My Fifth Favorite Novel of All Time Is . . .

First of all, if you want to start off your Thursday with a hilarious video interviewing people about today's economy, you've got to watch this classic by Tripp Crosby

Now, on to the business for the day - we've reached the midway point of my list of top ten novels of all time. That's right, ALL . . . TIME . . .

Number five on the list has just about everything: murder, history, a monastary, a mystery, detective-monk, and a labyrinth for a library. Any guesses? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

It's "The Name of the Rose" by the Italian auther Umberto Eco (who, by the way also wrote some other intriguing books: "Foucault's Pendulum" and "The Island of the Day Before" just to name a few).

I found the following summary at http://www.powells.com/biblio?isbn=9780307264893 and couldn't describe it any better myself:

"In 1327, Brother William of Baskerville is sent to investigate a wealthy Italian abbey whose monks are suspected of heresy. When his mission is overshadowed by seven bizarre deaths patterned on the book of Revelation, Brother William turns detective, following the trail of a conspiracy that brings him face-to-face with the abbey’s labyrinthine secrets, the subversive effects of laughter, and the medieval Inquisition. Caught in a power struggle between the emperor he serves and the pope who rules the Church, Brother William comes to see that what is at stake is larger than any mere political dispute–that his investigation is being blocked by those who fear imagination, curiosity, and the power of ideas.

"The Name of the Rose offers the reader not only an ingeniously constructed mystery—complete with secret symbols and coded manuscripts—but also an unparalleled portrait of the medieval world on the brink of profound transformation."

This book is exquisitely written - by that I am also saying it is not a quick read by any means. Think of it this way . . . if you want a quick dessert, you go to McDonald's and get an ice cream cone; if you want something rich, something that will take you more than two minutes to consume, something that will blow your senses, you go to a gourmet restaurant and order their 3 Layer Dark Chocolate Cake with Homemade Vanilla Custard.

The Name of the Rose is the cake and custard.

Have you ever read anything that your brain thought tasted like a McDonald's ice cream cone?