It’s time for my annual, spoiler-free recommendation list, where I pretend to be an influencer and tell you all the things I want to influence you into reading or watching. Some of these are 2024 releases and some of these are decades old but all of these are media that I consumed and was excited enough about it that I wanted to share!
The best things I read
I read 56 new (to me) books in 2024! I’m so happy to be back in the swing of reading regularly and to have read seven 5-star books this year.
Pony Confidential by Christina Lynch
My favorite book of 2024, this book is like if Black Beauty was a sassy shetland pony. This book isn’t the most realistic, but it’s bursting with heart and charm and was just the best read.
Maus by Art Spiegelman
On the other end of the spectrum, I finally read Maus, thanks to my pals Maria and Rachel talking about it at dinner one night (and special shout-out to Maria for inviting me to her book club discussion!). I’m not big on WW2 fiction and I’ve never wanted to read a graphic novel so I wasn’t convinced this book would be for me. However, as you know if you talked to me at all in the month of September, I could not shut up about this incredible book. At its core, this is a character-driven biography and a story about people doing their best and their worst. It made me smile, it made me cry, it made me think. This is the one book on this list I insist you read.
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
This was a buzzy book last year and for good reason! The story follows a widow's unlikely friendship with a giant Pacific octopus reluctantly residing at the local aquarium and her journey to learn what happened to her deceased son. Exactly what I want from literary fiction.
Girls and their Horses by Eliza Jane Brazier
Also popular among the equestrian community and frankly, a fun and fast read. One of my wheelhouses for books is “wealthy women behaving badly and acting angsty” and when you add horses and murder to the mix you really can’t miss.
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
A second WW2 book?? And a philosophy book? No one can ever say I don’t leave my comfort zone. Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl's memoir fascinated me with its descriptions of life in Nazi death camps and lessons for spiritual survival. Reading his perspective as a psychiatrist during the Holocaust offered entirely new perspectives and gave me some hope for humanity.
Happy Place by Emily Henry
I’ve always enjoyed Emily Henry’s rom com books but Happy Place has been my favorite. I remember aggressively turning the pages because I HAD to know where these crazy kids were going next.
Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid
I think I had Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Daisy Jones and the Six on my list last year and probably enjoyed Carrie Soto even more. I’m not usually big on sports stories and especially not tennis but this was a staunch exception. Also falls a bit into my “wealthy women behaving badly and acting angsty” wheelhouse.
The best things I watched
Unlike my book of reading, I only had one five star watch this year, The Bear. Everything else listed here was good, but didn’t make me ravenous for more.
“The Bear” (s1-3)
In a year of good not great movies and TV, I finally got around to watching The Bear and it fully lived up to the hype. I’d put it off because I heard a lot of people describe it as tense and anxious, which it is, but it’s also warm and encouraging and makes me give a shit about people in shitting situations. Season 2 especially was by far the best thing I watched this year. Hulu.
“The Franchise” (s1)
This little half hour HBO workplace comedy follows a team of people working on a fictional Marvel (called something else) movie. It’s clever and fun and according to the subreddit for PAs in Hollywood, painfully accurate. Great show if you’re a media nerd. HBO.
“XMen 97” (s1)
This one surprised me because I don’t really care for animated content (aesthetically) and I don’t really care about the XMen but this show had a surprising amount of heart. The fact that it’s animated to look like a late 90s cartoon is also just millennial engagement bait and you know what, it worked. Disney+.
“Bodkin” (S1)
Will Forte is an American podcaster in Ireland who gets tangled up with small town mystery, crime, and the supernatural. I watched this over the summer but it’s so autumnal it hurts. Not especially scary or dark, but definitely spooky enough to be the perfect October binge. Netflix.
“Animal Control” (s2)
I love animals, I love workplace comedies, and I love Joel McHale. This is the least serious, lowest brow rec on this list, but we all need a popcorn watch every once in a while and I can guarantee you’re not going to have a bad time watching this sitcom. Hulu.
Honorable mentions
Honorable mentions for competition shows where no one cries and makes a fuss and instead it’s just people doing a thing and having fun:
“Blown Away:” Glassblowing competition on Netflix
“Only Connect:” Impossibly difficult trivia on YouTube
“Taskmaster:” Hilariously absurd physical and mental puzzles on YouTube