February 24, 2009 This week we're putting the The Weekly Top 2 Questions to one of our revered part time staff people, Laura Mazzola, who is also an excellent High School English Teacher at Leavitt High School! KB: Is there a book which, if someone didn't like it you would have to rethink your friendship? Laura: Catcher in the Rye KB: Someone used that in an earlier edition of The Weekly Top 2. What seems fair is that you can be their friend but you have to pick another book. Laura: Fair enough then I'll go with The Alchemist by Paolo Coehlo because if you didn't like it then you don't have a soul. KB: Laura, you're an outstanding High School English teacher as well as being an outstanding bookseller. If you were also a powerful evil villain which book would you force your students to read? Laura: I'm not sure I could make it just one, probably Pride and Prejudice and anything by Shakespeare. KB: Sigh! On another front, it has come to our attention that some folks who tried to fan our new facebook page had trouble finding us. One reason is the search needs to be precise and the technical name of our site is Devaney Doak & Garrett. If you put in and instead of & that was your undoing. As the attempt was so laudable here is a direct link in case that helps, DDG's facebook page which, by the way, now has a large photo gallery of our justly famed Harry Potter 7 party! Here they are! Our weekly picks for the two best: two hardcover, two paperback, and two children's books. The very best new arrivals to leap out of the box and onto our shelves this week. Call or email us if you want more information on any of these titles, or to have us hold you a copy. Or stop in and check them out in person. We'd love to see you. Thanks as always for sharing your reading with us!   The Judging Eye By Bakker, R. Scott 2009/02 - Overlook Press 9781590201695 - Hardcover List Price $26.95 Availability: Available   Preorder Title Back Order R. Scott Bakker's Prince of Nothing trilogy was a truly exceptional adult epic fantasy, for its historical depth, its visceral darkness, its intellectual depth, and it's challenging reworking of the core of western religious and historical traditions, made it a real treat. Aggressive, even to the point of being almost out of control at times, Bakker's take no prisoner's attitude to epic fantasy is back with this next cycle set in the same world. If you enjoy Stephen Erirkson or China Mieville trying Bakker is a must....More   The Manual of Detection By Berry, Jedediah 2009/03 - Penguin Press 9781594202117 - Hardcover  See Other Formats List Price $25.95 Availability: Available   Preorder Title Back Order Sometimes a book is just too intriguing not to feature, and Jebediah Berry's The Manual of Detection is a case in point. The great jacketless design, the "unlikely detective armed only with an umbrella and a singular handbook (who) must untangle a string of crimes committed in and through people's dreams", the rave advance reviews from good writers like Kelly Link and Karen Joy Fowler, all conspire to make one want to add this book to even a burgeoning nightstand....More   Jane Brody's Guide to the Great Beyond: A Practical Primer to Help You and Your Loved Ones Prepare Medically, Legally, and Emotionally for the End of By Brody, Jane E. 2009/01 - Random House 9781400066544 - Hardcover List Price $26.00 Availability: Available   Preorder Title Back Order Popular New York Times health columnist Jane Brody has just come out with this guide to the array of end of life issues which are a present concern to many of us. I still use the zucchini bread recipe from Jane Brody's Good Food Gourmet, circa 1990, so I'm pretty much ready to take anything she says seriously. In any case this is a primer sure to be a helpful resource....More   The Tain By Carson, Ciaran 2009/02 - Penguin Books 9780140455304 - Trade Paper  See Other Formats List Price $16.00 Availability: Available   Preorder Title Back Order This exciting new translation of The Tain is out in paperback now. The Tain is the core of the ancient Northern Irish epic centered around Cu Chulain which Yeats and Lady Gregory popularized in 1902. This new translation seeks to bring out the earthy vibrancy and character of the original....More   The Last Apprentice: Attack of the Fiend By Delaney, Joseph Arrasmith, Patrick 2009/03 - HarperCollins 9780060891299 - Trade Paper  See Other Formats List Price $7.99 Availability: Available   Preorder Title Back Order Anyone looking for a strong, serious fantasy series to try out on teens who are hungry for same, should look into The Last Apprentice series by Joseph Delaney. Book four is out in paperback today, and these books have established themselves as being rich in character and atmosphere, reminiscent of the The Dark is Rising in terms of a last apprentice trying to rise up into elder battles and prevent a dark age,these books have a lot to offer....More   Put It on the List By Darbyshire, Kristen Darbyshire, Kristen 2009/02 - Dutton Books 9780525479062 - Hardcover List Price $16.99 Availability: Available   Preorder Title Back Order This unusual book by first time picture book author and illustrator Kristen Darbyshire really grows on one. It is narrated by a young chicken who finds that life at home is made more stressful by the family's habit of forgetting important while they are out shopping. The use of lists comes to the rescue. This simple concept, the promotion of an organizational life skill, is handled with real insight into a child's feelings and concerns, which makes me think that Put it on the list! will be greatly enjoyed as a read aloud. Darbyshire, who is a middle school art teacher, has a striking style which really works to convey the narrator's world....More