I Refuse to Do “Best Of” Lists So This Is As Good As It Gets: 2024 Edition
I do not do ranked lists. I do not give stars to movies. I reluctantly give stars to books because I feel like I have a better grasp on what those stars mean (to me personally). I also do not put together my “favorites” list until after December 31st because who’s to say that I didn’t go on some sort of movie binge and watch something epic at 10 p.m.? Right, exactly.
Some housekeeping notes before we get to the real meat here: this will probably be the last time I use Medium for this monthly extravaganza. I’ve been looking into a few different options that align a little better with what I want to do going forward with my (lol) platform, so your January post may just be a link of somewhere new to sign up. (If you were subscribed via email to my old Substack newsletter, your experience should be seamless and you shouldn’t have to sign up for anything.) I know moving all the time is obnoxious but hopefully the third time’s a charm.
More to come on that. For now, though, here’s my yearly wrap-up of favorite books and movies from 2024, plus some thoughts on travel, cats, and whatever else strikes my fancy.
Books
2024 Reading Stats
Favorite Reads
This Is How You Lose the Time War, Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone — This book came out in 2019 and has been sitting on my shelf since then, and every page I read had me kicking myself that I’d waited this many years to finally get around to it. I know a lot of people who bounced off of this book, but if you’ve ever spent time in the AO3 trenches reading lovingly crafted yet very bizarre fan fiction (I say that with great affection, given that like 90% of my fannish output over the course of 20+ years could easily be categorized as bizarre), this book is going to scratch an incredible itch for you. It’s time travel, it’s romance, it’s unreliable narrators, it’s a recursive timeline that eats itself in a way that you see coming and are powerless to stop. This book is all vibes and, particularly for something that is short enough to generally qualify as a novella, sometimes all you want is vibes. I’m looking forward to re-reading this down the line.
North Woods, Daniel Mason — Another book that I think will reward re-reading in the future, you could say that the main character of this book is in actuality a plot of land in the New England woods. I love the mixture of straight fiction with just a hint of a supernatural/ghost story that Mason uses here. This book is basically the butterfly effect, the impact of people making a home in this spot rippling throughout the centuries. The past is good and real and alive in Mason’s woods, and the grasp he has on the tone and feel of each period of time is incredible. As a writer I always try to ensure my fiction has a well-developed sense of location and so reading North Woods, which so heavily relies on the reader buying into that sense of place, was such a treat for me.
We Could Be So Good, Cat Sebastian — I wouldn’t go so far as to say that romance is what got me back into reading after a years-long slump a few years back, but it is a genre that I am more than glad to sink into when I’m looking for something to experience human emotions. I’ve read a lot of Sebastian’s period novels before; this is (I think) her first full-length foray into something a little closer to modern times (she has several novellas also set in the ‘50s). Sebastian doesn’t pull away from how difficult it was to be gay during this time period, but the pain and fear of having to live a hidden life doesn’t overwhelm the story and she surrounds her characters with as much support as she can without just handwaving away the fact that this is the same time period as the Lavender Scare in government. Despite some classic romance novel “he can’t POSSIBLY like me” kinds of nonsense, Nick and Andy have a very sweet relationship and it’s a treat to watch it blossom on the page.
The Kingdoms, Natasha Pulley — On the one hand, yes, Natasha Pulley’s books all generally follow the same formula/vibe. Historical fiction, slow burn romance, lots of tragic dumb men. On the other hand, that is exactly my vibe and I am most likely going to really enjoy anything of hers I read. The Kingdoms was no exception. Pulley’s characters are always a little tragic, sometimes via tragedies of their own making, and the journey to the story’s end makes the book almost impossible to put down. For fans of time travel stories that recognize the many ways in which time travel can go wrong.
Prophet, Sin Blaché and Helen MacDonald — Prophet scratches the same itch that This Is How You Lose the Time War and The Kingdoms both do. Curious worlds that leave a lot of room for the imagination to fill in blanks, characters that fit into a familiar set of tropes, a good amount of nostalgia. Nostalgia is key for Prophet, a story centered around the concept of an entity weaponizing nostalgia. Blaché and MacDonald, doing press for this book, both spoke about how they wanted this story to essentially feel like you’d stepped into an episode of your favorite TV show. Drawing on those fannish tropes — grumpy soldier with a sad backstory, his wild and extroverted but also deeply haunted partner — makes Prophet feel familiar in a way that makes it very difficult to put the book down. It doesn’t quite stick the landing in the end, but, you know what, I think we could all name a couple favorite sci-fi shows that didn’t wrap up as well as you wanted them to, so maybe that’s all part of the nostalgia.
Incredible Children’s Books That I Can’t Justify Putting In The Above Rankings But That Deserve Mentions Nonetheless
The Cat Who Couldn’t Be Bothered, Jack Kurland — Enjoyable for adults and also with a strong message for kids about how it’s okay to feel your feelings. The illustrations are cute and the cat, who doesn’t want to do much of anything, is highly relatable.
the Escargot series, Dashka Slater — A series of four books starring an adorable little snail who just wants to be your best friend. The narration is conversational, so I could see these as great ways to engage your young reader in discussion about each book’s focus (friendship, being open to trying new things, storytelling, etc.) The illustrations are perfect with lots of great little details in the backgrounds.
Floof, Heidi McKinnon — A day in the life of a perfectly fluffy grey cat. Incredible illustrations and particularly relevant for cat lovers, who will recognize a lot of the hijinks that Floof gets up to.
If you’re interested in purchasing any of my top books of the year, please consider visiting this Bookshop link as you shop. I do make a small commission off of any sales made through that link.
Movies
2024 Movie Stats
Unfortunately Letterboxd doesn’t make me a snazzy graphic to put in here. I watched 130 unique movies. I don’t include repeats in that count — so the (number omitted) times I watched Gladiator II only counts as one for purposes that are completely meaningless to absolutely everyone.
New Releases
The Zone of Interest — An incredible achievement that I absolutely do not need to see again. If you let yourself forget who the characters are and where they live, then you just have a standard wartime drama with standard issues about family and work/life balance. But then memory kicks back in and you remember these are Nazis living just outside of Auschwitz and nothing about this is normal. The usage of sound here is incredible. You never see life inside the camp, you only catch glimpses of prisoners, but in the background: the rumble of a train, the barking of dogs, shouting, a gun shot. The violence is just there, under the surface, hoping that you forget about it.
Late Night with the Devil — Seeing this in a packed theater shortly after it opened was one of my favorite movie experiences of the year. The crowd reacted audibly to the jump scares and the gore and the practical effects, and it was just a great communal time. I appreciated how much this movie did with a comparatively small budget, and everyone really committed to the 70s vibe. I think things got a little too rushed at the end of the movie and some threads should have been pulled on a little harder to provide a little better backstory, but overall this was one of the most fun theater experiences for me this year. David Dastmalchian was perfectly cast and I hope this weird little flick got enough attention to put him in more roles where he gets to play sad weird little men.
A Real Pain — Far more poignant than I expected. Golden Globe winner Kieran Culkin was fantastic in his role as a young man viewed largely as a screw-up, but whose depths and struggles get revealed more as the story goes on. Shot with beautiful lingering looks at Poland, this isn’t quite a buddy comedy, because of how often it makes you want to cry, but it’s never afraid to find the humorous moments nestled among the darkly serious.
Flow — The power of story without words. This movie doesn’t need creepily animated CGI talking cats, it gets its point across with the swell of music and the curious meows of a cat. Lovingly crafted, and set in a world that leaves its existence up to the viewer’s imagination. This felt wholly immersive and it was easy to lose yourself in watching the adventures the animals went on.
Hundreds of Beavers — Slapstick usually doesn’t do it for me but this was such a fun experience. It’s probably best watched with a gaggle of friends, but alone on your couch is just fine, too. This movie is a true labor of love and an example of doing more with less. The creativity on display, from the video game inspired graphics to the repeating gags, is unlike anything else I saw in film this year.
Honorable Mentions
Love Lies Bleeding —Would have ranked higher if I was more willing to go along on the weird fantasy tangent it takes at the end, but overall this is perfectly grimy. We need more movies about Bad Lesbians.
Strange Darling — I wasn’t on board with all of this but Kyle Gallner and Willa Fitzgerald were great in their starring roles, both playing it so that, as you’re guessing to try to figure out where the plot’s going, you could believe that these characters were capable of anything. The cinematography and music choices were fantastic.
Robot Dreams — If not for Flow, this probably would have made my top five, but there’s only room for one dialogue-less movie about animals. Charming and a poignant look at what friendship means.
Gladiator II — Look, I call this a favorites list, not a best of list. Was this among the best movies I saw this year? No, but I did see it three times because I found it so entertaining. Sometimes you just want a popcorn movie with a guy with great thighs, you know?
Nosferatu — I’m going to be thinking about the way this feels like a black and white movie despite the fact that it uses color for ages. We complain a lot about color palettes in modern media and how muted everything is, but despite how dark this legitimately was, the shadows and hidden areas were there for a reason. Love a monster movie where the monster is just bad to the core. Let monsters be evil!
Older Releases
Dollars Trilogy — These movies are iconic for a reason. I also did not expect them to be as witty as they were. Going somewhat against the grain but A Fistful of Dollars was actually my favorite of the three; the latter two have more comedic bits that don’t exactly hold up. But in terms of seeing where so many of our well-worn western tropes come from, you can’t go wrong with these movies.
The Battle of Algiers — I have been thinking about this since I saw it in March. Made largely with non-professional actors, and instead starring people who lived through and often participated in the Algerian War, this is one of the most effective war movies I’ve ever seen.
The Thing — A horror classic, this is still better than most any contemporary horror movie, and holds up 40+ years later. Incredible practical effects.
Seconds — Another one that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about since I saw it. It’s a psychological nightmare with an outstanding performance from Rock Hudson as a man who discovers that the grass isn’t greener on the other side.
Pride — Nearly perfect in every way. The fact that this didn’t make Ben Schnetzer a major star is a crime. If you don’t start bawling at the end, are you even human?
Oh the Places I Went
Google Maps went and messed up the way timeline works so I had to make my own maps, that’s the amount of dedication I have to presenting a stupid little map of all the places I went this year.
Most notable is that for the first time since the start of COVID, I got out of the country for a little jaunt over to Europe. That flag in Helsinki isn’t a mistake, I had a Very Stupid Flight Experience that made me take a layover there. I didn’t leave the airport so it only barely counts as being in Finland, but I was in that airport for a while and it was, in fact, one of the most beautiful, calm airports I’ve ever been in.
For the US, I added Connecticut and New Hampshire to my Visited States list. I’m down to just 10 states needed to, uh, complete the set — Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, the Dakotas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Vermont. I feel like I should cross Nebraska off in 2025, it’s honestly not that far. (Technically I had a layover once in Omaha but layovers don’t count.)
16 of those little blobs are for Mountain Goats shows, including three of the Europe dots. I once again do not apologize for who I am as a person.
Here are some pictures from my travels:
cats cats cats cats cats
I welcomed eight different foster cats this year, all of whom brought joy and much laughter. Fostering cats has been so rewarding for me! Animal rescues are always in need of support, either financially or with your time, and of course are great places to go if you’re considering adopting a new friend. These guys are all from the same rescue, which I’ve been volunteering with since 2020. If you want some perfect friends, head over to One Tail at a Time to apply or get in touch with me and I can tell you more.
Ron Swanson is not available for adoption yet but he will need a forever home soon! He is a shy but sweet black kitten and he loves romping around with Rooster (my actual cat, not a chicken). You, the person reading this right now, should definitely adopt him.
What’s Next?
2025 doesn’t have many travel plans yet — I will be out in northern California a bit, and Denver as well, and the rest is up in the air. I had hoped to make it to NYC to see the musical Swept Away, but they ended up having to close the production at the end of 2024 so I missed my chance. There are of course many reading challenges and books and movies calling my name, as well as new hobbies, new places to visit, new cats to snuggle. Is this the year I finally try to write a book? Maybe! Every day is a new adventure, even if that adventure is diving into a fictional world while your cat sits on your feet.
What About You?
Sound off! Did you have a favorite book? Movie? Play? Vacation? Dessert? Dog? I want to hear what you’re enjoying!
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