Umpteenth Madonna bio out in October

There are more than a dozen unauthorized biographies of Madonna, which pretty much puts her on par with Winston Churchill when it comes to literary relevancy. Famous for self-reinvention, it's not surprising that every five or 10 years she inspires another gossipy, cut-and-paste book, not to mention a few dozen graduate level theses. Judging by Amazon.com users (the most trusted of today's critics), the quality of these books are consistantly atrocious. "HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A TRAIN WRECK?" asks one, adding "I feel that I have wasted 20 hours."

Author Lucy O'Brien's upcoming contribution to the pile, Madonna: Like an Icon (10/30), seems likeliest to have some credibility. Having written for NME, the Guardian, Q and MOJO, O'Brien's past nonfiction includes a biography of Dusty Springfield and She Bop: The Definitive Encyclopedia of Women in Rock, Pop & Soul.

Referencing Amazon again, users who buy one Madonna book likely pick up another, so hey -- might as well.

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