Denee’s Favorite Things
As iconic and undeniable as Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music, the favorite things list calls to me. I love to read yearly round-ups of the things that bring people joy, and that they find valuable enough to share. My media intake has definitely gone down since I entered the world of parenthood, but I still found some gems this year that I wanted to document.
TV Shows
In 2022 I came to terms with the fact that I’m pretty bad at watching TV shows. Most of my viewing time is spent on sports. I only finished a few shows or seasons of shows this year, but somehow most of them turned out to be exceptional.
Yellowjackets
The first season of this Showtime show is unlike anything I’ve ever watched before. It is set in the 90’s and follows a high school soccer team whose plane crashes on their way to the National Championships. The girls find themselves lost in the Canadian wilderness trying to survive. Things turn weird and mysterious, and we see the aftermath through adult version of the girls who are trying to keep their secrets from the wilderness safe.
Severance
Do you ever wish you could totally cut off your work life from your personal life? Well, maybe don’t. Severance on AppleTV+ is about a group of workers who have severed the two parts of their life. The plot is propulsive, the characters are memorable, and the whole thing has a really distinct look. One of the few shows Ben and I truly binged, and we can’t wait for more.
The Bear
I had no idea that working in an Italian beef shop could be so intense. There’s a lot of humor and a lot of yelling in the day-to-day of The Original Beef of Chicagoland, but there’s also a bigger story about grief. And yes, it has me yelling “YES, CHEF!” at Ben anytime we are in the kitchen together.
Yellowstone
The bulk of our TV watching hours this year have been spent on the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch. It is a far from perfect show, but it’s also a beauty to watch and a fun escape. Throughout the year we managed to watched all of the previous season in order to catch up with the one currently airing.
Albums
Sometimes I fear my music taste aren’t as “cool” as they once were, but most of the time I just don’t care. Taylor Swift was once again my top artist on Spotify. I spent most of the year with her whole catalogue. I really like “Midnights,” but it came too late in the year for me to feel like I can list it as a favorite of the year.
Palomino by Miranda Lambert
Miranda Lambert doesn’t miss. Ever since she her 2016 masterpiece “The Weight of These Wings,” she’s been on another level. “Palomino” is a travel log for anyone with a wandering spirit. I would list a couple of favorite tracks here, except I would end up listing over half the album.
Harry’s House by Harry Styles
Without a doubt, our summer soundtrack. These songs will always remind me of trips to the pool, packing up and moving houses, and Riley dancing around our living room full of boxes.
SUBJECT TO CHANGE by Kelsea Ballerini
I’ve been a Kelsea fan for a while, but I don’t think I’ve loved any of her albums top to bottom like I do this one. I think we are close in age, which makes sense because so much of the record is about accepting a life that doesn’t necessarily look the way you expected.
Books
Finally, my bread and butter category. Books. Have I ever mentioned online that I love reading books? I read one more than my goal of 45 books this year, which feels great. I’ve kept my reading goal around the same number for a few years now, because that feels like a sweet spot for me. You can see all of the books I read this year at @bowers_bookshelf on Instagram, but here are four that stood out.
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
This is a such a buzzy book and I don’t want to overhype it, but this is probably my favorite book I read this year. It’s about friendship set in the world of video game design. I loved the characters and the writing is great.
Bomb Shelter by Mary Laura Philpott
This is a memoir in essays that takes place around the time when Philpott’s son has a significant health event. She proceeds to untangle and examine all of the anxieties and joys of motherhood with such care. I laughed and cried. I will definitely read again, and go back to read Philpott’s first book. Also, bonus points for getting to buy it at Philpott’s home bookstore, Parnassus in Nashville.
This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub
I know I would not have appreciated this book as much as I did before I lost my Mom. I never would have guessed that a time travel book would be the thing that spoke to my grief so well. The idea of going back in time to hang out with your parents when they’re young is so magical. What would I ask? What could I learn? How would we spend the day? Thank you to Emma Straub for writing a book about loss that isn’t all capital S Sad and heavy. Loved every page.
I Guess I Haven’t Learned That Yet by Shauna Niequist
Shauna has long been one of my favorite writers. I couldn’t know how much her words about navigating change would connect with me this year. In this collection she writes about moving to New York City, food, personal growth, loss, and a lot more.
