Music:
JACK JOHNSON!! (of course), Susan Tedeschi, G. Love, Weezer, Jonny Lang, Dashboard, Dispatch, Sinatra, and the list goes on and on...
Books:
The Notebook, My Friend Leonard, Million Little Pieces, DaVinci Code, The Poisonwood Bible, Any David Sedaris short story (Me Talk Pretty One Day, etc.), The Lovely Bones, Lolita