2012 Music ...

Now we are almost in December, thought that I'd take the time to write about my favourite music from 2012.    The shortlist for my album of the year is

• Overcome (Lara Landon), 
• Open Your Doors (Jenny & Tyler),  
• Land of the Living (Matthew Perryman Jones), 
• Light for the Lost Boy (Andrew Peterson),  
• Leonard, the Lonely Astronaut (Andrew Osenga),  
• Baby et Lulu (self titled), 
• Rhythm and Repose (Glen Hansard). 
• Blah Blah Love and War (The Rescues)

Looking at the list closely; its clear music in 2012 has been brought to you by the letters L and O.

Earlier in the year I tweeted that the best of these were Overcome, Open Your Doors and Leonard, the Lonely Astronaut, the other albums banging on the door are Glen Hansard's Rhythm and Repose and Matthew Perryman Jones' Land of the Living.  I'll post an order shortly, but those five records are ones which I will hear as fresh in five years as I do now.

As I usually do in my end of year lists I've excluded EPs - otherwise The Longing would be quite high up my list; and as Season One contains music from 2011 this is also excluded from my list.  But all of All Sons and Daughters music is worth buying.  I have also excluded Heavyweight (Rachael Yamagata) which is worth a listen - you can download a sampler of Rachael's music from Noisetrade.

Another album which I have downloaded but haven't listened too properly yet is Derek Webb's CTRL (an acoustic version), which sounds like it will also be pretty good.

Reading..

Been a while since I have posted, so here is a list of the books I have read recently.

• Disordered World: Setting a course for the Twenty First Century - Amin Maalouf
• The Snow Child - Eowyn Ivey (Probably my favourite novel of the year). 
• A Love Letter from a Stray Moon - Jay Griffiths - thanks to Rose Powell.  A pleasure to read.
• The Hunger Games - Trilogy - Suzanne Collins - quite an easy & fun read. Haven't seen the film yet, but the book was a good read. 
• March Was Made of Yarn: Writers Respond to Japan's Earthquake and Tsunami - Various - A collection of stories inspired by the Tsunami in Japan (March 2010).
• Lives Other Than My Own - Emmanuel Carrere
• On Writing - Stephen King - great look at how Stephen King approached writing, and there is some great advice for writing here too. 
• Think - Lisa Bloom - A book specifically for women - but the focus is on getting people to start to 'think' for themselves'

On the go now:
Why TV is Good for Kids - Catharine Lumby & Duncan Fine
Provides a balanced look at the impact TV has, and the moral panic and comes with all of the latest technology.
Never a Gentleman's Game - Malcolm Knox - highlighting the early history of cricket (and how some things have not changed)
Every Good Endeavor - Tim Keller. - On the place of work in the Christian life.