Best of 2018
2018 was a whirlwind. The first half of the year I was traveling around Europe, and the second half I was back at Ohio State drowning in essays. That’s why I haven’t written in a while! I’m glad to be back, though, and hope to actually keep a consistent writing schedule here during the next semester.
To sum up my year, I’ve compiled “best of” lists of all the stuff I’ve been watching, reading, and listening to. And please, bother me to borrow any of the books on the list, because I’d love to share. Enjoy!
best of TV
It was a good year for TV, even if the final Game of Thrones season hasn’t come out yet. Most of the shows/seasons on this list aired in 2018, except for New Girl and Brooklyn Nine-Nine — those are my thirty-minute, mind-numbing comedy binges I watch after class during the semester — but I included them in the list because I watched them this year.
10. Ozark, season 1-2 (Netflix)
9. Portlandia, season 8 (Netflix)
8. Queer Eye, seasons 1-2 (Netflix)
7. Sharp Objects, season 1 (HBO)
6. Westworld, season 2 (HBO)
5. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, seasons 1-2 (Amazon)
4. New Girl, seasons 1-6 (Netflix/Hulu)
3. Brooklyn Nine-Nine, seasons 1-5 (Hulu)
2. The Man in the High Castle, season 3 (Amazon)
1. Maniac, limited series (Netflix)
Emma Stone and Jonah Hill are so enthralling in this show about two strangers, Annie and Owen, who meet in a late stage drug trial designed by the emotionally disturbed Dr. Mantleray (played by the amazing Justin Theroux). The colors are neon and 80s-ish, and the vibes are like a Black Mirror episode except with much more heart.
best of BOOKS
Most of the books on this list did not come out in 2018, since I don’t read only new books. Three of my favorites — Saturday, Exit West, and White Teeth — I read in a British lit class in London, because they are ahhhmazzingg books all about different things but all revolving around London. But I would highly recommend every book on this list!
10. Saturday by Ian McEwan (2003, fiction)
9. How Everything Became War and the Military Became Everything by Rosa Brooks (2016, nonfiction)
8. Exit West by Mohsin Hamid (2017, fiction)
7. War on Peace by Ronan Farrow (2018, nonfiction)
6. White Teeth by Zadie Smith (2000, fiction)
5. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari (2011, nonfiction)
4. Becoming by Michelle Obama (2018, nonfiction memoir)
3. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng (2018, fiction)
2. They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us by Hanif Abdurraqib (2017, nonfiction essay)
Hanif Abdurraqib is a music critic and poet who hails from Columbus. I met him last semester when he came to talk to my Literary Publishing class — both in his writing and real life, Abdurraqib is poignant, introspective, and uncovers profound truths through very specific personal experiences. This book, published by Columbus Indie press Two Dollar Radio (and became an overnight success in 2017), is a collection of poetic essays about life and the black experience through relationships with music, among other things. I hardly have the musical repertoire than Abdurraqib does, but I still feel like I’m there alongside him, through dozens of Fall Out Boy concerts or by standing at Michael Brown’s memorial in Ferguson, reading some graffiti that says, “They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us.”
1.Educated by Tara Westover (2018, nonfiction memoir)
Similar to The Glass Castle, author Tara Westover details her transition from survivalist childhood to mainstream adulthood. Westover grew up in a Mormon fundamentalist family in Idaho. Her family doesn’t believe in modern medicine or formal education, and much of Tara’s life is plagued by abuse and manipulation. This memoir explores her quest to receive a formal education and write history for herself, but at the sacrifice of her family. This book is a gripping must-read about the power of education to self-identity.
best of MOVIES
My movie year wasn’t as good as my TV year, as it has gone for the past few years. There are a few movies I still haven’t seen all the ones I wanted to, like A Star is Born or BlacKkKlansman or A Quiet Place, so this list probably isn’t as comprehensive as it could be. But I loved Eighth Grade. It almost made me want to be 14 again. Almost.
10. Black Panther
9. Ready Player One
8. RBG
7. Bohemian Rhapsody
6. Love, Simon
5. The Incredibles II
4. Crazy Rich Asians
3. Isle of Dogs
2. The Hate U Give
1. Eighth Grade
There are so few movies that tell the story of girlhood. Almost every movie my ten-year-old brother watches are about the missteps and father relationships and brotherhoods that is boyhood, but hardly any tell stories of girlish awkwardness in its fullness. There is an audience for these movies, even amongst boys (who can easily relate to the middle school shit), and I left the theater thinking about Eighth Grade for weeks. This movie is funny, sensitive, and appropriate to this generation.
best of PODCASTS
3. Pod Save America
Dubbed “a no-bullshit conversation about politics,” Pod Save America is a podcast hosted by former Obama speechwriters Jon Favreau and Jon Lovett, former Obama communications advisor Dan Pfeiffer, and political commentator Tommy Vietor. They give a rundown on the week’s news and makes you feel a little less helpless about it all. Also, check out Jon Favreau’s new limited podcast The Wilderness, about how Democrats can finally build a winning majority that lasts.
2. Women Who Travel
I started listening to this podcast last Christmas (it started in December 2017) before I left for London. I was craving a community of women travelers to learn about all the unique obstacles and victories women go through to fulfill our wanderlust. This podcast is hosted by two female editors of Condé Nast Traveler, Meredith Carey and Lale Arikoglu. They cover everything from solo travel to women travel authors to biking the silk road. “Are you a woman? Do you know a woman? Congrats — this podcast is for you.”
1.Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard
I’m a fan of actor Dax Shepard from his Parenthood days (one of my favorite tv shows), and his witty candor is so enjoyable to listen to. He interviews celebrities and friends about their life and work, as well as experts about a topic that interests him. His co-host, Monica Padman, is also a joy. She facilitates a “fact check” at the end to correct all of the wild generalizations and random “facts” that Dax throws out during the show. I never get tired of Dax’s genuine interest in his guests and his knack for being a fantastic interviewer.
best of TRAVEL DESTINATIONS
6. Kiawah Island and Charleston, South Carolina (July 2018)
5. Athens and Santorini, Greece (March 2018)
4. Amsterdam, The Netherlands (February 2018)
3. Copenhagen, Denmark (May 2018)
2. Highlands of Scotland (April 2018)
1.London, England (January-May 2018)
One week from now at this time last year, I was on a plane so I could spend five months in London. I was jittery and excited, but nothing could’ve prepared me for how incredible and mind-blowing that experience turned out to be. I visited 12 countries, traveled alone, and reminded myself every day about how lucky I was. Out of all the places I traveled, though, London became my home. Sure, millions of people call it home, too, but I really did feel like I carved out a slice of it all for myself. I could not have spent my 2018 in a more magical spot of the world, cultivating a worldly curiosity I’ve developed since childhood. 2019 will certainly bring new adventures, as I begin life outside the ivory tower and can no longer cling to my safe walls of academia. If you’re still interested in my life at my last semester at OSU and beyond, I’d love if you kept following along here with me.
Happy New Year!!!
NOTE: This blog claims no credit for any of the images used here, besides my own in the “best of travel destinations” section. The the images on this site are the property of their respective studios, creators, and authors. If there’s an image appearing on this blog you wish to be taken down, please email me at anderson.2940@osu.edu and it will be removed.
