Best of 2021

The first several months of 2021, along with the tail end of 2020, were the only consistently happy period of my life. I don't want to elaborate too much, as I try to keep my personal life out of my writing and you already know how 2021 was globally. But this year, I got adopted, made a living off my writing, legally changed my name, started my bachelor's degree, and landed my first byline. 

Enough about me. Here's some of this year's media which I thought slapped.

Movies

I didn't see Dune or Last Night in Soho; so apologies for those absences. I've also meant to see The Power of the Dog and Army of the Dead, but life has been busy lately. Here's the stuff I really dug though.

• The Matrix Resurrections

• The Green Knight

• Shiva Baby

• Judas and the Black Messiah

Zack Snyder's Justice League was surprisingly fun. Didn't get much out of The Suicide Squad, and when some friends took me to see Venom: Let There Be Carnage I realized I'd seen too many superhero movies this year. And y'all know my take on No Time to Die if you've read my review of it.

Books

Didn't read too many contemporary books this year (I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'll do better next year). But I got through a couple good ones.

• Black Water Sister (Zen Cho)

• Reign of Terror: How the 9/11 Era Destabilized America and Produced Trump (Spencer Ackerman)

Charlie Jane Anders' new YA novel was good, but not really for me. Lemme know if there's some stuff you think I should read next year.

TV

This stuff was pretty clear cut.

• It's A Sin

• Midnight Mass

• Godzilla Singular Point

• Get Back

Liked the first episode of Foundation but didn't watch more.  I failed to watch Squid Game, sorry. Other stuff I saw that didn't phase me: the new HBO Obama documentary that doesn't mention Obama's foreign policy once in five hours, the iCarly reboot (not of my own volition, dear God), Shadow and Bone's first episode, and an episode of the tedious Masters of the Universe reboot.

Music

More stuff here. No particular order (mostly; I'm putting indie/self-releases first).

• "Charlotte": A Work in Progress (Katrina Carpenter)

• XIPS (Destiny USA)

• The Unified Theory of the Year of the Diamond Dogs (Annie Fish)

• A Woman Under Her Influences (Annie Fish)

• Cherish this Moment (Kyra Skye)

• Sinner Get Ready (Lingua Ignota)

• I Lie Here Buried With My Rings and My Dresses (Backxwash)

• More Songs on the Computer (Nick Lutsko)

• Forever In Your Heart (Black Dresses)

• If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power (Halsey)

• Screen Violence (Chvrches) [Note: I saw Chvrches in concert recently and cried like a girl in a Beatles movie.]

One of my New Year's resolutions for 2022 is to keep a list of the best articles and essays I read as I embarrassingly failed to do so this year. My apologies. Thanks for reading this far; hope you discovered something cool here. May next year be kinder to you than this one.