These are a Few of My Favorite Things

What's your favorite animal? I'm generally fond of mammals, especially the pretty predators...wolves, bears, leopards...if you want me to pick one specific animal to adore though, then without question it's my doggie, Koira.
What's your favorite fiction book? (or top 2-3, if you can't pick one) see below
What music do you like listening to? as a genre, I generally prefer mainstream 'contemporary christian,' and I'm also fond of Broadway soundtracks (except for Rogers and Hammerstein which I strongly dislike)...but beyond that, see below for specifics


Months ago I had the idea that I would list off my ‘top ten’ in a few areas...books, movies, songs, etc., but that is harder than it seems. In some areas many options come to mind, in others, I can only think of a few…thus my lists don’t have a finite number of entries, but these are a few of my favorite things. Consider it a work on progress!
Even without parameters (such as coming up with a certain number of entries per category) it’s really hard to try to create lists of my favorites…different things have been significant at different time of my life, and I may have forgotten negative aspects of this movie or that book…but I am going to give this my best shot anyway. I think it’s very telling about a person to see what media they choose and recommend. The entries on these lists are not in any particular order. I’m not trying to say that one is better than another per se, just that these are my favorites…in the movies, for example, some are childhood favorites, while others are more adult…apples to oranges love, you can’t really put that in order. ☺
In creating lists of my favorite things, I have been thinking about WHY I like a thing. What are my criteria? Well, I like a well told story. I like a beautiful dance. I like things that make me think, and things that make me remember. I like things that help me forget. And I like things that make me laugh.
So, without further ado, another brief glimpse into my psyche...

MOVIES
I Am Sam
The Dark Crystal
Life is Beautiful
Newsies
The Fellowship of the Ring (not the whole trilogy, just the first film)
Dead Poets Society
Hoodwinked

PLAYS/MUSICALS
Les Miserables
The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
Jekyll & Hyde by Bricusse & Wildhorne
The Man of La Mancha
Much Ado About Nothing by Shakespear
Othello by Shakespeare

ACTORS AND ACTRESSES (in other words, if they're in it, I probably want to watch it)
Katherine Hepburn
Nicholas Cage
Robin Williams
Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers (together, obviously!)
Johnny Depp (unless it's a Tim Burton movie, as I dislike most Burton stuff)
Sean Connery (usually)

NONFICTION BOOKS (scripture is assumed, and so not listed)
Birthing From Within by Pam Englund (pregnancy, birth, fertility, working through issues)
Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler (fertility)
Luna Yoga by Adelheid Ohlig (getting in touch with your reproductive/fertile side)
Raising Your Spirited Child by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka (parenting)
Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon (nutrition + a cookbook)
The No Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley (attachment parenting)
Fascinating Womanhood by Helen Andelin (marriage)

FICTION BOOKS
The Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis
Phantom by Susan Kay (an adult book, but oh so riveting!)
The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis
Many Moons by James Thurber (children's book)
The Giver by Lois Lowry

POEMS
Ozymandius by Percy Bysse Shelly
The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe
Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou

AUTHORS/POETS
Shakespeare (duh!)
CS Lewis
The Apostle Paul
Oscar Wilde
John Donne

CREATORS OF MUSIC
Andrea Bocelli (singer)
Grieg (composer)
Enya (composer, musician, singer)
Howard Shore (composer--wrote the music for "The Lord of the Rings")
The Indigo Girls (composers, singers--I love the tight harmonies, counterpoints, and intelligent cultural references)
Michael W Smith (composer, singer)

HYMNS
Be Still My Soul
Teach Me to Walk in the Light
All Creatures of Our God and King
Nearer My God to Thee
How Great Thou Art
I Believe in Christ

CLASSICAL PIECES
Bolaro by Ravel
Canon in D by Pachelbel
18th Variation (on a theme by Paganini) by Rachmaninoff