May 25th, 2010 This week we'll be accomplishing two important tasks, announcing a new Weekly Top 2 Feature, and clearing up some international literary intrigue. First...

The Passage of the Week!

Each week one of our Top Two Picks will include a "Passage of the Week" audio link featuring a DDG staffer reading a favorite passage from the title in question. This week you'll find it in The Magicians! Next up is clearing up some international literary intrigue regarding Stieg Larsson's Millennium cycle. As you'll see below The third volume is out today. Huzzah! Now there have been rumors circulating that Eva Gabrielsson, Larsson's surviving long time relationship partner, who was left Larsson's estate in his will, but denied it as Swedish Law does not recognize common law marriage, has in her possession a substantial portion of a fourth book left on Larsson's laptop. So is all that true, and will the book feed our burning need for more Millennium material? To get to the bottom of it I asked my cagy and debonair Random House Rep, Pam Kaufman, all about it. KB: So Pam tell me what you know about this whole fourth Stieg Larrson manuscript thing? Pam: There definitely is something on the laptop but legal matters in Sweden have completely shut it down. At first it sounded like something was going to be available for publication but right now there's no sign of that at all. KB: Thanks Pam! 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 Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest By Larsson, Stieg 2010-05 - Knopf Publishing Group 9780307269997 - Hardcover   See Other Formats List Price $27.95 - Your Price: $22.36 Availability: Available To Order Leading up to the release of The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest people had question. At last we can provide answers. Question 1: Is book three really better than book two and as good as book one? Objective answer: Yes! Question 2: Does it really tie things up? Objective answer: It does! One can see a few spots that Larsson plainly planned to build on but it is clear that he conceived of these three books as telling a cohesive story. Question 3: Will there be a fourth book? Objective answer: See above. ...More

Blockade Billy By King, Stephen 2010-05 - Scribner Book Company 9781451608212 - Hardcover List Price $14.99 - Your Price: $11.99 Availability: Available To Order This baseball themed horror novella by Stephen King was originally planned as a tiny print run from a small press, Cemetary Dance Press. Cemetary Dance did release a limited first printing, however demand for the book was so great that a regular trade edition printing was made as well, and that has been released today. ...More

The Magicians By Grossman, Lev 2010-05 - Plume Books 9780452296299 - Paperback   See Other Formats List Price $16.00 - Your Price: $12.80 Availability: Available To Order One of our picks for Best of 2009 The Magicians is out in paperback today! Even better it is... The Passage of the Week! (Hit the link for a DDG reader reading a favorite passage!) This is a book which explores the themes of magic and magicians with an adult sensibility, powerfully reexamining the passage into adulthood. Set initially in Brakebills, a very convincing college of Magic, The Magicians is a world in which there is no safety net, no dragons to slay, nothing but the Magicians themselves. At least that is true for most of them. This book is tremendously fun, perceptive, visceral, romantic and exciting, without ever losing its depth or philosophical edge. Don't miss it. ...More

Methland: The Death and Life of an American Small Town By Reding, Nick 2010-05 - Bloomsbury Publishing PLC 9781608192076 - Paperback   See Other Formats List Price $15.00 - Your Price: $12.00 Availability: Available To Order Methland, Reding's gripping account of the social impact of methamphetamine on a small town in Iowa, easily earns The Weekly Top 2 DBBTONIP (Deserving Big Book That's Out Now In Paperback) rating. ...More

Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer By Grisham, John 2010-05 - Dutton Children's Books 9780525423843 - Hardcover   See Other Formats List Price $16.99 - Your Price: $13.59 Availability: Available To Order All right, so John Grisham has released a middle grade book featuring... Theodore Boone Kid Lawyer. Rather than make questionable puns about the verdict still being out on it and so forth, I checked in with Penguin's outstanding kids rep, Kathy Space. KB: Kathy what's the print run on this title? Kathy:One million. KB: That's a lot of Theodore Boone. Kathy:That is a lot of Theodore Boone, and it's spread all over the country. KB: So the question is, if you were falsely accused of murder would you feel comfortable hiring Theodore Boone to represent you, supposing he were really allowed to? Kathy: Yes, absolutely! In fact I think I may need to consult him on whether that question was legal. KB: Oh no! ...More

The Necromancer By Scott, Michael 2010-05 - Delacorte Press Books for Young Readers 9780385735315 - Hardcover   See Other Formats List Price $18.99 - Your Price: $15.19 Availability: Available To Order One young adult fantasy series whose audience has really been growing is Michael Scott's The Secrets of The Immortal Nicholas Flamel. The Necromancer is the fourth book in the series. ...More