Despite hundreds upon hundreds of books being published last year, I managed to only read one book that actually came out in 2024. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t read last year. As you can imagine, working at a library gives me access to more than enough books.
So, here are some of my favorites, starting with the one book I read published in 2024.
A collection of short stories, Tulathimutte peers into the lives of people that are clearly in pain and do bad things because of it. From a women’s rights advocate-turned-incel to a girl that can’t get over a one-night stand, these people suck, but you just can’t look away. It might not be your cup of tea, so I’d recommend checking out the first story The Feminist before you grab the whole collection.
With the leaves changing color and the recent end of Daylight Savings Time, it’s clear that fall is here. And with the changing seasons comes a gradual but noticeable shift in my mood. I feel a little more tired. A little more sun-deprived. And a little colder, of course!
Fortunately, this time of year is not all bad. With the help of music, it can provide a good chance for introspection and discoveries about ourselves. And if you want to go on that same journey, here’s some of my latest moody tunes that might help you too!
Comprised of Lucy Dacus, Phoebe Bridgers, and Julien Baker, each powerhouse of an artist came together as boygenius to create this award-winning album. From the frantic guitar strumming of “$20” to the slow-building, almost poppy sound of the widely-praised “Not Strong Enough”, it never feels like any of the individual members of this supergroup try to overpower each other, opting instead for a cohesive effort. It’s no wonder they won three Grammies in 2024!
Back when I lived in Milwaukee, I heard of this album thanks to 88Nine, the local radio station. Listening to this one makes me feel like I’m at a crossroads, thinking of all the things that could have been, what’s going on now, and what’s yet to happen. It’s very introspective, and what’s not more moody than some good self-reflection?
From Eau Claire, Justin Vernon of Bon Iver reflects on how his relationship with the world has changed since he became popular. While I initially disliked this album thanks to the naming system used for the tracks, I came to really enjoy it once I got over myself and gave it a listen. Plus, it even made me read more about Justin Vernon and helped me see I misjudged him — he’s not pretentious, he’s just a Midwestern guy who likes making music and never expected to get so big. Beyond the naming scheme, there’s some cool techniques used in this album. For example, on the first track “22 Over Soon”, Vernon and his sound engineer recorded the track onto a cassette tape that had its tape pulled out, crumpled up, and written on with marker. The end result is a song filled with random dropouts and distortion that add a surprising element to the listening experience.
I’m cheating here because Volcano Choir is another project from Justin Vernon, but it’s just too good I can’t not include it! Plus, not everyone knows about the band so I still think it’s worth sharing. While their other album Unmap is equally good, Repave is my fave simply because it’s the first album I listened to by them. It found me at a tough time in my teenage years, and since then it’s floated back in and out of my life, much like the waves on the cover. When I sit down and listen to the album, my mind is brought to the beach and I can picture myself sitting in the sand, listening to the lake, and hearing the rush of the water. And, for just a little while, I feel completely at peace.
I was originally going to pick Be the Cowboy, one of Mitski’s other albums, but my wife recommended choosing this album instead. And you know what? She was so right!
While the whole album itself is gorgeous, my favorite track is probably “My Love Mine All Mine”. In this song, we find Mitski asking the moon to take her love and shine it down on her loved one, even long after her passing.
Beautifully haunting and hypnotizing, with the power to choke you up, it’s no wonder TikTok latched onto this song and helped popularize it. The lyrics are also a very fall way of thinking when you have more time to sit inside, enjoy the slowing of events as we prepare for the impending winter, and think about all the great things that have happened and will continue to happen, regardless of who’s there.
Lately, I’ve been catching up on some old TV dramas by starting with one of the big classics: The Sopranos. It’s a great show, but if you know even just a tiny bit of the premise, you’ll know it’s not something you’d call relaxing. When I get home from a night shift, oftentimes the last thing I want to watch is some gangsters getting in each other’s faces and screaming and pointing fingers. So, instead, I go for a sitcom that will let me wind down for the night and let me shut my brain off for a little while getting some laughs in. Here are some of my recent favorites if you care to join me!
At Veridian Dynamics, things are done differently. But that’s not necessarily a good thing. From making weaponized pumpkins to killer robots, one has to ask how and why a company like Veridian is allowed to operate the way it does. But for Ted Crisp, the head of research and development, those questions and answers don’t matter much because work still needs to be done.
Working with the scientists there and other members of his team, they get into all sorts of messes, making each episode just as ridiculous as the last. One episode they’re dealing with a hair serum that makes hair grow too fast, resulting in Ted’s desk growing hair. In another, Ted and his scientists fight in an underground medieval fight club. You never know what you’re gonna watch, but you’ll be laughing at whatever trouble they get into next!
Recently, we welcomed a new addition to our house. His name is Juno, and he’s an adorable cat who’s added a lot to our lives.
Pictured: our sweet Juno 😸
Since then, I’ve found myself slowly becoming obsessed with anything related to cats. And because I work at a library, it’s only natural that one of the things I’ve been looking at are books on cats. Here are some of the more memorable ones I’ve found recently.
If you have ever watched My Cat From Hell, you know Jackson Galaxy, the musician by night/cat behaviorist by day. And, if not, first off you’re missing out on a good show. But more importantly, I’ll give you a quick summary: Jackson comes into homes where cats are acting like complete jerks. It could be they’re scratching up their owners. Or that they’re peeing outside of their litter box. Sometimes, it’s both of these things and more. But, no matter the issue, Jackson works on figuring out how to best help the owner(s) learn to change their cat’s behavior. The answer isn’t always the same, but he always brings peace to the home!
Jackson takes his decades of experience working with cats and crams it into this comprehensive book, sharing his tips and tricks on how to best take care of your cat. The book also explores how to create a space that allows your feline friend to have “Cat Mojo”, a confidence they get from feeling comfortable in their environment. It’s chock-full of information for both first-time cat owners and those who have grown up with cats like myself. Plus, the illustrations throughout the book are just so cute!
So, whether you skim it or read it from start to finish, you’ll surely learn something from this self-proclaimed Cat Daddy.
When I was a kid, I played a tooooon of video games. So many I usually became nocturnal during summer breaks. My dad, who usually woke up early for work at 4 am, would often find me in my room, playing my last couple hours of whatever game I had before I went to sleep for the day. I don’t know that I’d go back to having such a weird sleep schedule — it was awful every year reversing it when school was back — but I do miss having all that time to play some of my favorites.
And while I don’t have as much time to play some of the classics, there are luckily a lot of remakes, remasters, and sequels of some of my favorite games on the Nintendo Switch. So, even now I can pick up a game and feel the nostalgia as I relive bits and pieces of my childhood. Here are some of my latest favorites for you to enjoy — either for the first or second time.
A classic on the Game Boy, Link’s Awakening for the Switch has been given a major facelift while still keeping the gameplay and story it was originally known for. I had a blast revisiting this game and the cutesy art style only adds to the experience. The puzzles in this game are as hard as I remember them as a kid, so they may take some getting used to, especially if you haven’t played any of the original Zelda series. But if you stick with it, you’ll definitely think it’s worth the effort.
Some of my earliest memories of liking anime go back to high school when I was part of our anime & manga club. Me and a handful of other classmates would meet up once a month to awkwardly sit around a rickety wooden table in the cafeteria, united by our love for whatever new series we were into. There weren’t many of us, but I remember it being a nice space, especially for someone as introverted and shy as me.
If that club is still around, I’d like to think the number of attendees is much greater than it was then. Anime has become much more mainstream, I think in large part due to it being more accessible thanks to most streaming platforms carrying anime, but also thanks in part to programming blocks like Toonami that introduced the Western world to anime classics like Dragon Ball Z and Inuyasha.
There’s a ton more great anime out there as well! So, to celebrate AniMay, I thought I’d share some of my favorite anime, both old and new.
On Secret Agent Twilight’s next mission, he’s taxed with starting a family to avoid detection, all while keeping his mission a secret from the family. But the family he ends up building has secrets of their own. His wife’s an assassin, their adopted child’s a telepath, and their dog might even have a secret power. Part romantic-comedy, part action, this anime will make you laugh as each of the characters get to know each other, all while trying to keep their second lives hidden.
Every day I feel like I’m turning more and more into my dad. I sneeze obnoxiously loud like him. I’m starting to get some gray hairs. I even sit at the dinner table the same way he does after eating — with my arms crossed over my chest and a sleepy look on my face. I imagine one day I’ll just wake up and find I’m a mini version of him (I’m technically taller than him so maybe a slightly bigger version? I don’t know but you get what I mean!)
One of the more recent dad-isms I’ve developed has involved watching one of his favorite kinds of movies: martial arts films. While I haven’t quite gotten into mobster movies yet like him — a story for another time when I inevitably do — I have been really enjoying films that include martial arts. Mainly the more comedic ones, but some serious ones here and there. Here’s a small helping of some of my favorites so far.
To kick things off, I’m starting with Shaolin Soccer for one simple reason: it combines my dad’s love for martial arts movies with his lifelong passion for soccer, a sport he played seriously for many years growing up.
In this movie, Shaolin kung fu master Sing — played by director Stephen Chow — teams up with former soccer star “Golden Leg” Fung to challenge Team Evil to a game of soccer, using the power of martial arts to pull off some over-the-top stunts, score some goals, and share the powers of Shaolin kung fu with the world.
With some funny dialogue, a goofy plot, and over-the-top special effects, this engaging movie provides quite a few laughs from start to finish. I can see why this was one of my dad’s favorites now.
Recently, one of my favorite activities after a long week has been sitting down on the couch, cozying up with a nice cup of tea, and watching one of my favorite genres of movies; animated stop motion films. They’ve fascinated me since I was a kid and, even as an adult, still fill me with wonder. It’s amazing to see what can be done with figurines, voice actors, and hundreds upon thousands of photographs to produce motion out of something that was once still.
I think my love for them started back as a child with Gumby, a blocky green human-like bit of clay. I watched all of the adventures the green figurine and his sidekick pony Pokey got into, eagerly awaiting the next time I could see them on TV. And when I ran out of episodes to watch, I’d play with my Gumby and Pokey action figures, making up new stories for them as I imagined what new trouble they could get into.
So, it’s no wonder these kind of films have become a favorite of mine these days. In short: if you’ve never experienced the joy of watching animated stop-motion films, you’re missing out. But if you’re looking to get started, have no fear! Below is a list of six classics to get you started:
Mr. and Mrs. Fox live a happy home life underground with their eccentric son Ash. Mr. Fox works as a journalist, but against the advice of Badger, his attorney, he moves his family into a larger and finer home inside a tree on a hill. The treehouse has an excellent view of the nearby farms of Boggis, Bunce, and Bean. Ash becomes hostile when his cousin, Kristofferson, joins the family for an extended stay. Mr. Fox decides to raid the farms, but this leads the farmers to stakeout the treehouse. The farmers try to dig the Fox family out, but they dig even faster. Mr. Fox organizes a tunneling project to burrow under all three farms and steal all the chickens, ducks, geese and turkeys.
It’s ‘veggie-mania’ in Wallace and Gromit’s neighborhood. The two enterprising friends are cashing in with their humane pest-control outfit, “Anti-Pesto.” With only days to go before the annual Giant Vegetable Competition they find that their business is booming. They come to find out that running a “humane” pest control outfit can have its drawbacks. Suddenly, a large and mysterious veg-ravaging “beast” begins attacking the town’s sacred vegetable plots at night. The competition hostess, Lady Tottington, commissions Anti-Pesto to catch the beast and save the day. But Victor Quartermaine would rather shoot the beast and secure the position of local hero – not to mention Lady Tottingon’s hand in marriage.
Jack Skellington is the King of Halloween. He becomes bored with the same routine every year. He decides to take a walk in the woods. There, he discovered a door leading to Christmastown and decides to spread Christmas joy to the world. When he is back in Halloweentown he shows his friends what Christmas is like, and he suggests doing Christmas this year instead. But things do not go as planned when Oogie Boogie, an evil gambling boogey man, plots to play a game with Santa Claus’ life and creates a nightmare for all the good little boys and girls everywhere. Although Sally attempts to stop him, Jack embarks into the sky on a coffin-like sled pulled by skeletal reindeer.
While the chickens on Mrs. Tweedy’s farm dream of a better life, a clever hen named Ginger is hatching plans to fly the coop for good. The only problem is, chickens can’t fly, or can they? Every escape attempt goes fowl until Rocky, a smooth-talking All-American rooster, crash lands in the coop. It’s hardly poultry in motion when Rocky attempts to teach Ginger and her fine feathered friends to fly, but, with teamwork, determination, and a little bit of cluck, the fearless flock plots one last daring attempt in a spectacular bid for freedom.
A young girl walks through a secret door that she has found in her new home and discovers an alternate version of her life. On the surface, this parallel reality is eerily similar to her real life, but much better. When her adventure turns dangerous, and her counterfeit parents, including the Other Mother, try to keep her forever, Coraline must count on her resourcefulness, determination, and bravery to get back home – and save her family.
A boy must use his special powers to save his town from a centuries-old curse. In addition to spooky zombies, he’ll also have to take on unpredictable ghosts, wily witches, and, worst of all, clueless grown-ups. But this young ghoul whisperer will soon find his paranormal activities pushed to their otherworldly limits.
As the new year quickly approaches, you’re probably looking forward to all of the exciting things you’ve planned to ring in the new year. That could be traveling, eating good food, seeing friends, or even just sitting from the comfort of your own home while watching the ball drop. Whatever it may be, you’re probably also thinking of a new year’s resolution for once the celebrating is over.
And if you picked running as your goal for the new year, you may feel a mixture of excitement and anxiety. Starting can seem like a daunting task, after all — as someone who got into running a little over a year ago, I can relate. There’s a lot of questions that come up in the beginning. How far should I run? What should I wear? And how do I stop chafing so much? (All questions I’ve asked myself)
Since I’ve started, I’ve learned a lot about the joys of running and come across many books on the subject. And today, I’d like to share some of my favorites with you. They cover a range of topics like how to get started, why to get started, and how to keep going, all while offering some helpful tips that runners of all levels can appreciate:
Ten years ago, Martinus Evans got some stern advice from his doctor: “Lose weight or die.” First defensive, but then defiant, Evans vowed that day to run a marathon, though his doctor thought he was crazy. Since then, Evans has run eight marathons and hundreds of other distances in his 300-something body, created his own devoted running community, and has been featured on the cover of Runner’s World.
This book is a blueprint for those who may not fit the image of a “traditional” runner – that is, someone who is larger in size, less athletic, out of shape, or dealing with any kind of health issue that slows them down – to feel empowered to lace up their shoes and embrace the body they have right now.
You may have noticed it, but lately there’s been a chill in the air. The days are getting shorter. The nights longer. And every morning it seems like there’s more and more pumpkins and skeletons cropping up in people’s yards.
That can mean only one thing: It’s spooky season.
And with spooky season comes one of my favorite pastimes: cozying up inside with a hot cup of decaf Earl Grey tea, ready to read a new thriller. Inevitably, this almost always keeps me up at night, my head on my pillow with wide eyes, worrying about all the imaginary monsters that lurk in the dark.
It’s a bad habit, especially for someone who is a scaredy cat. But I can’t help it, especially when the book keeps me at the edge of my seat (and bed, apparently.) And if you have the same issue as me — or are just plain fearless — and are looking for your next thriller, here are a couple you can try:
Dawn Schiff is strange. At least, everyone at work thinks so. She never says the right thing. She has no friends. And she is always at her desk at precisely 8:45 a.m.
So when Dawn doesn’t show up to the office one morning, her coworker Natalie Farrell-beautiful, popular, top sales rep five years running-is surprised. Then she receives an unsettling, anonymous phone call that changes everything…
Now, Natalie is irrevocably tied to Dawn as she finds herself caught in a twisted game of cat and mouse that leaves her wondering: who’s the real victim? But one thing is incredibly clear: somebody hated Dawn Schiff. Enough to kill.
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