This n That

• Something for those of us who love (are addicted to) lists:  Lists of Note

• And something for those of us who like reading what good writers have to say about writing: a  quick, but good interview with Valerie Compton (author of Tide Road).

• I've been reading steadily but eclectically lately.  Most recently, Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose and Simon Pegg's Nerd Do Well.  Both engrossing reads, though very different indeed.  

What I liked about Eco's novel was his richly realized medieval setting, the playfulness of giving us a medieval monk version of Sherlock Holmes, and the inclusion of all that wonderful talk about books, books, books.  What I'm ambivalent about is something that can often happen with postmodern novels . . . the consistency of story and character can get loss in an agenda of futility (I know, agenda and futility are something of a paradox, but there you have it).  I just didn't believe in the unravelling of William of Baskerville's approach as he reached the end of his conclusions about what was happening to the monks.  His approach of uncertainty about knowability would kind of preclude the seeming confusion he betrays near the end.  Or perhaps I missed something . . . always a possibility. :)  I did enjoy what Eco seemed to be aiming for with the fetishizing of learning as a kind of pseudo-religious act. 

The novel's complexities deserve more attention than I'm giving them at the moment, of course. But perhaps I will return to this novel later. (I'm not sure I loved it enough for that, though.)

Simon Pegg's autobiography/memoir was great fun.  He writes engagingly about his past, the influences on his creativity, and the fun he's had working with childhood icons.  The first 2/3 of the book are the best, I think, but the read was enjoyable in my opinion.  I found myself laughing frequently, as well as pondering some of Pegg's astute observations about contemporary pop culture.  The fact I enjoyed it wasn't a big surprise, how much I enjoyed it was.