#62: Best reads (and watches) of 2021

It was a great year

Before I start, my heart goes out to my community in Colorado where rapid spreading wild fires have consumed homes and business and forced evacuations. Scary stuff and certainly not what I expected to be closely following this late in December.

I hope everyone has a Happy New Year! I’m grateful for a rich a community of book lovers.

It is my favorite time of year, a time when “BEST OF” lists abound!

I put this together in the hope that you will reply or comment with your favorite things of the year. I always love seeing what others enjoyed and getting recommendations.

BOOKS

Non-fiction

Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson – I read this early in the year and the impact hasn’t left me. It is truly inspiring and I consider it essential reading.

The Righteous Mind by Johnathan Haidt – Moral matrices, why we defend our political team, and how to have more productive discussions/debates. I haven’t fully healed my “partisan rage” but this book did help.

Know My Name by Chanel Miller – “BE THE SWEDES!” Not an easy read. The concept of victim blaming really frustrates me. But spending time with Chanel Miller and allowing her to tell her story was a powerful experience.

The Only Plane in the Sky by Garrett M. Groff – A powerful reminder to never forget the 9/11 attacks.

Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow – Such an impressive piece of writing. Chernow is a genius. Genius! This deserves a re-read with pencil and notebook in hand (I listened to a large portion of it).

Fiction

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy - I’d be remiss not to mention that I finished War and Peace with The Big Read! While I can’t say I loved the book, I can say that I’m glad I invested in The Big Read. Jeremy really knocked his weekly summaries and insights out of the park and the whole experience changed me. I recommend to anyone who’s been meaning to tackle War and Peace to join The Big Read next year.

The Lincoln Highway and Rules of Civility by Amor Towles – These books are why I love reading! They were such a joy and pleasure to experience.  

Leviathan Wakes by James SA Corey – Awesome work of sci-fi and a great start to a fun series. I’ve read the first 4 books and this one is still my favorite. I agonized over which fantasy/sci-fi series to start in 2021 and I couldn’t be happier with my choice.

The Queen’s Gambit by Walter Tevis – This is an example of a book and TV series enhancing each other and making the other better. The book gives a ton of Beth’s exciting inner dialogue and strategy while the show just looks so good with its sense of stylized time and place. I loved experiencing these around the same time.

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir – Pure nerd science entertainment! One of the most lovable characters of the year!

TV SHOWS

HBO

The Nevers – Sucks you in from the start and keeps you guessing. Episode 6 was a real head scratcher! The characters are complicated and lovable.

Hacks – Lots of laugh out loud moments. Characters are supremely flawed but hanging out with them somehow felt good?

Flight Attendant – A tangled mystery that is well paced and keeps you guessing – lots of fun surprises.

Tiger – One of my favorite documentaries this year. Very well done. May have shed a tear or two.

Hulu

Only Murders in the Building - I’m a big fan of Steve Martin & Martin Short. My love for them goes way back to my childhood. Seeing them doing their thing together was supremely enjoyable.

Netflix

The Queen’s Gambit – Beautiful to look at. Well-acted. I love this story and the reminder to not squash somebody’s gifts or underestimate people.  

Apple

Ted Lasso Season 2 – Amazing, glad the magic was maintained and with such a great set up for Season 3.

Movies

Spider-Man: No Way Home - My 2nd favorite Spider-Man movie after Into the Spider-verse. I loved the message, the comedy, the action, all of it.

Shang Chi – Such a fun movie that I wouldn’t mind watching again and again.

Dune – A masterpiece! Truly incredible. Sparked my interest in the book, which is saying something.

Pig (Hulu) – Might be my favorite movie of the year. Incredible acting and writing and a story that in only 90 minutes goes to unexpected places. Complex characters that are reserved at times and manic at times, tons of depth and nuance, I loved it.

Encanto – Can’t stop singing the songs! Beautiful message, can’t wait to see it again.

The Social Dilemma (Netflix) – Terrifying but important. I abandoned all social media only to come crawling back, so maybe it is time for a re-watch.

YouTube

Mark Rober - Not that he needs my endorsement (20M subs strong) but I’m surprised every time I discover an engineer friend at work who isn’t one of those 20M. His squirrel obstacle courses, glitter bombs, and elephant toothpastes get better every year.

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Let me know what you loved this year. Pray for lots of snow to put out the fires. 2022 here we come.

Kyle