Books of Note

Last night I mentioned that Beck was about to be on the Letterman show.  He was fantastic!  It seems like I have amnesia when it comes to Beck.  I really like him, but I tend to forget how much I like him until I see him perform on some show.  His CD’s are great, but his live performances are really where he shines.  He played this song called “Black Tambourine;” it had this great beat.  Beck has this presence when he is performing that makes you feel like you’re getting way more than just a song.  His band was cool, too.  His other guitar player put down his guitar at one point and just started rocking out on all this auxiliary percussion he had set up on a table in front of him.  I could tell if he was a percussionist who also played the guitar or a guitar player who also played percussion.  There were also two drum kits, and this funny-looking guy who played a tambourine and danced (for aesthetic effect, I think.)  Seriously- one of the best “live” (it was performed live, I didn’t see it live) performances I have seen in a long time.  

In more random news, 29 people wearing some sort of khaki pants came into my store today.  What can I say?  Work was boring.

I also read a book for the fiftieth time: Sarah Dessen’s This Lullaby.  I have mentioned her before, and you can go to her blog by clicking on her link in my sidebar.  I love her books because while they’re not just fluff, they still have the ability to make me happy.  They’re funny and she creates some of the coolest characters in literature.  They’re like people you knew in high school or college.  Some of them you were friends with, some of them you weren’t, but they’re still all real people.  My favorite of her books is The Truth About Forever, but I think that her best is Dreamland, which is what I am going to read (again) next.  

I swear.  I have all these books I have checked out from the library and none of them satisfy me like the ones I already have.  I still keep on going back to the same authors I have on my bookshelf over and over again: Sarah Dessen,  Elizabeth Peters, Neil Gaiman, and especially Madeleine L’Engle.  She is my favorite author, hands down, no foolin’.  She was who inspired me to write and told me that it was okay for Christians to be artists and to appreciate the art of this world.  Her book, Walking on Water is a must-read for all Christians who are also artists.  (I really reject the terms “Christian musician,”  “Christian writer,” etc.)  She talks about serving God by serving the gifts he gave us, and says that if we don’t do something with our gifts, then we’re not serving God the way he created us to.  Thinking about that makes me want to wake up every morning with a new idea, a new way to use my gifts.  As someone who graduated from college with a degree in music, who loves to write and (sort of) act and wishes she could draw better and dance even a little bit, I appreciate Madeleine’s addressing Christians who are artists and letting us know that it’s okay to be the way God created us to be.  (Special message to Jess: read this book!  Please!!!)

Anyway, there’s my soapbox for the evening.  Been a long time since I jumped up on that thing, hasn’t it?  I hadn’t addressed books of note before now, so here is a partial list of my favorites (fiction and non fiction):

1. A Ring of Endless Light, Madeleine L’Engle (my hands down, all time favorite book)


2. Neverwhere, Neil Gaiman


3. Touching the Void, Joe Simpson


4. Sunshine, Robin McKinley


5. Praise Habit, David Crowder


6. Girl Meets God, Lauren F. Winner

Like I said, just a partial list.  Give me more time and I could make you one a mile long.  Anyway, I’m going to wrap this up.  I’m definitely going to be in bed before one o’clock tonight, with high hopes of getting more than six hours of sleep for a change.  I don’t have to work tomorrow.  Joy!  Till we meet again,

Brianne <><