A revolution for the readers in 2010

2010 has been a very good year for the litterature world. Between some new bestsellers and skilled authors, technology took a step in the "belles-lettres". We are going to see the most anticipated books for the year, and the revolution of other way to read a book : thanks to digital devices.

It's hard to make a list of every masterpiece, because we are in the half of the year, and some books are not published yet. Then, many books are commercialized in each country, so we are not able to be interested in all of them.

At the international wide there are :

• Sam Shepard : « Day out of Days ». It's a new volume of short fiction from the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, actor and author.

• Joshua Ferris with « The Unnamed ».

• Don DeLillo : « Point Omega ». It’s been 12 years since Underworld, DeLillo’s last great work. His new short novel is about a filmmaker, a former scholar, and his daughter, living in the desert.

• Lionel Shriver : « So Much For That ». The novel is about a man whose dream of retiring to Africa is put on hold when his wife develops cancer.

• Sam Lipsyte with « The Ask ». His new book is about a man given one last chance to keep his job at a university.

• Ian McEwan : « Solar ». McEwan’s latest is about a Nobel Prize-winning physicist on a trip to Mexico City which may save his marriage, his career, and the world.

• Peter Carey : « Parrot and Olivier in America ». The author is one of two writers who have won the Man Booker Prize twice.

• Philip Pullman, one of my favorite writers. « The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ » . It makes it one of the most anticipated publishing events of the season. Sure to ignite controversy. 

  Now we are going to talk about the revolution of books with the Kindle DX and the Ipad. Readers can read their favorite books with these genius devices. And they take advantages : these revolutionar devices are thin, small and so practical. You can forgot your big and bulky books ! In USA these digital books, they named it « e-books » are already on the marketplace. In France, 2010 is the decisive year to adopt it. Apple and its Ipad could be a large ennemy to the Amazon's Kindle DX, but the readers prefer the Kindle DX device. Even if the Ipad is offering a large possibilities to do anything, the light and the autonomy of the battery is not adapted to a long reading, contrary to the Kindle DX. We bet in ten years, a few books will be sold. Now the question is if it's right or wrong. In my point of view, i prefer being sat on my bed, reading a real bulky book. We'll see !  

Lionel Nicaise