Day 19- Here We Come a Wassailing

Hello everyone, and welcome to Day 19 of Advent Countdown. Today I thought we could take a look at some seasonal songs. Since there are far too many to go through them all, I've decided to turn this into a 'Top 10' list. So without further ado, here are this year's 'Top 10 Christmas Songs' in my opinion. Some of them will be old favourites and some will be new discoveries. FYI, this list won't be in any particular order. This list is also dependent on particular singers for each individual song, so I'll list the versions that I feel make the cut.

Number one: Baby, It's Cold Outside sung by Zooey Deshcanel and Will Ferrell

Credit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bp3UoqOkFJo

Taken from one of my favourite Christmas movies of all time (Elf), I adore this version. I find it a hard song to make work, and I think the dynamic between the two singers has to be done incredibly well. It's also a song with some questionable lyrics, so I like that they're sung by Will Ferrell's innocently clueless character Buddy. I'm just sad they never made a completed version of it. It wasn't released as part of the soundtrack, so you only have the movie version, unfortunately. 

Number two: Christmas All Over the World sung by Tim McGraw

Credit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMhlDdJ1L80

I know, I know, but Christmas is a time for cheesy (sometimes terrible) songs, and this song fits into the mindless happy category that just appeals to me. I don't have much to say about it other than that. It makes me happy and puts me in the Christmas mood.

Number three: Mary, Did You Know sung by Clay Aiken

Credit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiL993FK0y4

I know a lot of people don't like Clay Aiken, but I personally like his voice, and I think it fits this song perfectly. It's smooth and has the range. Mostly, I just love this song for its melody, the lyrics could be about anything and I would still sing along happily. I'm not a religious person, so the lyrics are just something to sing to, to be honest. Like I said- I'm in it for the melody. 

Number four: Red Nosed Reindeer Blues sung by Asylum Street Spankers

Credit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIWyp5Nr-Xc

I adore this song. It's catchy, it's pretty clever, and it has originality. Not to mention you've got some mean blues chords in there. Listen to it. That's all I have to say.

Number five: What Are You Doing New Year's Eve? sung by The Head and the Heart

Credit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWJ1PNC_S1k

 The Head and the Heart are a band I'm very fond of in general, so when I heard they'd done a seasonal (I don't know if I can really call it Christmas) song, I had to check it out. I'm so very glad I did. They make this song their own, and create wonderful harmonies between their individual voices. Please check it out.

Number six: White Wine in the Sun sung by Tim Minchin

Credit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCNvZqpa-7Q

Tim Minchin is an explicitly funny, Australian comedian. And I mean explicit in the censored way (or non-censored). He's a great musician, and incorporates that into his stand-up. Considering that, this song is surprisingly meaningful, and pretty much sums up exactly how I feel about the holidays (minus the sun part). In fact, this could be my favourite song on the list. If you only listen to one song on this list, make it this one.

Number seven: See Ya Santa sung by The Irreconcilables 

Credit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoG_AphJ2ME

A bit of a comedic one here, maybe more suited for older listeners. The tune is catchy, the lyrics are catchy, the whole thing is unbelievably catchy. And god I love her voice. I was in love with this song last Christmas, and still love it enough for it to be in my Top 10. 

Number eight: This Christmas sung by Me, You & Her
(Hint- click the play icon. It's the fourth song).

If No. 6 is my favourite song on the list, this is a close second. These girls most certainly make the song their own, and create absolutely beautiful harmonies with their voices. I could listen to this song on repeat for hours. You can pick this song up for free using the link above (i.e. this one) for a limited time. The whole album is lovely Christmas listening.

Number nine: Home Made Christmas sung by The John Hancock Band

I have to be honest here. While I do like the singers voice, I love this song purely for its message. This is another song that just screams 'meaning of Christmas' at you. And how I love it. You can pick the song up for free at the link above (this one) at the moment. 

Number ten: It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year sung by Andy Williams

Credit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbTaGsBhIR8

This song has been consistently in my Top 10 for years. I adore it. It is easily my favourite 'traditional' Christmas tune, and I don't think I'll ever grow tired of it. It absolutely never fails to put me in a festive mood, and has me singing along every time.


Well there you have it guys, my 'Top 10 Christmas Songs' of 2013. I hope you found some new favourites from this list. I'm a huge fanatic when it comes to Christmas music, and can often be heard singing various jingles around the house at the top of my lungs. The only downside is they're always so freaking catchy- which makes it hard to quit them after the season. Many a time I've found myself singing carols in summer. Oh well.

I hope you enjoyed Day 19 of Advent Countdown. See you tomorrow for the final leg and Day 20.

Silver-Tongue. My Favourite Audiobook Narrators

Welcome to Day 2 of Advent Countdown. I wanted to do something that related to the colours of the season, and I thought I'd start with silver. In this case, the tongue variety.

These are my top favourite narrators so far. I'm of the firm opinion that a narrator can make or break an audiobook. The good ones add humour, emotion, character personality and individuality to their work, while still maintaining the integrity of the material.  The bad ones can stop you ever wanting to pick up an audiobook again, and can make their own work virtually unlistenable. So who do I think does the former, and absolutely avoids the latter?

First up, Stephen Fry. A man of many, many talents, he is also blessed with the ability to tell a story. I first came across his narration ability through the Harry Potter audiobooks many years ago now (quite a few of the narrators on this list are from my childhood). His talent was undeniable. He manages to stay true to the material, while still giving it his own signature. He has an extensive range of voices and accents and brings the stories to life. The perfect narrator.

Second, Oliver Chris. He may be an actor, but I knew him best for his recordings of Anthony Horowitz's Alex Rider series. I tend to get quite attached to a narrator I like, and so when Oliver stopped working on them after Ark Angel- and I was left with only Dan Stevens' version- I stopped listening to them. I preferred to read them myself, than to listen to someone who was very obviously 'not Alex' be Alex. If you switch narrator part-way through, you have to get used to them. Not only that, but at this point characters already sound a particular way to you, and so it's odd when they suddenly sound very different. It makes it hard to ever switch successfully. To me Oliver will always be the one and only 'Alex'.


The next one up is another who I was sad to see stop working on a series- Adrian Dunbar. The sweet, Irish lilt of his voice was perfect for his telling of Artemis Fowl. But like I said, he too stopped before the end, leaving the very English Nathaniel Parker's versions. I really tried to give him the benefit of the doubt, but a non-Irish Artemis Fowl is not an Artemis Fowl. There are other versions, but, well let's put it this way- no Irish accent is better than a bad Irish accent. Not that Nathaniel's attempt is any better. Why get someone to try fake the accent, when you have the perfect Irishman for the job already. Adrian Dunbar, I miss you.

Next up is Anton Lesser. Specifically his reading of Philip Pullman's Sally Lockhart series. To me he always had the perfect 'English' accent for the characters. Because that's a lot of what being a narrator means. Not only do the characters have to work with you, but you have to be right for them. 

Finally, I have an author/narrator- John R. Erickson- writer and reader of the Hank the Cowdog series. If you have not had the pleasure to ever hear this man read his stories to you, please check them out. His writing holds buckets of humour, which pairs perfectly with his comedic timing and voice acting talent. Hank the Cowdog will have you laughing, singing, and generally feeling good. And what's more- there's no shortage of material. You don't even need to listen to them in order. It's rare to find an author who not only writes wonderfully, but reads brilliantly too. John can not only do it, he excels at it.

So that's my "Narrator Greats" list. I've suddenly realised that they are all men. The only excuse I can give is that I don't often listen to audiobooks (preferring to read them myself instead). As a result, I haven't had a huge amount of exposure to the world of audiobook narrators. A weak excuse I know, but the only one I have I'm afraid. Oh well, maybe next year I'll do a female version of this list. See you tomorrow for Day 3 of Advent Countdown.

And the Winner Is....(July 2013)

And so begins a new month, and we all know what that means. Yes, that's right. It's time for my favourite books of July. Which book/s had the most impact on me, and is/are the clear winner/s this month? Read on to find out.

Last month I had three books in my winners, labelling them 1st, 2nd, and 3rd respectively. This month I've got two, so I've decided on a winner and a runner up. Let's start with the latter, shall we?

My runner-up for this month is.......

Review here

A beautifully written story about the love and bonds of one Irish family. The main plot behind it is the unusual behaviour their youngest member has begun displaying, but what got me in this book was the relationships between the people. For fans of Little Women or Little House on the Prairie, it's the same basic premise as those. Not in plot, but in that the characters carry the story, not the plot. Of course, you still want to know where the plot goes, but it's the characters that you keep going for.

And the winner of this month's And The Winner Is......

Review here

What starts off as quite a slow story, gradually builds like the hurricane that is forever hounding the characters. The plot is a little complicated to explain, but I'll be very basic with it. It's the story of one man giving everything for the woman he loves. Without question. There's also a murder mystery thrown in for good measure. What makes this book so hard to describe is it's numerous genres. It's like a melting pot. There's romance, there's slice-of-life, there's murder mystery, there's thriller, there's a little horror, there's real-life, there's survival, etc. Some may think it too chaotic to work, therefore. However, while the changes in genre are not seamless, they aren't off-putting. The first couple of times it can be a little disorientating, but you get used to it, and just roll with it. If I had to pinpoint what works so well in this book, I'm not sure I could, because it's the conglomeration of all the individual aspects that make it such a great read. If even one of those things was removed, I don't think this book would work anywhere near as well as it does. A wonderfully haunting tale, that you won't soon forget.

So that's been this month's edition of And The Winner Is... I hope you all enjoyed it. Let me know what your favourite books of July were. After all, the joy isn't just in reading the stories, it's in sharing them too.

When You Wish Upon Five Stars (June 2013)

Another new addition to my blog- 'When You Wish Upon Five Stars'.

This will be a similar concept to "And the Winner Is', but instead of it being an 'awards ceremony' kind of thing, these posts will be dedicated to any books I would give a five star rating, that I read in the previous month. The number of books on the list may vary. This is just going to be a sort of heads-up to books that I highly recommend to any and all readers. I'll post the list once every month as a sort of summary.

I won't go into too much detail on the individual books, but I will link my reviews of them so you can check them out at your leisure.

So, let's get into it shall we?

This month, I've read some great books, and quite a few of them came close to the coveted five star level. However, only one made it.

A Life Less Ordinary

by Victoria Bernadine

A touching tale, full of laughs, love and a new lease on life.

http://needtoreadgottowatch.blogspot.com/2013/06/a-journey-can-take-you-many-places.html

For those who read my 'And The Winner Is...' June edition, this probably won't come as a surprise. A Life Less Ordinary won 1st place in my June books, so how could it not make this list too? A mishmash of characters, destinations and frenetic life.

That's been 'When You Wish Upon Five Stars' June edition, and the very first instalment. Please let me know what you thought of it and what books you read last month that you would give the five star medal to. If you're interested in my other 'Top X' lists, check out this month's 'And The Winner Is' here;

http://needtoreadgottowatch.blogspot.com/2013/07/and-winner-is-june-2013.html

And The Winner Is.... (June 2013)

I've decided to try something new on this blog, though very common elsewhere- the 'Top X' lists. I've done one for books and movies in general, but these posts are going to be more specific.

At the start of each new month, I'll post my 'Top' list for books I read during the previous month. It may only be one book, or a few, depending. I'm calling it 'And the Winner Is...", so anytime you see that in the title of a blog post, you'll know it's awards day. So, as it is now July, it's time for the June Awards.

I'm not going to go into specifics on each book, but I will link my individual reviews on them, so you can check them out at your leisure. In them I've already discussed my thoughts and feelings, so doing it again would get a little repetitive. Anyway, without further ado....

This month I've got three contenders, so I've decided to go for 1st, 2nd an 3rd options.

In 3rd place:

Half a Dozen Star Jumps 

by Helen J Beal

Rich with prose-like description and plenty of variety, these six short stories will have you laughing and crying on the turn of a dime.

http://needtoreadgottowatch.blogspot.com/2013/06/all-you-need-is-love-and-maybe-little.html

In 2nd place:

Wishing on Willows

by Katie Ganshert

The continuing story of one woman's descent into despair, and her climb back up. Touching, heartbreaking and throughly enjoyable.

http://needtoreadgottowatch.blogspot.com/2013/06/to-put-your-grief-behind-you-you-cannot.html

And in 1st place: (drumroll please)...

And the Winner Is....

A Life Less Ordinary

by Victoria Bernadine

Because it's never too late for a fresh start. Full of travel, witty dialogue and uproarious characters. New friendships are discovered, old ones are strengthened. An ode to the happiness, proving life isn't where we go or what we do, it's who we have with us along the way.

http://needtoreadgottowatch.blogspot.com/2013/06/a-journey-can-take-you-many-places.html

Congratulations to all the winners. I hope you've all enjoyed this first edition of 'And the Winner Is' and look forward to seeing you for the (doubtless) many more to come. Let me know what you're favourite books of June were.