Any book lover who visits Portland, OR has got to go to at least one Powell's. I went to two whilst I was in Portland, because why not?
The City of Books is their biggest store right in the middle of downtown Portland. It is billed as the largest independent bookstore in the world, and I believe it! They carry something like a million titles. Displaying admirable restraint I purchased 6 books:

- Strange Practice by Vivian Shaw
- The High Ground by Melinda Snodgrass
- Turn Right at Machu Picchu by Mark Adams
- Eternal Light by Paul J. McAuley
- Twenty Trillion Leagues Under the Sea by Adam Roberts
- Arrowood by Mick Finlay
One of the things I love about Powell's is the fact they shelve new and used books together. That just makes me happy… and did I mention the mind boggling amount of books they have in that store? It is crazy!
Powell's, like any successful bookstore, also carries a bunch of other things. I picked up this super cool robot pin (though I have no idea where I'm going to put it):

And given who I am, I had to buy this:

Stay tuned to see what I purchased at the other Powell's I visited. Can you contain your excitement?