I know you’ve all got fun plans for the evening, so I’ll keep the rest of the best that 2019 had to offer brief.
Best Books:
I averaged about three books a month this year, which I think is pretty impressive for working full time and probably spending over 300 hours in front of a screen.
1. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller – A fresh and inventive take on Troy, and what came before.
2. The Girl Who Lived Twice by David Lagercrantz – These books will always be so mysterious and exciting, regardless of who writes them.
3. Final Girls by Riley Sager – Make this suspense novel a movie already!
Best Albums:
I don’t listen to too many, and the genre is very narrow, but you can’t argue that these records are amazing.
1. Foals, Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost – Pt 1 – Every single song, but play yourselves “In Degrees.” You can thank me later.
2. Highly Suspect, MCID – What a wild turn of genres, and I’m talking throughout the track list! “Freakstreet” is my jam, so let it be yours, too.
3. Cage the Elephant, Social Cues – Personal pain lends itself to magnificant song-writing and music-making. “Broken Boy” stole my heart.
Best TV Shows:
While I juggle at least ten shows at any given time during the year, these few stood out among the crowd.
1. Chernobyl – I only just finished this about two days ago, but it messed me up to my core (pun intended). Excellent performances about one of histories craziest disasters.
2. Roswell, New Mexico – If you couldn’t tell from my weekly reviews of this new reboot, I loved this show so much. Mixing sci-fi and romance, it hooked me in the very first episode.
3. Schitt’s Creek – While everything I watch I like (otherwise, why waste my time), this show was a very pleasant surprise! Sometimes comedies get a little stale, so this was a nice breath of fresh air.
Best Concerts:
I love live music! And impressively, I went to at least 20 shows this year, so it’s so hard to choose just three.
1. MGMT – A bucket list concert fulfilled, this was everything I hoped it would be and more! They played all the hits, and my favorite song of their’s, “One Thing Left To Try,” so I think I can die happy.
2. Emery – Even though I thought I was going to get murdered before I made it to this acoustic attic performance, it was fun to hear one of my favorite emo band’s take on song that have been with me for over 15 years. I also loved the commentary and interactions between songs.
3. Sonic Temple – Uh duh. This is a three day musical event, and it brought back beloved bands like System of a Down, while it closed out with the epitome of rock, Foo Fighters. What’s not to love (rain be damned)?!