It occurred to me while reading some recent "Review" and books threads that many of us might have had some interesting books and CDs for Christmas (Yule/Kwanza/Hanukkah/etc). This doesn't count as 'Review' because I haven't read all the books I've had or listened closely to the CDs, but it might be nice just to hear what people got - music related, this being 'above the line' and all.

My Secret Santa - Animaterra - scored on both counts, having sent me the choir's (brand spanking new?) Seasonal CD which is a proper Corker! She also sent me "Eighty English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians: Collected by Cecil J Sharp and Maud Karpeles" which I keep on the sofa to browse through on these long and chilly nights.

Actually, the Animaterra CD was the only CD I had as a gift this season but I did buy myself, in Montreal, a nice CD by "Donat Essiambre" and, if my French doesn't completely fail me, his kids. Again, if I am not mistranslating, this fiddler from the Gaspe region is pushing 80 and has some really nice tunes at his beck and call.

Books-wise I got "This is Your Brain on Music" which I'll get stuck into once I finish Margaret Atwood's "Payback". Then after TIYBPM, I'll move on to the other music-related book under my tree, "Music as Social Life: The Politics of Participation".

So - how did you guys do? Anything else that I should be putting on my Wish List for the future?

sian