Hope you enjoy it!
1. Donald Miller. Easily the best discovery I made in 2010. I've been told for years that I would like him, but I stubbornly avoided reading his books. Initially, I wasn't sure I liked his writing style- it almost feels like he's just sitting across the table from me in a coffee shop conversing about any and everything. His writing has a very journal-like quality to it that I wasn't used to. However, when his newest book Father Fiction came out, I was finally convinced I needed to give him a shot. Although my dad is the best dad I could ask for, there was still so much in this book that spoke to my heart and gave me greater understanding about what it's like for those growing up fatherless. (Truth be told, after reading it, I developed a bit of a crush on Don :) As a teacher, Father Fiction gave me a better grasp of what my students go through daily living without a dad. As a friend, it helped me understand my friends who battled through all those difficult and awkward growing-up experiences without a dad as a guide and guardian. After reading Father Fiction, I devoured Blue Like Jazz (his most famous writing, which is now being made into a movie), then A Million Miles in A Thousand Years, and I've been reading his blog religiously. The thing I love most about him is that he's remarkably intelligent and yet is still very down to earth- it's a fabulous combination. I desperately want to attend one of his writing conferences, but they're a little out of a teacher's budget- anyone feel like sponsoring me? :)
2. Skinny Pants. Seriously! These things really were an amazing discovery for me. I never really thought I could wear them because I've got curves and thought only girls that were just under 6 feet tall and right at 100 pounds could pull them off, but due to the coldness of this past winter, I bought them out of desperation. Originally, I was just wearing them during cold months, tucked inside of boots. However, I have branched out to other skinny pants- and now the vast majority of my pants are the skinny variety. They are extremely comfortable, keep their shape better than any other jeans I have, and make me feel skinny (which I didn't think was going to happen in such close-fitting jeans). I will point out that I'm talking about skinny jeans, NOT jeggings (a.k.a. denim leggings)! I'm not as big a fan of the jegging- they're basically denim tights and I don't really think girls should wear them unless their B.M.I. is 0.2%...which is not the case for me. The main thing I would recommend when trying skinny pants is getting ones that fit close, but don't fit tight around the lower calf/ankle area. I would also not recommend wearing the skinny style jeans if you are more of a pear shape. But, if you're fairly proportional- give them a shot, regardless of your size. You may be pleasantly surprised! Old Navy is having a huge sale on their jeans Dec. 26th & 27th. A great opportunity to try out skinny jeans for just $15! (P.S. Guys, I really don't have a problem with ya'll trying out skinny jeans too, but if you are wearing either jeggings or women's jeans please be prepared for pointing and laughing.)
3. Rick Riordan. Many of you are aware of my love for children's literature. This writer is one of my new favorites! I started off reading his Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, and I ended up reading every single book Rick Riordan has written. He has a writing style that is sort of a male counterpart to J.K. Rowling. I like the adventurous elements of his books, as well as his excellent character development, and the historical aspects of his books. His books are all based around ancient mythology, so it's been very educational reading! He has a new series called the Kane Chronicles, which is based around Egyptian mythology, and another series called The Heroes of Olympus, which melds Roman and Greek mythology- it also has many of the characters found in the Percy Jackson series. By the way, don't check out the Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief movie- it's nothing like the book and very poorly done, in my opinion.
4. The Sing Off. I absolutely LOVE this series. It came out in 2009 right before Christmas and my parents and I spent an entire night watching the dvr-ed series! Nota totally deserved the win, by the way. This year it was even better! I love that this is a short series (just 5 episodes), and it's about real vocal performers. You're not forced to sit through painfully awkward audition episodes. If they're on the show, it's because they are very gifted artists. That makes it so much more fun to watch. However, Nicole Sherzinger, who is one of the judges, more than makes up for all the missing audition awkwardness. Every time she spoke I found myself averting my eyes and needing something to do with my hands... The other two judges, Ben Folds and Shawn Stockman (of Boyz 2 Men fame), are fantastic. They are very professional, know what they're talking about, and are not at all Simon Cowell-like when talking to the contestants. I was a huge fan of Street Corner Symphony this year (I was a little "cray-cray" about them, according to my mother). If you missed the series, you should definitely get caught up on hulu.
5. Jon Acuff. My pastor started talking about this hilarious book he'd been reading called Stuff Christians Like. After he spoke about it, one of my best friends began reading this book and constantly told me to "read this stinking book immediately!" One night she started reading some of the book out loud and I started laughing so hard I was crying. After that, I borrowed the book from her and found myself pulling it out and reading excerpts to any and everyone who would listen. He also has a blog by the same name (actually the blog came before the book), which I now read daily. It's really his observations on the silliness of Christians and how we really do have weird habits/traditions/quirks that are always true everywhere you go. My favorites are: Understanding how Metrosexual Your Worship Leader is (a handy guide); Surviving Church as a Single; Leg Dropping Elves (or the Real Meaning of Christmas); and The Jesus Juke
But just in case you were thinking he's all silly and no serious, you are very wrong. In fact, he started writing a series of more serious posts called "Serious Wednesdays" (obviously, these are published every Wednesday). The last 3 Serious Wednesday posts have made me cry- because of the insight and truth I've encountered in them. My recent favorite is The "R" Word. I read it at work, which actually turned out to be a bad idea because I was bawling at my desk when my students came back from P.E... But you should definitely check him out- again, you won't be sorry!
Okay folks, that's all for today! Stay tuned for part two! :)
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