Happy New Year! I hope you enjoy the holiday season, time off from work, and depending on where you live, the colder weather. December and the rest of the winter season means I can finally break out my scarf collection, so I look forward to the cold. I also look forward to December because it’s my time to reflect on the year. While I usually share favorite books, I thought I’d change things up for this month’s blog post because I enjoyed a lot more than just books in 2021. I traveled, I watched beautiful animations, I listened to new music, I went to the movie theater. Here’s my list of favorite things from the past year, relatively in order.
Home Town: My mom introduced me to Ben and Erin Napier on HGTV a few years ago, and their home renovations are, in my opinion, timeless and wonderful. I love neighborhoods, and Home Town focuses on living in small-town Laurel, Mississippi. A new season of the show aired this spring, and once again, Ben and Erin continue to amaze me with what they come up with. I think what sets Home Town apart from other HGTV and DIY tv shows is Ben’s woodworking prowess and Erin’s eye for charming Southern design. I find a lot of house-related shows and catalog designs to be cold and museum-like; every one of Ben and Erin’s home designs is cozy and warm, as if it already looks liked-in. While one day I’d love to have a custom craftsman or cottage to myself, I’ll continue to gain home inspiration from the Napiers on Home Town.
Twin Peaks: I’m not exactly sure how I got into Twin Peaks, but when I watched the first episode in May, I was hooked. I won’t even attempt to explain the plot because it’s a massive puzzle that continues to stump even this avid viewer, but I think that’s the appeal of this show. David Lynch, the co-creator of Twin Peaks, is known to be a surrealist in his filmmaking. He’s also an artist who favors abstraction and mixing beauty with the strange, contrasting good with evil. With all that in mind, I don’t think Twin Peaks is meant to be completely understood by viewers, yet I still think about it. I love the characters, particularly the suave yet bright-eyed Special Agent Dale Cooper. He may just be one of my favorite tv protagonists. I also love the worldbuilding and the realness of the town of Twin Peaks. Everyone has something to hide, and more mysteries and secrets unfold with each episode. Probably my favorite aspect of Twin Peaks is the weirdness. I don’t fully understand the concept of the Red Room, but I love it. The music, the setting, the darkness, even the humor, it’s everything I didn’t know I would long to revisit on rewatches. I think that sums up my Twin Peaks experience; it fascinates me, it confuses me, and I think it’s one of the most unique tv shows out there.
Southern Trips: I already talked a little about this in my June and August blog posts, but I’ll give a quick recap. This summer, I drove, flew, and road the train to different places around the southern US. I love traveling. I love exploring, I love seeing new places and getting new ideas for my writing and art. In late spring, I camped in Shenandoah National Park in central Virginia with my best friend followed by a day trip to our country’s newest national park, New River Gorge in West Virginia. I visited Abbie, my friend from grad school, in Austin, Texas in June. In July, my twin sister and I drove from her home in Charleston, South Carolina to my parents’ home in Bel Air, Maryland with stops in Greenvillle, South Carolina, Asheville, North Carolina, and of course my school in Roanoke, Virginia. I already have a few trips planned for 2022, and I can’t wait to explore more new places.
Bookstores: This goes back to my August blog and recap on southern trips, but I’ll reiterate all the great indie bookstores I went to this year: Blue Bicycle Books in Charleston, M. Judson Booksellers in Greenville, Malaprop’s Bookstore in Asheville, Old Fox Books and Coffeehouse in Annapolis, and The Ivy Bookshop in Baltimore. I love the atmosphere of mom-and-pop’s, and if I ever opened my own small-business, it’d be a bookstore. Please support local and buy from your nearest indie bookstore!
Merci Suáez series: Candlewick Press does not disappoint in their books and authors; they do represent my favorite author, Kate DiCamillo, after all. Meg Medina won the 2021 Margaret Wise Brown award at Hollins this summer, so I decided to familiarize myself with some of her books. I love middle grade and I enjoy slice of life stories, so Merci Suárez was the perfect match. Merci Suárez Changes Gears won the 2019 Newberry Medal, which it undoubtedly earned. In it and its sequel, Merci Suárez Can’t Dance, Florida middle schooler Merci struggles with her family and friends while maintaining a prestigious private school scholarship. The story is relatable and sweet, perfect for fans of the simple, everyday-life type of stories. I love reading books I can relate to, and between Merci balancing academics, soccer, and family/friendship dynamics, the twelve-year-old version of me sees herself in Medina’s protagonist. The Cuban-American Suárez clan is fully fleshed out, with no character going unnoticed even though the plots in both stories focus on Merci. Hopefully Meg Medina has more Merci stories up her stories, I’ll be patiently waiting to see Merci grow up.
As Told By Ginger: We’re about to enter the animated tv series territory of this blog post; for some reason, I consumed a fair share of animated shows in 2021. I’ve always loved the limitless creativity of cartoons: the colors, wacky character designs and settings, and ridiculous plots. The Nicktoon, As Told By Ginger, however, does not fit your typical high-energy-kids-cartoon mold. It’s another slice of life story; like Merci, it centers on a middle school girl, Ginger Foutley, who over the course of the series grows and eventually enters high school with her best friends, Dodie and Macie. Ginger was part of the animation studio Klasky Csupo’s early-2000’s domination of Nickelodeon. While I remember a few episodes airing on tv, I wasn’t old enough to appreciate the overall theme of how an individual becomes a young adult. Ginger dealt with a lot of problems that many girls can still relate to. The daughter of a single-mother, Ginger and her brother Carl navigate the Connecticut suburbs without a father for most of the show. The series wasn’t afraid to tackle tough issues that many kids have to go through. Characters die, people fight, relationships end, and there’s a latent sense of persevering through pain and disappointment. If you want to watch a cartoon that tackles adolescence while maintaining a semi-mature, not-too-outlandish tone, please give As Told By Ginger a watch.
Over the Garden Wall: My illustration classmates in undergrad would constantly gush about Over the Garden Wall, and five years later I finally decided to watch it on Hulu. Set during autumn, brothers Wirt and Greg are seeking a way out of an eerie forest in order to get back home. They traverse spooky towns and meet a series of wayward characters with unique stories of their own. The show initially aired as a mini series on Cartoon Network, and I think it’s perfect in this format. I don’t want to share too much about Over the Garden Wall because I went into it completely blind, which I think is the best way to view this marvel of a cartoon. I wonder if Twin Peaks inspired the show’s creators because conceptually, it seems like a kid-friendly version of David Lynch’s style of weirdness. I love the character design, the animation, the somber atmosphere surrounding the optimistic protagonists. Apparently, the creators were inspired by old New England photographs and vintage Halloween postcards when developing the cartoon’s aesthetic, and it’s evident in the character and setting design. Watching Over the Garden Wall with a mug of warm apple cider and a view of the yellow and orange trees outside my window in October was an experience I won’t soon forget.
Get Back documentary: I’m a huge Beatles fan, if you didn’t already know, and I adore director Peter Jackson and his vision for Lord of the Rings. Put the two together and you get this incredible documentary about the making of the final Beatles album, Let it Be. Like Lord of the Rings, it is long, that’s just part of Jackson’s trademark. I think it’s worth sitting through the hours of found footage to gain insightful glimpses into not just The Beatles themselves, but into the music-making process. There’s this incredible moment where Paul is strumming on his bass and he pulls “Get Back” out of thin air. It’s amazing, and I keep thinking about it. We get to see quiet moments, like when the guys talk about lunch, or when George helps Ringo write “Octopus’s Garden” when they’re in the studio early. Paul and John are songwriting legends, and I smiled every time they were caught on camera goofing off. Watching Jackson’s documentary in mid November was both an early birthday and Christmas present all wrapped in three introspective parts. Get Back is an opportunity to view the creative process in action, and it’s all the more magical because it’s with The Beatles and footage that hasn’t been seen by the public in over fifty years.
New Music: Of course I have to include what I’ve been listening to on repeat. Here are the new-ish songs I’ve been playing the most in 2021.
“Rose Pink Cadillac” by Dope Lemon
“Basement Tapes” by Semisonic
“Worry with You” by Sleater-Kinney
“Can’t Stop the Rain” by Neal Francis
“Down” by St. Vincent
“Love Love Love” by My Morning Jacket
“Mariner’s Apartment Complex” by Lana Del Ray
“Low” by Chet Faker
“Making a Fire” by Foo Fighters
“Hypotheticals” by Lake Street Drive
“Roots and Wings” by The Wallflowers
“ U and Me” by Alt-J
Maya and the Three: A beautifully animated masterpiece, Maya and the Three is a limited Netflix series set in ancient Mesoamerica. The titular heroine is both a princess and warrior of a grand civilization and she’s just so fun to root for. When vengeful gods threaten her family and home, Maya sets off on a quest to find three fighters destined to help her fulfill an old prophecy that will save her land. Some story points are cliché, but the richly animated characters and colorful world make up for any familiarities. I respect children’s books and animations for their possibilities, and when they’re done right, like in Maya and the Three, they remind me of the limitless power and beauty of story. Drawing inspiration from Mexican and other indigenous cultures of Central America, the series is loaded with plucky characters with vibrant personalities. Everyone shines, not one person is dull. I paused the show multiple times just to savor the gorgeous compositions in front of me. I recommend Maya and the Three to anyone who admires the art of animation mixed with authentic storytelling.
Spider Man: The last movie I saw in a theater was Spider Man: Far From Home with my older sister Rachel in the summer of 2019. I didn’t know the next movie-theater -movie I’d be seeing wouldn’t be for another two years, and ironically it would be the next Spider Man movie in the Marvel timeline. Spider Man: No Way Home reminded me of my love for movies and going to the theater in general. No Way Home came out near my birthday this year, so Rachel bought me a pair of tickets and I took my best friend Katie to see it the week before Christmas. I. Love. This. Movie. I have a lot of fond memories with Marvel movies in theaters. I remember watching The Avengers in 2012 with my high school friends only to see it again on a big screen with friends in college. In the early 2010s, I saw the second round of X-Men movies with my neighbor at our local theater. I still remember yelling in both Avengers Infinity War and Endgame, the latter I saw with a large group of friends on opening night in grad school (it was awesome, and I for one never yell in movie theaters). And No Way Home reminded me of the original Sam Raimi Spider Man trilogy. My family and I saw 2002’s Spider Man at a drive-in and in 2004, I watched Spider Man 2 with my extended family at Thanksgiving (also, I forgot how good Spider Man 2 was, and still is. It’s my favorite Spider Man movie to date.) I love this character because it’s my first blockbuster viewing experience. In 2002, I was seven and scared of the Green Goblin. At the end of 2021, I’m reliving those experiences because I’m still terrified of the Green Goblin, but I’ll never tire of seeing a fun movie in a theater with friends.