Favorite "new to me" books I read this year.
First things first: this is a great book title. Second: this is a great book. (At least for me. Surely you know by now that I'm a sucker for a sweet YA romance novel.) Set in a school for gifted students and populated with a surprisingly fascinating group of supporting characters, The Only Thing Worse Than Me Is You delivered on everything I love about these young adult books. It had me grinning uncontrollably, covering my face in empathetic embarrassment, and turning pages faster and faster so I could find out what happened next. If a modern day adaptation of "Much Ado About Nothing" set in a high school sounds up your alley (and why wouldn't it be?), I can't recommend this book enough!
"I'd always assumed that I wasn't the kind of girl that anyone would stay up late thinking about. And here I was with a boy who was thinking about me. It just happened to be a boy whom I spent hours torturing."
2. Where the Crawdads Sing, Delia OwensThe most popular books that everyone's reading don't always turn out to be a win. This book, however, lived up to the hype. The story of Kya, her abandonment, her relationship with the environment, and the people who weave their way in and out of her life were at once heartbreaking, hopeful, and riveting. Add to that a deep, perplexing central mystery and you have exactly why this book has been flying off the shelves. Delia Owens is a breathtakingly talented author, and the fact that this is her first foray into fiction is almost unbelievable. I wanted to copy down line after line of her gorgeous writing so I wouldn't forget it. Get on the waiting list at the library as soon as you can, because reading this book is a must.
“She laughed for his sake, something she’d never done. Giving away another piece of herself just to have someone else.”
Wow. My heart. This BOOK. It's so well-written, so sweet, so tender, and yet completely unrelenting and heartbreaking. Park is the kind of guy you wish you'd known in high school. Eleanor is the kind of girl you wish you could just protect and take care of. The way Rainbow writes about these people, and the feelings they have (my goodness, the FEELINGS), you can't help but relate to them so strongly that you all but fall headfirst into the pages themselves a la Harry Potter in The Chamber of Secrets. Throughout the novel, the point of view switches from Park to Eleanor and back again, keeping you on your feet, and also giving insight into what's going on in each of their minds. Get your hands on a copy of this book and read it immediately. It's that good.
“You can be Han Solo. And I'll be Boba Fett. I'll cross the sky for you.”
Honorable Mention
Best. Movie. Year. Ever.: How 1999 Blew Up the Big Screen, Brian Raftery
Since You've Been Gone, Morgan Matson
We Were Liars, E. Lockhart
The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, Stuart Turton
Evvie Drake Starts Over, Linda Holmes
Stay Sexy and Don't Get Murdered, Karen Kilgariff & Georgia Hardstark
I Believe in a Thing Called Love, Maurene Goo
The Unexpected Everything, Morgan Matson
Fall and Rise: The Story of 9/11, Mitchell Zuckoff
God is Able, Priscilla Shirer
Murder on the Ballarat Train, Kerry Greenwood
At the beginning of the year, I set a pretty big goal for myself: to read 50 books in a year. I finished reading my 52nd book on New Years Eve, surprising myself in the process for managing to pull it off. Reading a book a week involved many trips to the library, constant perusal of Goodreads, and always carrying a book in my purse. Thankfully I really enjoyed most of the books I read, and only hated two. (Curious? Check out my full list.)
My Three Favorite Movies of 2019
3. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Spoilers ahead!
The first three quarters of The Rise of Skywalker were a blast. I enjoyed watching the interplay between Finn, Poe, and Rey, meeting new characters, and just being along for the adventure. I laughed a ton, loved the music, and was just overall thrilled that this movie was more in line with The Force Awakens, which I loved, than The Last Jedi, which I... did not. And then (spoilers ahead) Ben ran into the cave. (The lair. Whatever it was.) And everything that happened for the next 15 minutes? Holy moly. I felt absolutely electrified. I couldn't believe what I was seeing, and if you told me that I'd started levitating in my seat during these sequences, I WOULD BELIEVE YOU. Every time I thought it couldn't get better, IT DID. Man. I've seen this twice so far, and I can't wait to see it again. In summary, I leave you with just three words: Ben. Solo. Shrug.
2. Knives Out
From the moment the first trailer dropped, I was hooked. A whodunnit? With that cast? And Chris Evans wearing THAT sweater?? Sign. Me. Up. And this movie totally delivered! It had everything: twists. Turns. Jamie Lee Curtis in a pink power suit. I mean, what more could you want? There was no way to predict where this movie would go next, which made it all the more satisfying by the end. Also, I've just gotta say: this is a movie that rewards re-watches! I picked up several things the second time around that I'd missed the first. So go back and watch it again, and you'll see that the donut hole has a hole in its center, and it is not a donut hole at all but a smaller donut with its own hole...
1. The Peanut Butter Falcon
A man with Down's Syndrome escapes his care facility and ends up traveling down the coast of North Carolina with Shia LaBeouf. I know—it's not the log line you expect for the movie that beat Star Wars and the Avengers for the top spot on my list. But there's more to it than that, of course. There's joy, and there's sorrow. There's life. And somewhere around the time Zach told Tyler, "I'm gonna give you all my wishes for my birthday," my heart completely shattered. In the absolute best way, if that's possible. And by the end of the movie, as tears streamed down my face, my heart was whole again.
When people talk about the power of cinema, about what movies can do, this is what they're talking about. A movie that can scoop out your insides and replace them with glowing stardust. And a movie that knows that rule number one? Is party.
Honorable Mention: Avengers: Endgame, 1917, Little Women, Marriage Story, Late Night
My Three Favorite TV Shows of 2019
Favorite shows I started watching this year:
3. Fosse/Verdon
I can tell you in two words why Fosse/Verdon was so good: Michelle Williams. How about two more: Sam Rockwell. Oh, I can have four additional words? The Hamilton creative team (producer Lin-Manuel Miranda, choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler, director Tommy Kail). The wrenching story of lovers turned co-dependent, separated collaborators is so creatively, lovingly told, you just can't look away. Add in a cast of Broadway all stars (Norbert Leo Butz, Santino Fontana, Brandon Uranowitz, Laura Osnes) with a side of Michelle Williams' tears, and you've got a recipe for a truly outstanding TV show.
Stream it on Hulu
2. Derry Girls
Derry Girls is a gift. I'm so glad it exists in the world. Because the world absolutely needed a show about Catholic school girls navigating their lives in Northern Ireland at the height of the Troubles in the 90's. And it is ABSOLUTELY HILARIOUS. You'll be obsessed with these girls and their stories, and by the end of the second season you'll be right there with Cousin James, screaming, "I'M A DERRY GIRL!" It's on Netflix, so go look it up right now, because you're gonna love it. (Just be sure you watch it with subtitles—those Irish accents are no joke.) Sláinte!
Stream it on Netflix
1. Schitt's Creek
When I saw the first handful of episodes a year or two ago, I dismissed the show as not for me. "I mean I get it," I would tell people. "It's just not that funny to me." This summer I decided to give the show another try, and this time something clicked. The more I watched, the more I could see pieces of myself in each of the characters. The more I genuinely laughed at the brilliant writing. And as the series progressed, I found that each season was better than the last. Now I'm ALL IN, can't wait for the next season, and find myself taking on more and more of Annie Murphy's mannerisms. What can I say? I'm just a little bit Alexis.
Stream it on Netflix
Honorable Mention: In the Dark, The Other Two
My Three Favorite Events of 2019
3. Let's Go to the Movies
I (obviously) love movies, and a huge part of that is seeing them in the theater. This year I got to see an amazing amount of new releases, and it just made my heart so happy! A big reason I made it to the theater so often is due to my movie buddy who's as committed to keeping up with the cinemaverse as I am: Ellie Bennett. Of the 37 movies I saw in theaters this year (and up through this weekend), 24 of them were with Ellie. And that's on God, for blessing me with a fellow entertainment-obsessed friend.
2. Double New York
This past spring, Ellie moved to New York for a few months. And I got to visit her! We ate great food (especially at Valerie!), visited the Museum of Natural History, went rowing in Central Park, and of course saw some shows. In total I was able to take in five Broadway musicals (My Fair Lady, Tootsie, Be More Chill, Kiss Me Kate, and Mean Girls), placing me squarely atop cloud nine. It was an incredible trip, and I'm so grateful I got to go!
Then in July, Emily and I returned to the Big Apple together for our sixth time! Power outage aside, we had a fantastic time, saw some beautiful art, toured Ellis Island, and took hundreds of photos. And this trip's Broadway shows were all over-the-top exceptional: Frozen, Moulin Rouge!, and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Part 1 (we missed Part 2 thanks to the aforementioned power outage). But we're coming back for you, Harry! Stay tuned...
1. So Morby
a. Morbyfest 2019
This year, two of my grandparents turn 90 (!). And if that weren't enough they also hit another big milestone: 70 years (!) of marriage. To celebrate, my entire extended family descended on Crawford, Texas for a weekend of toasts, games, and laughing at each other. Press play for a small taste of our celebration weekend:
b. Galveston
The whole Morby/Ciminello clan returned to Galveston for another amazing family vacation this summer, and it was filled to the brim with golf cart rides, water balloons, sand sculptures, chocolate malts, crab-catching, and boat rides. There was a moment when David and I were fishing, Ginger and Dad were reading, and Mom and Clay were watching Norah and Lucia play in the pool, and I thought to myself, "This is how life should always be."
c. Christmas
I could tell you about our magical Christmas, but wouldn't you rather see for yourself? Check it out:
Here's to you, 2019! See y'all next year...
