Ask The Reader #3: Songs Everyone Loves

On my way to work this morning, I was listening to my regular a.m. radio show, Ace & TJ, and one of their call in bits was "Songs Everyone Loves." While no song is going to be loved by literally everyone, it's undeniable that there are songs that transcend musical styles, gender gaps, age, race, etc. I have now made it my mission to make a wicked awesome playlist of nothing but such songs. This is, of course, where I ask for your help, gentle readers. I will throw out a couple of songs that I believe "everyone" loves.

"Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey
"Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix-A-Lot

What have you got for me?

Ask The Readers #1

I've decided to start a couple of new regular segments, if you will, on my blog. This is the first of one of those segments. Ask the readers. I think its name is rather self-explanatory, don't you?

Anyway, I am trying to make the best Christmas mix CD ever. I can tell that I am going to be crazy invested in Christmas this year-- not the gifts, mind you. So I would like for you, the various readers, to tell me what your favorite Christmas songs are. Please tell me the title and who performs the version you love most. I also am looking for a version of "O Holy Night" that both includes the second verse and isn't too showy vocally. Hopefully, you guys can help me with that too!

Now comment away!

ETA: I should have done this first, but I've added the list of songs I currently have. I haven't had a chance to listen to some of the specific ones, but I'm looking forward to it. Haley and Sherry, it's neither Bing Crosby nor Emery for "White Christmas." It's Otis Redding. Oh, and if there's no artist, I'm still looking for the perfect version.

1. God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen/We Three Kings by Barenaked Ladies and Sarah McLachlan

2. White Christmas by Otis Redding

3. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

4. All I Want for Christmas by Mariah Carey

5. Christmas Is All Around by Bill Nighy (yes, from Love Actually)

6. O Holy Night

7. Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree by Brenda Lee (thanks, Sherry)

8. Do You Hear What I Hear

9. Happy Christmas (War is Over) by John Lennon

10. Silent Night

11. That Christmas song by The Chipmunks

12. My Grown Up Christmas List by Kelly Clarkson

13. O Holy Night by Eric Cartman

Book Me!

Dear readers, who may number at least 10, I request that you help me in something. Please rec me some books. I have been leaning towards the slack side on reading since college, and, while some of that was due to the amount I read and how I had to read it, it is no longer acceptable. For a general idea of what I like, I will list both (some of) my favorite books and a list of stuff already in my reading queue.

Some Favorites
The Great Gatsby
Pride and Prejudice
The Sound and the Fury
The Sun Also Rises
Bridget Jones Diary
(yeah, I like modern American lit. What?)

Reading Queue
The Year of Magical Thinking
Tom Jones
Love in the Time of Cholera
In Cold Blood (okay, so it's a re-read)
The Republic (I so should have read this already)

Now, grant me the gift of literature, fine readers.