> CD #120: End-of-year list

I was thinking about this old Elif Batuman article on why we collectively get behind year-end lists every December (her reasons include doomsday feelings and a strange fixation on numbers during the holidays) and thought maybe I wouldn’t do a “best of” post this year. After all, between Spotify ruining “Wrapped” with AI-driven nonsense and the glut of media lists looking at all the best books, music, movies, TV, etc., I’m kinda done.

But then again, the days are so dark, and the countdown vibes are strong—and I love how a good end-of-year list helps me think about what actually matters in my life. So I’m giving you, once again, a personal “best of” in super random categories that are meaningful only to me. I encourage you to make a list for yourself too!

Best advent calendar:
I heard about the Bonne Maman jam calendar a few years back, but only managed to score one this year. I LOVE IT SO MUCH. Our family is choosing to approach it chaotically by opening four jars every few days so that we can have multi-jam tastings. 10/10 recommend. Plus, the baby jam jars are adorable and I want to hoard them.

Here is a portrait of me and my kids

Best thing I finally got around to doing:
I fixed up that vintage 80s jacket I bought back in 2022 (a.k.a. my most regrettable purchase). First, I soaked it in washing soda, which got the yellow stains out, and then I carefully rewove each individual snag back into the fabric, securing it the best I could. It’s got the perfect bomber shape, and I’ve worn it exactly once, on the only day this fall in Calgary when it was not too warm and not too cold.

Best “Best of” list:
All Our Ordinary Stories was featured on NPR’s Books We Love, alongside some really great picks! What I love most about this list is that each book is featured under multiple categories (because who is just one thing?), and you can sort it many different ways. I laughed out loud when I saw my book in the “rather short” category. It me.

Best podcast I listened to:
I came late to this one, but Connor Ratliff’s Dead Eyes—an investigation into why he was fired from a minor role in Band of Brothers by Tom Hanks in the early 2000s—was such a joy. It’s mainly about rejection and features a bunch of great interviews with actors and artists on how they deal with failure—all while keeping you hooked on the central mystery: Is Tom Hanks a terrible person?

Best podcast I talked on:
CBC Radio launched a new books show called Bookends, hosted by Mattea Roach, and I was lucky enough to be featured this season. Don’t just listen to my episode, though. I really loved the Sloane Crosley, Sarah Leavitt, and Jeff VanderMeer interviews too.

Best live event:
CBC Calgary hosted a watch party at the central library for the men’s Olympic breakdancing finals. We went down with the kids, had a delicious (and free!) Filipino breakfast, and cheered wildly when Phil Wizard won gold for Canada.

Best type of radio:
Between Bookends, the watch party, and the NPR list, I just want to say: PUBLIC RADIO FOREVER.

Best photo of a sunrise on my phone:
In case you’re wondering, at any given time, the photo roll on my phone is 55% sunrises and sunsets, 30% pages from books I’ve been reading, 10% photo references for comics I might make someday, and 5% packaging labels that I zoom into so I can actually read them. Aging is real.

My kids said this sunrise looked like my book cover 💕

Best books:
No amount of doomsday thinking could force me into picking just one, so here are some books that really got me this year, in no particular order:

• The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey

• Something, Not Nothing by Sarah Leavitt

• Age 16 by Rosena Fung

• On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century (Graphic Edition) by Timothy Snyder and Nora Krug

• Self-Esteem and the End of the World by Luke Healy

• The Woman Upstairs by Claire Messud

Most of these books are fairly quick reads, so I’d recommend approaching it chaotically and cracking open four of them in one night for a multi-book experience.

:) Teresa

ps. I will be taking a break from this newsletter from now until the end of January. See you all in the scary future. Courage!

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