Thursday, June 9, 2011

Nerd Do Well by Simon Pegg - Guest Review

Nerd Do Well: A Small Boy's Journey To Becoming A Big Kid
by Simon Pegg
368 pages
Published June 2011 by Penguin Group
Source: the publisher and TLC Book Tours

Summary from the publisher:
The unique life story of one of the most talented and inventive comedians, star of Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and Star Trek.
Zombies in North London, death cults in the West Country, the engineering deck of the Enterprise: actor, comedian, writer and self-proclaimed supergeek Simon Pegg has been ploughing some bizarre furrows in recent times. Having landed on the U.S. movie scene in the surprise cult hit Shaun of the Dead, his enduring appeal and rise to movie star with a dedicated following has been mercurial, meteoric, megatronic, but mostly just plain great.
From his childhood (and subsequently adult) obsession with science fiction, his enduring friendship with Nick Frost, and his forays into stand-up comedy which began with his regular Monday morning slot in front of his twelve-year-old classmates, Simon has always had a severe and dangerous case of the funnies.
Whether recounting his experience working as a lifeguard at the city pool, going to Comic-Con for the first time and confessing to Carrie Fisher that he used to kiss her picture every night before he went to sleep, or meeting and working with heroes that include Peter Jackson, Kevin Smith, and Quentin Tarantino, Pegg offers a hilarious look at the journey to becoming an international superstar, dotted with a cast of memorable characters, and you're rooting for him all the way.
When the lovely ladies at TLC Book Tours first approached me about the book, I immediately knew it was something that any of the males in my house would enjoy. My husband grabbed the book the minute it came in the mail, so he'll be your guest reviewer for this one!

Nerd Do Well by Simon Pegg pretty much sums it up as Simon is a Star Wars and Zombie movie junkie from way back. Having been a science fiction fan from way back as a wee lad of six or seven in Iowa sneaking up out of bed to join my much older brother and his friends, I can relate.  I loved the old Twilight Zone, Star Trek shows as well as Stephen King books, especially in his early days, so we have a similar mind set, although I didn't share the infatuation with zombies.  That being said I loved Simon's "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz," both excellent violent comedies that tickled my dark sense of humor.
One of the things I did not know was Simon's extensive experience in stand up comedy, comedy writing and working on some of the British shows that evidently were more of a hit over there or that I just plain missed here.  Something I will need to go search out.  Simon also has a great love for the dramatic arts and was exposed early and often in his family and I applaud him in his relentless pursuit of  his acting career knowing the ups and downs of the business.  

Being an autobiography it probably will appeal to a certain crowd and. as my lovely wife mentioned, more of a male crowd due to Simon's interests and style, but it was fun and interesting.  Despite his not rising to the pinnacle of the British education system with their various caste levels, Simon has a great command of the English language and a lively and witty writing style.  I can see why he has been doing television comedy writing as well as stand up. 

So if you are a bit is a Star Wars fan, like zombie movies, or are a fan of Simon's movies, this should be an enjoyable read.  I need to go out and see "Paul" that is still in the cheap theater and should be out on DVD soon. 

Thanks to TLC Book Tours for including me on this tour and to my husband for his review. I'm sure this book will be in one of my sons' hands soon! For more reviews of the book, check out the full tour. Follow Simon on Twitter at http://twitter.com/simonpegg.

11 comments:

  1. I thought Hot Fuzz was hilarious! I didn't realize he had a Star Trek connection.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for the review. I had no idea Simon Pegg had written a book. As a huge fan, I can't wait to read it and I have you to thank for telling me about it. Keep up the great work (both husband and wife).

    ReplyDelete
  3. I would love to read this and have had a little crush on Pegg for a long time. It sounds like a great book, and one that really delves deeply into his life. Great review!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love that you got your husband to review for you - I wish mine would do that!

    Sounds like this was a fun book. So glad you (both) were on the tour. :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. I had to watch 'Shaun of the Dead' a few times with my son Marc before I really got it and enjoyed it. He's reviewing this one for me next week as he claims to be Pegg's biggest fan!! LOL!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Great review! You and your husband make a good team! Glad that a fellow Brit. is 'doing good' over in the US and the book sounds interesting -probably would appeal to my grown-up grandsons.I'm not into Star Trek etc. but looking up Pegg's CV I noticed he was Reepicheep in the movie, The Chronicles of Narnia:The Voyage of the Dawntreader - maybe says something about his versatility, connections in the movie business and respect for his work.

    ReplyDelete
  7. The Shaun of the Dead guy! My favorite part of that movie is when he tells his girlfriend, "Do you really want to die single?"

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thanks for a great review! I love the fact that your husband got it out of your hands before you had a chance to read it. That is truly a sign of a reading family!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I really like this actor! I'll actually have to look for this, I didn't realize he had an autobiography out :-)

    Thanks to your hubby for the review - and in case he's wondering, "Paul" was pretty funny, though more in a brash-American way, not in the sarcastic-British way.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thanks for the review!

    Has Fairy tale Fridays gone the way of the Dodo? I kind of miss them.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Love Simon Pegg and want to read this! Thanks for the great review!

    ReplyDelete