tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4228273369846378320.post7531154568700172963..comments2023-06-21T08:09:44.331-04:00Comments on This Is My Secret: The Blog and Website of Writer Kristin Cashore: A FAQ; A Holiday Question; Stuff; In Addition to Which: ThingsKristin Cashorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05560274772312684672noreply@blogger.comBlogger56125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4228273369846378320.post-14078971645472568442009-12-12T23:22:43.079-05:002009-12-12T23:22:43.079-05:00I adore Christmas, but I agree with you on the ove...I adore Christmas, but I agree with you on the overall state of the music they play on the radio. Modern and displeasing, and if I hear one more version of The Christmas song I swear I shall scream so loudly that I frighten the neighbors. (Or at least I shall grumble, making faces so ghastly I frighten myself instead.)<br /><br />I'm ridiculously tickled that you're a Loreena McKennitt fan, by the way. I've loved her music for years. Do you have any other of her CDs?<br /><br />-AlexiAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4228273369846378320.post-82394130154881671602009-12-08T17:47:38.437-05:002009-12-08T17:47:38.437-05:00Hey Kristin! Me again. I have this voice student t...Hey Kristin! Me again. I have this voice student that I just haven't been able to connect with, so I'm getting out my comfort zone of classical music, and we're going to learn a Christmas rock song in a week. Hahaha!! Anyway, I have discovered some FABULOUS Christmas rock songs that don't seem to get much radio airtime in the process . . . most of which I cannot use, but I wanted to pass them along. <br /><br />"Do They Know It's Christmas" --a great, contemplative song about the famine in Ethiopia in 1984. You have to watch the video! There are some familiar faces with amazing hairstyles. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jEnTSQStGE<br /><br />"Christmas Wrapping" by The Waitresses<br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QVeW7qPSGw<br />This song is very 80s and kind of funny. I LOVED it! If my student was older (she's 13) I'd let her do this one.<br /><br />"Carol of the Bells" by Gary Hoey<br />The music speaks for itself.<br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ElLtgZXX30<br /><br />"Father Christmas" by The Kinks; <br />HI-larious.<br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjaPXihbORk<br /><br />"Don't Shoot Me Santa" by The Killers<br />Come, you know you want to see this video just because of the title. This one is so funny and irreverent. I'm still chuckling.<br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MwdEzYkT8c<br /><br />The Killers have another good Christmas song--"Great Big Sled"<br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzMeZI7fNJgMelissaKeasterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17795508209041567064noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4228273369846378320.post-25983554400158988492009-12-02T22:23:19.756-05:002009-12-02T22:23:19.756-05:00I enjoy so many things about the holiday season, f...I enjoy so many things about the holiday season, from sparkly lights and festive decorations to the sense of renewal that comes with the brighter days and the beginning of a new year. My family celebrates the winter solstice & the twelve days from the solstice to New Year's Day. We call it our "Twelve Days of Giving" & donate to a different food bank or non-profit organization each of those twelve days. Our children are still very young, but they both love helping to collect items & fill boxes for our local food bank & animal shelters. To commemorate each day & celebrate the type of work each organization does, we also give our kids a few small gifts related to the specific charity we are supporting each day. For example, on the day we celebrated our 'guardianship' of a chimpanzee through the Jane Goodall Institute last December, we gave our children a couple of fun picture books about chimpanzees as a part of sharing the sponsorship materials with them. To open up a conversation about our support of the ACLU, the kids received a couple of picture books about the U.S. Constitution & Bill of Rights & a big box of art supplies so they could set to work exercising their freedom to express themselves. It takes a bit of planning to organize everything each December and to make time to visit with all of our extended families who celebrate the season in various other ways throughout December, but we very much look forward to those twelve days each year & to celebrating the beginning of a new year together. As far as favorite holiday songs go, I've always loved "Winter Wonderland," "Let it Snow," and Roy Orbison's "Pretty Paper."Violethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13679587020101376314noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4228273369846378320.post-73639336637602629522009-12-01T14:58:02.886-05:002009-12-01T14:58:02.886-05:00More evidence as to why I adore you so - I too fin...More evidence as to why I adore you so - I too find myself looking for non-Christmasy-but-kinda-Christmasy music during this time of year. Here are some examples, all on iTunes:<br /><br />- Hazy Shade of Winter - The Bangles (this song made me want to be a drummer when I was younger...actually, it still does!)<br />- Winter Light - Sarah Brightman<br />- Cool Yule - Louis Armstrong<br />- Auld Lang Syne - Barenaked Ladies<br />- Christmas is a Pain in the Arse - The Accelerators (seriously!)<br />- Baby, It's Cold Outside - Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong<br />- Cold - Tears for Fears<br />- Linus and Lucy (of course)<br />- Christmas Day - Dido<br />- The Muppets & John Denver album is a MUST.<br />- O Mio Babbino Caro (I'll listen and love any version)<br />- A Long December - Counting Crows<br />- Christmas in Hollis - Run DMC<br /><br />Just a sampling...and thanks to your other readers, I have lots of music to buy tonight!<br /><br />P.S. I love Joni's "River"...and it may be blasphemy, but I adore Sarah MacLachlan's version too.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02237921600705834870noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4228273369846378320.post-78637867654941841342009-12-01T14:27:46.804-05:002009-12-01T14:27:46.804-05:00I don't do this for New Years, usually it ends...I don't do this for New Years, usually it ends up happening in August right before the start of school, but every year I write a letter to myself. Sometimes advice and encouragement, but mostly just my state of mind, what I'm feeling, and what I think is important. All this talk of New Years reflections reminded me of it.<br /><br />DECEMBER IS HERE, which means NaNoWriMo is over! I only got to 32214, but I'm extremely happy I did it. Thanks again for the pep talk! :)mysteryflavourhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12097545626844719941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4228273369846378320.post-30459254047630483582009-11-29T11:48:42.155-05:002009-11-29T11:48:42.155-05:00Krisin,
Here in Costa Rica I go to a international...Krisin,<br />Here in Costa Rica I go to a international school so we speak English there. We are going to have a Christmas concert! It is just our luck though that our music teachers favorite Chiristmas song is "A White Christmas". I swear, if we are going to sing that, I think we will die. :( . I just can't imagine singing about snow in COSTA RICA! Hopefully someone stands up to him. I'm getting nervous.<br />-AbbyAbbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04414731631703098273noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4228273369846378320.post-35205478495345792372009-11-29T09:17:57.044-05:002009-11-29T09:17:57.044-05:00You cant leave out the timeless classics of our ch...You cant leave out the timeless classics of our childhood like 'Charlie Brown Christmas' and 'Rudolph'... they never grow old to me and the songs produced in some of those are still some of the best ever. i guess i'll never completely grow up...i have to watch them every year and they can still bring a tear to my eye...<br /><br />'grandma got ran over...' is corny... <br />but songs from these classics including the before mentioned muppets are priceless in my book. <br />jmhAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4228273369846378320.post-64383791711598396382009-11-28T23:41:48.591-05:002009-11-28T23:41:48.591-05:00where can your fans go to request signed copies if...where can your fans go to request signed copies if they cant make a signing location? I would love a signed copy :-)<br />jeanieAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4228273369846378320.post-32716836123752495772009-11-28T19:28:54.494-05:002009-11-28T19:28:54.494-05:00*waves wildly at Marianne*
Jess, you're crack...*waves wildly at Marianne*<br /><br />Jess, you're cracking me up. Really, the bookstore's got the best deal, because every time I go in there to sign/personalize a book, I buy something for myself. I just signed a couple more today, and now I seem to own 5 board books I didn't own before. (They aren't for me, technically. I probably don't need to explain <a href="http://kristincashore.blogspot.com/2009/09/letter-to-my-readers.html" rel="nofollow">whom they're for</a>.)<br /><br />I want to thank everyone for the holiday music suggestions! I've been having fun looking things up.Kristin Cashorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05560274772312684672noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4228273369846378320.post-4624168923836653192009-11-28T18:52:22.588-05:002009-11-28T18:52:22.588-05:00Kristin, I just checked my mail and inside was the...Kristin, I just checked my mail and inside was the SIGNED copy of Graceling the I ordered from Harvard Book Store. Thank you so so much for working with them to get signed books to those of us who couldn't attend any of your appearances. I hope in the future you do a signing close to me in California.<br /><br />Now I just have to figure out the proper way to display such an awesomely signed book. I'm thinking a blown up picture of the title page and a glass case for the book. That way the signature is visible in the picture but the book is safe. Hmmm...I'll have to work on that.Jess - A Book Hoarderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15165915113578523052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4228273369846378320.post-50834735013231485842009-11-28T17:17:50.861-05:002009-11-28T17:17:50.861-05:00Kristin,
I was so happy to stumble upon your blog...Kristin,<br /> I was so happy to stumble upon your blog a few days ago, and to find out that you are a published author!! Fantastic! I'm so happy for you!! I will be buying your books for my nieces and nephews for the upcoming holidays, plus copies for myself. I can't wait to read them! Hope all is well with you. Congratulations..what a dream come true!<br /> - An "old" NEPA friend, Marianne (DiStefano) TalaricoUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18035493892702777047noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4228273369846378320.post-11250003881057607102009-11-28T12:53:04.137-05:002009-11-28T12:53:04.137-05:00MC, thanks for that beautiful live version of &quo...MC, thanks for that beautiful live version of "River!"<br /><br />I love Joni Mitchell to pieces.Kristin Cashorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05560274772312684672noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4228273369846378320.post-30378222017567601182009-11-28T12:40:32.866-05:002009-11-28T12:40:32.866-05:00I love December but I think that is because I love...I love December but I think that is because I love my crazy family. I just love the crisp fresh air and drinking hot apple cider by a warm fire. <br /><br />Joni Mitchell's "River" is one of my favorite songs! I love all her work but "River" and "Case of You" are just incredible.<br /><br />All I need to do is listen to "River" or "Better Days" by the Goo Goo Dolls while drinking cider and I know that it is December and I will see my family soon.Jess - A Book Hoarderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15165915113578523052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4228273369846378320.post-9493301881676887622009-11-28T08:48:36.238-05:002009-11-28T08:48:36.238-05:00Rockinlibrarian, you are my new favorite person! ...Rockinlibrarian, you are my new favorite person! Loving Christmas (or even worse, "the holiday season") is unfashionable among my circles of friends, and I certainly see their point. But I will not apologize for it! Music and snow and small gifts and cookies and seeing loved ones are AWESOME. So there.<br /><br />And whoever said they love the reflection, I feel the same way. My birthday is New Year's Eve, so that's always felt like the ideal time for reflection. <br /><br />I've had a tradition since I was in jr. high: every New Year's I write three wishes for the coming year and seal them up. Then I open the previous year's wishes and write about them -- did they come true? Do I even still want them? A lot can change in a year, and there's nothing like a letter from the past to give you perspective.Sam M.http://www.parenthetical.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4228273369846378320.post-43780931805424593272009-11-28T00:55:41.199-05:002009-11-28T00:55:41.199-05:00Joni m. "River"
wow.... really awesome.....Joni m. "River"<br />wow.... really awesome... i wish i had a river...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4228273369846378320.post-52249495352688414892009-11-28T00:14:46.855-05:002009-11-28T00:14:46.855-05:00I forgot to mention my favourite Christmas album i...I forgot to mention my favourite Christmas album is this one (don't judge until you listen people!)<br /><br />http://www.amazon.com/Music-O-C-Mix-Merry-Chrismukkah/dp/B00063MCT8<br /><br />You can listen to samples at this amazon site.<br /><br />:)<br /><br />Enjoy the silly season - it's going to be a hot one downunder!<br /><br />MCAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4228273369846378320.post-19418467976480680122009-11-28T00:09:58.751-05:002009-11-28T00:09:58.751-05:00Joni Mitchell's River: http://www.youtube.com/...Joni Mitchell's River: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCov0TYXBp8<br /><br />Merry Christmas :)<br /><br />MCAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4228273369846378320.post-25209409367106061212009-11-27T21:45:14.733-05:002009-11-27T21:45:14.733-05:00You're welcome, and thank YOU! (For many thing...You're welcome, and thank YOU! (For many things, namely your books, but also for asking.) What music geek doesn't like to talk about their favorite stuff?MelissaKeasterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17795508209041567064noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4228273369846378320.post-7576221177846940022009-11-27T18:06:29.260-05:002009-11-27T18:06:29.260-05:00Melissa, LOL, sorry for putting you on the spot! ...Melissa, LOL, sorry for putting you on the spot! And thanks for all that great info. I've got a lot of exploring to do.Kristin Cashorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05560274772312684672noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4228273369846378320.post-17341625974356329702009-11-27T14:09:02.365-05:002009-11-27T14:09:02.365-05:00Oops, I spelled CHRISTMAS wrong...Oops, I spelled CHRISTMAS wrong...Abby!noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4228273369846378320.post-58587085362213971112009-11-27T14:08:07.453-05:002009-11-27T14:08:07.453-05:00Kristin,
Christmis is upon us and I am getting ver...Kristin,<br />Christmis is upon us and I am getting very excited! My birthday is two days after christmis and for for bday present from my parents, I want to go to one of your appearences or signings. I live on the pacific side of Costa Rica and so you can imagine traveling that far is hard and expensive, especially if you belong to a family of 5! Just to let you know, I am Canadian and my home town is Calgary, Alberta. It is an extremely long story of how I ended up in Costa Rica. I love your books and I am in the process of reading Fire right now. Let me tell you this, it has captivated me. It is also very hard to get REAL english books down here. Sigh. <br />Something really funny happened the other day though. Every 3 months I get throen out of the country because I am not a real Costa Rican so I traveled to Miami. All I wanted to do since I arrived there was go to Barnes and Noble. The one in Miami is HUGE!!!!!! It is like two floors of books, books, books. When I saw saw it I looked at it like it was too good to be true!(=. Anyways, I got 23 books there! It was insane. When I run out of books here I enjoy reading your blog, so keep going!<br />Abby Skaug.Abby!noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4228273369846378320.post-36061075964433074232009-11-27T08:37:07.651-05:002009-11-27T08:37:07.651-05:00try "auld lang syne" by straight no chas...try "auld lang syne" by straight no chaser. they're this wonderful occapella (which i spelled wrong) guys group with the best christmas cd ever. so not your corny christmasthatgirlwithwingshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00879840564312954925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4228273369846378320.post-16325252227050521072009-11-26T23:38:31.196-05:002009-11-26T23:38:31.196-05:00Look what I've gotten myself into. I do love t...Look what I've gotten myself into. I do love to talk music though, and I don't get to enough these days. Without coming up with arrangements/composers/artists off the top of my head, I like to hear (and assign!!!) "Noel Nouvelet" ("Sing We Now of Christmas" in English)--this one is lovely sung by Lawrence Children's Choir and the group Gregorian; "Still, Still, Still" preferably in German and always lovely arranged SATB; "In the Bleak Midwinter"; "Night of Silence" which is a counter melody of "Silent Night," "Patapan" preferably in French and performed by a choir, but Mannheim Steamroller does a nice instrumental version; "Gesu Bambino" Kathleen Battle and Fredirica von Staade do a nice version; "Coventry Carol"; I love, love, love "Do You Hear What I Hear" set for a children's chorus or child solo. These are actually all staples in my opinion, but you'll rarely hear any of them on the radio. Finding them done by a good choir or artist is the trick. Music school introduced me to several of these. While I still really like the considerably more famous carols, these remain my favorites. Albums I like--And Winter Came by Enya, Let It Snow by Michel Buble, A Christmas Celebration by Celtic Woman, Josh Groban's Noel, Tori Amos' Midwinter Graces, anything Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and Gregorian Christmas Chants, and I really like Point of Grace's one. Their version of Jingle Bells is soooo cute!MelissaKeasterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17795508209041567064noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4228273369846378320.post-75103857746494824342009-11-26T22:20:07.258-05:002009-11-26T22:20:07.258-05:00to jen
you are so very correct about cherishing th...to jen<br />you are so very correct about cherishing the moments. our thanksgivings used to be that way...they were so much fun!! such fond memories of loved ones now gone your comment brought to my heart!! thanks for sharing...<br />such a truly special time the holidays are when they are cherished for what they are supposed to be...<br />God Bless...<br />'JW'Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4228273369846378320.post-83591908015135792732009-11-26T19:49:34.722-05:002009-11-26T19:49:34.722-05:00Truly, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. There ...Truly, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. There are no material expectations. I don't need to buy anyone a card or a present. Instead, I get together with my family and we take turns on various years cooking the dinner, though everyone brings stuff and helps so it's never too onerous a task.<br /><br />My kids love to spend the day with their cousins playing, and I relish that time after we've cleaned up dinner and all the grownups sit down with dessert and coffee to just talk and catch up on life. I wish I could freeze all those moments and step back into them whenever life gets too stressful.<br /><br />As you can tell, I have a close family and we live close by each other as well, and any holiday that lets us enjoy each other is great in my mind.<br /><br />I can't stand the commercialization of Christmas to the extent it is now, but I do have three young boys, and it's hard to be a grinch when they revel in the magic of Santa and colored lights decorating a tree. :) Instead, I do my shopping early (just about done already!) and skip yucky days like Black Friday - the money I would save couldn't buy my sanity back! Then I make sure I do the really rewarding things like making cookies with my kids, the really messy ones with icing and colored sugar :) And as anyone with kids will attest, that's not exactly a peaceful activity, but I'll be sad when those days are gone. My oldest didn't help us with yesterday's cookies until near the end, and it made my heart pang to think he wanted to do something else, that someday I'd be left to make them myself. Cherish every day because you can't get them back.<br /><br />~JenJ.L. Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10638394721520980810noreply@blogger.com