Monday, December 13, 2010

NOTEWORTHY 2010 BOOKS

THE MADONNAS OF ECHO PARK, by Brando Skyhorse--in this  splendid first novel, Skyhorse places his Mexican- American characters in the turbulent current of the 1980s pop culture, alotting  each one a chapter in which to tell the chance to tell his own story. Though there is  linguistic, religious and historical commonality in Echo Park, each character expresses his own experience in a highly individualistic and remarkable voice. I am willing to bet that  Skyhorse's debut is a preview of great things to come.

ABIGAIL ADAMS, by University of Richmond historian Woody Holton is an engaging biography of a  proto-feminist  First Lady whose views on education and economics were refreshingly original. Impeccably researched and written in clear prose, this  book demonstrates that Abigail was a real participant in Revolutionary America's political process.

SUCK ON THIS YEAR, by Denis Leary is noteworthy for its inanity, forced humor, unintelligent one liners. Enough said.

INSPIRATIONS, by Paulo Coelho is a mini anthology of works  the author claims to find inspirational. I suspect  that  Oscar Wilde,  D. H. Lawrence and Jorge Luis Borges had known  that they would inspire Coelho's dreadful books, they would have become plumbers.

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