2023 favorites in review.

The annual roundup! Such a fun post to write, as it’s entirely about joy – songs and movies and moments that have made me happy throughout the year. JOY 2023:

Favorite book:

20 books last year! A bit short of my goal of 24 books, but still a good mix of poetry, non-fiction, memoir, and fiction.

Favorite book of all was A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman. This one has been on my list to read for several years and I’m so glad I picked it up! Sweet and funny and sad – all the feels. I love a book that can make me both chuckle and cry in the space of a few pages.

Favorite non-fiction was You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith, because it was such an artful blend of memoir and poetry, so rich with metaphors that have stuck with me since I picked it up. We are indeed all nesting dolls, carrying many versions of ourselves as we go through life.

Favorite TV show:

Ok, I know 2023 saw the series finale of Succession and I know The Bear is brilliant, but dang it – I LOVED watching Survivor Seasons 44 and 45 with Shane and Juliette last year. Drama and suspense and excitement and oh, we love a good blindside. So fun for the three of us to tune in together each week.

Favorite movie:

Barbie! I didn’t mind so much when Shane drew the long straw and got to take Juliette to see this in the theater while I stayed home with Isaac, but then he came home all bright-eyed, calling it one of the best movies he’d seen in the last few years, and my interest was piqued. We streamed this at home for family movie night as soon as it was available, and I concur with Shane. Such a smart, funny film, cloaked in plastic and pink. And that beautiful memory montage at the end with the Billie Eilish song! More tears.

Favorite podcast:

I’m in a podcast funk and grasping at straws here, but Armchair Expert became my fallback when I was looking for an easy listen and I do give credit to Monica and Dax for giving one hell of an interview. Jon Batiste! Trevor Noah! And that hour with Gabor Mate – so good.

Favorite song:

OK, I could easily wax poetic about Taylor Swift again, but I’m going to going to break the mold on this one and give a shout-out to Fast Car by Luke Combs. I KNOW. But there’s a piece of nostalgia here, as I remember the Tracy Chapman version from the 90’s and this country-fied version does something for me. Juliette loves it, too, and as the two of us were cruising around together right before the holidays, running our final gift-getting errands, this song came up on our Music station and we crooned together and it was a moment.

Favorite purchase:

Previous favorite purchases have been a new car, or a new house, or new eyeballs (that Lasik was worth every penny!), and I’m feeling like it’s time to consider what it is I’ve loved that didn’t cost thousands of dollars… I reach for this necklace nearly every morning as I’m getting dressed. I purchased it as a birthday gift to myself when in Paris with Juliette, and I rub this gold disc between thumb and forefinger and remember that best week with my best girl, our strolls through the Marais where we’d stop for a Coke and Spritz on a whim, or a gelato if we wanted an extra treat. Memory in French is Souvenir, and what a lovely souvenir this has been.

Favorite personal pastime:

I joined Juliette in her Duolingo French lessons after we booked our trip to Paris, knowing I was in major need of a refresher, and I’m hooked. I love this app, love the way it makes a game out of learning. I particularly appreciate that it’s given me a way to more productively use my time when I’m on the bus and find myself with antsy phone fingers. Down with Instagram! Vive la Francais.

Favorite family pastime:

This one feels a little tough – we do a lot of tag-team parenting these days and I love watching old Gilmore Girls or Parenthood episodes with Juliette, love taking Isaac for neighborhood walks in search of simple treasures, but the four of us? I’m coming up short! Family game night is a ways away, and we have yet to brave tent camping with Isaac, but how about our family dinners? They’re not necessarily always a ball, but we all sit around the table together for six or seven nights a week to share a meal. That’s no small feat, with work and sports and a toddler that comes home from daycare at 4:30pm hangry as all get-out. But we’re showing up for each other and more nights than not, there’s laughter over Isaac’s goofy facial expressions or excitement over whatever feat Juliette accomplished at school that day. I’m proud of us.