Nerd Do Well, by Simon Pegg

Simon Pegg is smart. Very smart. This isn't entirely surprising, given how nuanced his movies can be, but I wasn't expecting quite the level of intellectualism Pegg puts on display in his highly enjoyable memoir. I love Pegg's movies (I own Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz), and have a definite soft spot for British humor, so I knew I would at least like his book. But in addition to being extremely funny, Pegg is also very intelligent, articulate, thoughtful, and just the right amount of introspective. This is basically what I had been hoping for in Tiny Fey's book, which unfortunately disappointed me. I don't think you need to know Pegg or his work very well to enjoy this book. There's a lot of film and cultural analysis, along with touching anecdotes from Pegg's past, and it's refreshing to read a memoir by someone who actually loves every member of his extended family; it's inspiring, as well, to read about someone who had a dream and worked really hard to achieve it, and now makes a good living doing what he loves. This book cements my appreciation of Pegg's work and makes me really like him as the person he seems to be. Now, I'm not saying a have a crush on Simon Pegg, but if I ever happened to meet him in person, I would probably jibber and giggle and blush and make an utter fool of myself. And somehow, I think he wouldn't mind all that much.