bookstore!
Powell’s Books | Broadway Books | Annie Bloom’s Books | Bookshop
Joy of Cooking, 2019 Edition
by Megan Scott & John Becker
Recommended by:
Liz Crain
Fiction writer and author of numerous books on food and life, including the forthcoming Dumplings Equal Love (due out this October!)
“The newest Joy of Cooking has been so fun to read and cook from during COVID-19 sheltering. It’s really nice to have such a comprehensive cookbook because just about any pantry item that you’re wondering just how to make the very most of at this time will have a recipe or two, or three. Things I’ve loved cooking from it the most lately: Masala Chai (so comforting), Megan’s Cheddar-Scallion Biscuits (slice in half and make into egg/cheese sammies!), Spicy Chickpea Soup (it’s fun to make your own harissa for it) and Tourtiere (for all those really digging baking right now). Happy cooking!”
Order your copy of Joy of Cooking from an indie bookstore!
Powell’s Books | Broadway Books | Annie Bloom’s Books | Bookshop
“You’d be surprised how quickly the mind goes soggy in the absence of other people. One person alone is not a full person: we exist in relation to others. I was one person: I risked becoming no person.”
Margaret Atwood, The Testaments
