Singing My Him Song

""If ever there was an unexamined life on this earth,"" says Malachy McCourt, ""it was mine."" No more. In this sequel to his memoir A Monk Swimming, McCourt examines his every itch and scratch. These confessions of ""a recovering Catholic"" are written with obvious anguish and great personal insight, but in public view the insights often become clich s: the mea culpa of a charming Irish alcoholic, womanizer and deadbeat dad who recounts, in an enchanting brogue, the violence, irresponsibility, self-righteousness and self-pity engendered by his childhood of poverty and despair. Though the abridgment lacks smooth transitions and the author has a habit of dropping his voice at the ends of lines, this will surely become a popular recording for most listeners. For McCourt knows how to tell a story, how to read his lyrical sentences and how to get the most out of his rich, sardonic humor. Based on the HarperCollins hardcover (Forecasts, Sept. 18). (Sept.) n