Among the contributors to The Concord Monitor of New Hampshire who last week were asked to name their favorite books of the year was my friend Rebecca Lavoie, who nominated The Coup. “In an age in which satire seems almost superfluous,” writes Rebecca, “The Coup manages the near-impossible, delivering a satisfying and indulgent fictional spin on today’s political environment that packages sex, intrigue and smarts in a neat tale.” Thanks, Rebecca. The Coup‘s inclusion on The Monitor‘s list puts it in some rare company; also named were Away, by Amy Bloom; On Writing, by Stephen King (him again!); The Yiddish Policeman’s Union, by Michael Chabon; The Andromeda Strain, by Michael Crichton; The Golden Notebook, by Doris Lessing (yeah, me and the Nobel Prizewinner, Living Free or Dying together in the Granite State); Chesil Beach, by Ian McEwan; The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards; Day of Battle, by Rick Atkinson; A Long Way Gone, by Ishamel Beah; The Autobiography of Malcolm X; A Rumor of War, by Philip Caputo, and Quo Vadis by Henryk Sienkiewicz;among many others. For the full list and the accompanying love letters, go here.
Two lists that include The Coup have sprung up in the Listmania! section at Amazon.com. One, entitled “Funny Political Stuff. . . Great Timing, Huh?”, is by Paul Byers www.paulbyersonline.com. He puts The Coup in a group that also includes Girlfriend in a Coma, by Douglas Coupland, Skin Tight, by Carl Hiassen; Our Dumb World, by The Onion; and An Inconvenient Book, by Glenn Beck, among others. The other list is from former Spy contributor J.J. Hunsecker, and it’s called Smart, Funny, Fearless Books From Spy Magazine Writers. J.J. lists The Coup along with Heyday by Kurt Andersen, I Love You Beth Cooper by Larry Doyle, The United States of Arugula, by David Kamp, soon-to-appear books by Jim Collins (Beginner’s Greek) and Susan Morrison (Thirty Ways of Looking at Hillary), The Unbinding by Walter Kirn and Him Her Him Again The End of Him by Patricia Marx. Thank you, Rich, and thank you, J.J.
Finally, I see that on yahoo.com, Biaggio says to the world “I am currently reading Sarah Vowell and just finished two books by David Sedaris. Do you know of any other author who, more or less as funny as them?” In response, vanamont says “Yes. Jamie Malanowski ( former editor of Spy Magazine ) [for] Mr. Stupid Goes To Washington and Donald Westlake [for] Keep A Lid On It .” Thanks, vanamont. As with each of these lists, I’m keeping wonderful company.