2018 Favorite Things

Books:

I read a lot of non-fiction this year. I’m not done with my reading list either because I have several books in progress including one cozy mystery that I should have breezed through (it’s about art heists!) but for some reason, it’s taken me half the year and I’m still not done. Of the totally completed books, it’s equally divided between non-fiction and fiction. 

Non-Fiction

The above list is not any particular order. I can tell you that Engineering for Cats is a fun book if you have access to a wood shop and need some clever catification projects. Ohpikiihaakan-Ohpihmeh was eye-opening about how the indigenous people of Canada, particularly women, are treated. If you happen to teach history classes, I suggest make this one mandatory even if you’re in the US because our treatment of the indigenous people is the same or worse. Enchantments and Magic Resistance are both books that I would highly recommend for anyone looking to practice spellcasting in modern times. Magic Resistance is specifically about political spellcasting, but it also gives a great history into socio-political witchcraft if you’re simply curious. 

Chair Yoga by Kristin McGee is a book that I would recommend for anyone not even just yoga teachers. The people in my social circles are artists and writers and they absolutely need the options for how to move their spines and limbs during the work day. This one is high on my list of recommendations. I use it as reference a lot when teaching. 

Fiction

Angela Henry and Alexia Gordon, both women of color crime fiction authors, remain on my top of the list for favorites. I hope Henry will add more books to the Kendra Clayton series because she immediately became my favorite protagonist when I read the first book of the series. Alexia Gordon adds a little supernatural flair to her cozies about Gethsamane Brown, an ex-pat musician in Ireland. 

I read Bella Falls and Vicki Delany for the first time this year and will definitely be keeping them on my list of favorite authors.

Comics:

I think if I have to pick a number one favorite comic for 2018, it’s Crowded. I love this premise about a girl who lives a superficial, shallow life in a world where crowdfunding assassinations is so popular through the dark web, that it becomes new reality entertainment and law enforcement looks the other way; there are defenders through an app called DFND that will work for hire to keep the target alive as long as the campaign is active. 

Jook Joint, Bitter Root, Faith: Dreamside, and Man-Eaters are all so unique and welcome that I would recommend them based on age appropriateness. I specify that only because Jook Joint shows a lot of empowering female nudity and violence. Man-Eaters has a lot of what I refer to as “monster violence” meaning not quite horrific but the art shows plenty of blood. It’s so damn brilliant in concept. I want to recommend all of these specifically for the diverse, strong-in-different-ways female characters.

TV:

My regulars have been Supergirl, The Good Place, Superstore, Grace & Frankie, Bosch, Bob’s Burgers, VEEP, and Brooklyn 99. I’ve stuck with Gotham because it still tends to have equal amount of good production with bad writing. The Angel’s Flight season of Bosch was probably the best one so far, imo. Supergirl had a couple major cast changes. They got rid of Maggie which I don’t think anyone was happy about. They got rid of Winn who I liked, but apparently everyone else hated. They added Brainiac who is an utter delight.  Plus we enjoyed new episodes of Death in Paradise.

New shows that I’ve added include Kim’s Convenience, The Rookie and The Good Doctor. The Rookie is a new Nathan Fillion drama which I had such low expectations for, I have to say I’m pleasantly surprised in how compelling his character, John Nolan, is. 

I’m not alone in being incredibly disappointed that AMC canceled Dietland after only one season. The show moved quickly compared to Sarai Walker’s novel. I loved Joy Nash’s portrayal of Plum Kettle. 

Founder and Editor-in-Chief of AmberUnmasked.com and Vodka O'Clock Podcast. Author of The Farrah Wethers Mysteries, comic book short stories, prose, and non-fiction. Cosplayer and figure model.