2020 Favorites: Media

Today, I’m here to talk about my favorite books, movies, TV shows, and music I watched, listened to, or read in 2020. Usually, I break this post down into various parts, but the year is 2020 and it’s going to be a little different.

Books...

With the pandemic going the way it is—as well as how nerve-wracking the election was—I read fewer books this year. However, the ones I did pick up were mostly good. I’m just going to list them here since I already did dedicated posts for them, and for short stories check the Short Story label. 

Nonfiction

• Floriography by Jessica Roux 
• The Radium Girls by Kate Moore
• The Hidden Life of Ice by Marco Tedesco
• The Eternal City by Jessica Maier

Fiction & Manga

• Dragon's Bait by Vivian Vande Velde
• God's of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
• Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
• The Forgotten Girl by India Hill Brown
• The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert
• The Night Country by Melissa Albert
• Deal With the Devil by Kit Rocha
• Axiom's End by Lindsay Ellis
• Haunted Heroine by Sarah Kuhn
• Midnight at the Barclay Hotel by Fleur Bradly
• Silver In the Wood by Emily Tesh

• Ghost Squad by Clairbel A. Ortega
• All Systems Red by Martha Wells
• Fangs by Sarah Anderson
• Unbirthday by Liz Braswell
• The Case Study of Vanitas volume #1 , #2 ,  #3 ,  #4 , and #5 by Jun Mochizuki
• Heiress for Hire by Madeline Hunter
• Come Tumbling Down by Seanan McGuire
• The Bright and Breaking Sea by Chloe Neill
• The Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P. Djeli Clarke
• Artificial Condition by Martha Wells 
• I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett 
• The Sister's of Straygarden Place by Hayley Chewins

Movies & TV Shows...

It doesn’t feel like I’ve watched anything new this year, but I know I have. Earlier in the year, I talked about watching Labyrinth (1986) for the first time. (I Watched Labyrinth (1986))  I also revisited movies like Stardust, Total Recall, and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. 

In the last three months of 2020, I started watching holiday-themed shows. I enjoyed the usual classics when I caught them on TV, as well as the various baking competitions that aired on Food Network.

One series that was my absolute favorite was Over the Garden Wall. It took a while for me to watch this one, but I’m so glad I did. It was the perfect way to get into fall, as the show has a very autumnal aesthetic with the perfect amount of heartwarming feels and quirky spookiness. 

I watched a number of movies on Netflix around this time as well. For Halloween, my favorites were A Babysitter’s Guide to Monster Hunting and Vampires VS the Bronx. And for Christmas, Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Story was the clear winner here. It was hands down one of the best musicals I watched in 2020. I also watched Christmas on the Square with Dolly Parton and Dance Dreams: Hot Chocolate Nutcracker, a documentary involving Debbie Allen and her dance students. 

Podcasts

My list of podcasts hasn’t changed. I mainly listened to Print Run, Our Opinions Are Correct, and Fangirl Happy Hour.

 

Music... 

And last but certainly not least, music. I listened to a lot of great albums and EPs this year. I did try to step out of my comfort zone and find new artists to add to my playlist, and I did accomplish that.

• I Listened to Treat Myself by Meghan Trainor
• I Listened to Where Are You? by Abi Ocia
• I Listened to Ungodly Hour by Chloe X Halle
• I Listened to Jaguar by Victoria Monet
• I Listened to Cape God by Allie X and Where Does the Devil Hide by Zella Day
• I Listened to Shadow Works by Kerli
• I Listened to Super Sunset by Allie X
• I Listened to Death Stranding Timefall

Two Mixtapes I did not get to do a post for this year was Tkay Maidza’s Last Year Was Weird Vol.1 and Vol.2. I did mention them on a Music Monday post, but they needed to be mentioned again and with a little more details. Last Year Was Weird Vol. 1 and Vol.2 were probably two of the best mixtapes I listened to in 2020. The sound and lyrics of every song was done so well, and I often find myself wanting to listen to them again and on repeat. They're memorable and give a smooth R& B vibe with a number of catchy rap flows. There’s going to be a Last Year Was Weird Vol.3, and I’m looking forward to when that gets released.

Adri: I'm here to tack on some of my favorite music that I have been listening to. I didn't do any post for these (some of them I mentioned for Music Monday), but I am listing it anyway. This year, I gravitated toward more metal artist, like Ocean's of Slumber, I Prevail, and Tetrarch. I discovered a lot of past albums from the likes of Grace Jones, Mythos, and Samantha James. And, of course, have been enjoying recent releases from various artist. Anyway, here's my full list in no particular order. (Sorry in advance for the long list...)

• Earthgang - Mirrorland
• RL Grime - Sable Valley Summer Vol. 1 (Compilation)
• Lone - Not Seeing Is A Flower (EP); Cluster Dreams (EP) Lone x KETTAMA
• Grace Jones - Muse; Hurricane/Dub
• Samantha James - Subconscious; Rise
• The Airborne Toxic Event - Hollywood Park
• Disclosure - Energy (Deluxe)
• Mythos - The Reality Of A Dreamer
• Stephen Rhodes - Perfume
• Tetrarch - Freak
• Bree Runaway - 2000AND4EVA
• Oceans of Slumber - Oceans of Slumber; The Banished Heart; Winter
• I Prevail -Trauma
• Swing Out Sister - It's Better To Travel (Deluxe Edition)
• Thunder Cat -It Is What It Is; Apocalypse

Songs

• Oceans of Slumber - Strange Fruit; Kashmir
• WOODKID - Goliath
• The Spiritual Machines - Sleepwalk; Moon of Honey; Dancing in the Streets; Flood it all
• Les Friction - The End of the Beginning
• Tetrarch - I'm Not Right
• Lion Babe - Umi Says; Hot in Herre
• Cookiee Kawaii -Vibe
• Moonchild Sanelly - Bashiri
• Bree Runaway - Gucci (Feat. Maliibu Miitch)
• Lil Nas X - Holiday

So that was all my favorite media from 2020. What movies, shows, music, books, or podcasts brought you joy in 2020?