We put some new features up on the web last week that are worth having a look at. DDG's National Bestsellers and Awards Page is filled with all kinds of interesting book lists. It includes national and international awards in many different genres and age ranges, as well as an array of intriguing regional award lists. All lists are complete with cover images and annotation. Let us know if there are any lists you'd like to see added! Another thing we've been working with is the social networking tool Twitter. I can't say that I fell in love with twitter's blending of public and private personas, nor am I sure that broadcasting every thought and activity out in 140 character updates is the embodiment of a profound human enterprise, but we have found two ways to use this new technology. First is by making DDG's Newsdesk where we're posting a stream of links to interesting book industry news articles. It seemed to us that these articles might be more interesting than posting what we were eating for lunch or whether Karen forgot to bring in her cell phone. The one person on staff, however, whose talents are ready made for Twitter is Mystic Jon, our fifteenth generation medium who specializes in speaking with famous deceased authors from all of recorded history. To facilitate this we have created Mystic Jon's Realm
of Literary Communing with Famous Deceased Authors. Mystic Jon, pictured above right receiving "tweets from the other side" will be posting those important messages onto his page. One thing we've seen thus far is that twitter's 140 character limit can cause some important revelations to stop mid stream. Which is amazingly unfortunate! Another thing is that some messages have been coming across without attribution. These are marked Unidentified Author. The first person to correctly identify the author of an unidentified mystic twitter will receive a $5.00 gift certificate. At least one new UA tweet will be posted each Tuesday!
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 Composer Is Dead
By Snicket, Lemony Ellis, Carson 2009/03 -
HarperCollins
9780061236273 -
Hardcover See Other Formats
List Price $17.99
The Composer is Dead is a genuinely odd, and wonderful book. Snicket, of Series of Unfortunate Events fame, was recruited by a school friend, the brilliant young composer Nathaniel Stookey, to work together in order to create a "symphonic piece that introduces young people to the instruments of the orchestra." According to Snicket, "Ever since I was a boy, classical music has made me weep uncontrollably. I hope The Composer Is Dead does the same for a new generation. It’s certainly either alarmingly original or originally alarming." The book is set up as a closed door mystery in which a detective must seek to unravel which orchestral instrumental has murdered the Composer. The book is in fact filled with musical information, not to mention funny allusions and plays on words which will be greatly enjoyed by adult readers. The book comes with a CD with original music composed by Stookey and performed by The San Francisco Symphony. If you don't know someone who will enjoy this book you may want to think about broadening your field of acquaintances. ...More
The Tricking of Freya
By Sunley, Christina 2009/03 -
St. Martin's Press
9780312378776 -
Hardcover See Other Formats
List Price $25.95
The Tricking of Freya is a noteworthy first novel dealing with a legacy of Icelandic heritage in a young American woman who visits family in a small Canadian town settled by Icelanders, called Gimli, which is an actual town in Manitoba. Tolkien fans will recognize the name as belonging to a certain prominent dwarf. Tolkien took the name from the Prose Edda, and hence it's use by Icelandic settlers in Canada. In any case the story is a cultural and generational exploration which it is worth exploring. ...More
The Soul Thief
By Baxter, Charles 2009/02 -
Vintage Books USA
9781400034406 -
Trade Paper See Other Formats
List Price $13.95
Charles Baxter is a writer for whom the concept of style is all important. The pleasure in a well turned phrase animates him, and this very attractive paperback edition of his new novelThe Soul Thief is sure to pleasantly waylay anyone who shares his sensibility....More
Lush Life
By Price, Richard 2009/03 -
Picador USA
9780312428228 -
Trade Paper See Other Formats
List Price $15.00
Some paperback new releases are a source of guilt. Lush Life is a prime example. One might think a person would be glad to see this intriguing book out in paperback, but alas, all I could think was, "how did I not manage to get to Lush Life before it came out in paperback!" This sort of searing guilt cannot stand, and cries of 'make way' will shortly be heard on my dangerously crowded nightstand....More
Mama Says: A Book of Love for Mothers and Sons
By Walker, Rob D. 2009/04 -
Blue Sky Press (AZ)
9780439932080 -
Hardcover
List Price $16.99
Mama Says is a very elegant picture book, celebrating both the love of Mothers and Sons, and its universal nature. Each page features a scene from a different culture, with a text rendered both in English and in the appropriate corresponding language. The illustrations are exquisite, the language simple and moving. This is a concept book which succeeds on many levels and will make the prefect gift for many occasions....More
The Number Garden
By Pinto, Sara Pinto, Sara 2009/02 -
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
9781599900483 -
Hardcover
List Price $16.99
The Number Garden is a truly lovely counting book. Each number has a page showing its item, say 3 lawn chairs, drawn onto a wooden door. The door is the front of a flap which opens up to a drawing containing a scene with all the items that have been shown so far, for example three lawn chairs, 2 rabbits, and 1 sun. Pinto's drawings are just delightful, and the content is perfectly balanced for children learning to count....More
March 3, 2009
