Top 25 albums of 2008

*****
1)Sigur Ros—med sut ieyrum…
2)Cloud Cult—Tea-Partying Through Tornadoes
3)Elbow—The Seldom Seen Kid
4)Kanye West--808's and Heartbreak

**** ½
5)She & Him—Volume One
6)Amy MacDonald—This is the Life
7)Santogold—self-titled
8)TV on the Radio—Dear Science
9)The Helio Sequence—Keep Your Eyes Ahead

****
10)Keane—Perfect Symmetry
Coldplay—Viva la Vida
My Morning Jacket—Evil Urges
Ryan Adams--Cardinology
The Raconteurs—Consolers of the Lonely
The Hold Steady—Stay Positive
The Killers—Day and Age
Patrick Park—Everyone's in Everyone (2007)
Gnarls Barkley—The Odd Couple

*** ½
Death Cab for Cutie—Narrow Stairs
The Weepies—hideaway
Liam Finn—I'll Be Lightning
Joshua Radin—Simple Times
Yoav—Charmed & Strange
Ben Sollee—Learning to Bend
Flight of the Conchords—self-titled

honorable mention: Greg Laswell—Three Flights From Alto Nido

Best books I read in 2008

*****
THE RESTLESS HEART by Ronald Rolheiser (spirituality)
FORGOTTEN AMONG THE LILIES by Ronald Rolheiser (spirituality)
EVERYTHING BELONGS by Richard Rohr (spirituality)

**** ½
PREDICTABLY IRRATIONAL by Dan Ariely (human behavior/condition)
SWAY by Ori and Rom Brafman (human behavior/condition)
OUTLIERS by Malcolm Gladwell (human behavior/condition)

****
THE PRODIGAL GOD by Timothy Keller (spirituality)
THE THING ABOUT LIFE IS THAT ONE DAY YOU'LL BE DEAD by David Shields (human condition)
CLICK by Bill Tancer (human behavior/condition)
THE DRUNKARD'S WALK by Leonard Mlodinow (human behavior/condition)

*** ½
SAVING THE WORLD AT WORK by Tim Sanders (leadership)
THE SHACK by William H. Young (fiction)
A SENSE OF URGENCY by John P. Kotter (leadership)
WIDE AWAKE by Erwin McManus (spirituality)
THE 3 BIG QUESTIONS FOR A FRANTIC FAMILY by Patrick Lencioni (leadership)

let's switch directions here...

since I have to google my name in order to find my own blog, I must officially consider myself "blog challenged." So, instead I will use this space as simply a resource/recommendation center as a way to share with you what I am listening to, watching, and reading in addition to getting recommendations from you. So...no deep thoughts allowed here...too much thinking involved. Let's just point each other in the right direction to find the best and potentially deepest thoughts out there!!

by the way, happy 28th birthday to my sister Page!!