Friday Bookstack is a bi-weekly series featuring the books I currently have on my nightstand. I believe that diversity of interests is vital to encouraging creativity, so I pick up books on a wide variety of topics.

• The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
  This book isn’t for everyone. I loved it, but I’m surprised that it has gained the following it has. The Name of the Rose is a medieval detective story, told not only in a medieval setting, but in a medieval voice. It made me nostalgic for primary sources I read in college. The story revolves around a library organized as a labyrinth to conceal its secrets. Woven through the details of the murder mystery are rarefied discussions of medieval religious thought on heresy and other matters, which lend the book much of its flavor. This edition has Eco’s comments on his work, which are almost as good as the novel itself.
• The Joy of Not Working by Ernie J. Zelinski
  An old favorite that I have finally added to my collection, The Joy of Not Working is about building a life outside of work in order to not be completely lost when retired or unemployment. I agree with the negative reviews on Amazon that say this book is impractical and lacks important details - such as how to survive financially when deliberately unemployed. It seems that his advice for purposeful unemployment is for people who have been workaholics and have the savings to show for it. It’s not really geared towards those of us just starting out who never want to develop into workaholics. Nevertheless, although this book often frustrates me through its lack of detail, it always inspires me with its vision. It forces me to consider the balance of my life and reminds me to keep looking for work that fulfills my creative as well as financial needs. For all its faults, The Joy of Not Working is a book I’m glad to have on my shelves.
• Writer’s Digest - August 2007
  The cover article, “Hook, Grab and Pull” by Les Edgerton, attracted me to this issue. Edgerton discusses four methods for writing an opening that will keep editors interested long enough to read the rest of the story. The methods include: introducing a problem worth solving; hooking the reader with immediate problems for the protagonist; establishing the rules of the story, including the mood and genre; and forecasting the ending so the story comes full circle. The article is excerpted from Edgerton’s book Hooked: Write Fiction That Grabs Readers at Page One and Never Lets Them Go. I haven’t got my hands on the book yet, but I will as soon as I can.
• Backpacker - September 2007: The Global Warming Issue
  I could only read this magazine in short bursts, because the information is both fascinating and profoundly discouraging. The details about parks, glaciers, and forests that may not be around in 30 years made me want to hop a train and go see all of them now. I have never seen a glacier, and many of them are already gone. I have never seen the Everglades, and I didn’t even know I wanted to until I read the lyrical article, “Going to Extremes” by Tom Clynes and learned they may soon be underwater. The tone of these articles reminded me of the environmental musings of Bill Bryson in A Walk in the Woods: enjoy these woods now. They may soon be gone forever.

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