With the year winding down, I’ve put together a sprawling list of books, movies, TV shows, and podcasts I’ve read-listened to-watched-loved-cried to-laughed at, etc. over the last twelve months. Reading, watching, and listening are focus tools for me in this very noisy world—to concentrate on someone else’s storytelling, expressed creativity, observation, wisdom, and reflection are both a release and bring joy to my everyday. (As a bonus, my fave destinations for a solo food treat with a book.)
This will be my last newsletter for the year, so whether you’ve been a reader-for-a-while, or are new here, thanks for stopping by and even better — I hope you’ll say “hey” in the comments and shout out a book-movie-show-recipe-restaurant, etc. you also loved this year. I’ve always kept this newsletter free and plan to do so for the foreseeable future, but I do get affiliate revenue off book purchases from Bookshop.org if you’re looking to treat yourself with a book to cozy up with in the next few weeks.
Standout Books
Hope by Andrew Ridker
The Means by Any Fusselman
Free Food for Millionaires by Min Jin Lee
Yellowface by RF Kuang
Last Night at the Lobster by Stewart O’Nan
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews
The New Life by Tom Crewe
Roman Stories by Jhumpa Lahiri
Everything Else I Read (not including the thousands of books I read to my children):
Run Towards the Danger by Sarah Polley, All This Could be Different by Sarah Thankam Matthews, The Furrows by Namwali Serpell, Museum of Rain by Dave Eggers (short story), Dinosaurs by Lydia Millet, Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout, Natural History by Andrea Barrett, Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid, Breast and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami, Beyond Birds & Bees by Bonnie Rough, Big Swiss by Jen Beagin, We Dont Know What We’re Doing by Thomas Morris, You have a Friend in 10A by Maggie Shipstead, Brown Girls by Daphne Palasi Andreades, Biting the Hand: Growing up Asian in Black and White America by Julia Lee, Savage Park by Amy Fusselman, We Are Too Many by Hannah Pittard, The Guest by Emma Cline, Daddy by Emma Cline, Directions to Myself by Heidi Julavits, The Light Room: On Art and Care by Kate Zambreno, Momfluenced by Sara Louise Petersen, The Cost of Living by Deborah Levy, Foster by Claire Keegan, The Vulnerables by Sigrid Nunez, My Work by Olga Ravn
Favorite Movies
Past Lives: I waited so long to see this much lauded story of two childhood friends who reconnect many years after their initial bond and it did not disappoint. I loved Greta Lee, the quietness and fierceness of the film, the longing, the color palette, and the music. So beautifully done.
Still by Michael J. Fox: an inventive biographical documentary by Michael J. Fox looking back at his career, and his life with Parkinson’s. Fox is charismatic, energetic, and determined, all of which shine through in this cleverly edited combination of archival footage, interviews, and documentary coverage. What could feel sad—a story about a movie star with an incurable illness—is in fact, quite hopeful and uplifting.
In the Mood for Love: Got access to the Criterion Collection and watched Wong Kar Wai’s romantic drama set in 1960s Hong Kong. Masterful suspense and cinematography. (Read: The Era-Defining Aesthetic of “In The Mood for Love” in The New Yorker)
May December: Todd Haynes’ latest with Natalie Portman as an actress who comes to observe Julianne Moore, a woman who scandalously seduced a teen as a married woman. It’s a quarter century after the initial scandal, but lies, deception, and performance continue to swirl around the two women and Moore’s husband, played by a terrific Charles Melton.
Other Movies I Watched (+ many with kids):
Glass Onion, Matilda the Musical, Sharp Stick, The Menu, White Noise, Banshees of Inisherin, Los Reyes del Mundo, Women Talking, Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths, The Swimmers, All That Breathes, Le Pupille, Anais in Love, Things to Come, Petite Solange, The Donut King, A Star is Born, Showing Up, Closer, Judy Blume Forever, Air, Asteroid City, Spirited Away, Return to Seoul, Barbie, The Deepest Breath, Happiness for Beginners, Ladybird, Bama Rush, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Kicking & Screaming, Red, White & Royal Blue, Weekend, Oppenheimer, Lost in Translation, Always Be My Maybe, Fire Island, We don’t Live Here Anymore, Love at First Sight, The Daytrippers, Fair Play, Bottoms, Joy Ride, Priscilla, The Old Man and the Pool, The Boy and the Heron
Incredible TV
Fellow Travelers: The depth, pain, and yearning between Matt Bomer and Jonathan Bailey on this show—which is a love story set across four decades beginning during the McCarthy Era “Lavender Scare",” is the on-screen romance of the year. The Daily Beast describes the show as “gorgeous, devastating, and cathartic,” and I 100% agree.
The Curse (still watching): This show starring Nathan Fielder and Emma Stone as aspiring reality TV personalities trying to make their imprint on the world by gentrifying a southwest town through passive homes, is fodder for endless discussion on performance within performance, self-narrative, second-guessing, co-opting cultural signifiers, and all kinds of ways we deceive ourselves into thinking what we’re helping. This show is actively uncomfortable to watch and will make you squirm. Co-created by Fielder, Stone, and Benny Safdie. (Read: The Curse review — this exquisitely cringe-worthy show is like nothing else on TV)
Beef: I think about the styling of the house that Joseph Lee (George) and Ali Wong (Amy) lived in all the time, and also how great his sweaters were. Appreciated a predominantly Asian cast that showed a much more dimensional experience of being children of immigrants while not making this the central theme of the whole story.
The Bear, Season 2: I love the originality of this show—the fact that they don’t hold themselves to a standard episode structure, are willing to be inventive with both camera movement and format. Also love the standout performances by Ayo Edibiri and Jeremy Allen White (despite his questionable actual life choices).
Succession, Season 4: I didn’t really get into Succession until everyone else in the world was on Season 3, but rode the rollercoaster of Season 4 and consumed every meme available. The quippy sound bites, the harsh and unflattering lighting, and the utter ruthlessness of characters are exquisite.
Dave, Season 3: A neurotic guy from the suburbs named Dave is convinced he’s one of the greatest rappers of all time. This show has a wild list of celebrity guest appearances (from Bieber to Doja Cat to Kendall Jenner to Brad Pitt) that are used to remarkable effect in very mic drop fashion.
Other TV I watched:
Love & Anarchy, Emily in Paris seasons 1,2,3, Call my Agent, seasons 1,2,3,4, Shrinking, Break Point, Maestro in Blue, Ted Lasso Season 3, Wellmania, Tiny Beautiful Things, Queen Charlotte, The Diplomat, Never Have I Ever Season 4, Platonic, Tour de France Unchained, The Idol (didn’t finish), The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 2, Heartstopper Seasons 1 & 2, Telemarketer$, How To With John Wilson Season 3, Great British Bakeoff Season 11, Deadloch, Lupin Season 3, The Morning Show season 1 + 2, Beckham
My favorite podcasts:
On Being: Krista Tippett is a rare voice of spirituality interrogated and think she can hold an interview truly like no other. Standout eps: this recent convo with Nick Cave (musician), with poet Ada Limon, and with writer / poet Ocean Vuong.
Talk Easy: The best-researched long-form interviews out there. Host Sam Fragoso’s eagerness and youth are sometimes to his disadvantage but he makes up for it by going deeper than anyone else out there. Love the eps with Joel Meyerowitz, Zadie Smith, Min Jin Lee. He has a truly A-list archive.
Classy with Jonathan Menjivar (the whole season): An interrogation of class from the clothes we wear to the food we eat to the ways we hide and perform class, both knowingly and unknowingly.
Death Sex & Money: Moving convos hosted by Anna Sale with lesser-heard voices. Loved this convo with a long-time NYC mover, and this one with trans musician Beverly Glenn-Copeland.
The Ezra Klein Show: Not sure when this man sleeps but always appreciate his very thoughtful approach. Kudos to the entire team that makes this level of conversation possible.
Makes Sense with friends and writer-artists, Chanel Miller and Karen Chee: A new podcast on how we experience the world through our senses. Listen in order or jump to TASTE with Priya Krishna and HEARING with Hrishikesh Hirway.
Normal Gossip: My go-to brain-needs-a-break podcast. Love the farmers’ market episode with Samin Nosrat, and The Chair Saga with Hannah Giorgis.
Poured Over (Barnes & Noble book podcast): This is somewhat unexpectedly my favorite book podcast b/c the host is great and legit knows her stuff, but is also very good at driving a conversation that doesn’t require you to have read the book to enjoy it.
Time Sensitive: A range of beautiful convos about time and art and creation and space and aging.
Time to Say Goodbye: Loosely about Asia, Asian America, politics, culture, power, and more. Insightful and Jay Caspian Kang will always give it to you straight.
All the best baked goods to treat yourself to:
The Miso Almond cookies at Takahachi Bakery when you happen to be near FiDi and need a perfect little sweet thing.
La Cabra in Soho or the East Village. Extremely good and very classy coffee, cardamom buns, and croissants.
Otway Bakery never disappoints, from the pistachio rhubarb danish to the sesame kouign amann. Take a loaf of their excellent bread home too.
The smoked salmon sandwich with pickled onions, cream cheese, and dill on Radio Bakery’s house made everything spice focaccia is among my top single meals of the year.
The seasonal scones at Poppy’s are my go-to for coffee and a pastry with a friend and it’s hard to find a scone in this town that is better. I have tried!
The best places to have a solo lunch with a book or to write:
Companion Cafe for the mycelium toast or the quesadillas, with the tastiest beans, pico and house made hot sauce. The ginger lemonade is perfect.
Rice & Miso for the best bento boxes with tuna rice balls and the freshest miso soup.
Acre in Greenpoint, for the other best bento boxes. The salmon is exquisite and I’ve often sat here for hours after with a book.
Los Tacos No. 1 for a quick, standing meal that hits all the notes. Don’t sleep on the sauces and the radishes. Get everything on the tacos and corn tortillas forever.
Court Street Grocers for the anchovy sandwich, the sleeper hit off a menu full of hits.
Wishing you a healthy, peaceful, restful holiday. See you in 2024.
You always have such great recos, I've just made a big list of new poddles to listen to. Happy New year! Also somewhere n these newsletters you recommended magic markers for kiddies, and these were a BIG Christmas hit with my niece <3
I always enjoy reading your roundups. Thank you for taking the time to list and comment on things that moved you. My favorite reads of the year were The Uses of Enchantment by Bruno Bettelheim and A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles.