The Best Of A Bad Year

By Beck

It is THE LAST DAY! I am so excited!

And that excitement has made me feel unexpectedly generous towards the old year. There were, I am thinking now, many nice things in it, and it would be nice to remember them briefly before blowing one final raspberry at 2009 and, as The Queen suggested, forgetting all about it. So here we go: my personal Best Of list for 2009:

The Best Books I Read This Year

I seriously read a TON of books this year, but can I remember any of them now that I’m putting myself on the spot? No, I cannot. I can think of a lot of terrible books, of course. Okay, making an effort:

1. The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters.

A slow-moving Gothic tale that is, ultimately, one of the eeriest things I’ve ever read.

2. The Gentle Art of Domesticity by Jane Brocket.

Not a how-to book but a soothing celebration of the creative joys of the domestic life and a wonderfully comforting read.

3. NutureShock by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman

Everything you think you know about parenting is wrong! Hilariously, terribly wrong! Why nuturing fathers raise aggressive kids, why Arthur is more dangerous than Ninja Turtles, why praising your child can be catastrophic and why it is a terrible idea to presume that your children think the same way you do.

4. Peter Reinhart’s Artisan Breads Every Day: Fast and Easy Recipes for World-Class Breads

I would say something gloomy about becoming someone who is interested in reading about slow-rise fermentation methods, but I ALWAYS was like this. ALWAYS. A fantastic book.

My Favorite Albums Or Possibly Just Songs From This Year

I don’t buy CDs anymore. Who does? I read someplace that vinyl sales are rising quickly and CD sales are falling even quicker and the two were nearly matched last year, which made me giggle in an unpleasant sort of way, in a way that suggested that CDs had personally affronted me at some time.

1. Church Music – David Crowder*Band

The whole album! I love it. My husband does not, but I do not care.

2. One Wing – Wilco

Probably my soundtrack song from this crappy, crappy year.

3. Middle Cyclone – Neko Case

The whole album! Also, if I ever made a record – which won’t happen – I would want it to have THAT cover.

4. Beware – Bonnie Prince Billy

Gloomly enjoyable neo-country.

5. Animals in the Dark – William Elliott Whitmore

My HUSBAND’S favorite album of the year.

My Favorite Movies of the Year

Honestly, I am really tired of movies. I dunno if it was the repeated viewings of the Chipmunks movie – UGGGH – that did it to me, but it turns out that I now find TV more interesting. So I’m going to say that my favorite movie this year was the new Star Trek movie and also WHOO HOO! The new Captain Kirk is cute!

My Favorite TV Shows Of The Year

1) Fringe

2) Parks and Recreation

3) 30 Rock

I could go. TV! And I will.

My Favorite KIDS’ Shows From The Past Year

1. Phineas and Ferb

Funny, clever and very strange.

2. iCarly

I’ve written before about how much fun this show is, and it still holds true. Also, that Freddy is QUITE the girl.

3. Toopy and Binoo

Trippy weirdness.

4. Little Bear

Forever and ever my favorite.

Okay, enough from ME. What was YOUR favorite stuff from this past rotten old year?

22 Responses to The Best Of A Bad Year
  1. patois
    December 31, 2009 | 4:49 pm

    Seriously? One of my all-time favorites from this past year? Your Halloween stories. Yeah, I’m a suck-up. But they were really good, too.

  2. Nowheymama
    December 31, 2009 | 4:55 pm

    Now I’m all intrigued by NurtureShock. Hmmn….

    I can’t count how many times we’ve seen the Phineas and Ferb Christmas special.

    Here’s to a great new year!

  3. edj
    December 31, 2009 | 5:23 pm

    Yeah I dunno. Guess it wasn’t a totally horrible year. I was looking through some old blog posts, thinking to do a year in review, and there were some good times.
    I read Expecting Adam and it was really good, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I still don’t know what I think of it. I also enjoyed Olive Kitteridge and The Help, just like everybody else. And Unless. And Hamlet.
    I didn’t see any new TV shows. I live overseas and I don’t have satellite TV.
    Same with music, except for U2’s latest 🙂
    NurtureShock sounds totally intriguing! I want to read it!

  4. Alison
    December 31, 2009 | 5:39 pm

    Great list. I saw NurtureShock at the library the other day and wondered if it was worth reading.

    I never correct other bloggers, but I must tell you that Freddy is the boy on iCarly. Did you mean Sam? She’s hilarious.

  5. Minnesotamom
    December 31, 2009 | 6:02 pm

    Ooh! Books! I was just making a “to read” list. I’ll add #2 and #4 to it. Any other recommendations? Feel free to email me! I wouldn’t mind adding some fiction to my list.

  6. Nicole
    December 31, 2009 | 9:49 pm

    30 Rock is the best show ever, and I just started watching Parks and Recreation and it may just be the next best show ever. So funny.

  7. Sue
    January 1, 2010 | 1:35 am

    I’m with you. This year TOTALLY sucked. Not a fan. Unfollow. Unfriend. Deleted from Reader. Technorati score of Negative million hundred.

    I love Phineas and Ferb. If I were a kid I think it would frustrate me though, in the same way that it used to stress me out that nobody ever believed Big Bird about Snuffy. Poor Candace. Love Dr Evil and his daughter. Good stuff.

  8. Susanne
    January 1, 2010 | 1:47 pm

    I loved the Star Trek movie too. And once was definitely enough of the Chipmunk movie for me. I don’t know what my favorites were. I’d have to sit and think. It seemed like an incredibly long year.

  9. erin
    January 4, 2010 | 10:19 am

    I’m going to check out some of those books you mentioned–I need a new read or two (or three!). Farewell, crappy 2009!

  10. Heidi Ashworth
    January 4, 2010 | 5:00 pm

    I agree, I couldn’t wait to wipe the dust of this year off my feet. We have very similar TV tastes (I was really worried about who the movie Captain Kirk would be but wasn’t he just great?)

  11. Leeann
    January 10, 2010 | 1:46 am

    I lurk, but don’t comment. I had to break my silence, however, to tell you that you have great taste in music!:) And ditto to 30 Rock. Here’s hoping that the new year is better than the last year has been for you.

    PS. I’m not even a parent, but I thoroughly enjoy this blog in general.

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