Reflecting on the fact that the only contribution I made to
this blog over the past year was an award eligibility post last week made me
feel like a bit of a cad so here you go, one more post for 2024. Despite the
fact that this year included more than the usual amount of terrible shit around
the world, it did present some quality stuff worth recognizing and wishing for
more in 2025. This post is about those good things – the stories, films, and
shows I enjoyed and/or added to my wish list this holiday season.
I read a baker’s dozen of books this year. Many of you
probably read more than that, but with a rewarding, full-time career in
software, a wife, three kids, a cat, and all the scribblings I jot down with
whatever writing instrument is close at hand, 13 is all I managed. Of those,
three stand out as exceptional though all were published before the year began.
Caliban’s War is Book 2 in James S.A.
Corey’s Expanse series. It’s just as good as the first and even better than the
television series it spawned. Book 3 is at the top of my list this year and I
highly recommend this series to any science fiction fans that haven’t
discovered it yet. The Nighthouse Keeper
is Book 2 in author Lora Senf’s Blight Harbor trilogy. While it might be geared
toward middle-grade readers, this decidedly older-than-early-teen reader
enjoyed it just as much as her debut The
Clackity and you can bet her follow-up The
Loneliest Place is on my list for 2025. Finally, after almost 20 years I
got around to reading The Girl with the
Dragon Tattoo by the late Stieg Larsson. No wonder it became such as
worldwide sensation. Great book.
I tend to be a pretty harsh critic of films and television
shows. I’ve rated almost 2000 of them on IMDb and have given just six a perfect
10 of 10 and 23 a score of 9 of 10. Nothing released this year reached those
lofty scores in my book, but I did rate three things an 8. Dune: Part Two is the type of movie that demands a cinema
experience. I saw it in IMAX and it blew me away. I can nitpick about the
script in places, but the cinematography is amazing. My Christmas List
definitely includes director Denis Villeneuve’s planned follow-up Dune: Messiah. I also loved The Wild Robot. The book it’s based on
is geared toward young readers, but the movie will pull at the heartstrings of
every parent who sees it. I hope more animation studios strive to produce this
level of storytelling in 2025. The Apple TV+ series Slow Horses released Season 4 this year and it was every bit as
good as Seasons 1-3. For my money, it’s the best thing on the small screen
right now. Two more seasons are planned and I can’t wait.
Other stuff slated for the end of this year and 2025 that you’ll
find on my list include director Robert Eggers’ remake of Nosferatu, the
upcoming final installment of the Tom Cruise film series Mission: Impossible
– The Final Reckoning, author Lora Senf’s upcoming young adult novel The
Losting Fountain, and Thomas Ha’s first collection of short stories, Uncertain
Sons and Other Stories.
All told, I’ve got plenty to be thankful for and more than
enough to be excited about. I hope the gifts found under and the loved ones
found sitting ‘round your tree this season bring you peace and happiness. I
look forward to sharing more words and work with you in 2025!
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