Five Star Books. I suffer terribly from both recency bias and an inability to remember when, exactly, events occur, and between those two things and the volume of books I read every year, I rarely can answer what were your favourite reads this year without referring to a detailed spreadsheet. For example, before I wrote this I would have said the absolute BEST books I read this year were Long Island Compromise and Margo’s Got Money Troubles, both of which I read in November, and the soon-to-be-reviewed The Girls From Corona Del Mar, which I read this week. But I had so many other five-star reads this year: Tom Lake, Games and Rituals, The Rachel Incident, Commonwealth, My Last Innocent Year, The Whispers, Happiness Falls, Sandwich, The Menopause Manifesto, Peacocks of Instagram, Leaving, Come and Get It, Summer Romance, A History of Burning. I realize that it’s only December 13 (hey, it’s Friday the 13th!) and there could still be some five-stars coming my way, but last year I wrote a similar post on December 8 and then only had one: How To Love The World: Poems of Gratitude and Hope. It gets a mention here because I missed out on it last year.
Five Star Re-Reads. I love re-reading old favourites, some of which have been read many times before. Sometimes I pick up these books because I don’t have any library books on the docket, sometimes I pick them up because I just read a string of bad library books and need a literary palate cleanser, and sometimes I just want the comfort of knowing I’m reading something that is going to be great. My five-star re-reads this year were Cat’s Eye, The Friend, Open Secrets, Early Morning Riser, Diary of a Provincial Lady, Amy and Isabelle, and Too Much Happiness.
Five Star Music. It is so exciting when Spotify Wrapped comes out; I love to see what I’ve listened to over the year, and to hear what other people have been musically obsessed with. My top artist has been the same for a few years: Aretha Franklin. I am, apparently, in the top 0.1% of listeners who also think that Aretha is the Queen. I wasn’t surprised to see that, and I wasn’t surprised that Whitney Houston was in the number two spot – also a queen, but with a lower-case q and with sadness about the disease of addiction – and that Alicia Keys and TLC were in the number three and four spots. Queens, all of them. I was, however, a bit surprised by my number five.
One of these things is not like the others! Well, I guess he was the King, and that goes with my musical royalty theme.
As for the top songs, well, my list was a surprise.
I would like to note that Dog and Butterfly moved from number one in 2023, and that I am in the top 0.01% of global listeners when it came to Linda Ronstadt’s Ooh Baby Baby. Either no one else plays that song, or I play it a lot, or both.
Five Star Podcasts. I subscribe to many, many podcasts, and I enjoy them all for different reasons. However, I would like to talk about the ones that I get extremely excited about, and desperately want to listen to immediately when new episodes air. The first is Were You Raised By Wolves, an etiquette podcast that brings nothing but delight and joy to my day. You may think that modern etiquette is a pretty dull theme for a podcast, and you would be in concert with my husband and sons, who think that my listening habits border on the insane. But it’s honestly so much fun, and the hosts have wonderful chemistry. I always learn something new and interesting, like it’s bad etiquette to pass the salt without the pepper. Who knew?
The second is Bad On Paper, a podcast about reading and writing. The hosts are in their thirties, and also have wildly different reading tastes from me. This was made evident when, on the rabid recommendation of one of the hosts, I read The Idea Of You, which was possibly one of the worst books I have ever consumed. But I do love listening to them. They do episodes on Obscure Erotica around Valentine’s Day, which is how I ended up reading Unhinged and Squeak, two absolutely insane books, one about a woman having sex with a sentient door, and the other involving balloon animals. They just released a Holiday Obscure Erotica episode, and I’m not saying I’m going to read Santa Claus Is Going To Town On Me. But I’m not NOT saying that, either.
I also love listening to The Girls Next Door, which I think I heard about from Stephany (HI STEPHANY). Truthfully, I tried to listen to them about a year ago and I turned them off in irritation. I just could not! I think that Stephany eventually wore me down with her enthusiasm. On her recommendation, I downloaded a very specific episode which I cannot for the life of me remember, earlier this year, and I was hooked from that moment on. It’s just a lovely little podcast full of friendship and fun; they just released an “80s Kid Christmas” episode and as someone born in 1975, I was here for that kind of nostalgia.
Do you like food? Do you like cooking? Do you like the general demeanor and energy level of the SNL skit Shweddy Balls? Then you’ll love Cookbook Club, where they soothingly discuss recipes they make from a specific cookbook, a different one every episode, alternated with cooking topics. If you ever want to hear a debate about whether white sprinkles belong in rainbow sprinkles, and if not, how to make your own custom rainbow sprinkle mix, then this is the podcast for you!
I prefer to listen to smaller, independent podcasts, but I need to tell you about a big exception: Heather McMahon’s Absolutely Not podcast. I have had to stop walking to bend over, put my hands on my knees, and make donkey-like wheezing sounds from laughing so much while Rex looks at me with concern. Possibly I shouldn’t listen to her on our walks.
Five Star Travel. If 2023 was the year of upheaval and change, 2024 has been the year for travel. In January we went to Mexico, in March to Las Vegas. In April and May we were in Ontario and Quebec, only to come home, turn around, and road trip to see my parents in Alberta. In August I went on a road trip with my parents from their place to southeast Saskatchewan for a family reunion, while my husband and older son were on their own road trip to Tuktoyaktuk, and we went for another road trip to Alberta in October for my dad’s 75th birthday. After that, we spent three weeks in Italy! All of our trips were wonderful in different ways, and I swear it’s not recency bias, but Italy was a very special trip of a lifetime.
The world is so big and interesting, there are so many places to go, there are so many books to read and things to listen to. I love hearing what other people also love, whether it be books or music or podcasts or travel. So let me know, my five-star friends, what you’ve loved this year. Tell me everything. xo
I will do my best of books list later this month. It was a very good year for reading! I am about to finish a 5 star book I think you would like – Blue Sisters. It’s about 3 sisters who are reeling after the sudden death of their 20-something sister. It’s very heart breaking and very well written. But so so sad. Lots of talk of addiction and drug use, too.
You had an epic year for travel! I am glad you guys are fully enjoying your retirement years! I look forward to this stage of life in about 10 years!
I also love GND. Before I had kids, I identified more with Kelsey. Post-kids I am solidly an Erica. But I like both hosts and enjoy their banter.
I’ve heard some buzz about Blue Sisters. How bad is the drug use? I’m usually not one for too graphic descriptions, wait, neither are you! Okay, if you say so I’m putting it on the list! I don’t mind a sad book but I get squirrelly when it comes to graphic drug descriptions.
I enjoy GND and their chemistry so much!
I would say the drug use is not graphic and is mostly in the background. The sisters all deal with addiction in some way, shape or form. There are references to lines of coke occasionally but nothing in your face. I gave it 5 stars!
All right! I put it on hold! I shall report back.
Cookbook Club sounds right up my alley! I have 4 hours of driving today so it just jumped on my listens list. One thing I loved this year was my public library and how it feels like a burst of joy when my holds come in. Just a burst of joy!
Oh the library is SUCH a gift to our lives! Love it. I hope you love Cookbook Club! Each episode is only about thirty minutes which is kind of nice, I think.
Yes to Girl Next Door!!! I also heard about them from Stephany. It also took me an episode or two to warm up to the hosts, but now I LOVE them! And the recent 80s Christmas episode was hilarious. Based on your recommendation, I’m going to try Absolutely Not. And, learning from my GND experience, I’ll give it a couple episodes before I make up my mind.
I’m usually way out of sync with most people’s musical tastes, so I was excited to see a song I recognize on your top 5- Linger! I used to love that song! I should listen to it again.
That photo of Rex… his paws… they’re huge!!!
Yay for Stephany, the podcast influencer. When I first listened to them I think Maeve was a baby or toddler and I just thought “NO THANK YOU” as I was going through, um, a stage of transition? But then I tried again and loved them. I love Heather McMahon’s sense of humour and I prefer her episodes that don’t have a guest, it’s like listening to an hour comedy special every week. There was a recent one about Thanksgiving that had me laughing so hard I couldn’t move.
I love your Spotify top five. I am actually not a huge listener of female bands, and aside from the King, yours are all ladies!! I don’t listen to no ladies, but I would guess that my top five are probably a solid mix. Actually I just looked it up and my top artists are Eminem, Metallica, Black Eyed Peas, STP and Imagine Dragons. However, I think this is a bit biased, as I was offline for much of the time and I am not sure if that counted, but even if it did, I mostly listened to my Pick Me Up Playlist, which was only comprised of a few hundred songs and most of them were gifted to me, so it would not really represent my style. Also if it was only when I was online, that would only be the first couple of months of the year and was probably just one of those super mixes, not anything that I picked myself. However, that is what it says. My top books will be out soon!
I’m with you on your top artists, except Metallica. I think there’s maybe one song I like, or two? But I think the Wrapped works with number of minutes listened, and it doesn’t matter if you’re offline or not I THINK. I’m not sure, but I’m offline a lot and just listen to downloaded pods/ playlists. I just think it’s fascinating. Like, I don’t THINK I listen to Oooh Baby Baby that much, but apparently I’m wrong!
I think we have similar taste in books and podcasts, some of your favourite books are also some of my favourites I have read in the last couple years (Tom Lake, A History of Burning, the Rachel incident, summer romance, Margo’s got money problems). I also read early morning riser this year and enjoyed it a lot (maybe on your recommendation? Can’t remember). I also love the GND podcast and have been listening to it for years.
A couple other favourite podcasts of mine you might like: Nobody’s Listening, right? (This is a husband and wife duo just chatting about random things, it is very much banter but I love them and laugh so hard). Also if you like book recommendation podcasts I love: From the Front Porch and Currently Reading
I did recommend Early Morning Riser! It’s a gem of a book. We definitely have a lot in common!
I tried to listen to Nobody’s Listening Right a few years ago and something about it didn’t click with me, but you know what, I’m going to try again. Elizabeth was a guest on another podcast and I idly wondered if I should try again, and now with your recommendation…well, I’m going to go download an episode!
My fave book this year was Standard Deviation by Katherine Heiny. My fave song was Lost in Space by Foster the People and my fave podcast is Danny Pelligrino’s Everything Iconic because he does the best Real Housewives recaps.
Standard Deviation is such a great book, I love it so much. Katherine Heiny can do no wrong, in my opinion. I’ve loved everything she’s written.
You know what, I have never seen a Real Housewives and now it feels like too overwhelming a prospect because there are so many franchises and characters. I loved Carole Radziwill’s memoir, though, and I know she was/ is one.
I don’t think I have the bandwidth to come up with my own favorites, but I have Sandwich on my Christmas list. And you know how I love Cat’s Eye.
I like that four queens and a king juxtaposition.
Oh I absolutely loved Sandwich!
I thought of you while I was reading Cat’s Eye. I would have loved to have taken your class in it!
Elvis!!!! Long Island Compromise is on my own bests list… I loved The Bee Sting as well, The Giver, The Great Believers, and The Husbands. I also finished a reread of Sophie Hannah’s Zailer and Waterhouse mysteries and loved them all again.
Very much looking forward to your review of the obscure holiday erotica lol.
I loved the Bee Sting but I checked – I gave it a 4.5 star rating in my spreadsheet. I wonder what knocked off that 0.5? I read The Great Believers in 2020 and that was before I gave things rating on my spreadsheet, but I remember really liking it. It was about the AIDS crisis, right? I have The Husbands on my list although it doesn’t sound like exactly my jam, it is interesting enough of a premise to get me intrigued. I will report back!
My problem with The Bee Sting was that everything seemed to be tied up in too neat a bow. Like, I could see the mechanics behind the plot, almost? But it was really good nonetheless!
I don’t know if I would assign five whole stars to The Husbands, but it was fun and compelling and I liked how it all turned out. My husband just read it and kept asking me, as he was reading, “Is there… more to this?” So perhaps keep that in mind as you read.
Hmmm maybe that’s what I didn’t like, too! I seem to remember that now that you mention it.
I’m like you with the recency bias (great term!) and I have to look back to see what on earth I’ve read or listened to! I will tell you my 5 favorite audiobooks of 2024: The Great Hippopotamus Hotel by Alexander McCall Smith, A Farewell to Arfs by Spencer Quinn, An Assassination on the Agenda by T.E. Kinsey, The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley, and True Biz by Sara Novic. I’m currently listening to The Perils of Lady Catherine DeBourgh by Claudia Grey and so it’s my current favorite! I’m really enjoying it! I’m also like you in that I enjoy re-reading to “cleanse my palate!” I love your lists, and that Linda Ronstad and Elvis are on them!
THE PERILS OF LADY CATHERINE DEBOURGH WHAT IS THAT? Is that a riff on Pride and Prejudice? Must look that up immediately.
The Authenticity Project was so lovely! I loved the grandma character.
My top five artists were country ladies – Taylor Swift, Tanya Tucker, Pam Tillis, and Trisha Yearwood- and a random appearance by Billy Joel. Am I big Billy Joel fan and didn’t realize it? My top five songs were all country songs from the 90s and a Bobby Vee song from when my mom was six. Whatever. Spotify doesn’t capture my true #1 of Garth Brooks.
I’ve had 18 5-star reads so far this year and EIGHT of them are from November or December, so I think my recency bias about favorite books is legit.
Everyone is a big Billy Joel fan. Some of us know it and others haven’t realized it yet.
I love Billy Joel!
I love that you’re such a Garth Brooks fan! All the ladies you mention, I never know their songs unless I hear them and someone tells me who it is. Yes, even Taylor! Unless that song is Shake It Off, then I know it’s her.
18 five star reads is so great!
So many goods books. I will save them in my notes to explore them slowly. When do you read Nicole? you read so much!!!
I haven’t heard many of the podcasts you included, but I love podcasts/blogs that talk about books, although I will never finish reading them.
Hi Coco, I usually carve out some time to read in the late afternoon and evening, or sometimes while I’m eating lunch!
My brain is too fried to come up with any favorites – other than your delightful blog at the moment.
Oh you’re so sweet, thanks Gigi!
Forever 35 is a favourite from your recommended podcasts and I also enjoy Let’s talk off Camera with Kelly Ripa for celeb interviews. There are so many to choose from! I also wanted to note the PC Optimum recently did a yearly round up and I feel like you would be interested in this, given our mutual feelings that all we do is food shop. Was your most purchased items bananas? The food I am apparently most like is a banana! I will need to go back and check out my books – I feel like there have been some real duds this year and I need to search out the 5 stars. 🙂
Oh Anna, I didn’t know about the roundup until you said! I just looked and I’m an avocado! I wonder what the metrics are here?
Forever 35 is so good! I wasn’t sure how they would do without Kate but Elise has been lovely!
I love that nearly all of your top five artists are women.
I really want to get into podcasts. Mike listens to them on the road when he travels for work. I love the idea of listening to them on a walk.
My walks are often slow and full of stops so that Rex can sniff, and I find listening to a podcast makes me much more patient for this pace!
Ooh Baby Baby – I have never heard this song IN MY LIFE until just this moment.
Our top artist (and I say this collectively because the whole family shares an account) was Taylor Swift.
We listened to 41,986 minutes (top 7%). We played 2,033 songs this year…and our top song was Don’t Blame Me by Taylor Swift. That is 100% Belle!
#2 was Ice, Ice Baby. Ha. That was Indy, though both kids know all the words and love it!!!
I’m pretty sure I don’t know the Linda Ronstadt song…maybe if I listened to it I would, I grew up with her in the background a bit. Such a beautiful voice.
Your trip to Italy looked SO AMAZING, that would indeed be a trip of a lifetime, no matter of whether it is recent or not.