Tag: Man in the Music

My Top 10 Books of 2012

~ K ~ Leave a comment

It’s no surprise that as a person who works at a library that I love to read. And I’ve read more than 80 books this year. Here’s a list of the top 10 books (in no particular order) that I absolutely loved and would recommend to others:

  1. Knuffle Bunny (children’s book): A heartwarming book by Mo Willems about a toddler who loves her stuffed bunny.
  2. Help, Thanks, Wow (non-fiction/religious): Anne Lamott (my new favorite writer) discusses three words she believes comprise essential prayers. Although Ms. Lamott is a Christian, the book is not limited to Christian thought.
  3. We Are in a Book! (children’s book): Another book by Mo Willems about an elephant and a pig who discover they are in a book! It’s clever, well-written, and funny.
  4. A Discovery of Witches (paranormal romance): Liked Fifty Shades of Grey and Twilight? Then A Discovery of Witches is for you. I thought it was a Harry Potter-like story for women.
  5. Jack 1939 (mystery): An alternate historical fiction reality set in 1939, this book explores what might have happened if FDR sent out JFK as a spy during the rise of the Third Reich.
  6. Mr. Churchill’s Secretary (mystery): The World War II era is my favorite time period in history to study (hence my recommendation of book #5), and Mr. Churchill’s Secretary does not disappoint with the main character, Maggie Hope, interacting with Winston Churchill.
  7. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (non-fiction): A gripping true story about Henrietta Lacks and her family, and what became of the HeLa cells that were taken without Lacks’s permission.
  8. Man in the Music: The Creative Life and Work of Michael Jackson (non-fiction): This book explored Michael Jackson beyond the media circus and the allegations of child molestation—it explored his life as it should have been about: his music.
  9. The Search for Significance (non-fiction/Christian): This book emphasizes finding worth and significance in God rather than in people.
  10. A Praying Life (non-fiction/Christian): A down-to-earth book about prayer the includes personal anecdotes by the author and helpful tips on establishing an effective prayer life.

Watching and Reading

~ K ~ 1 Comment

Recently, I watched a documentary on President Bill Clinton called American Experience: Clinton that I found simply fascinating. It’s amazing how much Clinton’s legacy would have changed had he not gotten involved in the whole Monica Lewinsky affair. I found Clinton to be a fascinating president who, no matter how much experience he had, could have not possibly been prepared for the demands of the office, but still somehow found a way to make tough decisions that weren’t really popular with either party.

I have been reading Eat, Pray, Love and find the book to be dreadful. This isn’t the first memoir that I’ve read (Mennonite in a Little Black Dress was better) so I’m surprised by how much I dislike the author who left her husband, engaged in an extramarital affair during the divorce process, and proceeded to bribe a customs official during her stay in Bali, Indonesia. I’m surprised the book was as popular as it was given that the author seems to be self-absorbed (more so in the first third of the book rather than toward the end). Although reading Ms. Gilbert’s tripe make me want to write tripe of my own.

On the other hand, I just finished Man in the Music about Michael Jackson’s music and artistry and found that to be insightful and intriguing. I’d recommend that book for anyone who is interested in Michael Jackson and his work. It’s a five-star book.