Merry Christmas to everyone from myself and Wally! We hope you are enjoying a wonderful holiday season this year.

I had a reader suggest yesterday that I make a list of the top 5 books I have read in the past 2 years. I’ve always had a hard time making lists of favorite anythings, including songs, books, movies, etc. Everything I enjoy is just so good in its own way. So, it would be hard for me to make the list he suggested. However, I have tried to make a list of Top 5 Books From Recent Memory, and here they are, in no particular order:

On Gold Mountain by Lisa See. This book is part memoir, part family history and tells the story of See’s family from its beginnings in China to its success in the import/export business of Los Angeles. It gives a great picture of live in China at the beginning of the 20th century, and helped me to understand the trend at that time for men to leave their families (as my grandfather did) to seek their fortune on the Gold Mountain (America). This book is particularly interesting if you have ever been curious about the early days of Los Angeles’ China Town, and how it grew into the community it is today.

Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. I’ll make the point right now that I generally read these books long before anyone ever gets the idea to turn them into movies. If you’re lucky, you read the book LONG before the film came out, and you aren’t so disappointed by what finally manifests on the silver screen. I absolutely loved Dan Brown’s book. I’m totally taken by the suggestions of corruption in the Catholic church that would suppress knowledge of certain information from the world at large when it comes to Jesus Christ. I also enjoy Brown’s character, Dr. Robert Langdon (though I probably wouldn’t have cast Tom Hanks). If you have any interest in the idea of the Holy Grail and ideas you may not have thought of when it comes to Christianity, I highly recommend this book. (In case you’re one of the 2% of people who still haven’t read it or seen the movie).

The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. I’ve always been a great fan of time travel stories, and this is by far one of the most original ones I have ever read. I don’t want to give too much away if you haven’t read it because it’s a great story. It’s about a guy who spontaneously travels through time at random moments and with no warning, only to show up within the span of his own life at some other time. He meets a girl at several different ages in both hers and his lifes, and they fall in love. If you haven’t, you should read it. And do it BEFORE they shoot the film.

The Pleasure Of My Company by Steve Martin. I thoroughly enjoyed Martin’s earlier literary work, Shop Girl, but enjoyed Pleasure so much more. It is the story of Daniel, the narrator, a young man living within the constraints of a severely obsessive compulsive life. He can only cross the street under certain circumstances, and he must have a set amount of watts shining in his house, no matter what the combination of bulbs. Daniel is a very endearing character, and it’s amazing to see how he deals with his life, and the social interactions he stumbles into. I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before someone buys the rights to make this into a movie.

Out by Natsuo Kirino. I believe this is an English translation of Kirino’s work as a popular suspense writer in Japan. It centers around 4 women who work in a food factory and lead pretty dull lives. That is, until one of them inadvertently kills her husband, and the others help her to cover it up. It changes the ideas most people have about what life is like in Japan, and is an interesting window into another culture.

Because it's Christmas, I'll break out of the 80s mold for the song of the day and go with my favorite Christmas song. It's "Happy Christmas (War Is Over)" by John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band. I have always loved this song, despite the fact that Yoko Ono sings on it. As far as I can tell, the song was released in 1969. There's not much I can say about this song, other than I've always loved it. And you have all heard it, and either love it or hate it yourselves.

So this is Christmas
And what have you done?
Another year over
And a new one just begun

Ans so this is Christmas
I hope you have fun
The near and the dear one
The old and the young

A very merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear

And so this is Christmas
For weak and for strong
For rich and the poor ones
The world is so wrong

And so happy Christmas
For black and for white
For yellow and red ones
Let's stop all the fight

A very merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear

And so this is Christmas
And what have we done
Another year over
And a new one just begun

And so this is Christmas
I hope you have fun
The near and the dear one
The old and the young

A very merry Christmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear

War is over over
If you want it
War is over
Now...