Some of the things I liked in 2023
Best Fiction: A Girl Named Sampson by Amy Harmon This is a story about a girl who joins the American Revolution disguised as a man. While the characters aren't all exactly realistic, it was an engaging story that gave a human face to some of the battles we've read about in history. That was what I enjoyed about it.
The Last Thing He Told Me - I was in a book club last spring, which was good motivation to read some fiction books I wouldn't normally read. This one was probably the favorite one out of all of them. It kept you guessing the whole time, a mystery with a little bit of action. Basically, the wife finds that her husband has disappeared with just a message to her to protect his daughter. So she and the daughter go on a hunt to figure out what happened to him, trying to avoid marshalls and FBI agents and uncover the truth about who he is. It was strangely familiar to a crime podcast I listened to, but that's another story...
Best Classic:
Farenheit 451 - This is probably my all-time favorite science fiction/dystopian novel. I've read it multiple times. We also did that in my book club. Every time I read it, it feels more relevant, and every time I see more insightful truths come from it. If you haven't read it, definitely make time this year to and think about the way we consume media, and the way we use books. It's fascinating.
Best Non-Fiction
The theme for my non-fiction this year was "suffering". I read multiple books in this category and I would highly recommend them all. I think my favorite one was...
Suffering by Paul David Tripp - I actually purchased this to give to a friend who was going through cancer, but as I started to read it I just couldn't stop. While we were watching our daughter have surgeries in the hospital this year, the words from David Tripp about suffering felt so relevant, and so assuring. He breaks down different traps suffering people can fall into, and then breaks down the consolations we receive from our relationship with Jesus.
Honorable mentions in this category: Suffering and the Heart of God by Diane Langberg, and Prayer in the Night by Tish Warren Harris. Also about suffering. There were a lot of other books about other topics I read, but those were my favorites this year.
Favorite Podcasts:
The Roys Report - Julie Roys reports about things happening in the Church, mostly abuse and scandals. I find her to be pretty unbiased most of the time, and I appreciated the topics of choice as I worked through my own church issues. It's good to have a big picture and a bigger perspective about some things. I love how much she cares about people who are oppressed and hurting.
The Deck Investigates - This is a deep dive into a specific crime (usually a murder). While I can't listen to them all the time, I do like the true crime podcasts. I try not to overdo it.
Batman Unburied - Not the most wholesome (none of these are I guess) and definitely not family friendly. These are like those somewhat less appealing offshoot comics that don't get any fame. Intriguing mysteries that leave you guessing what will happen. There are some REALLY funny commercials in some of them too.
Literary Life - Some homeschool people talking about different works of literature and how it fits into the lens of modern society. This one is wholesome and educational.
Favorite Music:
Music taste really does change over time, doesn't it? I never wanted to be one of those old people who only listened to music from their time, but I often find myself digging out some 80's and 90's these days, even songs I hated at that time remind me of being young and dumb, and somehow I enjoy them. Some other musicians I've appreciated this year:
John Mark McMillan - I've been familiar with some of his music before, but this year I listened to all of the albums and dove into the lyrical wealth of his poetry. I wish his voice were different, and I personally thinks he needs a producer and final tuner to fix some imbalances in the sound, but I overlook those things because I really just like the stuff he says.
Iron Bell Music - We've sung some of their songs in church but I stumbled onto some I hadn't heard and found myself listening on repeat through a hard time this summer. "My Confidence" and "Faithfulness" were my top songs on spotify this year.
Chris Renzema - I knew about him, but I hadn't listened much until this year. The man knows some stuff about hard times and healing, and the upbeat sounds of his songs is encouraging on days when I'd rather listen to sad songs. Sometimes I listen and feel conviction and sometimes I find comfort, but it's been ministering to me all year at different phases of forgiveness.
Billy Joel - Again, this was obviously not the first year I've ever heard Billy Joel music, but I decided to listen through every one of his albums this year to note the similarities and his influience over other music of the time. I very much enjoyed doing that, although I only REALLY like about 1/4 of the songs. The radio hits aren't as insightful as some of the more unplayed ones, so if you feel like following that trail check it out and tell me what you think.
Judah Akers of Judah and the Lion - Maybe he isn't the best role model in the world, but he writes songs about God's love and sometimes I just need to sit and soak that in. I also enjoy the band music but it's a different vibe.
Favorite Series/TV
I watch more than I should and I'd probably be ashamed to admit everything I've spent time on this year. The mainstays were The Office and Parks and Rec because sometimes I just want to laugh. I've been enjoying "The Irrational" this winter. I like detective shows, and this particular detective is a behavioral science professor. And a burn survivor. I really like that element of it, just because it's something a little different as far as weaknesses go, and I always like when the world normalizes things that are already normal in our lives.
I bought a trial of Paramount Plus so I could catch up on what's happening in the Star Trek universe. That was worth it. Picard season 3 did not disappoint (like season 2 did), and for the most part I very much enjoyed Strange New Worlds, which keeps the continuity of the original series and the next Generation pretty well, also preserving the individualized plot lines for each episode, while at the same time the ongoing interpersonal crew drama. I like Captain Pike and the take on young Spock is my favorite part I think.
Also over the last two years I've watched every episode of Law and Order SVU and Organized Crime. I don't know... it just got out of hand and then I needed to fill in the gaps between what was showing now and what I missed in the... you know, 20 years since I started watching back in the day. My sister has been watching also so we discuss the various things about it, mostly the different ADAs who come on the show, since that is my sister's profession. I don't necessarily recommend the show, but I love the detectives' chemistry and all of the interpersonal drama. I don't think anyone watches that show for the cases.
Well, that's a summary of some hits this year. Of note, I finished reading through the Bible, something I started in 2020. I'd decided to do that instead of taking a clipped pace to get through it in a year, and then not having time to read other things and savor what I was reading. The Psalms meant a lot to me this fall as I entered a phase of depression. And at the same time I started studying 1 and 2 Timothy with my home Bible study. So that's that. Tell me some of your favorites in the comments.
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