Gotham Gal: My Top CD's for the year

We are getting ready to take off on vacation and since I love the top ten lists, I am going to start doing them now. For some reason, I thought last year was a much better year for music. Maybe because I took so much in this year I was overwhelmed. But, then I started to drill down on my favorites of the year and realized it was actually a pretty good year. So, here are my tops for 2006, in no particular order.

Ben Kweller, Ben Kweller. He is one of my favorites period. Songs are catchy and he is such a nice guy you can't help but like him. Talented too.

Ben Folds, Supersunnyspeedgraphic Catchy songs. Melodic. The words are funny and disturbing at the same time.

KT Tunstall, Eye to the Telescope Couldn't get enough of this CD. She rocks is about all I can say. There will be much more to come from KT.

The Decemberists, The Crane Wife These guys just get better and better. Great lyrics, good sound. I loved their last CD too.

Josh Rouse, Subtitulo Not sure how we stumbled on to Josh Rouse but I can't get enough of his music.

M. Ward, Post-War He is a poet singing his songs. Deep throaty voice. Very different sound. Indie folk. So good.

Bruce Springsteen, We Shall Overcome, The Peter Seeger Sessions Love Bruce, love the old Pete Seeger songs. A true combination of just great oldies recreated with Bruce's touch

Tom Petty, Highway Companion Who would have thought that I would have put 2 old rockers on my list. But, Tom Petty has done it again. His voice is so distinct and he just continues to put it out.

Belle & Sebastian, The Life Pursuit Been listening to them since 1998, they have yet to disappoint. Fabulous CD.

Lily Allen, Alright, Still Fun catchy hip hop English chick. Love this album.

That makes ten. For me, these were the highest in rotation for 2006. Saw the majority of them in concert too. Looking forward to 2007...

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Helen Oyeyemi: Boy, Snow, Bird: A Novel
I wanted to love this book. There are 3 sections. The first one pulled me in but I found that the second and third were not as interesting. A topic worth writing race issues is interesting but the book rambled. Alas.
Andrea Portes: Bury This
A 25 year old unsolved town murder inspires a group of college kids to make a documentary around it with the belief that with the tools we have today that it can be solved. The writing is unique. Rapid short sentences that keeps the reader engaged. Super sad story.
Susan Minot: Thirty Girls
This is based on a true story of a group of young women who were taken by the Kony LRA rebels in Africa while living and studying at a church. We follow a journalist and her experience on reporting about the girls who have survived by escaping. Learning about their traumatic experiences is heartbreaking. How and why this continues to go on in Africa is mind-boggling. I would have preferred Minot to spend more time with those girls than getting inside the journalists head. Regardless I really am glad I read this book. It is an absolutely worthy read.
Anna Quindlen: Still Life with Bread Crumbs: A Novel
A simple story about life, love and art. A 60 year old woman still evolving and finding herself. Really enjoyed it.
Jean Hanff Korelitz: You Should Have Known
This book comes out on March 18th. The book moves fast with lots of twists and turns. A psychiatrist who has just written about how you should have known you were in a bad relationship finds her husband to not be who she thought he was. The perfect beach read.
Bill Bryson: One Summer: America, 1927
My sister recommended this book. What happened that summer from baseball to Lindbergh and aviation to Henry Ford, Calvin Coolidge, Hoover, prohibition, Mt Rushmore, talking movies, theater, Al Capone and the first ponzi scheme. A great historic read.
Kim Malone Scott: Virtual Love
Not sure how I stumbled on this book but I am glad that I did. The book is about a woman trying to figure out her life. She was an entrepreneur and closed her company. She moved to SF to work at Google and run the Ad Sense division. She is in bad male relationships and needs to figure out why so she can get in a good one. There are a lot of thoughts bouncing around her head in regards to her personal struggles. Truly enjoyable well written insightful book.
Jhumpa Lahiri: The Lowland
I had read both the Namesake and Lahiri's short stories and I felt both of those books were so much better than the Lowland. There was not on character I liked. None of them lived in the future or the present they all lived in the past. Their lives were just utterly depressing. Also the book was way too long. It is certainly a saga about the turmoil in Calcutta in the 60's and the havoc it wreaked on one family in the post. Perhaps if they all had sought therapy then their lives would have been happier. Would not recommend.
Liane Moriarty: The Husband's Secret
This is a great book for vacation reading. I read it in a day. Engaging characters who are living real lives and each come with their own baggage. I won't give away the premise of the book but I really enjoyed it.
Kate Atkinson: Life After Life: A Novel
I have read most of Atkinson's books. This was an interesting concept. The book mostly takes place during the world wars yet a bit of a challenge to read. It took me a long time to get into the book and then I decided to soldier through. Many of the chapters are essentially redo's of the characters life so that in one chapter they end up dying where in another chapter they continue to live due to a few shifts that take place. Each small decision you make has to do with the life you end lead. Interesting but did not love the book as much as I wanted to.

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My Top CD's for the year

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