The new year is rapidly approaching, so I thought I would reflect on and share some of
my favourite things from this year, as well as some things I can’t wait for in 2024. I will be discussing books, music, and movies today, so let’s get into it!
Books:
- Good Material by Dolly Alderton
I love Dolly Alderton so much. I’ve read Everything I Know About Love, Ghosts, and Dear Dolly, and when she announced Good Material I was beyond excited. Well, safe to say it did not disappoint. This book constantly made me laugh, and Andy’s journey from self-pitying ex-boyfriend, to healthily-moving-on ex-boyfriend, was a joy to witness. The final chapter from Jen’s perspective was a great way to wrap up the book, and provided some valuable insight into her side of the story. Dolly is clever and wise, and her
commentary on the societal expectations women face to settle down, marry, and start a family, provides both comfort and reassurance to women of all ages. 6/5 stars for this book.
2. Happy Place by Emily Henry
Emily Henry is one of my auto-buy authors. I love her other books, and Happy Place was phenomenal. The characters felt so real, and it was heartbreaking to read about two characters who were obviously in love, but unable to be together. The book also had a heavy focus on friendship, and I found Harriet to be a wildly relatable character. Reading Happy Place was like reading about a group of friends trying to navigate their lives, as friends and as individuals. Life is messy, and that’s not something Emily Henry shies away from. Rather, she embraces it head-on, with gorgeous writing and characters that jump off the page.
3. Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood
Ali Hazelwood’s books are always easy reads, entertaining, funny, and romantic. At
first, I thought Love, Theoretically might be too similar to The Love Hypothesis with the fake dating trope. However I found it to be different enough that it didn’t remind me too much of The Love Hypothesis. One thing about Ali Hazelwood’s books I really enjoy is reading about women in STEM. Even though it’s fiction, I feel it provides a lot of insight into a world I don’t have much exposure to, and is very enlightening in some areas, such as the college experience for STEM students. I also really enjoyed reading Elsie’s character development. It was a lot of fun to see her grow into herself and become more confident, trying to break free of those people-pleasing tendencies.
Two of my most highly anticipated new releases for next year are Funny Story by Emily Henry, and The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo. I can’t wait to get my hands on them!
Music:
1. Something to Give Each Other by Troye Sivan
Every song on this album is impeccable and I can’t stop listening to it. My favourites
would have to be What’s the Time Where You Are, and How to Stay With You. It's an absolute showstopper of an album and I can’t get enough.
2. The Feeling of Falling Upwards by 5 Seconds of Summer
Recorded live from the Royal Albert Hall, this album was simply a blessing for my ears. There are great songs on this record, songs I didn’t get to hear at the Take My Hand tour last year. I love being able to hear the crowd singing in the background as well, and the band certainly know how to put on a show, even if I can’t see it.
3. GUTS by Olivia Rodrigo
I wasn’t the biggest fan of Sour, and I’m still not the biggest fan of the entire Guts album. However, it deserves a spot in my top three for the year because I cannot get enough of the songs I love. In order, my favourites are: All-American Bitch, Lacy, Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl, Get Him Back, Bad Idea Right? and Vampire, with a special mention for Teenage Dream. They are just too good.
For next year, I am so, so excited for Declan McKenna’s new album, What Happened to the Beach? I'm also hoping that Dua Lipa and Billie Eilish will release their new albums next year, and I’m crossing my fingers that there will be a new album announcement from Wallows, and more new releases from Conan Gray.
Movies:
1. Barbie
Need I say more?
2. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, and my jaw dropped at the cliffhanger! The
animation, the storyline, the multiverse, all of it is flawless. This movie is the height of cinema, and I believe it deserves even higher praise than that.
3. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
Besides Snow’s backstory, this movie was also a bit of a history lesson about the Hunger Games. It was fascinating to see how the 74th Hunger Games compares to the 10th, and to think that the Hunger Games were still developing and ‘finding their feet’ during Lucy Gray Baird’s time is incredibly disturbing. For the most part, Snow’s story is well-developed and fleshed out, and the story adds new layers, knowledge, and weight to the original saga.
My highly anticipated films for 2024 currently include Kung Fu Panda 4, Inside Out 2, and Despicable Me 4. There are plenty more must-watch movies scheduled for release in 2024, and it will be nice to see the film industry start to recover from the SAG-AFTRA strikes.
I could certainly keep going on about the things I’ve just mentioned, or even more things I loved from this year, but I will stop myself here. There is plenty to look forward to in the new year (including the Eras Tour!!), and I can’t wait to see what else 2024 will bring – and I can’t wait to write about all of it. Stay tuned!
